A/N: Wow . . . 8 chapters seems like a lot oO; The next few chapters are going to focus on romance, but the action will return, don't you worry your pretty little heads

Chapter 8

Evangelos got up from his and Aurora's bed and walked over to the bedroom door. For most people, it would be strange for a brother and sister to sleep in the same bed. However, when you come from a poor family, and your parents are borderline psycho, the concept suddenly doesn't seem so odd. And it wasn't awkward for them, either, since it'd been like that their entire lives.

When he reached the door, he pressed his ear up to the cold wood. He didn't hear anything anymore. Good . . . Well, he wouldn't have been able to sleep even if they weren't throwing glasses and screaming obscenities. He was too worried about his sister. She hadn't come in yet, and he didn't dare leave the room. After opening the door a crack, he peeked out into the hallway to make sure the coast was definitely clear. It was.

At the end of the hallway, he looked around the corner and saw his parents passed out in the living room. The liquor bottles that had been in their hands were now lying on the floor, their contents oozing out onto the carpet. Ugh. . . They make me sick. It was hard to believe he was related to them. Rolling his eyes, he continued towards the front door. It was nearing dawn. Had he really just been lying in bed, thinking, for that long? He opened the door and stepped outside.

As he walked out into the middle of the road, he focused less on being able to see his breath, and more on the empty pavement. It wasn't supposed to be empty. Aurora was supposed to be standing there. Waiting for him. She was supposed to say "Hey, what the hell took ya?" But she wasn't there. Where's my sister . . . ?

"Hey, what was with the ambulance earlier? It woke me up." Evangelos looked across the road at his neighbor. That one guy he figured everybody had on their street. The bald guy with too short short-shorts who went jogging every morning at ungodly hours, when the air was "crisp."

"A-Ambulance?" Evangelos' heart skipped a beat, but he relaxed after thinking about it. Some one called an ambulance for her and I just didn't hear it. Good. She's safe. He thought about when she gave him the money, and the last thing their mother had said to Aurora. Oh God. . . This was my fault. . .

Ignoring his neighbor, the fourteen year old walked back into his house. He knew what he had to do. Once he got into their room, he grabbed a pen and paper. Quickly, he began writing. "Dear Aurora," he started off his note. When he finished, he folded it up and wrote "Rora" on the front. He placed it on the dresser, where she would certainly find it when she returned. (Their parents never went into their room, so that wasn't going to be an issue.) Not surprisingly, it didn't take him very long to pack up what few belongings he had. He took one last look at their room and grinned. See you around, sis. . .

As they pulled into the long driveway, Aurora did what Matt had suggested. She tried keeping her mind off of her brother. It wasn't easy, but nevertheless, she began focusing on how fun the car ride was instead. He sang like an idiot to all of the upbeat songs, and attempted a goofy serenade for all of the slow songs, trying to cheer her up. She was more than sure he would've sang beautifully, had he been serious. Here and there, he made a few jokes too. However, despite Matt's best efforts, she was still feeling down. Not to say she didn't feel bad about it though, she truly did appreciate his tries.

The car came to a stop and Matt pulled out the key. "Well," she snapped out of her thoughts, "here we are." He gestured to the large building in front of them. Aurora gaped at the monstrous obstruction. This place was probably . . . At least fifty times bigger than her house.

Matt chuckled. "It is pretty big, isn't it?" Refraining from making an obvious "that's-what-she-said" joke, he continued, "So, as you can see, there's plenty of room for you and your brother." He smiled at her and she felt safe for the first time in a long while. "C'mon, I'll take you to meet everyone."

A bit nervous about the mention of the word "everyone," she hesitated before agreeing. After opening her car door, he walked her up to the front door of the house and held it open for her, sweeping into a goofy bow and smiling up at her. God . . . I feel like a princess. . . Or a goddess. Aurora inwardly laughed at her little joke.

"Ladies first." She chuckled and walked in, with him following shortly behind. Aurora was just as amazed at the inside of the home as she was by the outside. Matt shook his head and patted her on the back. "You'll get used to it."

They walked past many rooms before they finally came to a stop outside of a closed door. Matt knocked, and a voice from inside bade them enter. Upon entering, Aurora's eyes locked with those of an elderly man. "Hey, Roger," Matt spoke up, "uh . . . This girl isn't exactly an orphan, but she's in danger if she goes back home, and –"

"What's this young lady's name?"

Before the redhead could answer, Aurora chimed in, "Sapphira Eshethea, sir." She bowed somewhat clumsily.

The man chuckled. "Please, just call me Roger." He stood up and walked over to her. "Sapphira, my dear, you are welcome to stay here as long as you like." Matt and Aurora smiled happily at one another, and Roger added, "Matt has good judgment." The teenaged male scratched the back of his head and chuckled, blushing slightly. Aurora giggled at his embarrassment, wondering why all people were so much cuter when they were embarrassed. Roger glanced at the two of them and rolled his eyes, shaking his head knowingly.

"Well," Matt spoke again, "there are some other people I want her to meet, so, we'll catch ya later, Roger."

Aurora bowed again. When she stood up, she smiled beautifully at the old man. "It was nice meeting you!" She turned and walked back out into the hall.

Before Matt left, he turned to Roger. "Hey, I need to talk to you later." The man nodded and waved at him as he stepped out into the hallway with Aurora.