Me: Hey everyone.

Solace: Hi.

Dean: Hi.

Brooke: Hi.

D'Anna: Hi.

Me: Not you guys! The fans!

Dean: Oohhhh.

Me: *facepalms* You know what? Never mind.

Brooke: We would like to thank Denow for reviewing and editing, Firefrostflare for supporting, Princessjewel101 for supporting, Renxoxox for reviewing, and caninegirl365(Guest) for reviewing.

Me: Yes we would, thanks Brooke. Just some answers to questions.

To caninegirl365(Guest):

Thank you so much for reviewing! My favourite books are of course Keeper, the Percy Jackson series, The hunger games series, Divergent series, The Book Thief, and the 39 clues series. Do you have an actual account? Plez get one if you don't, it will be easier to reply to your reviews.

To Denow:

Sorry, I promised you would be on the next disclaimer, I just had to post this, worked on it for like 2 hours straight. We can start planning right away.

Dean: Are you done yeeeeet?

Brooke: I think she is.

Solace: Enjoy this amazing chapter that ahem! we aren't allowed to read!

Me: Oh, C'mon, don't be that way.

Solace: I'm going to- humph!

Dean: Enjoy!

Chapter 8: Black Truth

"What happened to my room?" I heard Kalyn ask as he frantically searched the for any remnants of childhood.

His crayoned posters were replaced with big maps and diagrams. His drawers of clothes were now filled with files. My parents had completed taken Kalyn out of their lives.

"So I'm guessing this is not your stuff..." I said as I picked up a spreadsheet.

Kalyn was in a mental state. Running around crazy eyed looking for his possessions.

"Where are my action figures? I spent like three years collecting them. Where's my bed? I had three handfuls of candy wrappers in the mattress, do you think they found out? What did they do?"

"Kalyn," I gripped his arm to stop his from pacing.

"What?"

"Right now we need to figure this out. So could you bear without your action figures for five minutes?"

"But my ultra sonic swords..." He sighed.

I groaned with exasperation. Boys will be boys.

"Are you sure they're not yours?" I said gesturing to the scattered papers.

"Do they look like they're mine?" He asked

I sighed. "I suppose not..."

Ever since I found out Kalyn was my brother, his personality had changed from serious to goofy to sarcastic. What next?

"So then they belong to..."

"...our parents." Kalyn whispered.

For once, I was shocked.

"Why" was the only question I had. I wouldn't believe that my parents had something to so with the Black Swan. They couldn't.

"I don't believe it." I said then pondered on this.

I looked around for the biggest sheet I could find. I picked up a blue print. Kalyn frowned.

"If they look for it, then we know. If they don't, it could all just be a misunderstanding."

"I guess so..." Kalyn said "But why would they paint over my room like it wasn't there?"

"I don't know." I bit my lip.

"C'mon," he tried to smile "Lets go before they get home."

"Ok," I said as we went through the small door in the wall and retreated to my room.

Kalyn slid under the bed and I draped my covers over the bottoms of the bed.

"I don't need any blankets," he said from under the bed.

I laughed "At least now I know there won't be any monsters under my bed."

I heard keys turning the lock downstairs.

"Mom's home," I whispered and I went downstairs.

Mom dropped some groceries on the table.

"Hi Brooke." she smiled and I helped her put them away.

"Do you love me?" I asked as I sat on a kitchen stool.

"Of course, Brooke," she said "Why would you ask such a question?"

"You would never lie to me would you?"

"Of course not." She answered right away. Too soon.

I was worried.

"Just sometimes I wonder that's all."

Mom gripped me with both hands.

"Listen, we love you so much. Everything we do is in your best interest."

"Ok," I said, but I wasn't so sure anymore "I'll be in my room."

"Sure, whatever you want."

I mounted the stairs, each step suddenly a burden. We're my parents bad people? And why would they hide it from me? I wanted to know so bad. Because even the blackest of truths would hurt less than a countless lies to the face. I thought about the blueprint hidden in my room. I would find out soon enough, whether I wanted to or not.

Talking to Kalyn felt a lot like talking to a invisible person. He would whisper things to me from underneath, and we would chat. At dinner, I excused myself and brought him some food. We talked as he ate, simple conversation.

"Kalyn," I said as I took his empty plates

"Yes?"

"What happens if they're bad?"

"I'm not sure," he said truthfully

"I really hope they're not."

"Me too."

"But you know they are."

"I have a sinking feeling."

"Me too."

I lay on my bed.

"Who are you talking to?" My dad was suddenly at my door.

"Myself." I said calmly, even though I was terrified.

I picked up a book and split it open to a random page.

"You're not one to talk to yourself... Is there something up?"

"No, just you know, the stress of midterms."

"Oh yeah, two weeks I heard."

"Yup, study, study, study."

"Are you ready?"

"Should be."

My dad leaned on the door frame and grinned "Are you calling it in for the night then?"

I glanced at my watch "Yeah."

"Ok, goodnight then."

"G'night Dad."

I grabbed my pyjamas, and threw them in the bathroom. Then I walked into dad's room and grabbed a pair for Kalyn.

"C'mon," I whispered "Let's go."

Kalyn crawled out from underneath the bed, and we sneaked over to the bathroom. Locking the door, I tossed Kalyn his pjs and picked up mine. He climbed into the shower and changed while I changed in the corner by the door. I dug out a new toothbrush, and we brushed

our teeth and washed up. Then we slipped back into my room without anybody noticing.

