Finding A Ghost (Completed)

Chapter 4

As promised to AcademyPrincess I'll be updating twice today. So you get one before I go to work and another when I come back later on. Happy Friday!!!!!

Also, as usually, I don't know German. I only like to think Google Translate does. So I apologize on his behalf. He can get full of himself so I know it's most likely wrong. But for all our sanity, I'll continue to let him think he's right. And I know they are going to Germany so a lot of it should be in German but I'm going to pretend more than half the population can speak English, even if it's bad English.

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**| Past Sang's POV |**

I was hurting but it's okay. Last night wasn't the worse I've had. Then again, it wasn't the nicest either. I did something wrong again, even if I wasn't sure what it was that I did. I've been told that I was really good at doing something wrong and the bruises only proved that. Right?

I stared up at the stairwell before looking behind me at the door Papa disappeared into. He brought me today because Mama took Marie on a trip this week and I'm still too young to be left alone. They left this morning and it was too short noticed to find someone else to watch me today.

Papa was furious with Mama last night but after a long argument, he let her go. I was okay with that. It meant I was safe for a few days. Of course, before they left, she punished me and reminded me to be a good girl. I always tried to be a good girl but I guess I was meant to be bad because I always did something wrong.

Papa's meeting was just starting so I needed to do something to entertain myself for the next long while. I slowly climbed the stairs, thinking that exploring would be a good way to past the time. I was good at staying unseen so I wasn't worried about anyone spotting me, and getting mad and hitting me for wandering around.

I climbed to the second floor and glanced through the crack I created when I pushed open the door. No one was in the hallway so I went through and walked past all the closed doors. The walls weren't even decorated. Boring.

And the place was dirty, the air dusty. I didn't understand why they wanted to meet in a place that looked like no one's been here for a long time.

At the end of the hallway was a massive window and a small seating area. I walk over to the area to look at the view but all there was to see were buildings. The blue sky was slowly gathering clouds for a storm that was coming.

A rustling noise caught my attention and I froze as my heart pitter-pattered hard against my chest in fear. I turned to find the source and my eyes widened in shock. A huge boy sat curled between a potted dead tree and the wall. He was curled into himself, his head tucked into his knees so all I saw was a head of messy black hair. His body shook but he wasn't making any noise. The part of his arm that I could see was dark with bruising. I knew those colors. They were painted on my chest right now and they liked to remind me they were there every time I drew in a breath. The boy's bruise was in the shape of a large hand, circling all the way around his tanned arm.

I fell down to my knees, not wanting to stand over him. I didn't like it when others stood over me either. I shuffled closer, using my knees, and his body stiffened when he finally heard me but he didn't move. I barely breathed, not wanting to surprise him. I stopped when I was in reaching distance but not crowding him.

"Ist Ihr Vater auch in der Sitzung? (Is your father also at the meeting?)" I asked, keeping my voice low and soft.

He didn't say anything and I waited him out. A few minutes later, my knees were hurting from kneeling on the rug but it was worth it when he finally looked up at me.