16.

Time froze as everyone comprehended what Austin just said.

Information on our mother.

He wanted to talk to them about the woman who haunted Hayes' nightmares; the woman who only by mere thought of her name sent chills crawling down Hayes' spine. The one responsible for putting the fear in her eyes. The root of why the kids distrusted mother figures.

Brothers shouldn't have to protect their sister from their own mother.

No, no, no. Hayes was not prepared for this group confrontation. She did not want to hear this.

As if a switch had been hit, Glen abruptly left the kitchen without another word, ducking under Colton's outstretched arm in order to escape to his bedroom. The sound of the door slamming made Hayes flinch, breaking the spell she was under.

"I'm just gonna," Hayes spun on her feet, hoping to escape just like Glen had.

No such luck as Colton stepped in her way, catching her by the shoulder. "Why don't you go wait in the family room?" Hayes rapidly shook her head no. She wanted to flee and hide from her past, preferably under her bed covers in the comfort of her room, far away from where this meeting would be held.

"Let's go," Dakota mumbled, gripping onto her upper arm. He pulled her away before she had a chance to protest, the words caught in her throat. As much as he wanted to lay into Austin for withholding information, Dakota knew Austin would not spill until everyone was present. Therefore, he needed to leave the kitchen before his temper got the best of him.

It wasn't until they walked the 30 steps out of the kitchen and into the family room did Dakota release her. He not-so-gently pushed her in the direction of the couch as he took his previous seat closest to the television. The soccer game he had been watching had ended, switching to reruns of a football game.

Finding a seat, she couldn't be any more squished into the corner of the L-shaped couch than she already was. With her knees tightly folded against her chest and her arms hugging her legs, Hayes had her defensive walls up.

She absentmindedly watched the television as she worked hard to turn off her brain.

Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed Dakota shift in his seat, only understanding his intentions when his hand grasped her fidgeting fingers. Without looking at her, his thumb made small circular motions on the back of her hand. Hayes wasn't sure if it was to lull her nerves or his.

That lasted for a few minutes until another brother came into the family room and Dakota retreated back to the end of the couch like nothing ever happened.

"Hello, Sunshine." Emerson glanced quizzically at Dakota as he sat down on the couch next to their sister. He had been upstairs taking a snooze when Austin called for a family meeting. He was woken up by Glen slamming the door and only came downstairs when Colton popped his head into the bedroom to tell him to go downstairs.

"Can I have your sweatshirt?" Hayes asked so softly that Emerson took an educated guess on what she wanted. He watched her rub her arms but she wasn't cold. It was just no matter what she did, she still felt exposed and wanted the extra layer of protection to hide behind. But nothing could protect her from her own mind.

"This one?" Emerson questioned and started taking his sweatshirt off. Hayes nodded, immediately putting it on when he passed it over. It looked like she was drowning in it, the sweatshirt way too large for her frame. Just the way she liked it.

Hayes pulled the hood over her head and stretched the bottom hem over her knees so she looked like a gray rock. "Thanks," she mumbled, fumbling with the edge of the sleeves. It didn't completely solve her problems, but it was like a security blanket for her. Additionally, the smell of Emerson's cologne on the sweatshirt was also very soothing. She was going to miss him when he returned to college.

The room returned to complete silence, minus the television's background noise. A couple minutes later, Francis sauntered in, fresh from a shower. Like Emerson, he was only told of the family meeting that was taking place once Baker arrived. He took a seat on Emerson's other side so the two could converse quietly, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. They certainly didn't expect for moody Dakota to update them.

Austin, Colton, and Glen were still nowhere to be seen. Hayes felt like 10 years had gone by, let alone 10 minutes. She kept her eyes trained on the television, refusing to look at her brothers because she didn't want to be subject to questioning. She didn't think she could handle it.

"Hey guys," Baker's calm voice was heard. His work boots made quiet footfall as he greeted his brothers. Dakota completely ignored him but Emerson and Francis both gave a head nod. Still on the clock, he was dressed in his basic SWAT uniform. His partner, Lindsey, was chilling outside by the car, taking this time to call his own family. "Hey Sunshine," he murmured, approaching his little sister. He squatted down in front of her to catch her eyes, spying her basketball sneakers peeking out from underneath her sweatshirt.

