Jazz will never forget her father's reaction, when she told him she wanted him to adopt those two, precious souls.
Of course, her father was a bit wary. He still thought they should tell someone about them, get them to some hospital, make sure they're alright through the words of experts rather than an overprotective teenage girl. Who knows? Perhaps their parents were looking for them, and if they were, it wasn't right for Jazz to swipe those children from beneath their noses. And though Danny seemed similar to her little brother, in every possible way, he himself hadn't seen the boy, her father doubted he would recognize him now. In fact the last time the man saw the two siblings were when they were still infants, and it was through a bunch of blurry photos Dad kept sending him.
Still, Jazz wasn't going to be deterred. And so, after she drilled into him over and over again how they needed a place to stay, that their parents, like her own, were missing, that someone was after them, that getting anyone else involved in this would not only be a waste of time, but may also endanger the Masters family name (he didn't really care about that), Father finally gave into her demands. Just like that, Danny and Sam became apart of the family.
It wasn't anything like what'd happened with Jazz. The children and her father were a bit wary of one another, with Jazz being the only common ground between the three. Whenever all four were together, Danny and Sam would usually look at Jazz, as if expecting her to take care of the introductions, the formalities, all the troubles that came with maintaining a conversation. There were times when her father was at a loss for words, as they only ever responded either "yes", or "no." They weren't very cooperative either, considering how they would always stay in their rooms all the time, only ever bothering to come out for meals.
But despite that, Jazz was determined to make them feel welcome. She followed her father's example, and kept knocking on their door. She made every attempt possible to try and draw them out, from bribing them with bowls of porridge, to dropping video games at their doorstep, with a trail of candy that led to the game room. She didn't care if she seemed a bit annoying, or even motherly; she simply wanted them to come out, to enjoy whatever joys the castle had to offer.
And over time, they did. As they grew more trusting of Jazz, slowly, but surely, they'd crawl out of their rooms. At first, it was only for the occasional snack, or to spend the afternoon in the courtyards, simply walking around the various plants and trees. A few weeks later, she started seeing them in the library and the movie theater; finally, she caught sight of them in the dining room, talking amongst themselves while watching the housekeeps do their work. It only ever became livelier after that. Whenever she was in her room, either catching up with more homework the tutor had so brutally given her, or in the library, getting ready for the next charity party, she'd always hear their tiny footsteps overhead, their giggles practically following them down the corridors. She would often close her eyes, and listen to that laugher. Then she'd smile, before screaming, "Keep it down!"
For Jazz time slipped carelessly between her fingers. Her father came to care for them, perhaps even more so than Jazz. She couldn't even remember the last time she saw him smile like that, the brilliance of his immaturity coming out. Now, whenever she found the three, there was none of the tension they carried from before. Sometimes, they'd play video games, while other times, simply sitting down at the kitchen table, glaring at the chessboard, locked in some mental warfare Jazz didn't want any part of. And even still, just talking, though it was more on her father lecturing them on the various pranks they've committed against the various housekeepers and chefs. But even after he's scolded them, Jazz could see the mirthful youth embedded in his eyes.
Gradually, Jazz and her adopted siblings grew closer as well. Whenever Danny and Sam fought with one another, or if they wanted to rally their sister to try and overrule the curfew tyranny, Jazz was always be there, trying to sort things out, or at the very least, calm them down. Those two kept coming to her with the tiniest of predicaments, whether it be the fact that one had cheated the other in chess, or that Sam had punched Danny again (he had to get stitches the last time), or that the two children refused to listen to their father, if only for a day, in the end, it was all in good fun.
There were times when Jazz needed to see her father, regarding those two. More often than not it was merely out of boredom. When such boredoms arose, Jazz would usually take the limo and get herself, Sam, and Danny to Vlad Incorporations. She would then set herself and her siblings patiently on a bench somewhere, waiting for the time to pass until her father was finally on his break. The employees were all really nice to her, it wasn't like she was doing anything wrong. She even brought enough money, just in case they got hungry. And as she did, she memorized the layouts of the cityscape, the towering buildings, the restaurants, everything; she even managed to find a restaurant, not far from the company building, the Nasty Burger, people called it. She'd make sure to take Danny and Sam there everyday, knowing full well people were too busy with their own lives to see who exactly was ordering.
