Hollywood Arts: A Beacon of Hope

Disclaimer: I own nothing

A/N:

Chapter 25 (Big Break)

"Beck, this can only help you," Principal Eikner said while leaning back in his recliner. Tori looked to the right as Trina stepped up beside her, she was wondering if they should still be here or not and was going to base her next move on whatever her sister said. "We have many students that come in looking for help and assistance, and the majority of them that struggle with homelessness have trouble with their family. What you have is a family that cares about you, a brother that is willing to fly out here for you."

"For how long?" Beck shrugged and turned his eyes towards Derek. "How long till he leaves."

Derek leaned back in his seat and exhaled slowly. "I'm not going to leave you. You're my brother, give me a chance." Tori dropped her gaze and waited as Trina moved beside Beck's chair and crouched down beside him. She set her arm on the armrest and he turned his head, looking into her eyes.

"Beck, listen to me." Trina swept her hair back and tapped her fingernails gently on the chair. "I know you're afraid of abandonment, but do you remember what I told you the other day?" He frowned and looked away. "This is your chance, your big break…you have a real chance here, but you're never going to learn how to trust somebody if you don't give them the chance to show you they mean well."

Trina leaned to the right and moved her hand up to her chest. "I'm slowly having to learn that myself." He moved his eyes towards her and shifted his hands along his knees. "Can you think, honestly, of any reason that Derek would have given you in your life that would indicate you couldn't trust him? Sometimes in life, we project our anger towards one person onto someone who never did anything wrong." His eyes squinted and his lips fell back into his cheeks while his shoulders sank. "Do you think maybe you're blaming Derek and your father for what your mother did to you?"

"Well. I mean…" Beck's head moved back and his eyes slid down as his chest fell with a sharp exhale. "I know he's never done anything wrong, I'm just scared." Trina pat his back and gave him a subtle nod of understanding.

"The only way you're ever going to separate them from your mom is by seeing it for yourself. I'm not saying trust completely, or even right away, but allow yourself to see what happens." She pat his forearm for a moment and looked sympathetically at him. "I can't promise you won't get hurt, but I can promise if you don't give it a chance you'll never know if you would have had something good or not-and that regret will hurt more in the long run than anything else."

"I know…" He ran his hand along his forehead, then brought it to rest on his knee. Beck looked up to Derek and pressed his lips together for a minute. "Can you guys give me some time with my brother? I need to talk with him."

Trina nodded and pushed herself up. Tori was both impressed and proud in her sister, she truly had the compassion to be a police officer if she wanted. It was difficult to think that Trina would have been a person to work with people in general, but she could see it more now than anything.

She followed Trina out of the room and smiled at her. "I hope Beck takes the opportunity," Tori remarked. Trina raised her eyebrows and moved for the school's doors.

"He should. I've said what I can, the Director has done all he can, so now it's just up to Beck to decide on the next move." She looked over her shoulder and waved Tori over. "We need to get home, anyway. David says there's someone at the house he wants me to meet."

"Oh, okay. Give me a minute." Trina stopped at the doors and Tori rushed to her locker. Once she grabbed her backpack from it, she rushed after Trina. She was eager to see who David wanted her sister to meet, and hoped it had something to do with their future.

When they made it home they found David talking to two men. One was a tall man with white hair and black framed glasses. He had a stern face, but a friendly smile that appeared to distract from his deep eyes. He looked to be about the same age as David, which surprised Tori when she saw the man's hair.

The other man beside this guy was closer to Trina's age, if not one or two years older. He had short, sandy brown hair and an athletic figure. Tori set her backpack down at the door and watched Trina move up to David and introduce herself to the men. "Hello, I'm Trina."

The older man shook her hand and held her gaze. "I'm DB Russell, and this is my son Charlie." DB pat Charlie on the shoulder and the boy waved at Trina. "There is a case that has brought us to Los Angeles, and David has asked that we let you shadow our progress. If you are interested." Tori gasped with delight and Trina looked from them to David.

"I thought it would be good to get your foot in the door somewhere," David remarked. "They are working on a series of disappearances throughout the years that lead to LA, and of course there are a few similar cases here. You want to be an investigator, I recommend you shadow them and observe how they go about solving the case."

DB moved his hand to his chin and curled it beneath his mouth. "My son has an interest in police work as well, so you two can most definitely work together. I would be happy to teach you anything you want to know."

"I appreciate it," Trina curved her lips upwards and her eyes glistened with intrigue. "I am definitely interested in shadowing you." Tori put her hand to her chest and swelled with relief, at first she thought her sister might be too proud to take the offer and she would have to convince her to do so. "As long as I can remain in Los Angeles, of course."

"Yes, we wouldn't want to tear you away from here."

"How did you and David come to know each other?"

"We met at the police academy many years ago."

Tori decided to let them chat without her hearing everything, so she dismissed herself and moved upstairs to her bedroom. She fell back onto her bed and gazed up at the ceiling, her hands moved up behind her head and her heart beat out happily.

Everything seemed to be going well, or at least, there was nothing going wrong. With this offer, Trina might be able to gain necessary skills to get a career somewhere and then find a place for the two of them.