It took a second too long for Hayes to finally glance at him, her mind obviously elsewhere. When she did, he noticed her eyes were glistening as if she was holding back the tears from the pain she was in. Lots and lots of turmoil caused by years of emotional and physical neglect. Baker couldn't read what exactly was running through her head and it drove him crazy. Unlike his younger brothers which Austin and himself could read like the back of their hands, the youngest kids were still an enigma to them.

So he did what he could to have some resemblance of control in the situation and began to untie her shoes. Hayes watched him, not uttering a single word. "Lift you foot, babe." He murmured, pulling off her right shoe and then her left shoe as she raised the respective leg. Baker grabbed both of her sneakers in one hand, and cupping the back of her neck with the other, he kissed her forehead before standing back up.

Now that Baker was here, the three missing siblings began to appear in the family room. Colton and Glen arrived first, with Glen making a direct path to Hayes. Colton had been upstairs with Glen trying to talk him off the ledge with his own thoughts. Glen still hadn't decided what made him more upset, the betrayal he felt by Stephen for calling Austin or that he knew a whole lot of dreadful memories that had been safely locked away in the back of his brain were about to come forth, all revolving around the pain their mother caused.

Then there was the slowly-building guilt of how he was not bothered to have even asked the Bear why their mother wasn't around anymore. Or approach any other adult about it, his teachers that he saw everyday or his friends' parents.

He did simply nothing.

Since the moment when the police came knocking, he hadn't once felt shame over his actions but now the realization that he and Hayes weren't the only ones who were affected by this, was hitting him. What would his brothers think when they find out he made no attempts to find their mother?

Glen chose what he thought was the best option out of their worsening situation. It was about survival and he had to pick his battles wisely. One bully was better than two. Surely they'd understand that, right?

Austin was the last one in, immediately taking the remote from Dakota's hand and turning off the television. He needed their full, undivided attention.

There was some noise coming from Baker's radio. "Sorry," He had forgotten to lower the volume. Lindsey would just have to come grab him if they were called for work.

"Can someone please fill us in?" Emerson was the first one to speak. It was a staring contest, six pairs of eyes trained on Austin's every move, the seventh pair staring down at her socked feet.

Clearing his throat, Austin leaned forward in his chair, resting his forearms on his thighs. "It's about our mother."

Emerson and Francis exchanged a surprised look. "Our mother? What?" This certainly came out of the blue for them to hear. Hayes could feel the gazes of her brothers pass over her but she refused to look up. She twiddled with the ends of hoodie strings, pulling on them so the hood scrunched over her head.

Austin nodded, "This isn't going to be easy to hear. I'll try to answer your questions but I don't have a complete story."

"Just fucking tell us," Dakota crossed his arms, his impatience showing.

"Dakota," Baker gave him a warning glare. Baker was the only person as informed as Austin was and knew how difficult this was for Austin. It was a tight-rope they were walking, balancing between telling their brothers and hurting the kids, but there was no other way around it.

Austin glanced around the room at each of his siblings. "Alright. I'll start at the beginning so we're all on the same page." Austin rubbed his hands together. "When Jane took the kids and left that night, the police think she went to her father in Florida. I've never even heard of the man when Stephen told me his name."

"Didn't her parents disown her when she met dad?" Emerson was already confused. Their mother and father had met as teens, and her parents did not approve so when they eloped, that was the last straw. The siblings only started having a relationship with their grandmother after their grandfather died from a heart attack. Apparently losing her spouse brought it into perspective that she foolishly pushed her remaining family away and wanted to make amends before she passed.

This was back when their mother acted somewhat like a mom, before she decided to kidnap her youngest children and run to who-knows-where, Florida.

"That was her step-dad," Austin reminded him, "This man is apparently her biological father. That's who Glen and Hayes have been with this whole time." Eyes quickly darted to the kids then back to Austin.

"What's his name?" Francis frowned. He felt very uncomfortable knowing that his siblings had been with a stranger. At least before in his head he had the comfort of thinking that they were with their mother. But that didn't exist anymore.

"Vincent Merling. But that's all Stephen told me about him."

