Sophia POV

"Well then wait here… I'm just gonna go get something." I span around and jogged upstairs, getting the photos and the map that Luce had sent before I walked back to the kitchen, stopping by the window in the stairs and wondering. Would today- the twenty seventh of July in two thousand and thirteen be the day that I finally let the others know where I came from? Was I really ready to do this?

I wasn't so sure!

I took a deep breath and forced myself not to feel or think. I needed to do this! Then I continued walking towards the kitchen when George came and met me up in the hallway- he had been spending loads of time here lately- also in the weekends and evening. "Sophia." He said calmly. "Are you sure about this? You don't have to…" I nodded- I needed to do this.

"Here." I threw the map and the photos on the table and pointed to Gota. "That is where I come from. That tiny little country on the borderline between Nepal and China- it's called Gota and that's where I come from. And that's where I lived until just well… about two weeks before I came here to the Dumping ground." I took a deep breath and wondered about how to say this, and then another deep breath.

While I decided to just say what came to mind.

"Being in a place like this everyone think what it's like. They say well- I understand because you are there too. But the thing is you don't know what it's like- you don't know what it's like when you're crouching in a basement with hearing bombs go off up on the ground praying to God it won't hit you- or your house- or someone you know and love. You don't know what it's like when you have to hide your belongings- things as simple as cameras and items to take up sounds- you don't know what it's like when you've lost everything you've ever loved- and the last one you might not have lost you might lose too but without knowing it." I pulled out the photos from under the map and pointed to Aaron in the newest photo.

"That's my little brother. His name was Aaron, he was four. Mum was holding him when a bomb hit our neighborhood. There was one wall in our entire house that was made of heavy material and it fell on them- and killed them both. My older brother-" I pointed to Luce in both of the photos. "He's twenty four now, and he and our neighbor Faiz used to help- HELP children and teenagers to get out of Gota and to Scandinavia or Great Britain or wherever they would be safe- away from the war. But the thing is- in a war- like the one in Gota- the government might punish you for helping just as well as they praise you for killing." I closed my eyes and tried to shut the pictures that were going on and on behind my eyelids off.

"That is why my brother is on the run." I sighed. "Not because he stole, or because he killed or hurt anyone- but because he helped. And in a country with war helping is not always alright according to the government." I took another deep breath. "And the police they came looking for my brother- he found out they were looking for him so he ran away and then months later the police came to our house. And dad was out in our barn- we had a horse- two actually- and a donkey- and a sheep- and a goat- so dad was out there, and he must have been out with- with Milo- one of our horses 'cause me and my sister we heard the gunshot- but it seemed so far away none of us really cared- it was too common." I cleared my throat, it was dead silent around me as I once again tried to turn the pictures playing in my head off.

"But then… before I or my sister could react they were inside the house- and they asked us where our brother was- and Sophie- when they told us they had already shot our dad then, then she shouted "No" and tried to run to him- and then they shot her. And then they asked me where our brother was and when I couldn't give them an answer they shot me too." I pulled up my shirt and showed the plaster on my stomach, it was dead silent around the room.

"And I was at the hospital in Gota and got stabilized, and then they sent me to the hospital here in Newcastle for surgery and better care. And then I came here. Is there anything else you want to know?" The whole room fell dead silent and no one seemed to move or even breathe for a long while until I spoke up again, this time the voice sounded weaker and more shakily than what I had planned.

"You don't know- you don't know what it's like seeing the most important people in your life die in front of your eyes. You don't know what it's like when you spend every day knowing that at any time it could just blow up and it would all be over. You don't know what it's like to know that you could be murdered for helping or for having a certain belonging. You don't know what it's like when you've lost everything you've ever known." I silent. "You just don't know what it's like." I slumped down on a chair behind me and the room fell dead silent again.

"What's your brothers' name?" Jody asked. "Well… is one of them named Luke but you can't tell us because you're afraid of him getting caught? Because they can't find us- or you here. Can they?" I shrugged and then thought a minute about how to answer her.

"His name is not Luke. And I've been… I've been afraid of telling you his actual name because I'm afraid of them finding him but I guess- they already know his name so…." I sniveled and then continued before I had the time to change my mind. "His name is not Luke- It's Luce- pronounced like… Luke- Ey if you get what I mean." The room fell silent again, Joe sat and looked at the picture of all us four siblings.

"So you had a twin?" I nodded. "That's why you reacted so strong when you met me and Stan?!" Joe looked at his brother over his shoulder and Stan looked down to the table. "And that's why you knew we couldn't be split up- and said that there are no more important person than what I am for Stan and what Stan is for me?!" I nodded again and then Joe silent.

"Why is there a war in the first place?" Johnny asked, I shrugged.

