City of Redemption

-Chapter 6-

(Okay, after having to move all last week I finally found time to continue chugging along my story. I'm going to try to post a chapter every Wednesday from here on out so my readers can have a set schedule to look forward to, hopefully--that is!)

The Blackthorns and Emma Carstairs returned to Los Angeles a few days later than expected, after most of the other Institute families had gone home already, due to unexpected delays in building repairs. Suffice it to say, she was not exactly looking forward to it.

The rest of their time spent in Alicante had stretched on eerily smooth and uneventful. Most of the siblings did their household chores as expected with little to no arguing. Except from little Tavvy, who was only 2-years old. His chores mainly consisted of letting one or more of his older siblings or Emma know when his diaper needed changing, not fussing in the bath, and returning at least one of the half-dozen other toys back where he'd found it. Instead, Julian often found him sitting in filth not saying a thing to anyone, he never stayed put, and Emma picked off the floor all of his toys that were strewn across the entire household with no peep of complaint. With the exception of Octavian, they all knew that if they didn't do their part their uncle would be beside himself in a fit.

Emma had told Julian on more than one occasion that once they returned to the Institute they would have more space to spread out, distancing themselves from Uncle Arthur. She assured him their uncle was only acting this way because he had never been around kids at the Institute in London, so this was all very new to him. Once the initial shock of handling all six kids in one manor wore off he would be more responsive to their needs. Perhaps he would tell them of his many adventures along the Mediterranean!

That didn't exactly happen.

The moment they opened the main doors and laid eyes on the refinished floor at the L.A. entrance it shattered Druscilla, Jules' youngest sister, and all Arthur managed to do was scoff, bumbling on over how the designers got the Greco-Roman style wrong in contrast to the rest of the room. Dru was with Emma when they'd found Sebastian and his dark army standing right where they were standing. Emma's throat had clenched as she fought wheezing in front of everyone as they made their way into the grand entrance for the first time since they'd escaped on that fateful day. Seven-year old Dru had screamed and run off, Emma following in hot pursuit.

Since then, everyone avoided that part of the Institute any time they could help it, always using the back entrance when going out for any reason.

The place was utterly depressing. There was always a child crying somewhere in the building at all hours of the day, the noises ricocheted off the walls so they never escaped Emma's ears. Often she went out to the wooden steps leading down to the beach; she'd choose a stair to sit on and looked out into the vast ocean as the tide went in or out.

It was chilly this time of year in California, though it was much colder in Alicante where it often snowed in late December. Emma bundled up in her jacket this particular night as she watched the stars become visible again with the disappearance of the sun. The sunsets were always spectacular here, with the different shades of blues and arrays of dark oranges intermixed like sherbet on an ice cream cone. She remembered always begging her parents to let her stay over late just so she could watch it with Jules. Each time they let her it felt like some great amazing triumph. It was much more difficult to see the stars from the neighborhood she grew up in because of all the palm trees and exhaust getting in the way. Now she would never see her home again.

She heard footsteps come up behind her but did not turn.

"Can't say I blame you, searching for a quiet place to sit and think." Jules sat on the same step beside her. She noticed he was wearing shorts.