"You're saying they've been with someone we should have known this whole time? How the hell could the police not track her father when we reported them missing in the first place?" Emerson didn't get angry often, practically never, but right now he was starting to feel outraged.

If Hayes hadn't been sitting right next to him, she would have sworn it was Dakota speaking.

"Estranged, would be my best guess. Left before she was even born, I don't know." Austin wished he had better answers. "The police don't know how they got in touch or why she went to him."

"What do you know?" Dakota bitterly asked.

Hayes reached out and grabbed Glen's hand, squeezing tight. She felt the tensions rising. She hated confrontation. She hated this.

"Dakota, calm down," Colton butted in, eyeing the kids' movements. He wanted answers just as much as the rest of his brothers but anger wouldn't get them very far.

"I won't fucking calm down until I get fucking answers."

"That's enough, Kota." Austin ordered in his no-nonsense tone of voice, "you're scaring our siblings."

Dakota's jaw tensed, but he didn't say anymore.

"But, where is mom, Austin? Is she in jail? Is that how the police found them? She was arrested?" Francis asked, before turning to Glen and Hayes, "do you know?" The hurt in his voice was almost palpable, giving Hayes the urge to cover her ears so she didn't have to listen anymore.

"We can see her, right?" Emerson looked at Austin and Baker with a look of despair. His heart was too big for his own good. "I know she left us, but she still loves us. She's our mom."

"Em, we can't go see her" Austin sighed as Baker laid his hand on Austin's shoulder for support.

"Why not?"

Glen squeezed Hayes' hand back just as hard. This was it. Austin opened his mouth to continue when Glen beat him to it. Rip it off like a band-aid.

"She's dead."

Complete and utter silence as all the brothers stared at Glen in disbelief. Austin and Baker didn't even know what to say, because it was the truth. Colton was shocked to say the least, but he held it together. He had some idea of the situation to be aware of their grandfather in case something happened while at school, but definitely not this.

"What the actual fuck?" Dakota put his hands on top of his head.

"What did you just say?" Emerson whipped his head to Glen. It was like the wind was taken out of him. His emotions were all over the place; shock, anger, and brokenness.

"Holy shit," Francis breathed out.

"Is this a fucking joke?" Dakota all but shouted. Hayes curled her body into Glen's side, wanting to escape.

"No, it's not a joke." Baker confirmed, "Dakota, lower your voice."

"Glen is right. Her remains were found about two weeks ago and forensics confirmed it was her." Austin explained.

"You've known about this for two weeks and we're just finding out now?" Dakota was pissed.

"Why did they need forensics to identify her?" Francis asked, "Couldn't they just look up her picture to match? Or scan her fingerprints?" His naïve, wide-eyed child-like expression reminded Austin of when they found out their father was dead. Only now it was their mother.

They were orphans.

"Jesus Christ," Colton muttered, covering his mouth. He understood what was not being said.

"That wouldn't have worked, Francis," Austin clasped his hands together, "because, well, because she's been dead for six years now."

"I think I'm going to be sick," Francis stood up and rushed out of the room. He was about to upchuck everything he ate today.

"Fran," Baker called, "Shit. Fran wait!" Hayes' eyes tracked him as he got up and followed after Francis to the bathroom. Could she come too?

"What the fuck," Emerson put his head in his hands. "What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fucking fuck is this."

Glen ran his free hand through his hair, catching Dakota staring him down making him uncomfortable. It felt like Dakota was digging into his deepest thoughts, trying to pull out his secrets.

"What?" Glen returned his stare, faking his confidence. Or stupidity. Dakota could destroy him.

"What?" Dakota repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Stop looking at me." Glen was beginning to feel threatened as he was losing his sense of control over how the conversation was going. Any moment now his fight or flight system would kick in to protect Hayes and himself.

"Dakota, please don't." Austin rubbed the spot between his eyes, the headache he tried to avoid was starting to pick up. It wouldn't be below Dakota to escalate the already high-tense situation. He had wrongly assumed Dakota would stick to his careless attitude. So wrongly assumed.

"I have a question," Dakota addressed Austin. "How the fuck did no one report this? Sudden appearance of two kids without parents? Someone had to be suspicious or they're all fucking dumb in Florida."

