Halo sat beside her sisters on her bed. She didn’t want to tell them but she had to. “Something’s wrong with Mom,” she announced gravely.
Willow and Fear stared at her wide-eyed. “Wha-what do you mean something’s wrong with her?” Willow asked fearfully.
Halo sighed. “I think she’s sick… She’s been acting odd ever since we came home from Jagged’s house three days ago,” she told them, tears pooling in her eyes.
Willow refused to believe it. She couldn’t. “You’re wrong! She can’t be sick!” Willow argued and ran from the room.
Fear just stared at Halo and Halo thought it might have been one of the few times her sister had ever seemed scared or concerned. Halo groaned and got up then left the room to go find Willow. Halo looked everywhere in the house but could not find her sister. Halo sighed and put on her coat. She had to find Willow.
After Halo searched a while outside she found Willow up in a tree crying. Halo quickly climbed the tree and sat on a branch near Willow. “I’m sorry… I just didn’t want it to come as a shock to you if- if…” Halo couldn’t bear to finish the sentence.
“Halo, when Dad died I did my best not to let it get to me. But what if Mom dies? What will happen to us?” Willow asked Halo.
Halo sighed and moved closer to her sister. “Willow, no matter what happens I will always be here for you. I love you and Fear, never forget that,” Halo told her.
Willow climbed out of the tree and walked slowly back to the house, Halo waited a minute and then started off after her sister. When Halo got home she found her sister up in their room crying on her bed. Halo sat beside her and pulled Willow into a hug. Willow just cried on Halo’s chest.
Halo just sat with her sister hugging her. She knew her sister didn’t need words, just love. Eventually Willow stopped crying. Fear came into the room and they all went to bed.
On New Year’s Eve Halo, Willow, and Fear were sitting in the living room when Mrs. Lemaya came into the room. Halo met her mother’s eyes and knew immediately something was wrong. “I visited the hospital while you were gone… I have cancer… Its incurable and I am going to- going to die soon,” she alerted them.
Willow looked at Halo, her skin pale, and then started crying. Halo just sat there and held her little sister while Fear sat beside them. “I love you. I really do. Halo, I know you’ll take care of your sisters… Willow never stop writing. Fear don’t stop drawing…” she said before hugging each of them and going to bed.
Fear climbed into her bed and drew until Willow calmed down and fell asleep. Then Halo headed for bed too and quickly fell asleep.
The next morning Fear woke up and knew something was wrong. She got up as quietly as she could, so she didn’t wake her sisters, and headed for her Mom’s room. As she peeked into the room she could tell her mother was dead. She slipped down the wall and sat by the door. It was an hour before her siblings woke up and came down the hall. “What’s wrong?” Halo asked.
Fear shook her head and a tear slipped down her cheek. “Mom… Mom’s…” she began but couldn’t speak.
Halo nodded her understanding and this time Willow didn’t cry. She sat beside Fear and pulled her into a hug. Halo sat on the other side of Fear and hugged her too. The three sat there for a long time before the doorbell rang. Halo got up and ran to the door. When she saw Sonic standing there she turned wordlessly and went back to her sisters. Sonic followed them and sat beside Willow. He put his hand on her shoulder and whispered, “Halo will take care of you… Don’t worry.”
Hours passed and the house grew dark. After a while Sonic silently got up and let himself out of the house. When he got home he told his mom what had happened. Mrs. Crosshawk picked up the phone and called someone, probably a social worker.
Willow was the first to fall asleep, and then Halo, but Fear just stayed awake. She couldn’t sleep, not at a time like this. She got up after a while and picked up her sketch book. Then she sat beside her sisters again. She felt better with her sketch book. Hesitantly at first, then more comfortably she began to draw a rainy day and bloody field.
Her imagination pulled to a world separate from her own. She was in the middle of the bloody field, tufts of fur were everywhere. And right in front of her was her cat, Emma. Emma’s body seemed to have been torn by claws. The tufts of fur were Emma’s and her blood was all over the clearing. Fear gasped in horror. Emma had disappeared three years ago. Halo had assured her Emma was fine. “Oh Emma,” Fear whispered.
Tears slipped down her cheeks as she put her sketch book down and moved to beside Emma. As she wept over her cat she heard a growl in the woods behind her. Slowly turning she found herself facing a large, silver wolf. Behind the massive wolf were other wolves, though none looked as noble or as terrible as the first. Fear stood angrily and glared at the wolf. “You did this!” she accused angrily.
Suddenly Fear was torn from the field and her sisters were leaning over her concerned. Fear realized she had been dreaming but it had felt so real. “I dreamed… I dreamed I was in a bloody field… Emma was there then I met some wolves who killed her,” Fear explained shakily.
