Prologue

"There's something wrong." Everleigh mumbles under her breath, they had been stuck in the same routine for as long as they could remember. It never changed.

Ever

So for her and Nathaniel to still be waiting up in the small attic closet the two of them shared as a bedroom almost half an hour after they were supposed to be downstairs in the training rooms was extremely odd.

They had always had a strict routine. They woke up at four-thirty and got ready for physical training which started at five, where they were taught any forms of martial arts and how to weld all weapons until two o'clock in the afternoon.

Without a break the two of them went to 'school' where different teachers were brought in teaching them everything from maths to English to all sorts of languages.

Both of the children were being raised to be weapons, mindless soldiers, and maybe if there was only one of them they would be. But together they knew not to fall off the edge and lose their own thought process. But together the two took everything they were ever taught and used it to plot for an escape.

An escape from the abuse they received on a daily basis.

"What do you think we should do?" Nathaniel asked the girl, Everleigh had a way of analysing problems and coming up with the best solutions for them, in such a unique way. She was brilliant and he whole-heatedly trusted her judgement.

"It's risky to use the computer we made, they don't know we have that and if they come up here and find it we will be in a lot of trouble." Nathaniel waited for her to continue. "But I think we can do it. I'll look and we normally hear them coming up the stairs and you can block me and the computer with your body since you're bigger and I'll be able to hide it if it comes down to it."

Nathaniel nodded, going with Everleigh's plan. He watched her fingers whizz across the keyboard of the half-broken keyboard from the old laptop they had found and somehow revived.

"Nate." Nathaniel moved quickly at the tone of voice she used, looking to see what was on the screen. Through the home cameras Everleigh had figured out how to hack into, showing a whole raid going down, dozens of government agents swarmed the building, still going through the first floor and not yet where the other kidnapped people were held. "This is our way out."

Nathaniel looked sceptical at the optimism in his best friend's tone. "How, we need to get down to the other hostages if we want a shot, we're too well hidden up here."

Everleigh looked up, her ocean blue eyes piercing into the boy's and he already knew he was going to go along with her. Even if he knew the risks, he would do anything for her and she knew it.

"How many nights have we snuck out without anybody noticing? We've come and gone through those halls for years and not a single person had a clue."

"And what of these people aren't the good guys, Ev?"

"Then we'll run." Everleigh shrugged easily. "Getting out is the hard part, we both know this. Once we are out they'll underestimate us. They don't know the training we have both been through or the knowledge we know. We have taken money and invested it, we have more than enough for at least a couple of years. We own properties across the world from our investments as well. We'll be fine, we have each other, Pinky promises."

If anyone had heard their conversation they would never have guessed it was a seven and eight-year-old talking, but when you are forced to grow up so young there is nothing you can do about it.

Nathaniel sighed, knowing she had won and hooked their pinkies together, their sacred promise neither of them would ever dare to break. Then he started grabbing all the small things they had gained over the years, all their things that were of impotence and stuffing it in the one bag they owned, putting it onto his back and grabbing the seven year old's hand.

Everleigh opened back up the laptop, hacking the electronically locked door before putting it in the bag with their other things. A little bit of excitement filled her as they left the room. This was her first chance of freedom and there was no way she was messing this up.

Hands gripped to each other the two hid in the shadows of the mansion they were held captive in, running as quickly as they could through the halls trying to get to the hostages before the agents.

"Go first." Nathaniel, nudged. Pushing her through the small hole in the wall they used when going to try to give the hostages food.

"Come on." Everleigh whispered, pulling the boy through. They stayed silent who looked confused to see the children.

If Everleigh and Nathaniel ever visited it was always late at night once the house was asleep, never in the morning.

"The police are here." Everleigh explained with a whisper, and when a chatter threatened to emerge from the group Eveleigh immediately quieted them down. "Shh."

Nathaniel took a seat by the wall, closest to the door, pulling Everleigh tightly against him as the two took a second to breathe. A dozen dirty faces stared back at them, people who had been recently kidnapped by the organisation in which they were raised. Nathaniel and Everleigh were unable to do anything but sneak food to them, but since the two of them often had limited food themselves it wasn't a lot, but they did the best they could.

Everleigh gripped Nathaniel's hand tighter when they heard voices and thuds of heavy boots approaching. A very bright torch flashed through the room where they were waiting making everyone's eyes close on impact. After a second both children opened their eyes cautiously seeing about half a dozen men enter the room, and without missing a beat started helping people out.

Once the team had gotten everyone out two men stopped and surveyed making sure they hadn't left anyone behind, and sure enough there were two sets of eyes looking back at them from the opposite end of the room everyone else was. A small boy who looked about five and a girl who looked at least four. They were years younger than everyone else they had just rescued but the least scared surprisingly

The shorter of the men walked forward first kneeling in front of the children to reduce his height. His green eyes shone with kindness but the children still watched him cautiously. The other man stepped forward as well. He had blond hair and light blue eyes but the same kindness emitted from him as well.