"It's not that simple." Austin said, briefly glancing over at the kids. It appeared they hid their struggles well from anyone they interacted with, doing what was necessary in order to survive without bringing attention to them. And they did it well. Even Stephen with his suspicions of something about their grandfather did not expect it to be this bad.

"Try me." Dakota challenged, "Better yet, where the fuck is this 'grandfather' of ours? He seems to be the missing piece. I bet he has the answers for us. Or is he dead too?" Austin was not surprised by Dakota's keen observation. He had always been intelligent beyond his years.

"No!" Hayes cried out, speaking for the first time since Austin began, "Don't say that." She didn't want more people to die, even if it was the Bear. He took care of them.

"Is this fucking Stockholm Syndrome? What did they do to you guys?"

"That's enough, Dakota." Austin said tersely as he stood up. It was going downhill very fast and he needed to shut the conversation down until a different time.

"Our mom is dead, Austin. We just want answers," Emerson sounded defeated.

"She was no mother," Glen hissed suddenly, reaching his breaking point. "Just accept it and move on."

"Glen, that's not fair," Colton frowned, taken aback. "We're allowed to be hurt."

"Screw this. I'm taking a shower." Glen muttered, tugging Hayes' hand to stand up with him. "Come on, Hayes." He wasn't going to leave her to the piranhas. "Hayes, let's go." He ordered when Hayes didn't move.

"Okay," she mumbled, head down, submissive. Her loyalty would always remain with Glen. Nobody tried to stop them as they left the room.

A loud bang, like a fist meeting the wall, made Hayes quicken her steps as Glen kept walking.

"You're fixing that," Austin stated. "Now go punch the fucking punching bag in the garage before you put more holes in my wall."

————

Hayes briefly wondered why her stomach was growling before realizing Austin never got around to making dinner.

Her eyes darted to the bathroom door where Glen was taking a shower. She was obviously hungry but didn't feel comfortable going downstairs by herself. She didn't want to face her brothers alone and she certainly didn't want to upset Glen by leaving the bedroom. His protective nature was in overdrive.

Hayes had yet to move from her curled up position on Glen's bed where she plopped down 20 minutes ago. She was sitting on the end, opposite of his pillows so he wouldn't accuse her of dirtying his pillows.

Like Glen, she was desperately in need of a shower. Practice had ended almost two hours ago and her own body odor was starting to infiltrate her nose.

Tommy, the tummy, growled once more, making Hayes rub her stomach. He hadn't been this angry for food in a while. Since living with their brothers, the fridge was always full and Austin made sure they ate three times a day. It didn't have to be a lot, hence why she got away with a banana for breakfast, but it had to be a little something.

Hayes frowned, thinking back to another memory of their mother like she had been doing to pass the time. It wasn't her best idea, but she had no more strength to keep the memories locked away. It was all she could think about.

One recurring scene she kept reliving were the many nights when her and Glen went to bed hungry. That was her favorite punishment for them; send them to their rooms for the night with no food, super easy. The Bear was bad, but sometimes their mom was worse. Hayes didn't even know what they did wrong most of the time. It was as if them just existing was enough to warrant consequences.

Punishment for breathing too loud. Punishment for being seen when they shouldn't be. Punishment for asking for help with anything.

She was only a child! A child that was so, so scared.

"Hayes, shower is free." Glen opened the bathroom door, letting the steam escape.

"No," Hayes mumbled, scratching at her knee. Her nails left red marks on her skin.

"Hellooo, Hayes. Go shower before you stink up the room even more." There was annoyance in his voice at her lack of response. "I can smell you from over here."

"I don't want to!" She shouted back at him, freaking out on the inside. Was Austin going to punish them now? Is that what this was?

"You don't want to shower?" Glen raised his eyebrow, glancing at her from the bathroom. His heart skipped a beat when he saw she wasn't paying attention to him. He dropped the towel he had been using to dry his hair and walked over to her.

"Hay Hay?" Hands grasped hers, causing her to flinch back. "Woah Hayes, you're okay. It's just me."

Glen tried to grab her hands again to no success. She was having all the signs of a panic attack and he was out of practice.

"Austin!" He yelled, looking for help. "Just focus on me, you're safe here."