Halo pulled her sister into a hug and Willow joined them. The three sat there until a knock came at their door. Halo reluctantly pulled out of the hug and opened the door. A smiling woman stood there. “Hello! I’m Helen!” she said cheerfully.
Halo almost wanted to slam the door in her face. “Whatever you’re selling we’re not interested,” Halo growled and started to shut the door.
Helen put her hand out to stop the door and stepped inside. “Oh no, I’m not selling anything,” she explained, “I understand your mother just died and your orphans.”
Halo just stared at Helen. Fear and Willow soon came up behind her. “I’ve come to bring you to the orphanage,” Helen continued.
Willow glared at her defiantly and Halo wished her sister would keep quiet for once. “There is no way I am going to an orphanage!” Willow yelled stepping toward Helen.
Helen just kept smiling at Willow almost as though waiting for her to calm down. Halo knew Willow could take hours to calm down with that strategy and calmly put her hand on her sister. “Willow it’ll be alright. We’ll still have each other,” Halo murmured.
Willow looked at her sister desperately. “But… I have to wear glasses sometimes... And it’s getting worse,” Willow protested.
Halo sighed. Her sister hated the glasses and probably should wear them for reading and writing but simply refused. Every day her vision was getting a little worse, but the doctors had assured Willow she wouldn’t go blind if she wore glasses. “You could wear the glasses, you look beautiful in them,” Halo pointed out.
Willow felt so helpless. Was Halo really going to let this strange lady take them to an orphanage? Glaring at her older sister, Willow ran out of the room. Halo wanted to chase after her, tell her it would be alright, but couldn’t. She turned and faced Helen. “Willow was rude but she was right. I can’t let you take either of my sisters to an orphanage, or me. Our neighbour Mrs. Crosshawk would surely adopt us,” Halo said.
Helen shook her head that smile still on her face. “Mrs. Crosshawk was the one who called me. She said normally she would take you in but your mother asked that she didn’t,” Helen explained.
Halo nodded and then noticed Fear was gone. “If my mother requested she didn’t... Then I guess we will go with you,” she finally said then turned to find her sisters.
Halo found them in their room, Willow was crying on the bed and Fear was hugging her and crying too. Halo bit her lip wondering how she would tell them. “We- We’re not going to an orphanage are we?” Willow asked looking up.
Halo sighed and hugged Willow. “We are. Mom wanted us to go… To find our own path,” Halo said quietly.
Willow pushed Halo away and stopped crying then she ran out of the room. Willow ran and hid in the attic. Nobody had ever found her up there. She even had her own special spot, a nook in the back. If anyone came up to the attic they probably wouldn’t find her. She sat in the back and wondered about her future. She remembered all the times Sonic and Halo had told her she would become a famous author.
She wondered if an orphan could become an author. She wondered if she would be separated from her sisters or if she would ever see Sonic again. She wondered what Jagged was doing and if Moon still had Pickles.
Halo longed to go find her sister but instead she pulled out a large suitcase and packed some of their most important items as well as clothes. When the room started getting darker Halo looked out the window and saw the sun was setting. Willow had been gone a long time and Halo was getting worried.
Halo made a quick search of the house then returned to their room. She glanced out the window at the tree they climbed when they were upset. Unfortunately the tree was empty and Willow was still missing. Halo knew the attic was still left to search but she doubted her sister would go up there. As far as Halo knew no one had been up there for a long time, maybe ten years. She glanced at Fear who was quietly drawing then headed for the attic.
Willow held her breath as she heard someone coming up to the attic. As Halo opened the door to the attic Willow listened to the eerie creak. She squeezed her eyes shut and wondered if her sister would find her. “Willow come on out, I know you’re here,” Halo called out though she didn’t really think her sister was there.
Willow’s head popped up from behind some boxes. She stared at her sister, wondering how she had known. Halo headed towards her sister relieved to see her. “How did you know I was here?” Willow asked.
Halo hugged her sister and grinned. It was an old trick her father had taught her, but she didn’t want Willow to know. “I knew because I love you, I always know where you are,” Halo said.
Willow nodded still mystified at her sister’s knowledge of her hiding place. “Do we really have to go to an orphanage?” she asked.
Halo sighed, she wanted to say no. In her heart she was just as upset as Willow but for her sister she tried to be brave, to put on a bold face. “Yeah, we do. Mom wanted it and plus it’ll be an adventure. I bet we’ll make new friends,” Halo said and tickled her sister.
Willow giggled and tried to swat away her sister’s hands. When Halo finally stopped tickling Willow, Willow reached behind a box and pulled out her glasses. She hesitated then put them on. “I guess I’ll need these… Do I really look okay in them?” she asked.
