7)

Alan's eyes were cool and calm as they rested confidently on his older brothers, though on the inside he was having a serious breakdown. They know, but they can't know unless I don't do something quick, Alan thought in panic to himself. He didn't have any idea how to convince them, he figured that he couldn't lie completely about who he was otherwise they were bound to notice something was off with him. Luckily his dad intervened before Alan got a chance to makeup a possible lie, and said seriously: "Boys, I want you to meet Luke. He will be staying with us while his situation is being cleared up in."

Both Scott and Virgil looked like a couple of deer's that was about to be hit by headlights. Like they couldn't apprehend what their dad was telling them. Scott quickly reestablished himself and asked the million-dollar question, "Why? I mean why would a kid need to stay with us and most of all who is this kid anyway?"

"How about I explain everything with everyone else present in the living room?" Jeff suggested before leading Alan out of the hangar. Of course, Alan didn't need an escort, but the situation called that he played stupid in front of his family. He was worried about Fermat and Tin-Tin, they would surely notice something was off with him, and they weren't so judgmental about people. This was both a gift and a curse for Alan. Fermat and Tin-Tin always was able to keep up with him and his bad temper, and that is a talent itself, and managed to see behind all the anger and stubbornness to see what kind of person he really was. But this ability might be a bad thing if they began noticing something about him that could reveal his identity. I hope for once in my life that I'm better at acting than what everyone else says I am when I actually needs to be, Alan thought as he entered the living room together with his dad, Scott, Virgil and Gordon.


Everyone is the room looked surprised and confused about him being there, they stared him down like an animal in a cage, ready to jump on him like a pack of wolves. Fermat and Brains looked at him with this analyzing look, almost trying to figure out how he was constructed like a machine while Kyrano and his family looked more insecure how to think of him. Alan was more worried about his brothers and his dad, because they didn't give much expression how they felt about him with the exception of Scott, being the overprotective and most cautious around people. Jeff coughed to get everyone's attention and began the introduction:

"This is Luke Shepard. He is a security tester. He also does other work, which includes problem-solving skills. His crew was hired by my head of security Lenny Kravitz to test the security to Tracy Enterprises."

"Wait, what?" Scott interrupted Jeff before he could explain any further. "You mean to tell us that this was the kid that broke into Tracy Enterprises. Why the hell did you bring him back her for?"

"Scott, I don't tolerate such language. So please avoid such words before I send you out," Jeff said sternly, both knowing that he was willing to do so if Scott didn't do as he was told. "And to answer your next question his life was threaten when he was still in police custody. So I was requested to keep him here safe from whoever is targeting him."

"Who is targeting him?" Virgil asked. "And why would you even agree to protect him?"

"It's the Hood who is after him."

The whole room became quiet, even though it was mostly quiet before Jeff told them with the exception from Scott and Virgil. They all knew what kind of threat the Hood represented to the family, especially to Jeff and Alan who was targeted by him on a personal plane. But why would he be after a kid that wasn't Alan?

"Mr. Tt-tracy, I c-can unders-stand why h-he would be after you, b-but do you k-know why he is after Mr. S-shepard?" Brains asked, puzzled over why the Hood would be interested in a teenage boy, who had no connections with the Tracys other than recently testing their facilities.

"I don't know Brains, but he claims that Mr. Shepard has a program of some kind that he want to get a hold off," Jeff said. "Apparently he required a senior police officer attacked him in the interrogation room and shot a bullet into his shoulder."

This must have ticked Scott off the edge and exclaimed, "Why do you want to put our family and the family business in such risk if the Hood is targeting him? This would only lead him straight to us like an invitation. He is not our responsibility dad, so send him back to where he came from?!"

Scott left the room in anger, not wanting to listen to anymore of this nonsense his dad was telling them. Virgil glanced between Scott and Jeff, unsure if he should stay to listen more or follow Scott to calm him down before he hurt himself. Ultimately decided to let his older brother be for now, meanwhile everyone else looked very uncomfortable about what happened especially Alan, who wasn't used to being so rejected by his older brother. Alan had always looked up to him and was for a time a second father figure, but it hurt him deeply that Scott didn't want him around even though he had no clue that it was his younger brother he was talking about.

Alan moved uncomfortably, while trying to act unaffected by the attention he was getting. He did his best to hide the hurt from his face, but obviously not good enough since Tin-Tin seemed more focused on him when he did. Almost like she knew right away there was something weird about him. I have to be more careful around her, Alan thought to himself.

Jeff tried to avoid further uncomfortable silence, so he turned his attention to Alan.

"Sorry about my oldest son Scott. He is only being protective for his family, so it's not personal," Jeff grabbed the bridge on his nose, like he always did when he was getting stressed or had an immense headache.

"Anyway this is my other son Virgil." As he pointed out Virgil, the twenty-five year old man with short brown hair and brown eyes. Virgil nodded uncomfortably before taking a seat on the couch.

"You have already gotten to know Gordon." The redhead twenty-three year old waved his hand and sat down next to Virgil. They started to whisper between each other, something Alan couldn't manage to hear clearly, but he could guess what they were talking about. Meanwhile Jeff continued to introduce him to the seventeen-year-old Fermat and nineteen-year-old Tin-Tin who was sitting on the couch across from the brothers. They smiled at Alan, actually gave him a happy welcome opposed to the Tracys. It was almost like they knew how uncomfortable and unwelcome he felt in his dad's home. Finally Jeff introduced Brains, Kyrano and Onaha who was standing there and went over and one by one shook Alan's hand, slightly embarrassed yet welcoming.

"Okay, I'll let Onaha help you settle in the guest room and please ask her or anyone else if there is something you are wondering about or need," Jeff left the living room to go to his office. Everyone else left to do whatever they was doing before Alan had entered into their life, leaving Alan as abandoned and alone as he felt three years ago.


Everything was just like home, Alan thought as Onaha helped getting his stuff into the guestroom. Everyone live their own life meanwhile as they try to control his life. Jeff had mentioned rules Alan had to follow while he was staying at the island, most of them were standard stuff like don't leave the house in the middle of the night, not go into the jungle or enter someone else's room without permission, but there were certain rules that he didn't like and very much disagreed upon. He was not allowed to go into the silos or hangars for their machines, no communication with his friends until further notice and never be left alone without anyone knowing about his whereabouts for all times. They didn't trust him for a minute, so of course they didn't give him much freedom and independence he had fought so hard for the last three years. Alan lay down on the bed and was staring mindlessly on the ceiling. Alan wondered what he was going to do while he was here; he couldn't work or contact his friends. His dad would probably want to speak to him about his work and personal history, something he wasn't very open to discuss with his dad at the moment. Scott and the others might avoid him like a plague, because of disgust or uncertainty about what to do with him. Everyone else would threat him at least politely, which was fine by him for now. Alan slowly closed his eyes and began drifting to sleep due to exhaustion after several hours of adrenaline and emotional stress from his family. His last hope before losing conscious to sleep was that things wouldn't turn out to be as terrible as he assumed it going to be with him staying here, but only time would tell until then.

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Here's your new chapter. I hope you will like it and review, follow, favorite or whatever. And I want to thank everyone for their support and reviews. I also wanted to recommend Sad-Blue-Eyed-Angel 2010's stories to those of you who likes TB stories, and check out her recently new story Never stop looking. It's amazing.

To you Sad-Blue-Eyed-Angel 2010 and other TB authors, I want to say keep up the good work. We love you guys for doing such a good job.

Hopefully I haven't put pressure on you guys and get hated for saying this, by being the crazy fangirl I am on the inside.

xXrebelgirl07Xx :)