"Yes, I sure will." Mrs. Hanson said into the phone politely. "Yes, Kasha. Yes, I understand." She rolled her eyes at Isaac when he came in and raised a questioning brow at her.
"I most certainly will. Yes. Yes. Okay. Fine. Sure. I will. Yes, good bye, Kasha. Bye. Ummhmm, bye." She said hanging up the phone. She rubbed her ear. "That lady can talk someone’s ear off."
Isaac laughed, "So what’s wrong with Kasha?" He asked slightly interested.
Mrs. Hanson chewed on her lip thoughtfully. "It appears that Charm didn’t go home last night, and they can’t call the police because she hasn’t been missing for twenty-four hours yet." She was getting more and more concerned the more she thought about Dahven on her own.
Isaac was quiet for a moment before he handed Zoë over to her. "Well, then I’m going to go look for her." He said as he grabbed for the car keys.
Cuddling Zoë close to her, Mrs. Hanson replied, "Take Tay and Zac with you. She’s in her car, so you can’t really miss her."
Nodding that he heard her, Isaac called up to Taylor and Zac. Soon the trio was in the minivan and looking for Dahven.
"Why do you think she‘d runaway?" Zac asked as he looked out his window for any sign of her.
Isaac was too intent on looking for Dahven to respond to Zac’s question. Although he did hear it.
Taylor looked at Isaac, then he shrugged. "I don’t know why she’d runaway, Zac." He said looking back out his window. "I don't think she even did."
Still listening to their conversation, Isaac decided to speak up and give his opinion. "Maybe she didn’t runaway. Maybe she just got away. Her parent’s are back. Julia was staying in her room, and Essence is Julia’s sister and is married to her brother. That would make me want to go away." He declared softly.
"That would make anyone want to go away, Ike." Zac said attempting humor to the situation. "For a very long time."
It failed though. No one laughed, they couldn't even crack a smile.
Then someone sighed loudly. "You know, you guys are just really making it hard for me to sleep back here." Dahven said as she raised up from between the back seat and the middle one.
"D!" Isaac shouted looking in the rearview mirror at her.
Dahven smiled at him, then looked out the front window. "Car!" She shouted, pointing to the white Sedan in front of them that was slowing down, and Isaac wasn't.
Tearing his eyes away from her, Isaac swore and swerved inches away from the white car.
Once he steadied the car again, he looked back in the rearview mirror. "What’s going on, D?" He asked sternly as she climbed into the seat next to Zac.
Shrugging slightly, she gave Isaac an innocent smile. "Catching a ride?" She asked sweetly.
Zac hugged her tightly. "Do you know how worried you’ve made us? Or your family?" He asked as he slowly began to let her go.
Dahven winced a little. "I don’t have a family." She stated, then her face softened. "Besides you guys, and your family." She quickly amended.
"What about Arie?" Taylor asked as he turned around in his seat to face her. For the first time, since she made her presence known.
"Oh, you mean my brother who wants to send me to a private school for girls?" She asked. Her voice catching a chilled tone. "Yeah, that one?" She asked nodding her head. "That brother?"
Her cold voice sent shivers down everyone’s spine. Normally her voice was never so cold. Maybe harsh and bitter, but very rarely was it ever at Arctic level.
She was angry, hurt, and sad. Pain shot through her heart, and struck in her soul. Spreading like a virus throughout her body.
She couldn’t take it anymore. She wanted out. She needed to get away. She hated herself for being so weak and letting her so-called family use it against her.
But she needed her escape. And this was it. This was all that she had now.
An awkward silence filled the air in the minivan. Isaac, Taylor, and Zac knew better than to question her at this certain time. She just needed to know that they were there, and that they would never leave her.
Dahven was staring out the side window, when she heard Isaac clear his throat. "I’m taking you home, D." He stated firmly.
Snapping her head up quickly to look at him, Dahven felt her temper rise a little. "I won’t stay there. You know I won’t. Once you drop me off there, I’ll just go away again." She said evenly.
