Finally, We Meet The Parent(s)

Gwen's P.O.V.

"We're almost there, we're on the main highway," I told Fang, who had sunken deep into his silence.

"So what do we say about, uh, Dylan 2 here?" Kale asked. Oh, right.

"Uh, maybe if we just pretend likes its really him then everything will be fine? We'll just say he's in awe or shock," I tried. Dylan nodded.

"I still have no shirt," Kale frowned.

"Why didn't you pack an extra one?" I sighed.

"I never said I was good at packing," he rolled his big brown eyes. Dylan passed him one of his extras.

"Ok, now if my memory serves me right we turn here, right Kale?" I traced a tiny road branching off the highway with my finger.

"I don't know, I've never seen it from the air before," he shrugged.

"We're following it," I had to make that decision.

"Is this how they get Google Earth pictures?" Kale asked. I slapped him over the head.

"That's satellites, stupid," I grumbled.

"Hateful," he frowned as he rubbed his head.

"Lets start descending, gradually," I ordered. Freaking Kale just decided to tuck in his darn wings and plummet.

"I said GRADUALLY!" I screamed at him. He caught himself in time and drifted back up. As I glided down and got closer I noticed something, my house wasn't there. It was cleared and only a vacant lot covered in dust remained in its place. My feet tapped down on the sidewalk. Kale and the other two followed.

"Your house is gone," Kale stated.

I was disappointed that I wouldn't get to see my mom and siblings, but at least Kale would. He was shaking.

"Go on. It'll be fine. I'm right behind you," I cooed as I pushed him forward. We crossed the street and came to their door.

"I'm gonna knock," he breathed.

"Go on," I whispered. He knocked ever so softly. We just stood there, waiting. Then I heard a voice and some footsteps. The door opened and there stood Kale's mom.

Her blond hair was draped over her shoulders and a pair of Caribbean blue eyes shone.

"Can I help you…?" She asked. Then her eyes scanned over us and she saw Kale and Dylan. Her eyes widened and she jumped a little

"Dylan?! Kale?!" She screamed. Kale smiled. His mom wrapped him and Dylan in a hug.

"Boys! Oh, you've come home! Where did you go?" She was sobbing.

"Sh, we're fine, Ma. We're fine…" Kale assured.

"You're home! You're home," she repeated. She stood there and literally hugged them for five minuets, making Dylan awkwardly uncomfortable. Finally she let go and started kissing them on the forehead.

"Where have you been?" She questioned.

"A far way away," Dylan answered. She wiped tears away and turned to me and Fang. Her eyes landed on me.

"Gwen Orksmith?" Her voice was faint, like she wasn't sure.

I only nodded. Then I was hugged.

"W-What happened to my house and my family?" I questioned. She stepped back and frowned.

"Come inside," she gestured to the door. We followed her in.

"Want anything to eat or drink?" She asked. We didn't say anything so she sat down in between Kale and Dylan on the couch, across from me and Fang on the opposite sofa.

"We have so much to catch up on…" at least the woman was trying to speak. Her gaze drifted to Fang.

"Oh, this is F-Zachary," I stuttered.

"Your brother?!" She cried. I nodded, taken away by the fact that she remembered.

"At least…at least you found him," she tried to get out.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Gwen, dear, your mother, as you already know, was struggling. The day we lost you three we waited for weeks. Once we found that, that you all were gone w-we tried to go on with life, but driving past that bloodstain next to the bus stop everyday was the hardest thing we ever did. The police implied that you all had been kidnapped. They searched for years. Gwen, your mom went into a state of shock. She…she did nothing but lay in bed all day. She didn't go to work, she didn't eat, she didn't speak to Carl and Sylvia. Depressed was the word. On the second year of your disappearance she had given up completely. I went over to feed her, and do the chores for the little ones. One day she told me that she couldn't go on loosing two children. She said that she wasn't made to be a mother and that Carl as Sylvia would die just like her older two. It made my heart weep. One day I went over to do my regular routine. There was nothing going on. The house was silent. The kids had gone to school. I went to her bedroom and found her laying there, what I thought, asleep. Two years and eleven days after your mysterious leaving I found her…" then she began to cry again. Kale hugged his mother as I waited on the edge of my seat for the ending.

"I-I'm s-sorry G-Gwen. Y-You're mother d-died!"

All the color drained from my face. I went into a state of shock, my eyes turned blank as they stared forward at nothing. All the sound left and it was just me sitting there in the dark.

My mother died?!

"Gwen. Gwen! C'mon!" The voice was distant. The pain in my heart overpowered it.

"Wake up Gwen!" Fang shouted/ordered. I blinked and shook my head.

Kale's mom, I think her name was Trisha, was still balling her eyes out. My first priority came flooding back.

"Where's Carl and Sylvia?" I asked with a quavering voice.

It was silent for a few seconds before she answered.

"We adopted Sylvia. She lives here with us now. We tried to get Carl, but it took six months to get Sylvia and he was already spoken for," Trisha whimpered. I remained tense. Sylvia was safe…but Carl…

"Do you know who adopted him?" Fang asked. Trisha jumped at the sound of Fang's voice.