Trina already had the compassion and heart down for the job. No matter how private she was, she at least cared about others. Despite the others not liking Trina that much, Trina still tried to help them, and Tori thought that was noble.

Her sister had so much on her plate that Tori didn't think she could be compassionate towards others at this point. Part of her wanted to send letters to their mom as well to relieve some of the pressure on Trina, but she was too nervous to do so and found best communication to be through Trina's letters back.

Closing her eyes, a fantasy begun in her mind. Tori could visualize a simple home and a good sized living room where she was lounging. She saw Trina in police uniform, sitting at the dining table and working on paperwork as they waited for food to finish cooking in the oven.

A simple and happy life, what more could she ask for? Perhaps their mom and dad, but lately she wondered if that would ever be a possibility. Sure their father was clearly not a good man, but their mother sounded like a great woman that she wanted to meet one day.

"Hey Tori?" Her eyes flew open and she saw her bedroom door creak open. Trina poked her head inside and looked at her with a soft smile. "You okay?"

"I'm just resting." She pushed herself up and curled her fingers over the edge of the bed between her knees. "I wanted to let you talk to them and everything. It's good that you have an opportunity to shadow an investigation-you're going to take the offer, right?"

"Yes. It's great to put on the resume and it's experience that will help me get a start in the right direction." Her heart jumped up joyously as Trina sat down beside her and rubbed her back gently. "I think things will work out, Tori. For all of us."

"Well, me and you maybe. Beck too, since his brother's around."

"I don't know, I think your friends will find a way too."

Trina swung her left foot forward and peered down at it with a pleased expression. "They're going to be so jealous when I tell them you're going to be working with a cop." Trina laughed and Tori looked up to her cheery gaze. "You seem happy about it too."

"Well sure." Trina moved one arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "It won't be long now. College or not, I can still work with the police force." They'd already knew that, but having a degree was still better. "Hollywood Arts has a partnership with a community college that will allow me to take some courses cheap while getting a scholarship."

"What does our mom think about that?"

"Mom? Well…" Trina pulled her hand away and lay back. She grabbed one of Tori's pillows and moved it under her head. Tori lay on her side and propped her head up on her hand, gazing curiously at her sister. "She's obviously okay with it, though she'd rather I go to the University of California. I just don't have the money."

"Would you ask her?"

Trina's eyebrows moved in together and her face scrunched. "I couldn't do that." The right corner of Tori's mouth pulled back slightly and she furrowed her brow. "It's not just being too proud, but I don't think it's appropriate. We don't know for sure who she is or if she even has the money to help her-and I don't want to give her the impression that I just want her to start paying for things. I'm not that person, I'm not the type of person that wants to make our mother think she needs to buy us."

"That make sense." Tori moved onto her back, mimicking Trina's posture and folding her hands together on her stomach. She watched the slow turning fan above her and closed her eyes. "Let's say you finally get a job and we can finally get our own place. If I go back to Sherwood, you go to a good community college…"

Trina turned her head to her. "Yeah?" She turned her own gaze into Trina's and shrugged.

"Maybe I get a part time job to help. If things really ever start to work out for us, maybe…just maybe you'd start dating and mom might come find us? Do you think?"

"If mom would stop being afraid of Dad-because I don't think he's really a threat anymore, and not just because we don't know who or where he is…if she showed up, that would be great. As for dating? I don't know." She frowned at Trina and looked back to the ceiling.

"There was that guy at camp."

"But I lost his information." Trina sat up with a groan and looked over her shoulder at Tori. "Not that it matters anymore, because I don't think I'll see him now. I mean, what are the odds of that?"

"If he cares about you, he might look for you."

"Maybe." Tori sat up and her forehead creased as she clamped her lips together. She thought Trina had fallen for the guy, and that it was maybe her first real love. Trina reached over, gently patting Tori on the knee before pulling her hand away. "I did fall for the guy, but like I said, there's no way for either of us to find one another-he'd probably give up on me like most men would. I still need to worry about us first, Tori."

"I guess so."

"Whether it's mom, dad, relationships, friends…You and I have to stick together and take care of ourselves and each other before all else. That's what siblings do." Trina looked to the window and drew out a sharp breath. "Someone once told me that no matter what, the relationship you have with your brother or your sister is the last true bond that you'll share. After mothers and fathers pass, when lovers and friends come and go, you'll still always have your sibling until the day you die."

Tori smiled and leaned onto Trina, and a peaceful quiet surrounded them. After several seconds, she saw her sister bow her head in contemplation and then speak with a whisper. "Hey Tori?"

"Something on your mind?"

"Yeah. I guess I worry sometimes, if mom does ever come back around…if I got a career started and everything and found a place-you'd want to be with mom instead?"

Tori lifted her head and frowned as Trina turned her eyes to her. She reached down and cupped her hand over her sister's and tried for a reassuring smile. "No. Because you've been with me all my life, we've been through everything together." She knew exactly what she'd want if her mom came around, and that was for the both of them to be with her. "If you found a place, I'd still stay with you." Trina smiled back at her and she moved her arms around Trina. "I know one day we're going to have our own lives-husbands and families of our own, but until then, I know we'll stick together."

"Fair enough, Tori, fair enough."

So Trina's also getting a real opportunity here. This is a plus, I'm sure.