Beaufort

_Prologue_

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'Family does not
always represent
relationships by
blood or marriage,
but by the people
who we know and can
be fully trusted.'

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Alekszandar Paiszkit feels extremely confused. He cannot move, he cannot open his eyes and he cannot open his mouth. He can hear his fiancée Xanthe Lilac and their children's voices, requesting to see him, and constant beeping noises.

     'What is going on? Why does Xanthe and our kids have to request to see me?' Alekszandar thought.

     Scorpius and Eleanor aren't his biological kids, but he regards them as his own because he will marry their mother soon. The twins affectionately call him Skandar, as he wanted them to know the truth from the start, he isn't their father. Their biological dad doesn't deserve that title, the way how he treated her.

     On the twins' 16th birthday, he and Xanthe told them the whole truth. They were together since they were 13, Xanthe fell pregnant at 16, gave birth just before turning 17, and Alekszandar knows she didn't cheat, despite his own mom states otherwise. His mom Nikolina wasn't there when it happened. His dad Vladislav has kept his own opinion to himself.

     It has taken all up until Xanthe and Alekszandar turned 33 that they'd get engaged. It took years of trying to convince Nikolina and Vladislav to let him ask to marry her. They gave in when it started pestering them. On the other hand, Xanthe's dad David and her step-dad Ash immediately approved the day Alekszandar first asked.

     Alekszandar can hear a familliar voice explain to Xanthe about what happened. He realized he's in hospital, in a coma for an unknown reason. The last thing he remembered was going to the hospital to visit Ash, he was told he was in an accident, then everything went blank. He realized Ash has not been in an accident.

     That familiar voice sent chills up his spine. He heard Xanthe saying Dr. Bill, which is very strange, as he is certain the doctor has a different accent to when he saw him last. This doctor helped Xanthe when she gave birth to the twins, and previously took her appendix out when she was 8.

     That was in Anchorage, Alaska, their previous hometown. He is grateful the doctor took her appendix out, he doesn't know what would've happened if she didn't get it out in time. He blames her mom Regina, a woman who doesn't know how to look after kids. But there's only one reason he is glad she is a mother, Xanthe wouldn't have been born without her.

     Alekszandar wanted to live in New York because he got a job promotion. He was born and raised in Anchorage. His parents were born in Bulgaria, hence why his name isn't spelt Alexander. He visits Bulgaria once a year for Christmas. Xanthe and the twins have only been on a plane once in their lives - to permanently move to Brooklyn.

     He is a private investigator, only specializing in missing persons. He moved to Brooklyn 4 months ago. Not once, have his parents visited him. It might be better that way, as the twins don't like visiting them, and he doesn't blame them.

     He hears David and Ash's voices, requesting to see him, but it sounded like they had to beg the doctor and his nurses. They sounded desperate, they really do like the fact he's with Xanthe, which melts his heart that some people don't judge the relationship.

     'Please, Dr. Bill, let me see him. I know he is not my son-in-law yet, but he is like family to me. He has been almost his whole life, and he is the best guy for my daughter, especially for the last decade. Can I please see him?' David pleads.

     'No! Family only, and that is final!' Dr. Bill sounded very angry.

     'Dad, let me talk to him,' Xanthe said.

     A loud noise erupted. Lights repeatedly flickered on and off. All hospital staff, David and Ash suddenly passed out. The security cameras malfunctioned. Xanthe followed the doctor, only to discover his real identity. She starts panicking, trying not to show it.

     'Jett! You've been using Dr. Bill as a disguise this whole time?' Xanthe trembles while he slams her against the wall.

     'I was there, in his disguise while you gave birth. I've held the real Dr. Bill hostage for that, then released him after a while and now I am doing it again. I attacked your fiancé! I want to see my children! You and your good-for-nothing fiancé have kept them away from me long enough!' Jett shouts angrily.

     The twins enter the room, Jett grins wickedly. He grabs Xanthe's mouth in his left hand, a scalpel in the other. Xanthe whimpers, fearing about the twins' safety rather than her own. She would do anything to protect them. The twins remembered what she told them to do if this would happen.

     'Come live with me, and your mother will be unharmed,' Jett demands. 'Come on now, don't you want to get to know your real father?'

     The twins ran as fast as they could. They already know everything about Jett, and they don't want to live with him. They like Alekszandar more. Jett screams in a psychopathic anger, violently threw the scalpel to the wall, making a dent out of it.

     'If I can't see my children, then neither will you. You are going to the place where you belong, the place we were 10 years ago. The basement of Onyx's house. Except that this time, we'll be together. Alone.' Jett snarls.

      Jett drags her to his van, she is struggling to get free, but he is much stronger than he was the last time. The last time, she was so strong he had to inject chloroform with a needle. She is good at martial arts, but since the pregnancy, she hadn't been strong like she was before.

⭐

Scorpius drives himself and Eleanor in David's car. They didn't have the time nor the strength to grab their grandfathers. They only went past a few streets and the car conked out. There is enough petrol, so that wasn't the reason.

     'Sis, you're good at fixing cars, can you please help?' Scorpius gets out of the car.

     Eleanor agrees. Ash taught her how to fix cars ever since she found interest, she was about 7. Of course, she just observed and not done anything practical until she was 14. She immediately knew what was wrong.

     'The exhaust broke. We need tools, wait a minute, Grandpa Ash always keeps a toolkit in the trunk. It's not there anymore!'

     'What if Jett did this? I think he has the powers to do so. If he could put people in comas without chloroform, like we just witnessed, then he could do anything!'

     'I don't believe in super powers, Scorpius,' Eleanor sighs loudly.

     'He doesn't have super powers, Elly. But it's 2027, the era where technology has advanced. He might have a special computer to make things disappear!' Scorpius shudders.

     'What are we going to do? Ah, hang on, I got a text from-' Eleanor grabs her phone. 'Quentin!'

     Scorpius rolls his eyes. Quentin isn't his favorite dude, but he lets his sister date him anyway. Eleanor protests when Scorpius suggests to quickly borrow tools in the garage across the street, which is wide open. Every light is off, the owners must have gone to bed.

     Scorpius quietly grabs the toolkit and Eleanor reluctantly fixes the car. Then Scorpius puts the tools back. The lights turn on and the door connected to the garage opens. A man and a woman appears. Eleanor explains what happened.

     'Well, you put it back, I suppose it wasn't stealing,' the woman smiles. 'You two seem like you're in a rough patch, you go to the same school as my boys. We are the Broadbents. Do you want to stay at ours until you've got somewhere to go?'

     The twins are astounded. But they do know Beaufort, he's in all of their classes. They didn't know him enough yet to find out he isn't an only child. It sounded suspicious, but they accept the offer, it is cheaper than a motel. Alekszandar's parents wouldn't let them stay at their place. They don't pay enough attention to the twins, because they don't regard them as their grandchildren.