Chapter 4: Becoming Me

It's been a week since the graduation ceremony. The very next day I got a phone call from Mr. Fox offering me a job interview that's scheduled for tomorrow.

I walked into my favorite past time, De Café. Glancing left and right trying to find my brothers. This café has gotten me through some incredibly early mornings and some extremely late nights. During the day, the air is thick with the aromatic dreams that draws in writers and studious students. But at night, jazz pours out of the open doors along with the aroma of fresh baked lasagna.

The girls, my brothers, and I would often meet here, helping each other find ways to make our lives better. We are each other's best doctor and medicine combined. The coffee, the music, and the smile of someone who cares, it's a fragment of heaven, a chance to enjoy company and to start to want more.

"Liv Liv, over here." Percy yelled while waving his hands back and forth gaining my attention.

The level of secondhand embarrassment I am feeling is unimaginable. I could feel the judgmental glares from the other customers as I walk past them.

"My Little Prince was that necessary, that was so embarrassing?" I asked taking the vacant seat next to him.

He gave me an apologetic look "Sorry I just missed you. It's been two weeks since we actually spent some time together."

I ruffled his hair "I missed you too. How did the mission go Malakai?"

Malakai Vos is the leader of the Night Stalkers, under him is Luca Sikes, Blake McCoy, Percy Atlas, Asa Kline, Heath Hawthorne, Jonah Rhodes, and Alaric Astar. They serve under him as either a consigliere, underboss, or caporegimes. Down Memory Lane

Before meeting my sisters, I met my brothers a few months prior about nine years ago. April 23, 2009 I ran away from home for the first and last time. I had just turned thirteen and for my birthday my father decided to give me a black eye and a bloody nose as a gift. It wasn't the first time he raised his hands against me, but it was the worse. The first time he became abusive I was only nine, a year after my mother's and brother's death. He had been drinking and the anger of failing to protect his family finally had its toll, so he took out all his frustrations on the nearest target, me.

I had hope that he would realize his mistake and change for the better, but over time it just got worse. He forgot me and turned to drugs, alcohol, and gambling to cope with the pain. He became mentally unstable and blamed me for their deaths. I knew he wishes it were me who died that night instead of them. Even though he never verbally said it, but actions speaks louder than words. His actions were screaming pure hatred and resentment towards an innocent child. Hell, every chance he got he reminded me of how much of a disappointed I was to him. The audacity of that pathetic excuse of a man.

Little did he know years of living in unforgivable torment made me numb to the pain. A numbness that will take years to rehabilitate. For a while it felt like I was nothing more than a walking corpse. I became a spirit of the night, someone who engulfed themselves in the darkness.

After his rage I ran as far as my limbs would take me. I didn't even bother to clean myself up I just needed to get out of that house. I made the wrong turn at the right time. I wasn't scared, all the life I had was beaten out of me long before I decided to take this dark path.

Leaning against the walls of the grim alley stood eight boys who had to be at least seventeen "What's a little a girl like you doing on this side of town? Aren't you supposed to be somewhere studying?" one of the older looking boys asked mockingly.

Holding my head low as the eight of them surrounded me, I didn't bother to answer him. I was at my breaking point. If they were to harm me, I wouldn't have fought back, the fight in me vanished a long time ago.

A tall boy standing at least six feet at such a young age, gripped me by my arm and said, "When a man asks you a question, you are to answer him."

I wanted to laugh in his face, seriously, the nerve of this teenage boy "Under what law?" I asked blankly looking him in his eyes.

They all gasped after seeing my face. At first, I didn't know why they were looking at me with so much worry, concern, and something I hate the most, pity. It was until I saw a reflection of myself in a shattered mirror near a dumpster. I remembered the horrid event that took place not too long ago. It's funny how the shattered mirror reflected my shattered soul.

He gently held my face "What in the hell happened to you?"

I looked at him confused wondering where the arrogance he displayed earlier disappear to. Looking away I answered him quietly "I lived."

They looked at me for few more seconds before walking away from me be still in ears reach "I think she is being abused Malakai." one of them whispered.

"She is a forgotten soul there is no doubt about it. I think we should take her with us." he whispered back.

"Uh Malakai is it, and-"

"Blake."

"Hmm, Malakai and Blake. You do know I can clearly hear you both, right? And what makes you think I would go anywhere with complete strangers?"

"One you need to get cleaned and have your wounds attended to. Two as a young lady you shouldn't be walking around these streets so late at night, you will be the perfect target for traffickers. And correct me if I'm wrong, but from the looks of it you don’t want to go home so what other options do you have." He answered calmly.

I just nodded my head agreeing to go with them "If anything happens to me, I will make sure my spirit haunts you for the rest of your lives."

He chuckled raising his hands in surrender "We wouldn't want that, now, would we?" I gave him a small smile; he gives off a very warm overprotective brotherly vibe.

For about ten minutes we walked in a comfortable silence when one of the younger looking boys, around my age or younger, suddenly spoke to me "You look like you are in a lot of pain, I can carry you if you want."

I let out a deep sigh "I haven't felt pain in a long time. Thanks for the offer, but I can manage."

I could tell he wanted to ask, but didn't want to pry "No problem, oh and my name is Percy Atlas, but you can call me whatever you would like."

I giggled "Your name sounds like royalty, a little Prince."

He pumped out his chest "Little Prince? I like that."

"Oh no, I think his ego just skyrocketed." Blake teased.

"I don't think we have formally introduced ourselves. My names Heath I am the youngest of the group. You know Malakai, Blake, and our newfound Prince Percy over there. That's Jonah, Alaric, and the big softy who wants to appear tough is, Luca."

Luca gave me a shy smile "Sorry about earlier."

I shrugged my shoulders "It's fine I didn't take you much of a threat anyway."

Alaric threw his arm over my shoulder "Savage, I like her already. I don't think we ever got your name shorty."

I looked at Alaric who was maybe a foot taller than me "Livia, Livia Moon."