Marie sat beneath the torn awning of the Red Fawn, an old banquet hall that had long since closed, leaving nothing behind but an empty hall and the echoes of laughter long ago. The rain drizzled down and Marie pulled her jacket around her closer, trying to keep out the bite of the chill and the moisture of the night. The street lights flashed but Marie saw no car drive by, It had been a long time since anyone drove in this area, It was once a great neighborhood, now half torn down and abandoned after the fire that evacuated the city. Few remained, nowhere else to go but back home. Marie's home was half standing, the wood charred and the siding melted. The windows were broken, and the roof was leaky, but it was her home and she was not going anywhere else, she could not afford to, nor did she have family to go to.
She heaved a sigh and ran for it, crossing the street to go through the parking lot to her old work, a grocery store to find food. She had found children through her travels through the streets and they needed nourishment. She hated to steal but it was the only way to feed the children. Most orphans but a few had sad tales of parents purposefully leaving them behind. She sprinted through the broken glass door and side stepped to miss the glass but slipped in the water and when she went to catch herself she sliced her hand open on a shard of glass.
"Shit." She whispered, she would not be able to carry much back to her home and the children would suffer. She grabbed a cloth bag from by the register and started toward the canned food aisles, the frozen foods and produce rotten, though she had started a garden from the produce that would grow at her home. She grabbed ravioli cans, spaghetti cans, and even some vegetables. She was halfway down the boxed pasta aisle when a display of canned green beans fell over behind her. Marie dropped her bag and spun, pulling out a dagger, hoping it was not a man to rape and ravish then kill. The children needed her. It was a small boy, ten years old at least. His brown mousey hair hung at his shoulders in clumps, greasy and dirty. His large brown eyes watched her, pleading for help, longing for contact.
"Hey, it is alright. How did you get here?"
"My mom." He whispered. "Please, my mom." His sad whispers tore at her heart and she nodded.
"Where?"
"Home, close by. Please. She told me not to leave the house but she needs help." he said as he led her to his home. Marie tried to hold his hand but even though his eyes spoke of loneliness, he did not touch her, avoiding all physical touches. Their own home was a small shack, more rundown than her own and she shivered as she entered. There was a stench on the air, the stench of death, a terrible smell that seeped out of the walls it seemed. She found the mother's body on the floor, blood everywhere, and terror frozen on her face. Marie turned to the child but the child was charging, its eyes were red and his teeth were bared. Marie screamed but before she could move a figure appeared in front of her. A man who deflected the child. Marie ran, she could not stay to see what would happen to the child she had to go home to her own children. She burst through the door and the children who were older stood guard until her return and the children bombarded her, the younger one's begging for food the older for her welfare. After the older ones saw that she had no food, they herded the younger ones to their beds. Marie sank into a chair, and breathed a sigh of relief. Sam, at fourteen, walked in.
"Marie, what happened!" as he saw her hand that she had tried to hide.
"I fell, that is all. I could not carry anything back because of it. The young children will starve." she cried, her head in her good hand. Her tears sqeezed themselves through her fingers and slid down her arm and sam stood, aching to help her, bu tknowing he could not. There was nothing anyone could do to help them. They both jumpe at the sound of the knocking at the door.
"Go, guard the children. Now. I will handle this, give me the gun." Sam held out the gun and she took it, feeling the weight of it in her hand. She walked slow, deliberatly towards the door and as it swung inwards she raised the gun. ."Who are you?" She said the words but was trapped, captured by his black eyes, cold and unfeeling.
"I am Jacques. I came to help. You are injured." He spoke, his voice sofe and menacing, yet compelling and his eyes drifted to the blood dripping onto the floor.
"Why do you want to help and what do you expect in return?" She asked.
"I am merely here to help." he said with a flash of teeth.
"And I am here to help as well." A feminine voice sounded from behind the man. A head of blazing hair peeked around his shoulder.
