My Dear Brothers|✓|

Chapter 2: Brothers?! As In More Than One?!

"I'm sorry to inform you that your parents and your sister have been in an accident while going to drop your sister off at school. They were hit by drunk driver..." I couldn't hear anything else. There was a buzzing in my ears as the teacher's words repeatedly rang through my head. I wasn't aware of anything around me anymore. But I didn't cry. I couldn't. I had never cried in public and was never going to. So I took a deep breath and tuned back into the conversation my face now impassive and no emotion in my eyes. The teacher gave me a pitying glance.

"Which hospital are they at?" I asked.

"The Lincoln Memorial Hospital, " answered the teacher.

I nodded and went back to the classroom and gathered my stuff. I gave my friends a fleeting smile and, ignoring their questions, walked out of the class and called a cab. I sat inside and leaned against the window silently. I got off at the hospital and ran to the front desk.

"My parents were in a hit and run accident near the Little Angels Primary School." The woman gave me a pitying smile and gave me the room number. Apparently though their injuries were too much to treat and because of that they were going to die but my mother was still conscious while my dad and sister were already dead. I ran through the hospital pushing through the crowd to get to her room. I burst in and found my mother hooked up to a hundred machine but as I came in she gave me small smile and then winced as though the small action gave her pain. I stumbled forward and finally let the tears escape. She then told me something that astounded me. She told me about how my dad was not biologically my father and my biological father was the man she had been married to before my father. As soon as she found out that she was pregnant yet again, she had fled with me. My real father didn't know of my existence and within a month of fleeing she had married my dad. Well my step dad I guess. To say I was shocked at her confession was an understatement. She told me that she had already called my brother and explained everything to him. My mom's soft voice pulled me back into the present.

"You will now be under the guardianship of your brother, Victor Cattaneo. Go home, you will find a letter in the locked drawer of my cupboard. Give it to the social services executive who comes to choose you a new guardian." She took a deep breath and said," I love you and I want you to move forward in life and not dwell on our deaths. It was our time to go."

I started sobbing as I held onto my mother's hand that stroked my face and then fell limply on the bed. I cried for a few more minutes and then got up as my mother's body was taken away. I got a cab back home and immediately went to the cupboard in my mother's room. I unlocked the drawer and found the envelope tucked into the back with a folder with my name on it. I took both of them and went to my room. I sat on the bed and cried for a couple of hours and fell asleep. I woke up to the ringing of the doorbell. I dragged myself to the door and answered it. A woman in her late 20s stood there.

"Hello my dear, my name is Maya and I am from social services." I gave her a smile and invited her in. "I am here to discuss the matter of your guardianship."

"My mother asked me to give you this letter and this folder before she d-died."I said hating the fact that my voice broke but Maya didn't say anything about it. Instead she took the documents from my hand and as she read through them her eyebrows rose higher and higher until they were in danger of disappearing into her hairline.

"Well, I think there is going to be no problem with the guardianship. You must pack everything you need as you are to leave for your brother's house immediately. You are to inherit everything that belonged to your parents and your sister. If you need anything else I will ship it to your brother's house."

I nodded mutely and then went to my room and started packing everything up. Two hours later I had put all of my possessions into two suitcases and a backpack. Maya nodded at me and then helped her lug the bags to the cab waiting to take them to the airport. The ride was silent and I took the opportunity to send my best friends a message telling them about the circumstances. They replied almost instantaneously giving me sympathy and virtual hugs which made me smile. Maya escorted me to the security check and explained that when I would land at the airport my brother would be waiting to pick me up. I nodded and surprised her by giving her a hug and a smile which she returned when the shock wore off.

She gave me a few last instructions and then she shooed me off so that I did not miss the flight. I wandered to the terminal and arrived as they were announcing that the boarding was starting. I sighed and got onto the plane. I found my seat and settled into it to get ready for the 6 hour flight from New York to California. 

---Timeskip to the end of the flight because I am lazy------------------------

I woke up to the flight attendant shaking me.

"Ma'am, we have landed."

I nodded and got up and grabbed my backpack from the overhead carrier. I stretched and walked off the plane. I grabbed my two bags and checked my phone, bypassing the plethora of messages from my friends to a message I received about 20 minutes ago.

'I'm waiting near the CoffeeBean near the exit.'

I looked up and tried to find the intended meeting spot. I finally spotted the big sign to my right and found a man standing there with his phone in his hand. As I walked over to him, I observed his features. He had cocoa coloured hair like mine that was disheveled as though he spent most of his time running his hands through it in frustration. He seemed to be looking for someone as he glanced around from time (Stupid brain. Obviously he was looking for someone. Me!). I walked up to him and tapped his shoulder. He spun around and I saw that he was what others would call 'hot', but obviously I hated that immediately due to my insistence to demean myself. He gave me a huge smile and I knew instantly that I would like him.

"Did you have a comfortable flight?" he asked taking one of my bags.

"Yes..." I replied.

"Oh sorry! My name is Elijah Cattaneo and I am your second oldest brother."

"What do you mean 'second oldest'? I thought I had only one brother." I asked, my eyes wide.

There was a flash of hurt in his eyes which disappeared as soon as it came. He shook his head and the next few words he said made my jaw drop with shock.

"You have 5 older brothers.."