She loved him, but even he couldn’t make her love her so-called family again. Not now, and possible not ever.
"Charm, you have to go home." Zac said softly, placing his hand on hers.
Dahven jumped at his touch, but she smiled at him weakly. Her eyes bore neither happiness, nor any love. Hurt and pain were too deeply etched into her now dull gray eyes. She just shook her head slowly.
Taylor turned away from his window, and from his deep thoughts. "Who says she has to go home?" He asked looking over at Isaac.
"Charm, has a home and a family." Zac argued.
"We are her family. Why can’t our home be hers too?" Taylor asked, switching his gaze upon Zac.
Isaac and Zac were quiet for a moment. Taylor went back to looking out his window, and Dahven watched as a couple pushed a baby stroller down a sidewalk outside her window.
She felt hot tears sting her eyes, and she closed them to keep them from spilling over.
She saw an image of her as a child. Spending the night at the Hanson’s on her eighth birthday.
She'd been so happy that she was spending it with them. Since her parent’s were working on a big case and asked if Mrs. Hanson could take care of her for a few days.
And when her parent’s came to take her back home she cried. She didn’t want to leave them. Not after they had treated her like she was a person and not someone that they could ignore and pay attention to whenever they had the time to.
"Take me to the mall." Dahven said breaking herself out of her memory.
"What for?" Isaac asked as he slowed down, ready to turn around if she gave a valid enough reason.
"I need to get my car from the shop." Dahven said simply.
Zac gave her a weird look. "Why was your car in the shop?" He questioned.
Dahven smiled. "The oil needed changing, plus I got a new sound system put in it."
"Cool." Zac said grinning.
She nodded, "I think so. Besides, Isaac is right. You all are right. I do need to go to my house, but you guys are my family. And I love you for it." She said quietly.
She avoided anyone’s gaze that might have been on her at that moment. If she saw any pity in their eyes, she wouldn't be able to handle it.
When they stopped at the mall, where the car services area was she climbed out over Zac.
"You know, I could’ve gotten out?" Zac said rolling his eyes.
Dahven laughed slightly and winked at him. "But then I wouldn't have had any fun." She replied.
The she sobered, "I’m going to get my car, then I’m gonna go home. I’ll call you if I’m gonna be able to see daylight after this." She said referring to the punishment that she knew she was going to receive.
Isaac nodded his head. "We’ll be waiting for the call." He said smiling reassuringly.
Taylor and Zac nodded their heads too. "You’ll make it out by the next time we make our new single." Taylor said smiling.
Zac shrugged. "Or when the next generation begins. But whenever it is, we'll be waiting."
Dahven laughed again and slide the door shut. Pressing her hand against the window, she smiled when Zac put his hand up against it. It widened when Taylor put his hand up against his window, and Isaac put his hand over his heart and smiled softly at her.
His eyes were filled with not only love, but also sadness. It touched her because he didn't pity her.
Slowly, backing away, Dahven waved good-bye, and walked inside to get her car. Sitting inside it for a moment, she thought about what was waiting for her at her house.
There was Essence. Syrus. Kasha. Julia. She shivered at that thought. And last, but certainly not least, the betraying brother. Arie.
Her heart twisted painfully in her chest. Never again will I trust him. She thought with determination. Not after a betrayal like that. Not after what he did. That's just something that I can't forgive. She vowed silently before she turned the key and ignited the engine. "Time to go back to hell." She mumbled bitterly.
Mrs. Hanson was cuddling Zoë in her arms when Isaac, Taylor, and Zac walked in. Their faces were worn and tired, and it seemed as if they had been awake for days and not the mere short hours that they were.
"Is everything all right?" She asked worriedly, holding Zoë even closer to her.
Isaac nodded his head tiredly. "Everything is fine now, Mom." He said rubbing his eyes as he leaned wearily against the doorway to the kitchen, his brother crowding behind him.
