The car door slammed shut. Two seconds later, Brayden's car door slammed shut too. He started the car as Brynn put her seatbelt on, leaning back into the passenger seat and looking towards the building she'd just come out of. Should she have told Derek about the man?

"So did you have fun?" Brayden asked, turning the radio volume down to zero, and backing out of the car space. Brynn blinked and averted her gaze away from the building, "it's therapy, not a sleepover."

Brayden snorted and elbowed her right arm lightly, "okay, sassy. How was your therapy session?" He drove out of the car park and into the open road, giving her a side glance then looking back toward the road.

She said nothing, eyes on the road ahead; Brayden scanned the road before he turned his head to her properly. "Hey," his left pointer finger poked her ribs on the right side. She jerked away, doing her best to not look at him. She told Derek, so why couldn't she tell her brothers?

Brayden poked her again, "sorellina." Again, "Brynn." Again, "bambina." Again, "sweetheart?"

"We just talked about Callan's birthday," she finally answered, jerking once again away from his finger, her left side brushing against the door.

Brayden retracted his finger, now having both hands on the wheel and nodding slowly. "That all?"

"Therapy sessions are supposed to be confidential, you know?" Brynn said, turning her head to look at him.

Brayden lifted his hands from the wheel in mock surrender and wide eyes, "apologies, sorellina," he grinned then placed his hands back on the wheel.

Brynn faced the front again, not sure why she was feeling so defensive. They did talk about something else. Something she should have told her brothers about the second it happened. And now the guilt set in her stomach felt heavy. She'd lied and there could be a possibility of her brothers finding out she lied which made the guilt worse.

"Are you alright, sorellina?" Brayden asked, looking at her and back to the road a few times. Brynn nodded, another lie, "yes." Brayden wanted to question it, but she didn't want him to. "Have you got anything for Callan for his birthday?"

"Hm," Brayden hummed, keeping eyes on the road. "I got him this watch he's been asking for ages. He's been dropping not-so-subtle hints," he snorted. Brynn played with her hands, she still didn't have anything.

"What has everybody else got him?" she asked after a moment of deciding whether she wanted to know. She did.

"Well, Zayne gave him the week off work and new shoes Callan's been practically dying for, but could never find the time to get." Thoughtful of Zayne. "Ezra doesn't do gifts so Callan's lucky if he gets a 'happy birthday'." Sounds like Ezra. "Silas has got him plain blue pyjamas because he asked him for them. Zaiden bought him a mug, which Callan asked for, but the mug reads, pardon my language, 'A dick drinks from this'." Brynn snorted softly whilst Brayden shook his head disappointedly. "And Zach got him some scented candles," he finished, leaving Brynn awestruck. Now she'd just felt... she just felt useless. They had thoughtful gifts and she had nothing for him.

Brayden spoke again whilst she was thinking about what she could do. "Would you like to get him something, Brynn?" The latter looked up at him. "Pardon?"

Brayden grinned, eyes still focused on the road but occasionally taking a look over at her, "would you like to get Callan a present, sweetheart? We can stop somewhere now and look, if you'd like."

The girl didn't know what to say. Not for a while at least. Words made their own way out of her lips though, unfiltered by her brain which would've prevented such a pitiful statement, "I've got no money, Brayden."

She didn't get to wince at the sentence because Brayden had chuckled, teeth glistening with every street lamp they passed. He looked at Brynn's red face, "Brynn, I will give you the money."

The girl pulled a face, "no."

"No?"

"No, because I didn't earn it," she stated the obvious obvious.

Brayden huffed, "well, remind me not to tell you about your trust fund."

Brynn blinked and furrowed her features, "my what?"

"Or the money father left behind for you when he passed which you will acquire once you're eighteen."

The silence in the car that followed after Brayden's sentence was tough. The youngest wasn't sure what to say; about the supposed money that was left for her and the mention of her father. Her brothers never spoke of him and she never thought to ask. She didn't know if that made her terrible person by not asking or if it was in her place to ask. Brayden didn't seem like he wanted to talk about it. His hands tightened around the steering wheel as his jaw clenched and his eyes only remained on the road ahead.

Brynn rubbed her left fingers over her right ones and looked down at them. It wasn't the right time.

