Green looked down into the face of Gus. She took note of his little nose, his beautiful long black lashes, the shape of his small lips, the small mole he had under his left eye. Nothing in this world could have prepared her for the feelings that overcame her as she held her son in her arms.
Even after all of the things that had happened in her lifetime, all of the terrible things that she had done, all of the sins she had commited...she was granted the blessing of holding her baby boy in her arms.
He was perfect. A completely blend of her and Jarod.
"He's beautiful." came Bobby's voice from behind her.
Green turned around.
Bobby had Wyatt in his arms. Wyatt's body was completely tucked into Bobby's body. His little frame seemed so fragile next to Bobby's. She couldn't see him so well because of night time falling adding to the fact that they had no lights on in the car...made it near impossible. She was sure that if she could see him...she could see the black and blue marks that lined his body.
Bobby saw where her eyes fell.
He looked down to Wyatt.
"They're all beautiful." he stated in whisper.
Wyatt squirmed in his arms, adjusting to the hold in which Bobby had him.
Bobby looked up into Mona's eyes.
"Sooo...how are you holding up?"
She looked down at Gus and wiped a few stray hairs behind his ear.
"I just can't believe that they're real...and that they're mine...and I didn't know. Bobby...how...what am I going to tell them about Jarod? I can't think of how I'm going to explain to them how I didn't know about them."
Green's eyes looked away from Bobby and to the children around the van. All of them were sleeping, snuggling up to the siblings near them for warmth and comfort.
"I mean," she smiled and laughed as tears trailed down her face,"how the fuck do you tell a child that they're hopes and dreams of having a family. There never going to understand. How can they possibly understand." she babbled on as the tears in her eyes continued to fall.
"Whoa whoa whoa...slow down...CALM down!!! Keep yourself together!! Don't break down on me right now alright!!!!" Bobby whispered out freightened.
Green wiped at the tears with her one free hand as the other held Gus in her arms.
"You just...ya gotta hold on ok?! What needs to be done right now is that these children need to be hidden. Nothing else matters right now. Just keep thinking that. Nothing else matters right now."
Green nodded her head, repeating the phrase over and over.
"Nothing else matters, Nothing else matters."
She looked up to the children asleep in the van. She looked passed the children to the rearview window and watched as Syndey trailed close behind. Her children also filled that car as well. Children she did not know. Children that did not know her.
She was afraid that the Centre was following. That they would take back what was rightfully hers. That these children would go back to the hell that their father knew...and never know the taste of freedom. She'd be damned if she let that happen. The anger in her was rising, and with it her determination. She would be damned if she allowed some psycho to beat and hurt her children. Not one second more. No chance. She had to keep her head. She had be strong. For them. Everything for them.
Wyatt, whimpered in his sleep in Bobby's arms, and she turned to look at the small boy.
"Everything for them...and nothing else matters." Green muttered.
Sydney tried to stay as close to the van as he possibly could. He had never in his life felt more discusted in his life. The actual proof that the Centre had become something beyond evil, lay in the back of the car with innocent faces.
While Parker had taken a good portion of the children in the van, Sydney had a substancial amount of children in the car. It shocked Sydney beyond his expectations.
He glanced in the rearview mirror to check on them every now and again. Everytime... the sight that presented itself made Sydney's eyes water. In the faces of these young children...he saw Jarod. Young children frightened and cold...tortured by the demons that they had witnessed.
Sydney's soul was tortured. So many questions in his mind whirling about.
How could Jarod not have found out about his children?
How could we not have found out about these children?
How could the Centre have kept these children hidden for all of those years, without them ever finding a memo?
He shook his head. The "what if's" and "what could have been's" nagging his mind the entire day. The same thoughts that had nagged him ever since Jarod escaped.
He glanced up to check out the back of the car once more.
Children littered the entire back of the car. Among them were Angelo, Debbie, and Broots.
Broots held one of the two newborn's in his arms, rocking the child. Debbie held the other.
Oddly the babies had stopped crying not 5 minutes ago. He didn't know how it was possible...but they stopped crying at the same time. It was highly odd in his book.
Most of the children in the car were young children. Many of them triplets, twins, or something of the sort. Sydney had seen more than 3 sets of twins jump into the van with Green...the knowledge that she had more than one set of twins making his mind race at how the Centre had accomplished the feat.
Sydney shook his head. He had to stay focused.
He checked the rearview mirrors and sidemirrors to make sure no one was following them. When he was satisfyed he checked on the children once more.
"Are you ok Broots?" Sydney asked.
Broots looked up from looking at the baby in his arms.