Just a year after Danny and Sam came to them, Father decided they needed a private tutor. Initially, Jazz was a little worried; those two have spent so much time just goofing off, that she hadn't even realized she needed to see what grade level they were in.
That first day, when the tutor came to test them, Jazz remembered standing outside, in the hallway. She was wringing her hands painfully, as she waited for the strict tutor to come out and harp at them for getting yet another problem wrong. She's already researched him, and to be perfectly honest, she didn't like him. He was always so strict, for one reason or another. There were a couple of allegations that he was a bit abusive towards his students, but both professors and parents worshipped him, simply because of the high test scores he produced. When he came to the castle, Father was already out, leaving Jazz to deal with the man. Personally, Jazz didn't want him, considering how he was already talking about raises and paid vacations, despite the fact he hadn't even done one ounce of work.
She was starting to get anxious. Her eyes flickered towards the door, the faint sounds of pencils rolling away on the desk surfaces, along with irritated gibberish she couldn't make out. Jazz was just about to go in, when the door instantly opened. She saw Danny and Sam walking out, chatting excitedly about the new game they'd be receiving soon. They both saw her, gave her warm smiles, then continued with their conversations, without a single air of terror shrouded around them. Jazz looked back into the library, and saw the tutor there, stunned beyond belief. Jazz decided to oversee their studies after that.
But even with all their smarts, they were children, in Jazz's eyes, her baby brother and sister.
Even now, she still thought back to that day, when she found them there, inside that abandoned building. She couldn't help but ponder on where they came from, where they thought they were going.
Whenever she tried bringing up the subject, however, the children would simply shut down. They wouldn't say anything to her a few days after, and it was only until she made countless bribes did they finally speak with her again, albeit on more icier terms.
Kids grow.
And that was the painful truth.
Jazz had forgotten what day it was, when Danny told her he was interested in finance. She'd forgotten what day when, in the next two minutes, she saw someone screaming at the castle door, and in moments later, Sam came stumbling into her arms, a stream of curse words following behind her. She'd forgotten what day it was, when she saw how angry that woman was, how smug Sam seemed, as she looked up at Jazz, and told her that she was taking that woman to court, that no one, absolutely no one, stole from the Masters. She'd forgotten how smug Danny seemed, though when Jazz turned questioningly toward her brother, he looked down sheepishly, even if he couldn't hide his wide grin.
She knew it was on a bright, sunny day, in the afternoon. She was preparing a presentation on the effects of racism on health. In three weeks, she was supposed to present her findings at a conference in Atlanta, Georgia; they already paid for her flight and accommodations, and if she managed to impress them, some university in the UK would give her a stipend to go anywhere she wanted to conduct her research, assuming that the panel approved her destination. She remembered taking a deep breath, as she was memorizing her speech, all the while reminding herself that she didn't have much time left. Danny appeared out of nowhere, and told her his interests. Then, after a while, she remembered coming to the door, with Sam slamming into her arms, with a pale, obese woman screeching at the top of her lungs. It wasn't long before she turned toward the two, and scrutinized them both.
Danny was still a little shorter than she was, but he was healthy, nonetheless. His shaggy, raven hair refused to be kept down, his bangs hanging all over his soothing blue eyes. He was wearing a black hoodie, with dark blue jeans, with his bare feet rubbing against the soft, pristine carpet. Sam, on the other hand, wore in a simple, black, minidress. She was wearing a black black choker Father had gotten her for Christmas, her dark, ebony hair complimenting the piece carefully. Her amethyst eyes matched Danny's in intensity, as she looked up at Jazz, with an arrogant smile on her face, though not too arrogant.
Jazz remembered sighing, as she tore her eyes away from the presentation She was almost done anyways, and since Father should be on his break, Jazz figured she could just drop in, and tell him about what'd happened. Besides, he's been asking about them lately, though mainly because of a chess match Danny had thoroughly destroyed him in. And with the way Jazz saw it, Danny and Sam would make their public debut anyways; might as well give the socialites a sneak peak at the newest additions to the family, right?