Brayden clearly wasn't going to say more, so she, bravely, took it upon herself to say the next thing to keep their conversation going.

"No, thank you. I don't need money." Brayden's hard stare transferred into his regular one as he turned to her.

He thought about something for a few moments before he sighed softly, replying, "okay, sweetheart."

Two more seconds passed before he continued, "but you know Callan doesn't expect anything from you. He just wants you there." Brynn nodded, her eyes fixated forwards.

"Brynn."

"I know," she said, quietly.

"Good."

Brayden turned into their driveway, the garage door opening as they came closer. Brayden parked and the two got out the car to enter the house. Brynn parted to go up the stairs, only to yelp when Brayden pulled her back by her shirt collar. "And just where do you think you're going?"

She turned, confused, "my room?"

"No. We are watching a movie before dinner." He patted her back, "go get your pyjamas on and come back down. You can choose." Well, Brynn was okay with choosing.

But Brayden apparently wasn't.

"No, no. Absolutely not. No way."

Brynn tightened her grip on the remote and looked from the large cinema screen to Brayden stood at the doorway with a bowl of popcorn in his hands. "Please."

"You're hardly twelve, sorellina. Horror movies really shouldn't be on the table for you," Brayden insisted, walking properly into the room.

Brynn looked towards the screen, the Netflix screen showing with a movie displayed. An eerie-looking house with a large tree in the forefront of the image in misty surroundings. The title reading, The Conjuring.

She was dressed in pyjamas and chose the movie she wanted because she never usually had first choice when it came to choosing a movie and this has always looked cool to her whenever someone scrolled past it.

"It's a fifteen," she stated, "that's only three years away from me which, when you think about it, really isn't that long."

Brayden sat in the seat to her right, "oh, don't remind me."

"Please," she said seriously with her finger hovered over the circular button in the centre of the remote.

Brayden wouldn't look at her. "No."

"Please."

"No."

"Please."

"No."

"Please."

He faced her, his lips closed tensely and shaking slightly before he sighed, "fine."

Brynn smiled, "really?" Brayden sighed, "changing my mind in three... two..." Brynn pressed play. "Thank you."

Brayden hummed, placing the popcorn bowl in between them, "eat and be quiet." Brynn did so.

The movie was a great choice, she found. She didn't know what it was, but these types of movies were fantastic which was ironic because the constant suspense build-ups really didn't work well with anxiety but somehow, she liked them.

Thump, thump, thump. They got to a suspense build-up scene. One of the characters, the fourth daughter, was sleep walking. She was in her sister's room, walking into the creepy, old wardrobe opposite the bed, her head thumping against it as she did. Creepy.

Brynn shrank back into her seat a little, something was going to happen.

She could see Brayden next to her, smirking. She scoffed to herself. He couldn't possibly believe that she was scared? No, she just wanted the scary-thing which she knew was going to happen, to happen, so she could stop being on edge.

And the scary thing did happen. The creepy demon thing made itself known from the top of the wardrobe, jumping down at attacking one of the girls.

Her heart rate felt faster because it was a little scary- but really, that was just the loud music. And maybe the demon's face too.

Brayden's throat made a noise at the jumpscare. Brynn turned to him questioningly, but he shoved some popcorn into his mouth. "You not scared yet, sorellina?"

Brynn shook her head, "no. Are you?"

The man snorted, "please." She knew he was. Maybe not scared, but he clearly did not bode well with jumpscares.

Brynn played with her sock-covered feet, trying to hide the grin, "do you want to watch something else?"

Brayden's head turned rather fast, "do you want to?"

She thought about saying no. She really did. But that wouldn't have been nice to Brayden, who obviously wanted to watch something else. "I do."

His hand grabbed the remote swiftly, "knew you'd get too scared." She was thinking about changing her answer now.

The movie stopped as he went back to the Netflix home screen. "What about that mermaid show you like so much-"

He was cut off by Callan yelling, "dinner!" across the house. Brayden switched the television off and the popcorn bowl was placed to the seat on his right.

Once the two made it to the table and by the time Brynn had finished, she found herself exhausted, trudging to her room for bed after she washed her dishes.

Turning the corner to the bedroom hallway, she felt bile rise up in her throat, tasted it too. She barely made it to the toilet. In fact, the lights were barely turned on before she started spewing. She gripped her stomach, whimpering as quietly as she could, "ow."