"D went back to her house." He sounded so tiredly, as he wondered if he actually did the right thing or not.
"She needs to be home, Ike." Mrs. Hanson said as she tried to reassure her son.
"Does she?" He asked painfully, "did we do the right thing?"
He just didn’t know for sure if he did or not. "Did she need to go back to that place that she’s supposed to call home?" He asked doubtfully.
Zac and Taylor watched this in silence. Then Taylor spoke up. "Charm doesn’t deserve to live there, Mom. They all seem set on ruining her life."
Then Zac came in with his own thoughts on the subject at hand. "Charm hasn’t done anything wrong to deserve the pain and the treatment that they inflict on her." He defended quietly.
All three of them looked up at their mother expectantly. Waiting for her to say something.
For her to wrap them in her arms tightly and tell her that everything was going to be all right. That Dahven was going to be happy, and that her family would never hurt her again. That she'd be happy for the rest of her life, and not have to worry about someone hurting her.
But all Mrs. Hanson could do was give each of her sons a smile, a kiss on the forehead, and a hug each. "I wish I could tell you what you want to hear." She started.
They looked up hopeful. Yet she could only shake her head. "But I can’t. I would love to promise you that everything would turn out just like you want it to. That everything will be all right. I wished that I could, but I can’t." She whispered to her sons.
Her heart broke from their saddened expressions. Wishing for the times when a cookie and a kiss made everything better.
Isaac was the first to answer her. "We know you do, Mom." He replied softly. "We love you for it too. We just wished that D could have the love that we have."
Mrs. Hanson hugged them all again, making sure she wasn’t squishing Zoë.
"Someday she might. Right now she has all of your love and all of ours." She said before they walked to their room silently.
"Where were you?" Syrus growled when Dahven walked tjrough the door carelessly.
Arie had immediately hugged her. Squeezing the air out of her, and making it hard for her to breath.
She wanted to, right then and there, to hug him back and apologize for running away like she did. But she didn’t. Instead she pushed him off her and glared angrily at the faces that stared back at her. These were the people whom she was supposed to call family.
"I’m glad you are all here." She started coldly. "Because first of all, she is not staying in my room another night." She said pointing at Julia. "She’s not my guest, nor my friend. So she stays in another room."
"You two," She said pointing at Syrus and Kasha. "You cannot decide what my future is going to be. You lost that right in the courts a while ago."
Turning she pointed at Essence, "You," she shook her head. "Don’t expect me to accept you. You are related to someone whom I don’t trust with a cyber pet."
"And you," She said softly, looking at Arie. "Don’t expect me to trust you again. Not after what you did, not after this. And any more plans on my future will be discussed with moi." She said pointing to herself. "It is my life, and I will live it as I see fit. You have any complaints, write it down on a three by five card, tear it into tiny pieces and season to taste."
After taking a huge breath she looked around the same group of people. Some mouths were hanging open; others were too shocked to get a word out. She nodded her head approvingly, satisfied by their reaction. "This is a good sign.”
Then she turned to Julia. "If you want your stuff in one piece, you better get them out of my room now. Or else I will burn them. And don’t think that I won’t, because right now I am capable of it." She said pointing upstairs.
When she took off up the stairs and Dahven turned her attention back to the group. "Any more discussions, talks, arguments, or questions will happen in the morning. Right now I want to enjoy the solitude of my room. So good evening and don’t expect me for dinner." She said walking up the stairs.
She smiled seeing Julia already having her stuff in the hallway.
Stepping over all of it, Dahven walked into her room and slammed the door shut. She slowly slid down against it, smiling to herself and looking up at the heavens. "Thank you." She said kindly.
After a few minutes she got up and went over to her telescope and looked through the lens. She smiled as she saw the stars shining brightly in the dark velvet sky. "They seem much closer to me now." She whispered before she went to lie in her bed.
After lying down for a few moments, saying she was just resting for a little while, she fell asleep.
This time into a wonderful state of bliss. A pleasant change for her.