"Come in." Marie led the into what was left of the living room, the dry side where the water could not reach. She sat in a chair and motioned for them so sit. As Jacques healed her palm, sliding his tongue along the wound, having have made her unaware of what was going on, the children filed down the stairs, waiting for orders from Marie. When he was done and let go of Marie's mind, he turned to the fifteen or so children on the spiral staircase some as old as eighteen, a majority in between the ages of twelve and fifteen. There were a fee under the age of ten, the youngest was four.
"What will you have us do mom?" Sam asked as he stood guard at the head of the group of children.
"Mom?" The woman asked, shocked.
"She took each of us in after our parents died or left us when the fire started. She is our mom. She clothes us, feeds us, and shelters us." Sam explained.
"I want you to take the younger kids to bed upstairs, sleepover in my room. You I wish to bring me a glass of water." After the kids dispersed, Marie turned to her guests.
"We can not allow you to remain here. Let us help you. We have money, and I will cover all expenses of you and the children. Please, let us help." Jacques said, passion in his voice, an urgent need to help the children.
"What about..."
"What?' The woman asked.
"My family. I can not easily leave them." Marie spoke soflty, her pparents and her baby sister were in the next room, left as they were when the fire took their bodies.
"It does not due to dwell on the past dear. Look forward." He said with a grim face, she could see the sorrow in his past, almost feel it.
"Very well, but the children come first. They will need clothes now, I have been trying to make or patch their clothes, I hate to steal but I have had to for a few things such as food, there are so many of them.
"I will bear the financial burden now. I will give you a card and a car, can you drive?"
"No sir. I am barely twenty two myself and the fire struck us four years ago. I was never able to learn."
"Then I will supply a driver. I must go for now, we will return tom orrow night to make sure all preparations are made to move the children to the hotel we are staying in and then to my home in the Carpathain Mopuntains."
"That is across the world!"
"Yes, you know them?"
"My grandfather was from there." Marie said with a smile. I do not know his name, just that he was from there and that he was a, ummm, womanizer. My mother was one of many daughters he claimed." She said brightly.
"Hmmm, Then perhaps you will meet your family. What is your last name? or rather, your mother's maiden name."
"It is Dubrinski. My father took my mother's name." Marie saw the shock in his face.
"So you will accompany me home?"
"For the children I would do anything. Yes."
"Very well. I will have a car, or reather, bus it seems, here in half an hour. Be ready." They left and Marie stood to see them walk down the sidewalk. "Sam! Get the children ready to leave." Half an hour later they all trudged onto the bus and the driver handed her a few cards with the command to buy whatever clothes the children wanted and luggage to hold it. She smiled and pocketed the cards. They stopped at jc penny and they filed through the store, the older ones taking a younger one. and the four year old girl was left with her. Marie took Claire to the small girls clothes and found a few cute outfits that brought out her purple eyes and her brown hair. After grabbing a small purple siutcase she found the other children with about ten outfits a piece and a set of luggage a piece. Marie sighed at the sight. that was alot of stuff. She paid for it all and they lugged their purchases outside to the bus which was considerably more cramped than it was.
"To food now. Jaqcues orders." The bus driver said. The children cheered and they arrived at a chinese buffet. After two hours, each bar had to be refilled twice for the customers, they left the restaraunt and recieved another order. They were going to get shampoos and soaps along with feminine hygine products and hair care products. They splurged and bough alot but with sixteen of them they could do no less. Back at the house they boiled water for baths and spent the rest of the day bathing and getting dressed. Jacques and his woman arrived at sunset and they all took off in the same bus as before and moved to the hotel. Marie stared back, betrayal on her mind. She was leaving her family behind, they deserved better.
"They will forgive you. They want you to be happy." Jacques smiled at her. Marie nodded but she could not shake the feeling that she was leaving something important behind. The children settled down and asked Jacques loads of questions which he answered while the woman sat with her.
"My name is Shae by the way."
"Marie. Nice to meet you."
"The pleasure is mine." Shae laughed. The hotel had to give them an entire floor but because of their togetherness the children ended up sleeping in one room. Marie's. Jacques found them that way the next night, having commanded them to sleep all day. He shook his head and woke them all.
"Where are we going now?" Sam asked, wary of this fairy tail.