This was definitely something worse than what she initially thought. Maybe she was eating too much? Maybe the foods she was eating didn't agree with her stomach? What if she was eating too slow? Or what if she was eating too fast?

Okay, she told herself, I'm telling someone if it happens. Definitely next time it happens. Now that she's said it, it means that if it does happen again, it was a sign to tell someone. That's what she needed. A sign.

Because being hunched over the toilet now obviously was not a sign.

"Next time," she whispered, flushing the toilet.

She stood up, brushing her teeth then wincing remembering it was Sunday meaning school was tomorrow and that meant she had to get a shower. But she supposes it would make her feel more refreshed after throwing up; that and she didn't want greasy hair.

After she'd washed, she did her teeth and was dressed for bed. However, once sat in bed she had to get back up again, muttering to herself as she packed her backpack for the day tomorrow. When she finally was able to lie down, sleep came much easier than she expected. Suspiciously easier.

---

Callan let out a loud, content sigh, entering the kitchen the next morning. Brynn sat on the kitchen island with Silas and Zaiden and Brayden stood on the opposite side with a coffee.

She sloshed her cheerios around in the bowl until they became mush, listening to Callan as he came closer to the island.

Unexpectedly, he wasn't wearing his work suit as he usually would most mornings. Brynn bunched her eyebrows up before remembering what Brayden said yesterday. He had the entire week off from work, courtesy of Zayne, for his birthday.

He was still in his pyjamas, hair in all sorts of directions as he made his way to the kettle, flicking it on and letting out another loud, content sigh.

Brynn watched Brayden's reaction to Callan's sighing. He paused, with the coffee mug on his lips staring up at something, before raising his eyebrow and smirking into his drink which he took a sip out of.

The water finished boiling; Callan picked the kettle up and started pouring the scorching hot liquid inside his mug, once again letting out another loud, content sigh.

Silas dropped his spoon into his cereal, speaking with his mouth full, "oh my god what?"

Callan picked the mug up and started stirring the liquid inside, turning around with a wide smile, "what?"

"You know what," Silas retorted, picking his spoon back up and moving it around his bowl.

"What? I can't enjoy this lovely morning?" he used his left hand to gesture around and to the glass patio doors. Brynn leant over in her seat to look through said doors, being met with the dim light of the November air, a really heavy blue and the darkest clouds she'd ever seen

"It's a lovely morning," Callan proceeded to speak, "a lovely start to the week. Which I have off, by the way."

Brayden rolled his eyes and swigged down the rest of his drink, turning around and placing it in the sink.

Brynn smiled. Callan deserved this day off, he deserved all days off. He was truly one of the most hard-working people she'd ever met. Him and Zayne. Zayne needed a day off too.

"Yep. My week off," Callan brought the mug closer to his chest with his two hands. "My week off. For my birthday."

"Well, you're turning fifty so is it worth it?" Zaiden muttered, picking up his empty cereal bowl and rounding the island to place it in the sink.

Callan looked at him offended, "I'm still in my prime, thank you very much."

Silas snorted softly beside Brynn as did Brayden and Zaiden next to Callan. Callan pulled a sarcastic face and huff, "and besides, Zayne is the one who's going to be having back troubles soon."

"I'm going to have what?"

Callan's eyes widened as he refused to look anywhere but the kitchen entryway. Zaiden paused washing the dishes, Brayden paused helping him dry them and the spoon making its way to Silas' mouth stopped. Brynn stared into her cereal bowl with large eyes.

The four stayed silent before Zaiden and Brayden dropped the dishes and turned around, Brynn took a mouthful of cereal before Silas was taking the bowl with his own to the sink, dropping them in there, patting Callan's shoulder as he strided past.

"Well, we really must be getting to school, schoolwork won't do itself," Zaiden stated, drying his hands on his school pants and holding Brynn by her blazer collar, bringing her off the seat and leading her out the room with Brayden and Silas following behind.

---

"Why don't you make him a card?"

"A card?"

"Yeah, a card."

The three friends sat around their lunch table in the library, Penny and Aubrey thinking of things Brynn could get Callan. But almost everything required money, which Brynn was not taking off anyone. The card thing sounded interesting.