"Oh...ah...yah...it's just been a long time since I've dealt with babies." Broots confessed as he looked back to the little boy in his arms, with a curious look in his eyes.
"Zarek." a little girl behind him said out loud.
Broots turned to the girl in the back seat.
"What?" he asked with a confused look.
The little girl looked straight into his eyes with big blue innocent eyes.
"His name is Zander." the little girl stated.
Broots looked into the little girls eyes in shock and worry.
"How did you know I wanted to know his name?" he asked in awe.
The little girl sighed and then liften her tiny finger to her head.
"I can hear it...in here." the little girl stated.
Broots looked at the girl longer. He was about to say something when she answered before he could get the question out.
"Sibyl." the little girl stated.
Broots eyes widened in shock. Another question came to him.
"Four." Sibyl stated before he could voice the question.
Broots just stared at the girl. He turned to look at the Debbie with the other baby in her hands. He stared at the baby.
"Zarek." Sibyl answered yet again to the unspoken question.
Broots felt woozy all of a sudden.
"I don't think I can handle this." Broots muttered as he squeezed his eyes shut.
"Welcome to the club!" Sibyl exclaimed in a saddened sigh.
The other children in the car began to laugh and giggle at the comment and the expression in Broots' face.
Broots looked around to the other children.
"Yes." a little boy in the far back answered.
"Whoooaaa!" Broots stated with wide eyes and mouth agape.
"You don't have to worry about us that much. It's the older one's that you need to worry about. They've gotten use to not using all of there gifts." the little boy stated.
Broots just stared at the little boy who couldn't be older than 3 years old.
"Taban." The little boy spoke with a wide smile on his face.
"STOP THAT!!" Broots spoke loudly with a frightened face.
The children all began to laugh and giggle. Sibyl had to cover her laughing mouth with both hands as she tried to hide her giggles.
"We can't help it!" another little boy said through giggles.
"Well try. You can't do that kind of stuff out here. It's dangerous." Debbie spoke for her father.
All of the children in the car quieted down and looked at Debbie.
"We'll try." a little girl in the back seat spoke.
Debbie smiled. She then turned around and began playing with Zarek again, who laughed at her funny faces.
Broots just stared at his little girl in open amazement. She handled Zarek with such caution and such care that Broots had a thought that scared the life out of him.
"Debbie!" Broots started.
Debbie looked up to her father.
"Yah Daddy?" Debbie answered.
"Don't get any ideas." Broots stated as the children giggled before he muttered the words.
Sydney laughed along with the children.
Sydney shook his head. He quickly sobered as the information that the children had given Broots sunk into his head. The children were much more gifted then he could have imagined.
It worried him. These children could uncover many of the secrets in Green's life.
It scared him. It really scared him.
The children had yet to experience the outside world. They would have to adapt to an environment in which they could not trust a soul. Children had very trusting natures...but maybe the Centre had taken that aspect away from these children. They had probably taken the innocence of these children long before they knew the word at all.
His hands tightened on the wheel.
Then suddenly a small hand covered one of his hands on the stering wheel.
The feel of the warm small hand on top of his caused his heart to skip a beat.
He glanced to the owner of the hand.
A little girl. A girl with a very familiar face. A face that he remembered from a long time ago.
She looked just like her mother.
The little girl smiled as she heard the thought.
"We know...and we'll keep it secret...for now." the little girl spoke softly.
His eyes glazed with tears. He turned his head back to the road.
The little girl frowned at the emotions that she was picking up.
"Don't cry." she said as she lifted herself up on her tip toes and kissed the side of face.
"It's almost over." the little girl said crypticly.
He nodded his head at the message.
She kept her hand on his.
"My names Kaitlyn." the girl whispered.
He kept nodding his head an placed his head on top of Kaitlyn's.
"Thank you Kaitlyn." he said softly.
Kaitlyn giggled.
"I guess that we'll be taking care of you for a while." she giggled out.
Frowning he turned to glance at the girl.
The girl smiled showing all of her teeth.
"Your exactly like your mother." he said in exasperation.
"What can I say...great minds act alike!"
He laughed at her. He turned to look at her.
Blue eyes stared back at him with Jarod's smirk.
Ethan who had taken over driving for Bobby, and Green were the only two awake. They had been driving for a good four hours. It was dead quite in the van. Green was beyond tired and beyond scared.
Oddly enough...the Centre had not caused this fear. Something in her realized that she was now the mother of 29 children...and she had one on the way. Never had she been more freightened then in that moment of realization...that these children depended on her.
She wasn't ready for it. How could she be?