That public debut, however, might just have already happened.
Jazz called up the limo driver, and told them to get dressed. They did, and three siblings got in the car, and drove away from the castle.
Jazz remembered looking up at them, with an incredulous look on her face. After a while, she folded her arms in front of her chest.
Neither of them would look at her, though she could still see the small smirk they had on their faces. When Jazz looked out the window, she could see that woman still standing there, at the castle door, screaming at them with both fists raised in the air. Finally, she turned back.
"What'd you do?" she finally asked.
Sam merely shrugged. "She had it coming."
Jazz narrowed her eyes. "Sam…"
"What? She did. And it's not like she could keep it a secret forever."
"We talked about this."
"Just because they're rich, doesn't mean they get to do whatever they want," Sam stated simply.
Jazz rubbed her temples. "Just answer the question," she ordered exasperatedly.
Unfortunately, Sam did. "So you know that lady who showed up at the door. Ms…Aileen, I think?"
Jazz blinked. That's right; just the other day, Sam was complaining about her. Apparently, the woman had been "abusing" her pets, though to Jazz, Ms. Aileen seemed like a nice enough lady. But being the radical Sam was, she followed the woman into her house, and allegedly found dog fighting ring there, in a grand basement not too far from the surface. It was hard to believe, and Jazz didn't want to know where this was going. But for some reason, she rolled her hands, cueing Sam to continue.
Sam nodded. "I've got evidence against her for it. She'll be going to trial this Friday."
Jazz stared dumbly at her.
Sam shrugged. "What?"
"So let me get this straight; you were breaking and entering, and you weren't even arrested?"
Sam scoffed. "No way. I just took photos of that stupid ring. Showed them around, and what'd you know? Next day, police have a warrant to search the place, and they found it."
"You tipped them off?"
"You know it."
She sighed again. She stared at her sister pointedly; though she could understand where Sam was coming from, she didn't think ruining the woman's life was the best way to go about it. Usually, when a socialite was caught, not only by their fellow circle, but by the entire public, it meant everything they do will come into close scrutiny. The way they spent their money, how they've portrayed themselves, what celebrities they worked with, their general attitude; everything. The insults would come every day, their property would be vandalized, fake emails and phone calls would come from every hour, demanding that they pay debts they never even realized they'd gotten themselves into, mostly because they were too busy spending their own money for the luxuries they couldn't even afford; Jazz should know. She'd seen it happen many times over.
However, it wasn't until after this conversation did she realize that something was off.
The little story Sam told her made no sense. For one thing, Ms. Aileen had the best security system in the world. And while she utterly despised Sam, simply because of how outspoken she was, she adored Danny, who was charismatic enough to win her over. As far as Jazz was concerned, even if they didn't agree with the curfew, she'd seen the two around the castle, making sure neither of them snuck out. There was no possible way Sam could sneak out and do something on her own, at least, not without Jazz knowing.
Jazz slowly turned to her brother. "Danny…"
"I had nothing to do with it."
"…You're a horrible liar, you know that?"
No matter what she did, or what angle she used to perceive them, Danny and Sam were always a bit odd.
Jazz noticed how often the two were always together. Even after Father called them his own, after they've finally found a permanent home in the Masters castle, still, for some strange reason, they kept up with their seemingly private world, a world not even Jazz was entitled to look at. After all this time, Jazz would've thought they were closer than that. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't disappointed, but then of course, they were teenagers, and everyone had their own secrets.
After a month following the incident, Daniel and Samantha Masters made their official debut. They were both fiercely independent, so much so neither Jazz nor Father needed to do anything for them. Danny made his, merely by investing in favorable trades through Father's company. Sam, on the other hand, was already the target of many angry socialites; she appeared on television first, if only to champion animal rights and the like. They weren't sociable, like Jazz or Vlad Masters, but all the same, they were exceptional by their own right.
Neither one of the teens enjoyed the cameras. In fact, they did whatever they could to hide from them. Though they were successful most of the time, it still didn't stop anyone from calling the castle, trying to get a hold of them. Jazz kept their public appearances to a minimum, kept where they were going hidden, made sure they weren't drawing attention too much themselves, though sometimes, even her efforts weren't enough. Well, with the rebellious new look Sam sported, and with the fact that Danny was at Vlad Incorporations every day, busying himself with the economy and the like, it was hard not to keep them out of every rumor circle. Jazz had lost count of how many times she's had to defend them, all the while pondering on whether or not she had any right. They were still as much a mystery to her as the day they first came to the castle.