"Just a card, though? How is that good enough for him?" Brynn groaned, dropping her head into her hands.

"Not if you write something meaningful in it," Penny explained.

Brynn lifted her head up. She'd never actually wrote a card before. Sure, when her mum was around, she'd draw her pictures and her mum would hang them up on the fridge. But she was pretty sure those were just meaningless things which every toddler and young child did.

Milo proved how meaningless they were when he ripped one up right before her very eyes. A drawing that eight year old Brynn had worked tirelessly on to thank him for taking her in, torn up in front of her, much like her enthusiasm for her drawings did inside her.

Penny turned in her seat and lifted her backpack off the back of it, dropping it on the table before her. She rummaged through it before pulling out an A4 notepad and flipping the cover over, ripping two sheets of paper out.

Brynn took her elbows off the table as they were slid over to her. Penny put the notepad to the side and hung the backpack on her chair again. "Just see what comes out. Take your time with it. You have most of the week remember."

Brynn did take her time. She took her time at lunch, her pen hovering over the paper the whole time. Nothing.

She took her time after school, after dinner. She took her time Tuesday morning, Tuesday evening, Wednesday morning, Wednesday evening, Thursday morning, Thursday evening, during lunches, breaks; anytime she could.

She had nothing.

And now it was lunchtime on Friday.

She groaned and dropped her head, rather forcefully on the table. Aubrey winced, slipping her right hand underneath Brynn's forehead and lifting the deadweight head up, "still no luck then?"

"No," Brynn mumbled, squeezing her eyes shut in hopes that when she opened them, she'd have at least a few more days to work something out.

"What happened this morning?" Penny asked, opening her crisp packet.

Brynn held herself up, causing Aubrey to remove her hand. "He'd already left this morning. Zayne wanted him to get a suit for his birthday dinner and made reservations for him to get it done somewhere," Brynn answered, rubbing at her left eye.

"So gifts will probably be given at the dinner tonight then," Aubrey concluded, "that gives you some time to do it now and maybe after school if Callan is still out."

"But don't put so much pressure on yourself, Brynn," Penny also included, "really, from what I've heard, it sounds like he's just happy you're going to be there."

"That's what everyone says when someone hasn't got them a gift. He was just being nice," Brynn mumbled holding the edge of the table between her thumb and forefinger and squeezing.

"Maybe so, but I think he actually means it," Penny said, Aubrey nodding in agreement. "Penny's got a point. I mean the fact that you're worrying so much over it shows how much you care which is a gift in itself."

"Oh yeah, that's a fantastic gift," Brynn muttered sarcastically, bringing her hands out in front of her like she was holding a box, "'here Callan, I didn't get you anything but I did think about it. Happy birthday, I love you'."

Penny threw a crisp in her direction, "just trying to help, Verlice."

Brynn sighed, "I know, I'm sorry. Thank you." Aubrey and Penny nodded, "we know," Aubrey replied, "we're just telling you not to overthink it. Callan will love whatever you do, even if it's nothing."

Brynn nodded, not believing any of that, but listening nonetheless. She stared at the paper once again, it was slightly crinkled due to it being with her almost every second and folding it up. It had nothing but a few letters written on it, all having been scribbled out before they managed to form a full word.

She kept staring at it. Even when the evening came, she sat at her desk and watched the paper, as if the words would write themselves. She couldn't believe she still didn't have anything, a guilty feeling twisting in her gut. This felt horrible.

She was already in her dress, the soft material flowing over her legs as she swung them under the seat. Her brothers were getting ready too and she wasn't sure if Callan was back yet. Could she even face him?

Sighing and standing up, she discarded the piece of paper, accepting that she had already failed. It was no use.

All she could do now was go downstairs and wait for the rest her brothers to come down. Or she could pray that she was going to wake up any second now on Monday morning and have the week again.

Upon her walking, however, she found she wasn't at the staircase. Just when she thought she had her directions down to a t, this happens. She was at a hallway she hadn't been down before.

She stood at the end of it, looking down at the barely lit corridor. The only lights were four wall ones, two on either side and hardly emitting any brightness.

It was kind of similar to the door that led to the third floor, except the door was different. It was right at the end of the hallway, but it was a double wooden door. And this hallway had pictures along the walls. A lot of pictures.