Halo poked her sister and smiled at her. “No silly, you look beautiful in them!” Halo said, “now let’s get out of this attic.”
Willow nodded and led the way down from it. She grabbed her note book on the way down and put it on a shelf then picked up the one Jagged had given her for Christmas. Halo smiled as her sister started writing in it, then sighed wondering if she would still be like that at the orphanage.
The night felt long and was uneventful for the girls. Willow cried herself to sleep and Halo wanted to but didn’t. Only Fear seemed to actually be taking it well, but she always seemed so fearless.
Morning came all too soon and Helen was back, still smiling. She was ready to take them all to the orphanage. “Don’t worry!” she encouraged them; “somebody will adopt you!”
Halo rolled her eyes, doubting what the lady said. It seemed unlikely that someone would adopt all three of them. Helen didn’t seem to notice and just cheerfully loaded their stuff into the van. Willow still didn’t want to go and reluctantly got into the van after Halo, followed by Fear.
Helen happily drove and Halo wanted to do something to make her stop smiling. The orphanage was about an hour’s drive away, but there was no conversation. Helen tried to break the awkward silence but no one was interested in helping her.
Finally they arrived at the orphanage. Willow had her glasses on but firmly stepped out of the van. Halo wondered at her sister’s new found confidence. It didn’t seem too good. Willow had been a perfect angel before their dad had died. After he had died she had started to become mischievous and Halo was suspicious that it would only get worse.
Willow lead the way into the orphanage and a bunch of small, bruised and scraped kids met them outside. When the walked into the orphanage they we met by more kids, these kids were tougher and weren’t bruised or scraped. Fear had the feeling they were bullies and naturally she glared at them until they had enough and looked away. Two boys were in a gap between the two groups. They didn’t seem to fit in either.
Helen followed them in and the other kids crowded in behind her. “Children meet Halo, Willow, and Fear!” Helen announced brightly.
The tougher kids smirked at them as Helen lead them to their rooms. She dropped their bags and then left. Willow watched out the window as Helen drove away. Halo started to unpack their things and Fear joined her. Willow just sat watching. “Oh, come on, Willow. Help us unpack,” Halo said despairingly.
If her sister didn’t start acting like she cared Halo would have to do something. With a heaving effort Willow got up from the bed and helped them unpack. After ten minutes they were done and Willow was just about to sit down when some older girls barged into the room. “Well, what do you know, new kids,” the older one said smirking.
They were definitely bullies. The one who had spoken was taller with wispy brown hair that was shoulder length with a ragged cut. The other girl was shorter but was definitely tougher, she was missing a tooth and her muscles were huge and quite clear since she wore a muscle shirt. “I’m Holly, and I’ll determine who you are,” the taller one said.
The shorter one nodded in agreement and smirked. Holly may have been a leader but the shorter did the hard work. “And I’m Mara, and I’ll make sure you learn your place,” the shorter one said aggressively.
Halo saw her sister bunching her fists and willed her sister not to do anything stupid. Willow could sense her sister’s distress and did her best to control her anger at these bullies. “Now, I’d suggest you do as we say. I want to meet Willow,” Holly announced.
Willow glanced at her sisters then stepped forward. “I’m Willow,” she announced bravely and confidently.
Holly studied Willow for a moment then smirked. “Come with us. We’d like to… Talk with you alone,” Holly commanded.
Willow really wanted to give her a good punch in the face but held back knowing it could get her sisters in trouble. Holly left the room and Willow followed her. Mara glared at Halo and Fear warning them not to follow then went after Willow.
Holly led Willow out of the orphanage and into a small forest. Then she stopped and faced Willow. Willow bunched her fists waiting to hear what Holly wanted. “You clearly are a nerd,” Holly said after a moment, “a nerd with a pretty name.”
Willow would have given Holly a punch she wouldn’t forget but Mara showed up and Willow knew she couldn’t take both of them. “What of it?” Willow asked cautiously.
Holly gave Willow a smile that clearly meant I am so superior to you. Willow returned it with a glare almost not caring if Holly got Mara to punch her. “Why, dear, I sense you could… Be valuable to me. Of course your sisters wouldn’t be able to help us but you… You’re a different matter. We’d have to smash those glasses... And we couldn’t call you Willow anymore…” Holly reasoned.
Willow stared at Holly. Change her name? But she loved her name, it was… Her. And leave her sisters, never. “I need my glasses… And why would I change my name?” Willow replied.
Holly gave her another of those smiles. Willow got the feeling that she was only in a good position because she was pretty. “Oh, I couldn’t have anyone with a name prettier than mine could I?” Holly said.
Willow narrowed her eyes at Holly. This girl was crazy. “I will never change my name… And I’m not interested in going blind. I think I’ll pass,” she replied defiantly.