"Thanks, Brooke," Kalyn said as he climbed under the bed.

"No need," I answered as I shut out the light "We're family right, we stick together."

"Right."

I lay on my bed listening to him shuffling under my bed, thinking about everything that had happened this week.

As my brain shut off, I stopped hearing the shuffling, just the soft purr of his snores.

Then as I drifted off, I heard it.

"WHERE IS IT?" I woke up with a shock and I heard Kalyn under the bed

"Shh," I heard, probably my mom "It has to be somewhere."

"Honey, what if its not?"

"No one else would have been in here."

"Unless Brooke found this place."

I froze, as there was silence.

"Now why would you think such a thing?"

"Because she stole the letter that said Kalyn escaped from Mysterium! If it wasn't in cipher runes, she would have known and our cover would be blown. "

"You can't be too hard on her, imagine what she must be feeling. We haven't exactly been one big happy family lately. We hardly speak at all."

"I still don't trust her."

"But I still don't think it was her."

"The boss will be very angry if we can't find it."

"We will."

"Ok, honey, if you say so."

I heard shuffling, and the flick of a light shutting off. My heart was sunken. My parents were part of the Black Swan. My parents were the bad guys.

"It's ok," I heard Kalyn whisper "We can figure this out."

I didn't answer back. Because yes, we would figure this out, but it was anything but ok.

I walked out of the light and ran onto the school grounds just as the bell rang. Kalyn had agreed to retreat to his safe house in Siren Rock during the day, while I had school. I ran to my locker, shoved my stuff in, and walked to announcements. My friends weren't at our pillar. Were they all away? Nah, I thought D'Anna would never be away, especially with midterms coming up. They're just pulling a trick on me.

I had first class with Solace, so I looked for her. She wasn't there. Next class with D'Anna, she wasn't there either. At lunch, I sat down at our usual spot. There was a crunch underneath me, and I picked up a slip of paper.

Brooke itsaid Leapmaster 2000

I frowned, what was this?

I left my lunch tray, and walked down the corridor to the room with all the Leapmaster 2000s.

"Hello?" I called into the empty room.

I looked around, then turned around to leave.

Suddenly, I felt hands grab me and throw me into a bag. Then I felt myself being leaped away. How far away? I thought because the scariest thought crossed my mind. What if I couldn't get back to Kalyn? What if he got caught? Who would take care of him if I wasn't there. But determination filled me. I would get back to Kalyn. No matter what.

"Brooke?" I heard as I was unbagged.

My hands were tied behind my back to a chair, and so were my legs. My hair dangled in my face and I blew it away angrily.

"What do you want?" I asked

"Only, to know all your dirty little secrets." I heard as a girl stepped into the light.

Solace Pritz flipped open her black hood and gave me a devious smile.

"Hello, friend." She said

"Solace, what-" I watched as two other flipped over hoods: Dean and D'Anna.

"What-"

"We want to know what's going on, Brooke." Solace said "You can't pretend to be our friend anymore. It's either you are or you aren't. And friends don't keep secrets."

"We just miss you a lot, that's all Brooke," D'Anna transmitted "No hard feelings."

"Yeah, no hard feelings, D'Anna, you kidnapped me!"

"It's not like that..."

"I think it is..."

"Hello?" Solace said snapping our connection "You're answering to me!"

I sighed, there was no point in hiding anything.

"Well," I started "I have a brother, and he's living under my bed."

Once I had filled them in, they didn't seem surprised. They actually looked more hurt than anything.

"So you lied to us," Dean said "And you didn't tell us about your brother, or that you have an illegal pathfinder, or that your parents are evil. You didn't care to fill us in in this?"

"I'm sorry," I said wilting against the chair " I didn't know how to tell you, and I didn't believe it myself."

"It's ok," D'Anna said "You can tell us anything."

Solace scrunched up her face in thought.

"You owe me three weeks of your dessert, five weeks of chores, and-" she smiled misheviously "Ten weeks of non stop hanging out."

"Fine," I said, and I had to smile " but three weeks of chores."

"Four."

"Ok."

Dean laughed and cut me free "Do I get some dessert too?"

Solace turned around "Excuse me?"

I smiled "In your dreams."

"Now," Solace said "I think I have a brother of yours to meet."

I was grinning now. I had my friends back, and a brother. Maybe evil parents weren't so bad after all.

I pulled the illegal pathfinder out, and held it to the sun.

"Siren Rock!" I cried, and our circle of friends disappeared into the light.

Solace: MWUAHAHAHAHA!

Brooke: You KIDNAPPED me to get information from me!?

Solace: Hey,desperate times call for desperate measures.

Dean: She forced us to. Bribed me with candy.

Solace: What? No...*innocent face*

Dean: You can't refuse candy.

Me: Mmhmm...

D'Anna: I'm just glad we finally get to be in the closings again.

Dean: You got that right.

Brooke: We should start putting Kalyn in these.

Solace: Sure.

Kalyn: REALLY!?

Brooke: WHERE'D YOU COME FROM?

Kalyn: Oh, you know. Can someone help me find my action figures?

Dean: Ooo! Me me me!

Solace, D'Anna, Brooke: *facepalms*

Me: Review, favourite, follow!