Chapter 1. Packages at 2 in the morning.
Seth had woken up in the early hours of a Saturday morning to what he thought sounded like cries. The cries were piercing and it almost sounded like a childs cry.
"What is that?" he questioned himself. He got out of bed and left his room. He headed down the stairs and the cries became closer. He paused in the middle of the stairs looking around as if to see something out of the ordinary, everything was however per normal except for the cries. As Seth went further down the stairs he realized the cries were indeed a baby's.
Seth reached the foot of the stairs and he thought the cries might have been coming from outside. So he decided to test his theory out. He opened the door and……………………….
"Oh my god" he said shocked. What Seth was looking at was none other than a small toddler sitting in her wrecked pram with a pink blanket torn on the left corner wrapped around her.
Seth walked into the pool house and turned on Ryan's lamp, because it was still dark out.
"Ryan", Seth whispered. Ryan didn't move. Seth stared at him and suddenly an idea came over him. He crept over to him and slowly grabbed the end of the covers and yanked the them off him. This sudden movement caused Ryan to jump.
"Seth?" Ryan asked trying to sit up.
"Expecting someone prettier, blonder, with really shiny hair", Seth said pacing back and forth next to his bed.
"What are you doing here?"
"We have a really big problem", Seth said. "Follow me", Seth walked out of the pool house. Ryan knew Seth over exaggerated at the best of times so he didn't think anything of it, but he still decided to go and see.
As soon as Seth opened the door to the kitchen Ryan's face showed every bit of confusion.
"What is that?!!" Ryan found himself yelling.
"That Ryan………is the problem", Seth replied as they headed into the lounge, Ryan stopped dead when he saw what he saw.
"I don't know who she is, where she came from, but what I do know Ryan is that………she won't shut up", Seth said aggravated walking over to the small child of no older than two. The little blonde haired green eyed girl looked at Ryan still crying.
"Maybe she lost…..or – ", Ryan began
"On a doorstep in a pram, it's not like she ran away", Seth replied. The toddlers' cries became even louder. Seth walked over to the couch and grabbed two pillows and put them on either side of his ears. "This is gonna be one long night",
Seth called Summer and Marissa and they were on their way. The baby girls' cries hadn't stopped and neither Ryan or Seth knew what to do. Then the door bell rang.
"Thank God!" Seth said practically running to the door.
"Cohen wha-", Summer began, before the door was fully open.
"We need your help right now", Seth said pulling her inside as Marissa followed behind. As soon as they were a step inside, Summer caught sight of the problem and rushed over.
"Oh my ...God!" Summer exclaimed as she and Marissa rushed to where the toddler was still sitting in her small black pram with her baby pink blanket around her. "When did this happen?" Summer asked in shock as Ryan sat on the couch looking at the child with a tired look in his eyes.
"About an hour ago", Seth said walking over "When she washed up on the doorstep!"
"Doorstep?" Marissa questioned surprised also surveying the baby girl.
The little toddler let out a terrified scream, which caused Marissa, Summer and Seth to jump back.
"Yeah this is why we need your help", Ryan told.
Everyone looked at each other but no one wanted to make the first move. Eventually it was Summer who bent down and undid the toddlers buckle on her pram, she arms reached for the baby and she took her out. The child was still wailing but it wasn't as loud when she was in Summer's arms. Seth picked up her faded pink blanket and put it around the child as something dropped to the floor. They all looked down and caught sight of a white crinkled envelope, Marissa picked it up.
"So this is what comes in the mail these days", Summer said loudly as the child cried near her ear.
"Open it", Seth said. Walking over to Marissa, as she tore the top off, she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper and unfolded it and she scanned the paper.
"Well what's it say?" Ryan asked.
"I'm sorry, I can't do this, Ava has no one else", Marissa recited, once she read the writing she looked to the others who stared blankly back all trying to conclude what that actually meant. The child in Summer's arms was named Ava, and that's all they knew. They all watched the small petite child who was rubbing her eyes.
"What does that mean?" Seth said confused.
Two hours had passed and it was six in the morning. The sun was beginning to rise over New Port and a new day had begun but for the Fab Four it was not something to look forward to. Upstairs in one of the spare rooms, Marissa and Summer had managed to get Ava to sleep although they didn't know how they did it, they came to the conclusion that she had a big enough night as it was and sleep finally caught up with her. Summer laid her down on the bed and Marissa put the pink blanket over her and some pillows on either side of her so she wouldn't fall off the bed.
Down stairs, Ryan and Seth were in the lounge both lying on couches and waiting for the girls to arrive. Footsteps down the stairs let them know that Ava was now sleeping because Summer and Marissa had not left the room for over an hour.
Both girls walked into the lounge, Summer's eyes barley open.
"I think that she's asleep", Summer said mumbled throwing herself on the empty chair as Marissa sat on its arm.
The whole room was silent for a few seconds.
"Hear that", Seth whispered almost asleep.
"What", Summer asked.
"Exactly" Seth said getting comfortable.
Ryan who was lying on the other couch had the events of that night running through his head. "What are we gonna do?" Ryan asked
"Ryan I'd love to stay and chat buddy but I'm way too tired", Seth mumbled with his eyes closed. Ryan looked like he was already back to sleep as Seth said this.
Marissa looked at both of the boys and then she turned to Summer "I'm gonna go sleep in one of the other rooms", Marissa said noticing the guys asleep as she rubbed her eyes.
"Right behind you Coop", Summer replied exhaustedly.