Holly sighed and tried to look disappointed but Willow knew it was unreal. “Wrong choice, darling,” she said and almost sounded sad as she nodded to Mara.
As Willow saw the bully preparing to come at her she let loose the punch she had been holding back. It hit Holly square in the jaw. Only seconds after Willow punched Holly, Mara kicked Willow in the stomach. As Willow bent over in pain Mara gave her painful punch in the face. Then Mara helped Holly up and the two disappeared.
Willow lay groaning on the forest floor when Fear and Halo came and found her. It was noon and Willow was starting to get a black eye. “Said… No… Bad choice…” she groaned to them.
The gently picked her up and carried her back to the orphanage. Halo gave her a cold cloth when they were back in their room then asked what happened. Willow explained quickly as she could, and moaned in pain occasionally. They spent the rest of the day in their room except for meals.
The next morning Willow was nowhere to be found. Holly barged into their room earlier than any of them wanted to be up. “Which one of you did it?” she demanded furiously.
Mara stood beside her and a scrap or two of toilet paper was in their hair. Halo sighed inwardly knowing this was Willow’s work. “I did,” Fear claimed and climbed out of bed to face them.
Halo wasn’t surprised her sister had taken the blame. Fear wasn’t one to stand by and let someone else get hurt. Holly looked a bit surprised as well. “Congratulations little twit, you’re on my bad list now,” Holly said mockingly.
Mara smirked at Fear, waiting to beat her up. Holly glanced at Mara and shook her head. Fear silently took in what was going on. “I got special plans for you, brat. Now would you like to come with us nicely, or do you want Mara to make you?” Holly hissed.
Fear glanced at Halo then moved towards the two older girls. Mara smirked and roughly grabbed Fear’s arm. Holly led the way out the door and Mara shoved Fear after her. Halo watched them go then sat on the bed and started to cry. If she could she would have stood up for her sister but she knew it wouldn’t help. Oh, how she wished Sonic were there.
Fear was shoved and pushed into the woods. If she fell Mara would kick her until she got up. Finally they came to the clearing Willow had visited the day before. There Holly eyed her until she finally stopped and smirked at Fear. “Ah yes… I think we’ll have to do something with you. No one trashes my room and gets away with it,” she decided.
Holly leaned over and whispered something to Mara. Mara nodded and scurried off. Fear watched Mara go and then charged at Holly. Holly side stepped smoothly but Fear just turned on her and gave a crushing punch to the nose. Fear heard a crunch and was satisfied. “That is for what you did to Willow,” Fear growled and turned to leave.
Mara blocked Fear’s way; a crowd of kids surrounded her. Mara shoved a few kids out of her way and headed for Fear. As Mara noticed a clear path to Fear she charged but Fear saw it coming and dodged. Whirling to face Mara, Fear gave her a big shove and Mara’s face met the ground. Mara got up slowly but furiously. Fear would have run but kids surrounded her. “Oh I’m going to get you, you little punk,” Mara jeered.
Fear met Mara confidently as she could. Mara normally would have admired her courage but was too angry to care. She delivered a hard punch that brought Fear to her knees. Holly had managed to stand, blood running from her nose. “Wait,” she commanded.
Fear knelt there slightly relieved that Holly had intervened, but also slightly afraid. Surely Holly couldn’t have something worse planned. Holly faced the crowd and wiped away some blood. “This, kid… This brat has trashed my room. She has also acted out against me. This demands punishment. I gathered you here to witness what happens those who dare defy me,” Holly stated firmly and furiously.
The group of kids didn’t look to please but a couple of the older ones, the tougher ones, smirked. Clearly they were “crowd control”, and Fear didn’t think she would be able to defend herself much anyway. Suddenly a teenage boy burst into the clearing, he seemed to be dragging someone behind him. Fear realized with a gasp that he was dragging Willow. “Dallas! You’re just in time!” Holly said cheerfully.
Even more frightening the teen, Dallas, had a knife in hand. Fear was still kneeling but she started trying to stand. Dallas had hold of Willow’s shirt and picked her up and held her suspended in the air. The odd thing was that she was grinning. “I want this girl gone,” Dallas growled. “When I woke up she was pouring corn syrup all over my room.”
Fear groaned; her sister was an idiot. Willow trashed two rooms in one night; Fear took the blame for one and Willow got caught for the second. Fear forced herself to stand up; she had to save her sister. Mara glared at Fear and knocked her feet away, and Fear hit the ground face first. Holly smirked at Fear then turned to Dallas. “Well… I do believe she may have trashed my room as well. This little kid claimed to but I doubt it. I do believe it was Willow’s work. Why don’t we, dispose of her together,” Holly said.