Still, Jazz managed to ignore the rumors, and instead, busied herself with keeping her family out of trouble. She brushed aside how the aristocrats were falling out of the Masters influential circle, one by one, how fearful whispers kept circulating around her every time she passed by them, no doubt from another one of Danny or Sam's antics. She ignored the vague mentions of illegal activities swarming around the two teens, how Jazz was just a cover for them, how they were going to get rid of anyone standing in their way, how they wouldn't stand for it if they lost. Though she tried keeping the teens busy, the two still found the time to cause trouble, everywhere they went, found time to cultivate the family image into something that was both beloved, and feared.
But even if they were closer to each other than they were to either she or Father, they were still family. Sam would steal Jazz's hair dryer in the morning, dye her clothes black, call up every boy in the nation and tell them that Jasmine Masters was interested in them; her pranks were merciless. Danny didn't do that; he was too busy trying to reel Sam in, all the while apologizing to Jazz about the pranks she knew he was involved in. He had to, else Father would lose his mind, worrying about the three, as he dealt with more and more complaint stemming from the teens. Yes, Jazz got them back; one time, she stole one of Danny's boxers, and stuck it on the flagpole during one of her charity parties. No one saw it, much to her disappointment, but it made Danny wary of her; she was an opponent not to be messed with.
Though the situations were bizarre, Jazz admitted that it was fun, nonetheless. She was happy, just sitting around a table, or on the floor, or anywhere, for the matter, as long as those three were nearby. Her adopted father would be sitting to her side, and Danny and Sam would be across from her. They'd joke around a lot of the time, not even bothering to hide their snickers as Jazz chided them all for being so childish.
She thought to herself one day that she'd protect this tiny world of hers. No, it wasn't as grand a kingdom as the one her parents had before. She wasn't a princess, though she lived in a castle, nor was she the queen, even when her family's influence was felt internationally. She wasn't strong, nor did she consider herself to be incredibly intelligent. In fact, to Jazz, she was average.
Still, she was going to protect them, no matter what'd happened.
It's probably the reason why she felt like she failed them now.
As she stared out at the raging oceans, the dim, dark horizon now coming away from her, she could see the very glimpses of night over the red seas. Black waters floated beneath her, the tense silence now shrouding her with pain and loss. From up above, she could catch sight of a dim, callous moon, the ghostly light now settling above a mass of stars clearly etched out for everyone to see. Jazz stared up at them, brushing aside the worried whispers, the anxious gasps, as fleets of ships came away from the harbors.
They were all waiting, it seems.
Waiting for what the siblings were going to do next.
Jazz tightened her grip on the rail, as she closed her eyes.
Father must still be back on the mainland, trying to find Danny and Sam. Meanwhile, she was out here, dealing with reporters and socialites and concerned citizens and the like, all of whom were still asking themselves the same, pointless question. That reporter was trying to get everyone back, screaming desperately that there must've been a reason why they were doing this, why they were so willing to throw everything away, just for that one, single chance of doing the morbidly extraordinary.
And so, she merely recalled the events of the day.
The men in white, who had come barging.
Men in white, who made her parents disappear before her very eyes, who somehow took her little brother away from her.
Men in white, who were here again, ready to take away yet another family she'd created, in this callous world of hers.
And she couldn't do anything.
Not a single thing.
She looked out at the skies again.
She wanted to see Mom and Dad there, one last time, their arms outstretched, their kind, gentle smiles, inviting her to join them. She wanted to see Danny there, her little brother, with his toys, attempting to clumsily asking Jazz to play with him. She wanted to see all the prejudices she's held against them, the compassionate prayers she's caressed for them, the desperate pleas she's made, asking if she could see them again, if she could find them once more, if she could meet, even if it was only once, even if her heart had to break under the pressure of it.
But she couldn't.
Because they were missing.
And she couldn't find them.