But she had to be. Whether she was ready or not.
Bobby's Cellphone rang out, waking everyone in the van.
He quickly manuvered himself around Wyatt in his arms and retreived the cellphone.
"Lyle!" He said with his old cold voice. His eyebrows had scrunched together in worry.
As soon as a voice spoke his eyebrows fell in relief.
"Broots...next time just flash your headlights at us...If you startle us again like that I will rip out what's remaining of your hair with a pair of tweezers." he warned.
Miss Green cringed at the idea.
A completely bald Broots.
"How far away?" Bobby asked seriously.
Green could hear the mumbled voice of Broots over the line...but should couldn't make out the words he was saying.
"Good. We'll see you soon." Bobby said as he hung up the cell phone.
Wyatt had fully woken up and was trying to remove himself from Bobby's hold.
"OK EVERYONE GET UP!!" Bobby yelled out.
The children didn't wine or groan. They quickly rose from slumber without protest.
"What's going on?" Green asked.
"Broots said he has a plane waiting for us not more than 5 minutes away." Bobby said while checking his pockets for something.
"WHAT!! HE WAS ACTUALLY STUPID ENOUGH TO BOOK A FLIGHT FOR ALL OF US ON A PLANE!!!!!!" Green screamed out.
"NOO! He was smart enought to actually buy a plane. Any other questions?" Bobby asked annoyed at his sisters antics.
"So who's going to be flying it?" she asked with an angered glare.
"I am." came the Major's voice.
Green turned to look at the Major.
He seemed to be fine, but he was still injured.
"Your in no condition to fly..." she started.
"I've flown in worse conditions." The Major stated with confidence.
"I don't want you to push yourself." Green said seriously.
"Believe me when I say I'm ok." The Major stated.
" WE'RE THERE!!" Ethan yelled out as he stopped the car in front of a small dark building with a street light that illuminated a plane.
They all huttled to look out of the window to see the plane.
"So this is it I guess." Green muttered.
Slowly all of the children had boarded the plane and had quickly taken their seats. Broots had taken a seat and had set up all of his techie gear, while Debbie sat amongst the other children, as well as Angelo.
Green, Ethan, and Bobby sat in the back of the plane, keeping their eye on all of the children.
"I'll need about ten minutes to take off, but afterwards we'll be traveling nonstop." the Major stated as he passed the seated trio.
"Where exactly are we going?" Green asked the Major.
"We're going to Sicily." Broots stated with a smile.
"Yeah Sis', pretty soon we'll all be experiencing the beautiful Tuscan sun." Bobby stated with an exagerated flare.
"Bobby's always liked the outdoors." Emily exagerated as she walked up the aisle towards them.
"Yeah, like a hole in the head." Bobby sighed out as he placed his hand to hold up his forehead against the window of the plane.
Green looked over at Bobby. In the past hours, his body had seemed to age rapidly. It was as though all of the accumilated stress of a life time had caught up with him in one night. It shocked her to see him like this. He seemed like a normal man. He didn't look like a man haunted by demons...or a psychotic killer searching for his next victim. He just looked like a scared man. A man who was frightened of losing his family.
Green reached over and placed her hand on his and gave it a light squeeze.
Bobby turned his head, but did not change his position. He gave her an odd look in which she just smiled back at him.
She rose from her seat.
"Emily, why don't you sit by Bobby." she ordered.
"Oh, it's ok. I just wanted to see if everything was ok, if everyone was alright." Emily rambled on.
"Ace was shot and susbtained minor damage, but the amount of blood he lost has caused his immune system to be very weak." Sydney explained as he rose from the side of the plane where Ace laid out across three seats.
Green's eyes focused on Ace's body. It had taken them a while to move the move the unconscious boy into the plane without disturbing him.
Green turned back to Emily.
"It's ok Em', I want to sit by my children anyway. I think they need to be reassured that they're not alone and that I'm still here." Green muttered as her eyes didn't leave Ace's body.
Without further ado, she walked over to where Ace lay. She looked at his pale face and caressed it with the back of her hand. He was as white as a sheet of paper, almost transparent. Green leaned over and kissed his forehead.
"Don't worry...everything is going to be ok. You can sleep now." Green whispered in Ace's ear.
"Is Aries going to be ok?" a little boy from behind Ace's seats popped up and asked. Green looked up at the boy in confusion.
"Don't you mean Ace?" She asked the little boy.
"No, Aries. Breanna likes to call him Ace, but I like to call him Aries." the little boy stated.
"I thought his name was Ace." Green muttered in confusion.