Dallas glared at Willow and ran his knife along her cheek, drawing a thin line of blood. Willow just glared back and stopped grinning. “Hmmm… Maybe we should just teach her a lesson and keep her around,” Dallas suggested.
Holly gave him a disgusted look but didn’t object. Obviously she meant something to him because he didn’t react. Holly walked over to Dallas and Willow a determined look in her eye. “If you insist darling… I offered her a chance to join us, but she declined you know,” Holly said quietly to him.
Dallas grinned and kissed Holly on the cheek letting Willow drop to the ground but kept a firm grip on her shirt. He pulled Willow back into the air and studied her. “A permanent scar would teach her a lesson,” Holly suggested hopefully.
Fear surged to her feet as Mara watched Dallas and Holly. As Fear went by she gave Mara a firm kick that sent her to the ground again. She headed straight for Dallas and gave him a good punch in the stomach. He leaned over in pain and dropped Willow. A few guys hurried and grabbed Fear and held her away from Dallas. Willow had scrambled to her feet but Holly grabbed her. “I’m not letting you get away, brat,” Holly hissed.
Dallas recovered from the punch and glared at Fear. He flicked his hand and two more guys seized Willow. Dallas grabbed Fear’s shirt and pulled her towards him. “You, kid, should know who I am. I am no orphan, my father owns this orphanage. He placed me in charge of it. I do believe I might ship you off to a different orphanage,” Dallas stated.
Fear glared at him, and then bit his hand as hard as she could. He pulled his hand back fast and looked at the bite marks. He decided that Fear must be crazy. “I am Feardia Reina Lemaya. I do not care who you are. You were hurting my sister,” Fear stated as calmly and as bravely as she could.
Dallas ran his knife down her right arm and cut it deeply. It would most definitely leave a scar then he faced Willow. Holly watched with a grin, the blood from her nose was starting to dry up. She was definitely waiting for Dallas to do something horrible to Willow. “I hear you have another sister. I’m never letting you see her again,” he announced.
Four more guys disappeared to go find Halo. Willow kicked and tried to worm her way free. Fear screamed and did the same. Fear managed to kick one of her captors in the leg. He dropped her with a yell. Fear quickly wriggled free from the other one and charged out of the clearing. Willow struggled against her captors but could not get free.
Halo, who had fallen asleep, was jerked awake as four muscular teenagers entered her room. Then one of them knocked her out.
When Halo woke up she couldn’t figure out where she was. The last thing she remembered were the four teen guys. She was sitting in a chair, her hands and feet tied to it. A guy she hadn’t seen before entered the room followed by Holly. “Good, you’re awake. I’m Dallas. I run the orphanage for my father. In any case your sister’s aren’t the nicest girls. Fear bit my hand and punched me, while Willow poured corn syrup all over my room. As punishment I’m never letting them see you again… So I guess unless you want to be nice, I’ll have to keep you tied up,” the boy explained.
Halo stared at Dallas. She could believe the stuff about Willow, but Fear. Only in defense of someone, probably Willow. She tried to get loose but it didn’t work. Then she noticed Holly’s nose. “Uh, Holly? What happened to your nose?” Halo asked.
Holly glared at Halo and punched her in the face. Halo took the blow silently guessing Holly didn’t want to talk about it. Dallas sighed and looked at Holly. “Just remember we don’t want to hurt her… She could be valuable to us… If her sisters’ reactions are anything to go by,” Dallas said calmly.
Holly glared at him and left. Dallas pulled out his knife and cleaned a bit of blood off it while studying Halo. Halo just glared at him wondering if her sisters were all right. Finally he stopped and cut the ropes that tied her to the chair. She muttered thanks and rubbed her wrists. “You know you’ll have to let me go. My sisters will tell somebody,” Halo said.
Dallas laughed and twirled his knife. He didn’t seemed too concern. “Here’s a newsflash for you kid, I run the place. My dad owns this orphanage. Good for business,” Dallas explained and winked at Halo.
Halo shot him a disgusted look and stretched her legs. That seemed to have back fired for her. “Well if that’s the case… I’m going to need something to do,” Halo said just as her stomach rumbled, “and food.”
Dallas nodded and left. Outside he talked with two of the four kidnappers. The two he spoke with took up positions on either side of the door, while the other two left with Dallas. Fear watched from the bushes. She had followed them all here. She was glad there were only two muscular guys to take out.
Earlier Fear had deemed the task impossible, four tough guys, with Dallas inside. Holly was there to but Fear could easily take her out. Now it seemed more doable. She quickly plotted to sneak around behind them and knock them out, seemed easy enough.