"Y-Yes. Let me go get the paper," she nodded as she got to her feet and quickly ran to another room in the house.

"Gwen…" Kale began.

"I'm fine," I snapped. He bit his lip and the expression 'I-need-to-comfort-you' washed over his face.

"I'm fine Kale!" I cried as I tried to keep the tears out of my eyes.

"Here it is," Trisha came back in and passed us a paper. It had all of Carl's information on there, then at the bottom was a signature.

Bridget Batchelder

…

"She, uh, apparently got to him before I could," she continued.

"Can you tell us everything out of the ordinary that you noticed after we were taken?" Dylan asked.

"Sure…" she thought it over.

"There were always these weird model men hanging around wearing dark glasses. Once, I found a earring in my flower bed. And when I found Beth, dead, there was a syringe in her neck and it looked life she had been cutting herself. I called the police, but the scientist people came first. The model men surrounded the house as the scientists checked the place out. They never figured out what was in that syringe. They took the little ones blood for some reason. That's all I know of," she explained. All the pieces clicked together.

My mom didn't die from grief. The House of Despair knew that they were gonna kill her. The model men were Erasers. The cut marks on her arms were claw marks and the syringe was a substance put there by the Whitecoat scientists. They took Carl's and Sylvia's blood to see if it matched mine and Fang's. My mom was murdered and Carl was taken to THOD! The others, excluding Kale, figured this out.

"Hmm? An earring in the flowers? That is weird!" He exclaimed. His mom nodded. Like mother like son…

"I-I'm gonna step out for a second," I said as I headed to the door. The three winged people shot me a funny look. I hurried out the door, closing it behind me. I leaned back on it and sighed as I slid down to sit. The tears now seeped from my eyes.

"Where's dad?" Kale asked.

"He's gone on business and Sylvia is at school," I heard Trisha explain.

Then they started talking about normal stuff and catching up on their lives while they were gone. You know, stuff like Dylan's girlfriend cried for days after he was gone and now she lives across town and is in some collage. I never heard Fang say a word.

I couldn't stop crying and I scolded myself saying I was stronger than this. I always had that feeling in my soul that she could be gone. I knew that she'd go into a state of depression. Now I had to go find Carl. At least Sylvia was safe. I collected myself and went back in.

"So where have you all been?" There came that stupid question for the fiftieth time!

"We were kidnapped," I said bluntly. Everyone's head whipped around. Apparently they didn't know that I had come back in.

"Who? Where? What?!" Trisha needed the answers.

"We were taken from the bus stop by a group of your model men. They kidnapped us and took us to this laboratory where they preformed scientific investigations on humans, on children. There's some pretty nasty stuff happened and we were enhanced. We were there until only a few months ago, when we were purchased and brought to the home of Max and the Famous Bird-Kids," I said.

"Bird kids?! Like the ones on the news?! What do you mean enhanced?! Purchased, like in an auction?! Where was this place! We can sue them and…" gosh she was worse than Nudge.

"Maybe it's better if we show you," I tried. She went quiet. I took a deep breath a rolled my shoulders. I could feel my feathers ruffling. My wings spread and flapped once. Trisha's eyes got as big as saucers as she screamed bloody murder and pointed at my wings.

"Y-You have wings!" She cried. I nodded. Dylan stood and copied me, along with Fang. Trisha clutched tight to Kale. I was afraid she'd hyperventilate.

"D-do you all have them?!" She asked as she felt for wings on Kale.

"Yes," I mumbled.

"Oh gosh! This is what they did to you?! We should…we should shut them down!" She yelled. I shook my head.

"No, Ma. We can't. Listen, you have to be quiet about this," Kale said. She trembled in his arms.

She stared at him in disbelief.

"The people who did this to us killed my mom. They'll kill you if you speak or if you know to much. Just stay quiet and tell no one. Not even dad…" Kale continued. She nodded grimly.

"We have to go," I said sternly.

"So soon?!" She wailed. Kale hugged her again.

"Let me get you all something to eat!" She rushed away to the kitchen.

"Do we have to go?" Kale almost begged.

"Yah. I feel like we're falling into a trap. We need to get home. We could've just risked her life. And Carl is still out there, somewhere. I'm sorry Kale," I whispered. Trisha came back in with a bag full of chips and sandwiches. She handed it to me and passed everyone a water bottle.

"Will I ever see you again?" She asked Kale and Dylan.

"Yah, Ma," Dylan smiled as she hugged him goodbye. They said their goodbyes. Fang went to the door. I stood there watching the touching scene. It was time to go, and they passed me. I turned to follow when a hand caught my arm. I jumped.

"Take care of my boys," Trisha ordered.

"I'm trying," I chuckled. Then we spread our wings and Trisha watched with amazement as we flew off. I saw a tear leek from Kale's eyes.

"It's gonna be ok," I assured as I grabbed his hand. He looked up at me with sad, pleading eyes.

"I'm sorry about…" he began.

"Shh, I'm fine. We need to get home and rebuild. Then I can look for Carl," I changed the subject.

"Why would Dwyer sign Batchelder?" Fang asked. I shrugged.

Everything's a freaking mystery …

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