"I don't know."

The room fell silent again, and this time no one spoke up for several minutes again. The food was standing forgotten in kettles on the table and no one said a word. Now I felt bad for it, I should have made Jody, Harry and Shawn leave the room before I told everyone all of this- they were just too little to know about this.

But it was too late now, I had told the others it all- there wasn't really anything left to tell- in five minutes- even less I had told them it all that I had fought so hard to keep as secrets for various- very important reasons.

"Have you got any other photos?" Tee asked. "Like of your parents or of the animals you had?" I shook my head- we had been forced to keep it as secrets that our neighbor or someone had cameras- they were against the laws- God knows why- and that's why we had been forced to plan in every tiny little detail how we were going to do it every time we needed a photo shot- and only do it when there were something that needed- really needed to be kept as secrets not for any of us to be put in prison- or something even worse just because of having them simple items that were more normal to have than not to have where I lived now.

"So why is there a line drawn from Gota to Newcastle on the map?" Stan asked while Shawn sat and followed the line with his fingertip. I took another deep and explained it to him.

"Luce's trying to come here. But the road is long and not in any ways safe- especially without a visa- he's probably dead already." It was the first time that meaning had left my lips. "He's probably dead already" The second time, this time barely even a whisper. I stood up on shaky legs and gathered my photos and the map before I walked out of the kitchen and upstairs.

When I had closed the door after me in my room my knees buckled under me as I fell down onto the matt right after putting the photos in the bookshelf. There was no point with hiding anymore now that everyone had seen.

And I couldn't move

Joe POV

None of us moved from the table, then one after one started leaving and heading upstairs or into the living room. First George, mumbling something about checking if Sophia was alright, then Tee and then we heard the door to her room close, then Gina and Mike taking Jody, Shawn and Harry into the office to explain to them on their level what Sophia had told us, and one after one they kept disappearing from the kitchen until I and my twin brother were the only ones left by the table.

Stan hadn't talked one word to me until he had made sure I knew what he thought of me being gay.

…"You fag" Stan let go of me and took a step backwards. "You fag… God- I am not family with a freaking fag."…

I sighed and let go of the thoughts about what Stan had said that day while I turned my head and looked to my brother who seemed to be thinking hard about something and far away where he sat with his arms crossed over his chest. "That you said earlier…" He suddenly spoke, I nodded and remembered back what I had said while Sophia told us where she came from.

"Gosh you're so gay!"

"One hundred percent!"

The room fell silent again

"Joe?"

"Yes."

"What Sophia said… it made me realize that… that if I lost you there wouldn't be much left." He silent. "So I hope… I hope…. That I guess I hope that if I said I'm sorry for reacting like that… then I guess I hope you could forgive me."

I had been staring right in front of me for the last while and now looked back to Stan who looked regretful and sat with his hand held open and then took his hand.

And slowly shook it

Sophia POV

I could hear someone come closer to my room down the hallway and then the door open. But it all seemed so distant, as if I was hearing it from the other side of a wall. And it didn't go away when I heard someone sitting down by me, and I just barely could spot it was George when he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me up on his lap.

I saw his lips moving and felt one of his arms support my back and the other one holding my hands in one of his, I felt him slowly cradling me with moving up and down. But I couldn't do anything. I couldn't hear what he was saying, I couldn't move- I couldn't even speak- not even find a possible explanation to what was happening.

My eyelids felt heavy and I couldn't even fight to keep them open

And I drifted off

Mike POV

After talking to the younger kids about what it was Sophia had told us and finished talking about adult people fighting and people getting hurt- saying what felt like a million times that it couldn't happen here and answering what felt like a million questions that could only exist in the minds of eight and nine year olds they left to go out in the living room and I and Gina were the only ones left in the office.

The whole house seemed shaken by everything that we had heard just a little while ago. Not a sound was heard loud enough to echo through the hallways, there was no fighting, no crying, no screaming- but at the same time no competitive shouts from someone playing video games or joke- fighting, no screeching voices with someone having a conversation and trying to talk loud enough for the other one to hear.

And no laughter

And laughter was- over all of the sounds

The sound

No- sound-s

The sounds of Elm Tree House

But now

It was all silent

Slow, careful steps that I recognized as George's with the way he pulled his feet after him while walking came towards the office, then George came into the room. "She's asleep" He exclaimed before he slumped down in the couch by the window. "Tee's with her, I didn't want to leave her alone." He pulled his hand over his face ending up with supporting his cheek with his palm- and the house had went all silent again.

It was all just quiet

It was all…

…still

Well… that's a quite depressing chapter. At least Stan and Joe are talking to each other again… but the rest… Well… I hope you liked it