Fear confidently put her plan into action. It was going great until she stepped on a very brittle branch. It cracked under her foot and the guards spotted her. The nearest guard lunged at Fear but she had always been fast so Fear agilely leapt away. She gave him a good kick and he tumbled into a bush. Unfortunately the second guard had come up behind her. He loomed over her and with a toothy grin he punched her in the head. Fear sank to the ground unconscious.
Halo gasped as one of her captors shoved someone into her prison. Rushing over to the kid Halo realized it was Fear. Fear’s arm was badly cut and bleeding. Fear was unconscious so Halo dragged her over to a wall. Halo ripped off a piece of her shirt and tied Fear’s cut closed. “Can’t let you lose too much blood,” Halo whispered.
Halo sat beside her sister and leaned against the wall. Soon she sank into sleep, but her dreams were filled with horrible images, memories of her dad’s death and her mom’s, pictures of her sister’s dying or Sonic dying.
After Fear left Willow’s captors held her for about an hour, while she was being held Dallas and Holly left and the crowd dispersed. Willow had immediately gone back to the orphanage when she was freed. She searched everywhere but there was no sign of Fear or Halo. While she was searching Holly had returned furious.
She had sat in a chair in the middle of the central hall raging at anyone who came near. Willow kept well away but eventually her search had forced her to go through the main hall. As she came near Holly, Holly spotted Willow. Holly grabbed the nearest thing she could find. It happened to be her shoe. With great aim she hurled it at Willow. The shoe hit Willow right in the stomach and she bent over in pain. “Great… Shot… Holly,” Willow moaned.
Holly grinned and looked satisfied. She leaned back on her chair. The whole shoe throwing thing seemed to have calmed her down. “Next time you see your bratty, little sister thank her. The shoe was meant for her,” Holly growled.
Willow nodded and edged her way past Holly. On the other side of Holly she ran into two boys. She remembered the first day, and the two kids who didn’t seem to fit in. These boys were the two from the first day. “Hi… I’m Willow,” she said bravely.
The younger of the two grinned at her. He was about her age. They both looked like they were fast. They didn’t seem like bullies but they weren’t bruised or cut like the others. Willow could only guess who they were. The older looked a little older than Halo, so fourteen. “Hi. I’m Ghosty and this is my brother Darky,” the older boy announced.
Willow nodded at both of them and glanced over her shoulder at Holly. She was starting to get really worried. Fear should be back by now. “What’s wrong?” The younger boy, Darky, asked.
Willow shook her head and sighed. Tears started pooling in her eyes. Two sisters in one day, things couldn’t get worse. “Dallas… I made Dallas mad and he kidnapped my sister. My other sister went off to find her and now she’s missing,” Willow explained. “If only I could call Sonic.”
Darky smiled at her and looked at Ghosty, as if asking something. Ghosty paused for a moment then reluctantly nodded. Darky looked excited then grabbed Willow’s hand. “Come with us,” he said after looking around.
The two boys lead Willow up a few flights of stairs and out onto the roof. Under a small sheltered area were two beds. Willow gasped when she realized they lived on the roof. “Doesn’t it get cold up here?” she asked, gesturing at the snow.
Ghosty shook his head and sat on one of the beds. Reaching into a hole he pulled out a cell phone. He reluctantly handed it to Willow. “You said you need to call someone. Just don’t let Dallas know about the phone or this place,” he said gruffly.
Willow nodded and dialed Sonic’s number. Mrs. Crosshawk answered the phone and Willow asked for Sonic. “Sonic? Oh, hi. It’s me, Willow. We’re in trouble. Well… I trashed two people’s rooms, and they turned out to be bad choices… As punishment they kidnapped Halo, and Fear went to find her and didn’t- yeah I need your help. Thanks, bye,” Willow said.
Willow handed the phone back to Ghosty and glanced around. “I sorta got on Dallas’s bad list… And Holly hates me too… Can I camp out up here for a while?” she asked.
Darky nodded enthusiastically while Ghosty just shrugged. Willow took that as a yes and ran back to her room to get her stuff. She felt relieved knowing Sonic was on his way. When she had her stuff on the roof she sat by the edge watching for Sonic.
Halo was jerked awake as Dallas came into the room. He smirked and tossed her a text book. As Halo read the title she realized he had brought her a math textbook, and a lot of assignments. “Figured you could do my homework if you’re bored,” he said and sat in the chair. “I see your sister came to save you.”
Halo glanced at Fear then nodded. Dallas pulled out his knife and twirled it a few times. “I suppose it would make sense to separate the two of you,” he muttered.
Halo hoped he wouldn’t do it. She needed Fear, mostly to help her figure out what was going on. But Fear was injured and needed Halo. “Don’t. I’d rather die than get separated from her,” Halo said.