"No, Glen! Don't do that. I don't want them to come." Hayes was struggling to take adequate breaths as she fought Glen.

"Austin!" He shouted again, desperation seeping into his voice. "It's just you and me, Hayes." He managed to wrap his hand around her wrist to stop her from scratching some more as the bedroom door opened.

"What - " Austin immediately assessed the scene, taking over. "Move over, bud." He spoke softly, calmly, in control of the situation as he squatted down where Glen just was.

"Hayes, baby, it's Austin. We gotta slow your breathing down. Make it easier for you, okay?"

"I'm sorry," She whimpered, still in a defensive position. "Please don't." Her mind was jumping from past to present as she to figure out where safety was.

"It's okay, baby," Austin replied, not sure why she was apologizing. Before she could fight him, he reached his long arms to encircle her back and slid her forward on the bed so her legs could dangle to the floor. "That's it, put your head between your knees." He gently guided her head down. "Deep breaths for me."

He kept one hand on the back of her head, the other hand making circular motions on her knee. He was slightly alarmed about the new scratches, but filed it away for another time. Looking to the side, he glanced at Glen who was dressed in only a pair of gym shorts. Water was dripping from his hair onto the carpet. "You doing okay, Smiley?" The kid was flustered.

"Yeah," he muttered, frustrated with himself that he couldn't help his sister, "Thanks for helping."

"I'll always come when you call. I'd do anything for you." Austin reminded him before turning back to check on Hayes.

"Everything okay?" Colton popped his head into the room. He heard Glen shouting from the garage, where he was watching Dakota beat the shit out of the punching bag. Dakota had a lot of anger that built up overtime and unfortunately on the rare nights like tonight, it all came out.

"Yeah, hey can you do me a favor and check on Emerson and Francis? Baker left for a call." Austin looked over his shoulder to send Colton a meaningful glance. He had left them to their own devices when Glen shouted for him, but they definitely needed some supervision for the rest of the night. Everyone's emotions were all over the place. Colton gave a brief nod, disappearing back down the hallway.

Hayes' breathing started to return back to normal so he removed his hand from her head, letting her sit up. "I'm sorry," she hiccupped. As the pounding of her heart slowed, she was able to recognize the caring nature of their eldest brother.

"For what, Sunshine?" Austin asked, moving so he sat on the edge of the bed next to her. Hayes took this as an invitation to scooch closer to him, snuggling against his arm. Her need for comfort outweighed her fear of wrongdoing.

"I was hungry, and, and I thought of something and I got scared. I panicked. I don't want to be in trouble. I'm sorry." she stumbled over her words not making much sense. She rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hand, a sign to Austin that she was overwhelmed and tired.

"It's okay," Austin soothed, wrapping his other hand around her to hold her tight. He leaned down and kissed her head, resting his cheek on top. His mind was working overtime to figure out what spooked her and came up with something that broke his heart. Their mother didn't feed them.

He pinched his eyes close as a surge of anger hit him. That woman was unbelievable.

Glen shuffled his feet where he was standing, before giving in and sitting on Austin's other side, forgetting about his wet hair as the droplets fell onto his bed. Immediately Austin removed his arm from around Hayes and pulled Glen in for a side hug, laying a kiss on the crown of his head. Now he had both of his kids by his side.

"I'm sorry, too," Glen mumbled, "I didn't mean to cause trouble."

"Don't apologize," Austin said, "you didn't do anything wrong. It was my fault, I handled that completely wrong and let it get out of control."

"But I'm the one who said it." Glen said.

'Glen, it's not your fault." Austin repeated firmly.

"But it is!" Glen cried, "I was there and I didn't do anything. Maybe I could have saved her if I did something! Anything!" The guilt finally overtook him. "They hate me," he muttered.

"First of all, our mother was far too gone for saving so stop that right there. She was a grown woman who chose her own demise. And second, who hates you?" Austin asked. It seemed to him that the hot shower stripped Glen of his rage and left him with anguish.

"Our brothers."

"What the hell makes you think that?" Austin frowned. "They are upset with the news, Glen, not with you. They love you. Both of you." He gently squeezed Hayes' knee. "And to think otherwise is just plain foolishness."