"Hi, do you speak English?" The first man asked and he felt relieved when the children nodded. It would have been a hassle to figure out which language they did speak. "I'm Adriano and that is my partner and best friend, Azariah. Can we help you two to get out of here?"

Cautiously Everleigh and Nathaniel stood up following the men. Adriano held Nathaniel's hand and after asking her permission Azariah picked up Everleigh seeing how she was limping.

The men felt their hearts breaking, what the heck had these children been through. Despite not being side by side every few seconds both children looked around for each other making sure nothing had happened to the other.

Everleigh gripped Azariah's hoodie tightly in her fist as they walked outside, the loud bustling of men, shooting to one another. The sirens blaring, alarms going off. It was all getting too much for her.

Azariah heard the small girl's breathing starting to get heavier. He quickly realised that she was getting overwhelmed and hurriedly rushed the last stretch to his car, sliding into his seat still holding her. When the door closed and the noise was blocked out, Everleigh's breathing slowed but she felt tears creeping to her eyes.

"Hey, it's okay. You're safe." Azariah promises but bright blue glassy eyes stared back at him, full of unshed tears but she hadn't let one fall. The back door opened and Adriano helped Nathaniel into the back seat then moved to the passenger seat. "Are either of you hurt?"

The children were confused, no one ever cared about that besides each other. But these men had been nice to them, and despite being young they were great judges of character, and these men gave off the impression that they really were to help and didn't have an ulterior motive.

Azariah moved, with Auriella still sitting on his lap, getting ready to move her to the backseat so they could get out of here when he heard what could only be described as a growl from the backseat. "Don't hurt her."

Both the men turned around and met a pair of stone cold grey eyes, which were glaring at them. Shining with only protectiveness.

"Calm down, bud. I'm only moving her next to you." Azariah speaks calmly. Not wanting the small girl to have to deal with another sensory overload from going outside. He lifts Everleigh over the centre console. "Can you sit down there, Sweetheart? And can you both put on your seatbelts please?"

Both a little confused, the children watched what the men did with their seatbelts and easily imitated it. The men watched with sad eyes but never commented on it. They were getting attached to these children already, more than they had ever got attached to anyone before on a job.

"Quite the little protector, aren't you Champ?" Adriano grins, looking at the children through the rear-view mirror. Everleigh looked at Nathaniel who was scowling a little. He didn't fully trust these men but he knew Everleigh was right, these were good people. Everleigh burst out into giggles, they were right, Nathaniel was super over-protective, but only of her. And even though it got annoying sometimes she loved it.

Hearing the soft giggles from the backseat made both men pause and just watch. It was a good thing Azariah hadn't started driving yet because they were both fully transfixed on the sound. It sounded like pure sunshine. And it struck an old memory from the men's childhood, an old book their parents read to them when they were little.

"Can you tell us your names?"

That made the children wary, besides hearing it from each other they only heard their names being shouted or used badly. They didn't want to use them and the men read it easily off their faces.

"Okay why don't we give you new names?" Adriano suggested.

"You can do that?" Nathaniel asked sceptically, but ready to jump at the option.

"We can make it happen." Adriano assured, they had more than enough connections. "I have great name options for both of you."

"What names?" This time it wasn't the boy speaking, instead a softer one but with the same accent as the boy.

"Well when we were little our parents used to read us this book, about a little princess and her best friend who was a prince from a neighbouring country. They used to get up to all sorts of trouble, well really it was the girl getting up to mischief and the boy following her making sure she didn't get hurt. The little boy was the protector, going along with all the princesses' crazy ideas just to make her happy. And the little princess, well she was pure sunshine, she was sweet and loving to everyone but definitely had a mischievous streak."

The children glanced at one another, and that described their dynamic perfectly.

"The boy's name was Alexander." Adriano continued. "It actually means protector of mankind."

"And the princess?" Everleigh asked.

"Auriella." This time Azariah said, looking at the blue eyes brunette through the mirror.

"What does it mean?" Nathaniel asked with a slight head tilt.

"Golden." Azariah got out, turning into the parking lot of the agency hospital. "It means golden, and I think it's perfect."

Well it's out

I think I like this version more already even through I have only written the first eight chapters. I'm trying to go more in depth into characters and relationships. And I feel I rushed the previous storyline. If you didn't read the introduction you might have already figured out I have cut some characters and renames a few.

Anyway like I mentioned before I'm posting this on my birthday and the birthday and my favourite character who I decided to share my birthday with because I hardly meet anyone I share a birthday with.

Does anyone else notice you birthday gets less and less of a big deal to yourself the older you get. Like I used to count down like two months until my childhood and this morning it took me like half an hour to even realise it myself.

Anyway that was enough of a rant

Hope you enjoy the new version, let me know your thoughts

and I should probably post the first chapter tomorrow

Ara <3