Dallas nodded and tossed her a bag of food. Halo’s stomach rumbled as she dug in. Soon Fear woke up and Halo shared the food with her. All the while Dallas watched them. When they finished Halo and Fear stared at Dallas. Wondering what he would do to them. “Considering kidnapping Halo was Willow’s punishment, I will let you stay. As I told Halo, if you cause trouble I’ll have you tied up,” Dallas decided.
Fear nodded, partially grateful that he had let her stay. She winced in pain as she shifted her position. Her arm was still painful. Dallas finally got up and headed for the door. “Halo you might as well start that homework… And Fear? Don’t try to run,” he added and left.
Fear watched him go. Halo sighed and looked at the first assignment. She really hated math. She started to work on it anyway feeling really bored. Fear longed for her sketch book but it was back in their room. Since Fear had nothing to do she went back to sleep.
It was hours before Dallas returned. The smell of food came first and then the door opened. Dallas walked in followed by Holly. He tossed Halo a bag of food. Halo caught the food then shook Fear awake. “Your sister got hit in the stomach with a shoe… She might not survive,” Holly announced.
Fear glared at Holly, knowing she was lying. Willow wouldn’t let a pathetic shoe kill her, or even injure her. It sounded so ridiculous, a shoe killing person that Fear broke out laughing. Holly just gave Fear a murderous glare. Fear decided she had better shut up and eat, and so she did. Dallas and Holly left quickly; Dallas seemed to be losing interest in them.
Willow watched from the roof, anxiety filling inside her. What had her sister done to make Holly so mad? It had almost been two hours since she had called Sonic. Where is he? She silently asked herself. A few minutes after she asked that Sonic was walking out of the woods. Willow got his attention and signalled him to get down and approach secretively. There was no one around but he complied for her sake.
Darky pestered Willow about Sonic while they waited for him to join them on the roof. Willow simply refused to answer any of his questions. Finally he appeared in the doorway, he must have gotten lost in the halls. Willow ran over to him and gave him a huge hug. Finally she let go. Ghosty came over and examined Sonic. “Guess he could cause problems for Dallas,” Ghosty finally decided.
Sonic eyed Ghosty then nodded in approval; Ghosty was about two years older than Sonic. Darky would be about Willow’s age and Sonic’s age, about twelve, and could probably do some damage too. “All right let’s make a plan. Dang- I forgot my knife.” Sonic said.
Willow, Ghosty, and Darky quickly explained the problem. What Holly and Dallas had none, how they had no clue where Halo was, and how Dallas controlled the orphanage. When they were finished the sun was going down. Sonic said he would go search for where Halo was tomorrow. Willow nodded and wished they could have done that tonight.
In fact Willow didn’t wish she planned. When Sonic had fallen asleep and Ghosty was snoring Willow pulled her coat on and started to sneak off the roof and into the orphanage. A hand on her arm made her freeze she slowly turned to find Darky. “I’m coming with you,” he whispered.
She nodded glad for the help. Together Willow and Darky made their way through the orphanage and out into the cool crisp air. They quickly slipped into the shadows and hurried into the woods. It was eerie but they managed, they searched for an hour before they found the small guarded shack. Either way someone was inside. With success in mind they headed back and, once in their beds, quickly fell asleep.
Fear awoke the next morning and heard Dallas coming and woke Halo. Dallas came in empty handed, except for his ever present knife. “Holly decided I had to punish someone for Willow’s disappearance, so one meal a day and a few cuts. Nothing too bad,” he announced.
Fear held back a glare, he took no notice and even if he did it wouldn’t help. Halo’s stomach rumbled unhappily. It clearly wanted food. Halo really wished Willow would stop doing dumb stuff; this was really starting to get annoying. She didn’t like getting kidnapped, forced to do someone else’s homework, or hearing about her sister being an idiot.
Willow woke up as the sun was rising only to see Ghosty and Sonic making food. Darky was peering over the edge of the roof. Willow grabbed some clothes and found a place to change. Then, prepared for the day, she headed back to the two cooks.
Soon they had finished breakfast and were on their way. Darky told Ghosty he knew where Halo was. Willow was relieved that Ghosty didn’t ask questions just let his brother lead the way. Darky took them directly to the shack. As they neared it Darky signalled for them to approach silently. Sonic quietly made a suggestion, “I could head towards them, since they don’t know me. I could distract them while Ghosty and Darky approach from the sides and knock them out.”
Ghosty and Darky nodded in agreement and prepared to move into position. Willow stood and frowned, hands on her hips. “What about me?” She demanded quietly.
Sonic bit his lip. He should have known she would do this. “You’re back up Willow. If we don’t make it, you come in and finish them off,” he explained, hoping she wouldn’t object.