"Maybe I'm a fool then," Glen crossed his arms, his shoulders folding in on himself.

"No you're not," Austin denied. His fingers mindlessly combed through Glen's wet hair, relaxing the boy as he leaned against his eldest brother.

As they sat huddled together, comforted by each other's presence, a song popped into Austin's head. He had heard it on the radio many, many years ago and used to sing it whenever his younger siblings turned to him for comfort. They all looked to him as their father-figure, even when their father was still alive. It was an honor he'd never take for granted and thought the song was a perfect representation of the love he held for all his siblings.

The last time he sung it was probably when Francis was a little younger than Hayes' age now. Right around the time their dad died.

"My wish, for you,

is that this life becomes all that you want it to,

your dreams stay big, your worries stay small,

you never need to carry more than you can hold."

Hayes' ears perked up as she listened to him sing quietly. She could listen to Austin's voice all night. It was so calming she'd probably fall asleep in another couple minutes.

It also occurred to Hayes that the singing gene was another trait she failed to inherit unlike her brothers.

They remained snuggled together for a few more minutes, letting some wounds from tonight heal, until the grumbling of Hayes' angry stomach broke up the silence. "Sorry," she sheepishly apologized, rubbing her forehead against Austin's arm.

"Stop apologizing," Austin chuckled, "I think it's time for some dinner. Is cereal okay?" He playfully ruffled Glen's hair before dropping his hand.

"Chocolate chip waffles?" Hayes negotiated as Glen nodded his approval for cereal.

"Of course, Sunshine," Austin smiled, patting her leg. She was officially back to her normal self. "Feed your belly, then shower, then bed. Sound like a plan?"

"Fine," Hayes agreed, "wait, Austin?" Hayes leaned forward to look at Glen to gather some of his courage before looking back down. She played with Austin's fingers to avoid looking at his face.

"Yes?" Austin was curious to hear what she had to ask, he thought they'd covered all the bases.

"You're not mad at us, right?" Hayes cautiously asked before rushing out, "For, umm, not telling you things about mom. Because Glen said to never go to bed angry and I don't want you to be mad at us." Hayes glanced up through her eyelashes to see his expression.

"I'm not mad," He assured her.

"Okay," She replied softly. Now that that was settled, she was more than ready for some food.

"I love you," Austin kissed Hayes head, "and I love you bud," he kissed Glen's head. Hayes' stomach rumbled again. "Now, let's get some food in you before it gets even later."

————

"Oh my babies! Where are you?" a woman's voice sung. A bang sounded throughout the house making Hayes flinch and duck under the covers. "Who the fuck put this chair here?"

"Glen," she whimpered, clenching the covers in her tiny hands. "Mommy's back." Hayes had been in the process of falling asleep when their mother returned home after being away for a couple days.

Five days.

"Shhh," Glen hurried out of their bathroom where he had been brushing his teeth, "Come on, down here." he tugged one of her arms, practically pulling her off the bed. Once she slid down, he tossed the comforter back so it looked like the bed was made. They both crouched down in the tiny space between the bed and the wall, hidden from anyone who would glance into the room. It was a space that shouldn't have been able to fit an 8 year old and a 5 year old, but it did.

The door to their bedroom was thrown open, stopped short from slamming into the wall because of Glen's backpack he had left there when they got home from school. Standing in the doorway was their mother, with her fire-red hair and black pumps.

Hayes ducked her head down between her knees and squeezed Glen's hand hard, her heart pumping so fast she was afraid it was going to jump out of her chest. Her tiny body was shaking from the idea of being caught and what would come after. He covered her mouth in an attempt to silence any noises.

"Where the fuck are they?" their mother muttered, walking around the bed to take a seat near where Hayes was previously laying moments before. Oblivious to the two little kids hiding against the wall, she leaned back to balance on one hand, using the other to slide her heels off. "Ew, why is the bed wet!" she jumped off the bed, patting down the back of her skirt. "Little brat, fucking potty trained her for nothing." She left the room with a huff, slamming the door shut behind her.

Glen listened closely for the sound of her retreating footsteps before letting out his breath. He could hear her moving around in the kitchen, probably making a mess that he'd have to clean up before the Bear got home from work in the morning.

