The Family Business part of the Cutting Edge Series.

Chapter four: What Do I Do?

I woke up the next morning and thought about the strange man from last night. Who was he? Why did he come? Was he connected to my family? If so how? Questions flew threw my mind. I looked out the window to see another beautiful day. I opened my curtains and windows then listed to the birds chirp as I got dressed. My mood was a lot better today than yesterday. I picked up the few things in my room that were dirty and started to unpack.

"Knock knock" Grandma said walking in.

"Hi Grandma" I said as she entered my room with some breakfast.

"Yum" I said as she handed me the platter with eggs just the way I liked, and the rest of my family liked.

"Gram?" I asked getting her attention one I was seated on my new bed.

"Yes?" she asked

"Have you ever had a secret and lied about it, even if you knew if might affect the way things in your life go?" I asked

"Yes, sometimes. But I think you'll figure out the answer to if you should or should not tell the secret. But you might want to tell the person you lied to the truth." She said catching on to my actual question.

I smiled as we both exited my room and went our separate ways. She walked to the chicken coop and I went to the barn. I got shivers down my spine again as I entered the barn.

I looked up and saw nothing.

"You can come out now. I know you're here" I said loudly. He walked out of the shows behind me. I jumped around as I heard him step on the hay. I looked at him.

"Who are you? Why are you hear? Does it have something to do with my family?" I asked. He looked straight into my eyes. I didn't back down for the first time in my life and I raise my voice.

"I want my family back and you have something to do with them! I know it! I want to know! Who are you!?" I said. He took one step closer to me and put his hand over my mouth.

"Yes, I Am hear to help you get them back" he said in a deep voice. I pushed his hand off. I wasn't sure what to do.

"How do I know if I can trust you?" I said daring to cock a hip.

"You don't" came his confident reply. He took my body posture as a challenge and stood up strain looking down at me large arms crossed. I looked at him. Just then grandma came into the entrance of the barn. I put my hand on his chest and shove him back into the shadows.

"I'm not done talking to you so please stay there" I said and ran toward grandma.

"Honey are you ok? I thought I heard you talking to someone" she said

"Ya Im fine" I said.

"Alright" She said walking out. I turn after making sure she wasn't around the corner waiting to see, and ran to where I left him. He wasn't their! Just then he grabbed me and pulled me up into the loft. I grabbed onto him knowing that the loft could fall out from under us. Thats when I realized I was in his armes. I got red instantly, this was the closest i'd been to any dud not including family. He kept holding on to me until I let go of him, as if he knew I might panic and fall.

"Who are you?" I aske him looking into his mask.

"Thunderstorm" came the short answer.

"No I mean your real name" I said. no answer.

"Really? You don't have a real name or you don't want to tell me?" I asked. No answer

"Ok its kinda hard to have a conversation with one person talking" I said to the man, boy, person or whatever he was.

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Ok there's something I should explain about Thunderstorm. Well I think you figured it out by now but just in case...He doesn't exactly talk. When he does its either in signs or the smallest about of word as possible.

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I walked up to the porch as grandma put lunch on the table.

"Lunch?Already?" I said walking up to the poarch.

"It's well past noon. You've just been so busy time flew" She said said sitting down. I dug my fork into the delicious looking food after we prayed over the food. Then after enjoying eggs salad sandwiches and fresh cookies I walked into the kitchen to put up my dishes. Thunderstorm was in the kitchen sitting on the island.

"What are you doing?!" I said dropping the dishes. Within a flash he was over by me and had them in his hand.

"Katy... O MY!" Grandma yelled grabbing a mop and pointing it at him and pushing me behind her. He put his hands up and behind his head.

"Thunderstorm!" I said scolding his play panic.

"You to know each other!" Grandma asked

"It's ok hes cool, I think?" I said lowering the mop from her hands.

"Well what is your school friend doing here, in my kitchen, and dressed like that?" She asked.

"Grandma hes not one of my school friends" I said looking straight at his mask. He crossed his arms and looked down at both of us.

"Then who is he and what is he doing here?" She asked. I looked at him and crossed my arms.

"He won't tell me" I said as if asking him. He pulled out his sword and grandma raise the mop. Within seconds he disarmed her and picked me up. I squealed seeing the sword next to my head. Grandma ran to me and kicked him in the shin, well tried he picked his foot up. He gently placed me back down on the floor and swung his sword through his fingers extremely fast then placed it back into the sheath on his back.

"And the point of that was?" Grandma asked rather enraged.

"Training" Came the disturbingly low voice. But instead of shivers of fear it was attraction. He looked at me.

"You're going to need it" He said. I almost fainted. I'd never felt like this before. Ever! Over any dud!

"Why?" Grandma asked. He looked at her and smiled threw his tight mask.

"The family business" He said then turned and disappeared. Gram and I looked at each other.

"We have a business?" I asked her. She shrugged.

"I don't know" She said. I looked back to the door and took a deep breath and smiled. I liked mysteries and this one I loved and I would figure him and whatever he was talking about out! For the first time I let the determination slip onto my lips as a smirk appeared. I was going to have fun with this, but I also knew it might be tragic, it might be amazing, probably both!