She didn't know what the pictures were of, but she knew that there was many because of the somewhat visible outline of the frames.

Brynn turned her head left, then right, seeing no one around. Would it hurt to look? This hallway wasn't like any she'd seen in the house so far. So far none of the walls have had pictures hung up, not downstairs or upstairs.

No one was around and she was told they had to leave at eight thirty. It had just gone eight. She had time.

Stepping forward, she looked at the first framed picture on the right hand side wall, it being a certificate. A medical one for Brayden Emmett Verlice.

He graduated and got his degree early, skipping a few years in high school. How smart. Brynn felt her lips twitch up, feeling rather proud of her older brother.

The picture next to it was one of a slightly younger Ezra, standing in front of his newly opened boxing studio. Her lips twitched up a bit more, more pride swelling up.

Next to this picture though was something she wasn't expecting. There was a picture of a man, who had looks strikingly similar to Zayne. He was dressed in a skin tight black t-shirt and denim jeans, sat in a pale green seat. The curtains behind him gave away that he was probably in the hospital; that and he was holding and grinning down at a baby in his arms. In the background, in between the chair and the curtains was a purple balloon reading, "It's a girl!"

Brynn gasped softly and sharply, stepping forward more and bringing her right hand to the picture frame, her thumb tracing over the glass carefully. Was this her dad?

She took a step back, looking over the entire wall. Most of the ones around this one were similar. A teenage boy, crouching down next to the armrest of the chair and stroking the babe's head on one. Another teenage-looking boy crouching down as well one another.

The baby being held by the oldest looking boy and having her head supported by her father.

Another showed the same image, but this time having little pudgy hands reaching up to try and grab the baby's blanket.

And then the next one after that showed the teenage boy holding the baby crouching down as well as the other teenage boy and older man, showing the baby to three little boys no more than eight- who looked awestruck.

There were so many.

The baby was held by the older man and by three other people she could identify to be younger versions of Zayne, Mika and Jacob.

Oh my god.

She inhaled deeply and turned around to the other side of the wall, the left side. The first one her eyes laid on was one of a girl, no older than two standing up on her two chubby legs, her two hands gripping the fingers of the man behind her, whose legs were spread out on either side of her from where he sat on the floor. Her father.

Brynn took a good look at the toddler. It was her. She knew it was her. She didn't have any pictures from when she was really young, but she did remember that her mum used to have pictures of her as a toddler on the fridge. She hadn't seen those for years.

The entire left wall pictures were ones of her when she was a toddler. From baby to toddler. This hallway had all the pictures.

Her bottom lip wobbled looking at one of the largest ones there. It was just the older man and the baby sat in the hospital chair whilst he fed her a bottle. They just stared at each other; the baby with so much wonder and the man with so much fondness.

Brynn wiped under her right eye, feeling something cold hit her cheek. Her father used to hold her and look at her with so much love. The way a father should.

Not the way Milo loured. Not the way Milo glared. Not the way Milo scowled.

She knew her father as a baby and she didn't know if she had a right to be mad or not at the fact that she was taken from him. Did he not want her? Did he decide that? Or did her mum?

It wasn't not fair. He looked so nice.

Brynn saw herself in the glass frame reflection and angrily rubbed her tears away, looking pretty pathetic.

The light on the left side wall flickered softly, only stopping when she looked up at it. She narrowed her eyes slightly then moved her vision back at herself in the reflection, wiping once again at her face furiously. The light flickered again.

She looked up again, still wiping her eyes and narrowing them, "what?" she mumbled.

It stopped flickering.

Brynn stayed watching it for five more seconds, waiting for it to do something else. It did nothing.

She looked towards the double doors, walking to them and gripping both handles, not sure whether she was allowed in. No one ever said that this room was specifically off limits. In fact, this room hadn't even been mentioned, nor had she ever seen it.

So technically she wasn't breaking any rules, if you really thought about it. She turned the door knobs, opening both doors at the same to reveal a humongous room. Straight ahead was a large, slim and tall window, revealing a stunning image of the full moon outside, the moonlight glowing through the room and the white see-through curtains.

The floor was carpeted and there were toys and baby books everywhere. Children's toys. Dolly's, race cars, dolly's in race cars. Soft children's mats with flowers on scattered around and a rocking baby chair in the far left corner. Three play tunnels were plotted around as well as a small baby ball pit. In the centre was an antique-looking grand piano, right in front of the window.