"The airport. I have passports for all of you. You are going to live with in one of my homes in the Carpathain Mountains."
"If I do not want to go?" Sam supplied.
"You are fourteen. If you stay you will get put in the system, if you are lucky you can live on the streets. Life is harsh for unacompanied minors." Jacques warned. Sam looked to Marie who nodded and Sam ascented. They loaded up in the bus one last time and arrived at the airport to find Jacques had a personal jet, which they were to use. The whole group fit comfortably in the plane, which Jacques flew with Shae in the cocpit.
"Marie, you can not be serious. He is lying. No man helps for nothing, or has this kind of money without stealing or selling people." Sam argued.
"Sam you will just have to trust me. I know whats best and will do what is best for you children."
"No, Marie, I know whats best and you have thwarted every attemo I made at courting you. These children need a father and I am better than the men you have had before, I just know it. I will be their dad and you will be my wife." Sam grabbed ahold of her shoulders hard, pressing his fingers into her flesh.
"Let her go Sam." Marie looked over and saw three of her children standing. Adrian, tall tan with brown hair and blue eyes. Alexander, average height, blonde hair with hazel eyes and there was Mathias, short, black hair and blue eyes. They were the oldest, all eighteen, all protective of her. Sam held on tighter.
"Why? None of you love her like I do. I deserve her." Sam snapped.
"Sam that hurts." Marie whispered, trying to ease the tension.
"It will hurt until you agree to your love for me. I see your love for me in your eyes, why do you not speak it? You will speak your love to me." Sams lips captured her own and Marie was shocked when his tongue thrust into her mouth. Sam was ripped from her and the three boys used shoelaces to tie up sam and stuff him in one of the bathrooms. Adrian returned to Marie and wiped at the tears that fell down her cheeks.
"Are you alright? we never knew he would do this. He spoke of gaining your love but we knew hou you felt about him so we left him alone. I do not know what cam eover him."
"You do not have to appologize. I too ignored his advances and comments. We should have been more attentive.
"You are bruised mom." Adrian said. He raised one hand and lightly traced the bruises in the shape of fingers and his cool skin felt heavenly against the hot bruising.
"I will be fine. Thank you boys for coming to my aid."
"Always mom". They spoke in unison. They slept in shifts after that. Marie and the three boys stood watch over Sam in the bathroom, making sure none of the children were harmed by him and when they arrived in The mountains it was dark again. The plane landed and when Jacques came back he strode passed them all and continued toward the bathroom. Shae led the group outside while Jacques retrieved Sam. He heaved Sam over his shoulder and followed them out. There were many people waiting and several cars. There was a man who struck fear into Marie. He had black hair like the rest buy his eyes, his eyes were silver, sparkling silver. He had three men flanking him and although they were the scariest men she had ever seen, that is where she was led.
"Marie, I am Gregori, this is Darius, Gabriel, and Lucian. We are the Daratrazanoff brothers." Marie felt their probes, invasive and rough and she threw up a barrier strong enough to hold even them off and collapsed, using all her energy to hold up that barrier.
"Dammit. I said gentle." Jacques. "Now I have to carry two people." he grumbled.
"Two?" Gregori mused.
"Yeah, one of her kids, he got rough with her and three others had to restrain him and tie him up with their laces. Fury swept through the brothers, she was their relative and would be protected, and some boy placed his hands on her roughly.
"I will carry her, I must see to her bruises and other injuries if there are any." Gregori said as he scooped her up in his arms, commanding that she wake and drop her barrier to him. Marie's eyes opened and she struggled in his grasp but he held her firm.
"Please sir, Just let me see to the children. Let me make sure they are taken care of first." She begged, knowing death was holding her in his arms.
"The children will be taken care of, we have several families pitching in. Let us help you little one." His voice mezmerizing, she could feel the complushion but it did nothing to her.