Willow reluctantly agreed. She couldn’t object much more to his plan. Ghosty headed for the far side and nodded to Sonic when he was in position, Darky went to his position and also nodded to Sonic. Sonic then confidently strode towards the two guards. “Hello! I seem to have gotten lost,” he called out.
One of the guards stepped forward threateningly. Sonic nodded what could have been “hello” but was really, “now.” Darky and Ghosty tackled the guards, Holly’s voice echoed in the shack, and Willow knew Dallas was in there too. “Sonic! Dallas has a knife and he’s in there!” she shrieked.
Sonic chose a large stick from the ground. The door flew open and Dallas stormed out. He and Sonic launched into a battle, Sonic desperately trying to avoid the knife. Willow switched her gaze to Holly and glared at her fiercely. Willow pulled off her shoe and chucked it at Holly’s head. Holly dodged and laughed at Willow, but the other shoe was on its way and it hit Holly square in the head.
Fear and Halo appeared in the door way. And Willow hurried to hug them. Sonic was yelling victoriously and held Dallas’s knife in his hand. Dallas was trying to retreat to the woods but Ghosty and Darky grabbed him. “You are starting to tick me off,” Sonic said, “do you know how long it takes to bike here from my house?”
Willow, Halo, and Fear stopped hugging to watch what was going to happen to Dallas. Holly was out cold, thanks to the shoe, and so were the guards. “You are going to call your dad and tell him you are done running the orphanage,” Sonic ordered, handing Dallas a cell phone.
Dallas nodded reluctantly and dialed a number. After a long conversation with his dad he hung up. He handed the phone back to Sonic. Sonic nodded triumphantly. “Good. Now you can go back where you came from,” Sonic said.
Ghosty and Darky grinned and shoved Dallas inside the shack. The three girls dragged Holly in to join him. The boys added the other two boys and Sonic locked the shack. Then the group happily headed back to the orphanage. “Hey Ghosty, I’m sure Mom would adopt you,” Sonic said on the way back.
Ghosty nodded calmly but Darky bounced up and down excitedly. The two brothers were opposites, Ghosty calm and unemotional and Darky full of emotions. Finally, they arrived at the orphanage. “Sonic, I never thanked you… So thanks,” Halo said, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek then darted into the house.
Willow and Fear grinned as Sonic tried stood there figuring out what had just happened. Ghosty and Darky went by him but Willow stopped Darky. “Thanks,” she said, and even quieter she added, “Thanks for not telling about me going out last night, and thanks for coming along.”
Darky nodded in response and disappeared into the orphanage. “Sonic, we really are thankful” Fear said.
Sonic grinned and nodded then headed inside. Fear and Willow followed him in. Fear veered off to talk to a group of the bullied kids, while Sonic and Willow called Mrs. Crosshawk. Sonic talked to his Mom for about half an hour then announced, “Mom will give us a ride home. Jagged’s moving, into your old house. Mom says Mr. Durkla will adopt the Lemaya’s, and we’ll adopt Ghosty and Darky. Oh and Mom has some heirlooms for Halo, Willow, and Fear.”
They all cheered and made some hot chocolate in the kitchen. In just under an hour Mrs. Crosshawk arrived. Halo had packed all their stuff and Ghosty and Darky happily loaded all the bags. And soon they were off. Halo had her music out once again and Fear was drawing. Willow was writing away quicker than ever, and every once in a while she would hug her note book. Sonic watched them all and sighed. They had been through a lot.
When they arrived home Jagged was there waiting for them. They all piled out of the van and hugged Jagged. “We missed you so much!” Halo said.
Moon came out of the house, dragging Pickles along behind her. Willow heard a bark and spun around. There was Kitty. Kitty had disappeared the day Mrs. Lemaya died. Fear scooped up Kitty and hugged her. They were finally home. Mrs. Crosshawk took their bags into the house and came out with three objects. “Halo picks first, then Willow, and then Fear.” Mrs. Crosshawk said.
Halo went forward and chose a bracelet from the three objects. Willow went up and chose the necklace. Fear sighed, she had wanted the bracelet. She went over and picked up the last object, an anklet. Halo and Willow had immediately put theirs on. Fear did so also. Mr. Durkla came out of the Lemaya’s old house. He nodded to the three girls.
It took a while but finally all the paperwork for the adoptions was done. Ghosty and Darky decided to adopt the last name Crosshawk, but Fear and Willow insisted upon keeping the last name Lemaya. Halo obviously chose to keep her last name as Kartima. Everyone was finally happy and settled and things started to go back to normal.
The end
Home 
2/3/2019, 12:42 am by 