"I'm sorry, Glen," Hayes whimpered, "It was an oopsie. I didn't mean to wet myself." Her face was flushed with embarrassment. She hadn't had an accident in almost a week, the last time their mom had been home. It must have happened when she was startled awake.

"It's okay, Hay Hay," Glen whispered, hugging her gently, making sure to avoid putting pressure on her bruised arm, "no biggie." He had forgotten about her arm when he pulled her off the bed. But Hayes was a tough cookie, having experienced many bumps and bruises that she learned not to complain about it because no one ever seemed to care, besides Glen.

"But, but the Bear won't be happy," tears trailed down Hayes' cheeks in a silent cry. "I don't want him mad at me."

"He won't be mad," Glen shushed her. He would take the blame with no hesitation. Glen shifted in his squatting position, accidently hitting Hayes' elbow as he maneuvered around in the small space.

"Owie," Hayes flinched back against the wall, grasping her arm against her chest.

"Sorry Hay Hay," he murmured, "here, let me see." Using the scant light of the moon through the window, Glen gently took hold of her left arm and turned it so he could see. The bruises lining the crease of her elbow were turning greenish-yellow, a sign of healing.

"G kiss it better?" Hayes' glanced up at her big brother, her bottom lip wobbling.

"Always Hay Hay," Glen raised her elbow and kissed it several times, making his little sister giggle.

"Not too loud," Glen reminded her quietly, holding a finger to his lips.

Hayes nodded, mimicking him with a finger to her lips.

"It's us against the world, Hayes," Glen whispered, leaning his forehead against hers, "always remember that."

"Us against the world," she repeated, "I love you, Glenny."

"love you more, Hay Hay." Glen stood up, reaching down to help Hayes up as well, "let's wash your clothes so they can dry and clean the bed. The Bear will never know. "

"Okay," Hayes smiled up at him, her protector, always.

Us against the world.

The words repeated in her head on an endless loop.

Us against the world. Us against the world. Us against the world.

Hayes rubbed her eyes, waking herself up from the nightmare. For a pleasant change of events, it didn't end so badly like the many other horrors that run through her head on a daily basis. She couldn't recall what happened afterwards on that specific night, but she didn't fret about it. Whatever occurred, she survived it, no need to live it twice.

God knows she suffered enough for one night already.

Hayes stretched her legs out, ready to turn over and fall back asleep when she felt wetness on the sheets. Oh no.

She quickly patted her legs and then her running shorts. No, no, no, no.

Her eyes filled with tears of frustration as she touched the bed sheets. They were soaked. She peed the bed.

"Why," She cried quietly, wanting to scream in frustration. She hadn't had an accident in years and now her brothers were going to think she was truly a baby. She couldn't tell them. Wouldn't.

She rubbed her forehead trying to relieve the tension as she thought about her next steps. Wash up; change clothes; change bed sheets; Wash current bedsheets so brothers don't find out? Hayes wasn't sure if she could pull that one off, nor was she really sure where she could find another set of sheets for the bed. But the last thing she wanted to do was wake up one of her brothers to ask for help. She was not a baby.

Hayes let out one last frustrated sigh before gathering herself and climbing out of bed. Yeah, her shorts were soaked too. Clenching her fists, she walked over to the dresser and found a clean pair of underwear and one of Glen's old shirts and went to the bathroom to clean herself.

The hallway upstairs was dark as she walked, meaning it must have been late if all her brothers were asleep. Another late night. Austin wouldn't be happy to hear that.

She pulled the comforter off the bed, leaving it a mess on the floor. Tossing her dirty clothes onto the bed, she quickly took off the bedsheets and bundled it all into a ball. Thankfully because she slept on top of both the flat sheet and the fitted sheet, she didn't stain the actual mattress. There was the silver lining she was looking for.

With the sheets in hand, Hayes made her way back out of her room to the stairs. This was the tricky part because the laundry room was next to Colton's room and she really didn't want to wake him up.

"What are you doing?" Speak of the devil.

Hayes flinched, letting the sheets tumble out of her grasp and fall all the way to the bottom step. Her shoulders tensed up as she realized she was caught. She remained frozen on the step, afraid to turn around and face her eldest brother.