"You do not understand me, the older kids will be alright for one night but hte youngest, like little Claire will need me beside her. She needs to feel me beside her or she can not sleeep and Sam-" She choked back a sob and continued, "Adrian is in charge, would you let him know. He was going to take over after I was killed anyways." She whispered the last part as if sharing a secret. Gregori nodded and sent out the message to all with children that the children needed all the comfort and physical touching as possible as well as sending out that until Marie was released from him that Adrian was in charge.
Gregori deposited her in the backseat of a black car and he got in on the otherside while the one called Darius drove. Lucian and Gabriel were left standing. As Marie watched them it looked like they were standing guard.
"Where are my babies being taken?"
"Mika, Mary, Sarah, Alexander, and Seth are going with Mikhail to his home with his wife and son. Mike, Trianna, Michelle, and Adrian are going with Vikirnoff and his wife Natalya. You, Claire, Mathias, Sam, and Calvin are going with me. Rhea is going with my brother Gabriel." He spoke, getting a deffinate list from everybody.
"Be careful, some of the children have powers, in fact I am sure they all have a quirk." Marie mused. Claire can feel you. Like really feel you. If they are coming with us then why do we not take them in the car?"
"They follow with my brothers. Mathias is coming to restrain Sam if need be. Claire for you and Calvin touched my mind so I know he has abilities."
"Oh"
"Do not worry little one. I will provide. Dou you not have family coming or worrying?"
"My mother, father, and baby sister perished in the fire." Marie said, her voice cracked and a single fat tear rolled down her face.
"My apologies."
"No, you do not have to. You did not start the fire, nor did you murder my family." She said softly.
"Murder?"
"Yes, Murder. My family was found, or what remains of them in my parents bedroom. laying together. I know there was no way they could have slept through it. I knew they were murdered but the fire wiped away almost all traces." She said evenly, knowing that this man would help if he could, find the murders and help the children.
"I will try to help." He replied to her thought and she nodded never giving a second thought to his ability or his invasion of her mind. It felt warm, brotherly, or a protective uncle.
The house they showed up to was large, a mansion in her standards and to herit was almost oo much, yet there was a feeling of belonging.
"It shows you are related." Gregori smiled as he helped her out. There was a woman waiting at the door with two girls, about Marie's own age. "My wife, Savannah and my daughters Anya and Anastasia."
"Its nice to meet you." Marie woman led her inside and her children arrived soon after. Claire ran to her, tears in her eyes. Marie picked Claire up and cradled the four year old. "What did you do?" Marie accused Lucian. His eyebrows shot up and surprise in his eyes.
"I have done nothing. She has done nothing but cry." he protested.
"Its true mom. She did cry the whole time." Mathias offerd. Marie calmed her anger at Mathias' words and cooed to Claire, quieting her cries. Sam stood, stoic just inside the doorway.
"You, you have alot to answer for. She is under my protection and if you ever lay a hand on her again in anger I will make sure you do not get a second breath." Gregori growled, his voice low and menacing.
"Whatever dude."
"Sam! I do not care your feelings for this man or his family but they are my family as well. You will show them respect." Marie snapped.
"Yes mom." Sam said and dropped his gaze. Savannah stared at Marie in shock, Gregori's warning had no effect on the boy yet her hastily snapped words leashed the boy's mouth.
"Apologize, correctly. Now, and you owe Mathias an apology as well. You will write a letter to jaques with Shae with your apology, starting fights on their plane while they flew it. There is a notebook in my suitcase in the front pocket, and a pen in my purse. After you make your apologies here, start on those letters. Correct grammer and spelling. Full sentences and no sarcasm." Marie stated, her voice firm. Sam nodded and looked up at Gregori.
"I am sorry sir, I meant no offense sir. I am sorry Mathias, I did not want to lose mom to a stranger is all." Both nodded at Sam, accepting his apology and Sam turned to dig in Marie's suitcase for the notebook and her purse which was lying next to her luggage for the pen. He sat at the table and began to write. Everyone ajorned to the next room. Calvin, loped through the door, he was fifteen and had an air of idgaf. His long black hair hung down his back and his pale skin contrasted with his red lips. His eyes were grey and often held happiness, though he had a long fuse, the explosion was large and devastating.