"No, his name is Aristedes, but it's to long. That's why most of us call him Ace or Aries." the little boy explained as he gestured with his hand.
"What's your name?" Green asked with saddened eyes.
The little boy smiled a smile that she knew to well. It was Jarod's smile. The little boy had inherited his father's smile and her blue eyes.
"My name is Owen." Owen stated proudly.
"I'm five. Rhoswen, Wyatt, and Angus are my quadruplets." Owen explained energetically.
Green's eyebrows furrowed in thought.
So all of them are five years old.
"Yep, we're all five." Owen said, exasperated.
Green stared at the boy as he confirmed her unspoken thoughts.
Owen smiled at Miss Green as her thoughts became a jamble of questions.
"We're all special." Owen spoke to answer all of the questions with one answer.
Green rose slowly from her bent postion.
"I need a drink...a big one." She muttered as she went to take a seat.
Owen waggled his eyebrows at Rhoswen as she began to giggle from the scene her mother had just put on.
Green reached the plane seat with shaky legs and a pale face.
Owen's revelation had completely blown away any hope that her children could live a normal life.
Green had to face the truth. Her child had just read her mind.
Telepathy.
Jesus, ( she closed her eyes) what the held kind of sims had they put her babies through.
She thought they would be because of Jarod being a pretender.
God the thought hadn't occured to her that the combination of her genetics with Jarod's would produce something more complex than a mere pretender. Her head spun at the possibility of what her children could do. She had an eerie sensation that telepathy was just one of the many gifts that her children had.
Her eyes stole to the seats next to her where the babies were positioned so she could easily check on them. Broots and been smart enough to ask the person selling the plane to buy some of the nessesary things needed for them on the plane. Food, drinks, clothes, medicine, toys, baby equitment, and baby care items had all been stowed inside of the plane. The baby carriers and were a surprise to her. She had never messed with a contraption of the sort. The children had laughed and giggled for a good while by watching her figure out how to buckle down the carriers. Before placing them in the carriers she decided to chang the babies diapers.
She had inspected the boys thoroughly. She counted there fingers and toes twice. She made sure they didn't have one mark on them. She had then tried to put the diapers on the babies. Oddly enough she did it without even flinching. The act itself coming naturally to her. Oddly though, the weirdest sensation came over her at the thought that it came to her soo easily. She had shaken her head and had continued to carefully dress the twins and put them in the carriers.
A sudden noise made her open her eyes.
Ian, Ayden and 4 other of the oldest boys were standing up in the aisle and were staring at her.
"We were wondering if we could sing the babies to sleep?" Ayden asked Green.
Her eyebrows furrowed.
"Sing?" she inquired in a frightened mode.
The boys turned to look at each other as they tried to cover up the laughs that bubbled up.
"Yeeahh...Sing." Ayden said as he looked her directly in the eyes.
"Fine...but don't make me regret my decision." She threatened.
Ayden laughed and proceeded to herd the boys together.
All of the others watched with happy eyes as the boys began to prepare.
"Ready guys?" Ayden asked.
They all nodded.
And then Ayden began the song and the others sang back up...and Mona's ears couldn't believe the beauty of there song, and how ironic it was...because Jarod wasn't there.
Go to sleep and hush little darling.
(ooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhoohhhhhh)
It's time for bed, time to put out the light.
(ooooooooohhhhhoooooooohhhh)
Sweet dreams are awaiting behind your closed eyes
(ooooooooohhhhhoooooooohhhh)
and a blanket of night.
(ooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhoohhhhhh)
Where the bed bugs don't bite. (oohhhhhwwwwaaahhhh)
(dududuuuuuuuuuuuuuudududuuuuuuuuuuuuuu) Go to sleep and hush until morning.
You've said all your prayers. Time to make them come true. (uuuuuuuuuaaahhhhhhmakethemcometrue)
Don't worry your daddy is hereIf you need him tonight.Ease your mind. (uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuudaddyhereifyouneedhimtonighteaseyourmind)
Rest your eyes and sleep tight.Goodnight. (uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuugooooodddnnniiiiiiiggghhhhhhhhtttttt)
Green watched with saddened and shocked eyes as Ayden bent down and kissed both of the babies.
In that one second, she could hav sworn that it was Jarod bending down and kissing his own children. A single tear fell down her face.
"Goodnight, Mom."
"Night, Mom."
And one by one, for the first time, her children let the hum of the air plane and the safety of their mother's presence allowing them to have their first night of dreams.
Burying the nightmares of Hell in the depths of the Centre.
"Goodnight, babies." Green whispered out to the quiet of the dark plane.