"Baby, why are you holding bed sheets at 2 in the morning?" Austin yawned, walking closer. The light from her bedroom was enough for him to see what she had been holding.

Hayes squeezed her eyes closed as a wave of embarrassment hit her. She was going to get whiplash with all the emotions she was shuffling through.

"Sunshine?" Austin gently laid a hand on her shoulder to not scare her. "Did something happen?"

"I had a bad dream," Hayes quietly admitted. Austin's eyebrows knit together before he picked up what she was saying. He felt terrible for his little sister.

"No worries, I'll wash the sheets in the morning," Austin said not wanting Hayes to feel like it was a big deal, "let's go find you some new sheets."

"But, but it's my fault" Hayes was going to argue some more but there was no point. When she glanced over her shoulder, she saw that Austin wasn't going to budge. Heaving a sigh, Hayes nodded and mumbled "thank you."

Leaving the sheets where they fell, the two of them walked back up the few steps. Austin pointed out where they kept the extra bedsheets in the hallway closet before grabbing a set and heading to her room.

Hayes ended up just standing in the corner watching Austin efficiently make the bed for her. She had only gotten in the way when she tried to help.

Hayes blamed her emotions, and lack of control over them for being unable to focus. This mother thing really was wigging her out. Her minor panic attack wasn't the end, it continued through the night; one minute she was happily eating her dinner, the next, in tears because Glen ate one of her waffles.

Then she finally took a shower and went to bed, only for this to happen.

"Back to bed, Sunshine," Austin's voice called her back to the present. He was standing next to her bed, waiting for her to lay down.

"Okay," she murmured, walking over to him. But instead of climbing into bed, she hugged him. "Love you more, Austin." Hayes whispered lazily against his chest. She could feel his chest vibrate as he chuckled at her sudden drowsiness.

"I love you too Sunshine, now get in bed."

Giving him a small smile, Hayes crawled into bed, getting comfy. Austin left the comforter on the floor, swapping it out for a thick blanket that he tucked around her before taking a seat on the edge. He brushed the loose strands of hair out of her face, his thumb softly brushing her cheek where evidence of tears remained.

"Sleep in, okay? I'll come wake you up at 6."

"But what about running?" Hayes protested.

"I think we all need the extra sleep for a day. We'll start on Wednesday."

"Okie dokie," she gave in easily, sleep was slowly overtaking her. Suddenly she blinked, her eyes becoming wide as she thought of something important. "What about the ice cream!"

"Tomorrow, baby," Austin quietly shushed her, running his fingers through her messy hair.

"Promise?"

"I promise," he leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Close your eyes, I'll stay until you fall asleep."

"Okay," she yawned, but battled against closing her eyes. Now she didn't want to sleep.

"Hayes."

"I'm not tired anymore."

"Hayes," Austin hid his smile at his sister's antics, "do you want to talk about your dream?"

"Noooo," Hayes yawned again, shaking her head. She definitely did not want to do that.

Hayes watched as Austin let out a tiny sigh before he stood up, turned off her bedroom light, and walked around the bed to the open side.

"I'm only staying until you fall asleep," he told her again, as he laid down on the bed.

"Okay," Hayes replied, immediately snuggling up against his side. She wasn't going to miss out on the warmth he gave off.

"Good night, Sunshine." She was out like a light before he even finished speaking.

~~Author's Note~~

Sup homies 😎

It seems that the truth is slowly being revealed. Very slowly, but progress is better than nothing. Have no fear, there's so much more to uncover.

TBH wasn't sure where I was going with this chapter, still not, but here we are. We survived! If this chapter doesn't make sense after I read it a couple more times over the next couple days, I'll edit it.

Just a friendly heads up, school is starting to pick up again and basically every week is unpredictable so I don't know my schedule until Monday of said week sooooo, I'm going to try to stick to a weekend posting schedule but really, once I get a chapter done I'll post it anyways no matter the day. Consistently inconsistent, that's me 🙋🏼‍♀️ My brain shuts off after 9pm so this might not even make sense.

Anywho! Hoped you enjoyed the chapter. Maybe not enjoyed, but ya know, at least stuck with it and read the whole thing. Please know I tried my best 😆

Until next time, ma homies!

-CollegeGirl2015