Walking towards it, it seemed to get bigger the closer she got. She had the obstacles of many toys on the floor, wincing when she made a loud noise kicking a race car over by accident. She kneeled down to pick it up, putting it back right side up and then stepping over it properly.

When she stood right by the piano, she got a good look. The moonlights glow revealing the actually very dusty top of it. Brynn placed her right hand on it, lifting it back up to reveal a light hand print on the dust. She turned her hand around, it now being covered in the grey particles. She wrinkled her nose and brought her left hand up to wipe it off.

Placing her right pointer finger at the end of the piano, she moved it along, her body going with her, until she got to the piano's stool. She wiped the top of it and sat down slowly. Who played the piano?

She lifted the top to reveal the keys which still seemed in pristine condition, no dust touching them whatsoever.

She pressed on a white one in the middle, a rather rusty noise following. It sounded old and used, but it was strong nevertheless. She pressed one a little further down on the left, a deeper noise coming out this time. She grinned, going to press one further on the right.

"It's nice, isn't it?"

She jumped, pulling back her finger and straightening her back out. Zayne stood in the doorway, hands behind his back with his fresh suit on and hair slicked back.

"I- I didn't-"

"I know."

There was a lingering silence before Brynn licked her lips and asked, "whose room was this?"

Zayne walked into the room, avoiding the toys scattered across the floor expertly. "Your playroom," he stated, now next to the piano.

He swiped his right pointer finger over the top, rubbing the dust between his thumb, forefinger and middle finger.

Brynn stared, dumbfounded. Her playroom? She had a playroom? The toys and blankets and baby books were all hers?

"You were rather fond of this piano," Zayne stated monotonously, staring down at her. Brynn didn't like how lower down she was, especially with her eldest brother looking down at her.

"I played it?" she asked, looking at the piano.

"No, but you used to like listening to father play it."

Brynn remained silent, her eyeline moving up a little to look upon the dust atop the piano. Her father.

It was quiet for a while. Brynn's hands playing with the tattered material of the piano seat and Zayne's hands clasping behind him again and he watched her expressionlessly.

She'd never actually heard Zayne speak of their father before and after seeing those pictures outside, she now realised how much Zayne looked like him. The only difference was that their father's eyes were a striking blue, almost grey, unsimilar to his hazel brown.

She'd never actually considered how her brothers must have felt about his passing. If she felt like this now then they must have been heartbroken.

Her hands gripped the material tighter, tugging harder as her eyes analysed each dust particle, zoning in on the lines she and Zayne had both made in them. Underneath the layer of dust was a shiny wood which no doubt sparkled in proper light as it did with the moonlight now.

Zayne spoke again, quieter than before but still almost startling the girl after so long in silence. "Father loved you very much, Brynn. Never doubt that."

She took a shaky inhale and looked up at her oldest brother, eyes shiny. "Really?"

Zayne nodded, "so much."

She looked back to the top of the piano, then moved her head down when she felt the tears brimming up further. Not in front of Zayne.

She really didn't want to say what she said next, but part of her felt like she had to know.

Her voice came out shakier and softer than she intended, "why did I have to go?"

Zayne didn't say anything which made her cringe inside. He didn't say anything for a few seconds before Brynn heard his feet shuffle against the carpet.

He kneeled next to the stool and spun it around to face him. Two fingers were brought under Brynn's chin, lifting her head up to Zayne's face.

"There are many things you may not get the answer to, sorellina, but one thing you should always know and understand is that you were so loved here. By your brothers and our father. You were so loved and you always have been and will be."

Brynn looked straight into his eyes, her nails now scraping into the seat cushion.

"You went with your mother because she thought that was best," Zayne said.

How was it best to take her away from a loving a family? she asked herself internally, then scolded herself. Her mother was her family, she loved her dearly. But what about this family? What happened?

"And we are so sorry for doing that, Brynn. We are so sorry."

Brynn let her eyes lower then brought them back up again, "did father want me to go?"

Zayne didn't say anything for a moment. "No, he didn't. It was a compromise."

"Compromise?"

"She wanted to take all six of you."

She scanned over his face, taking in exactly what he just said. "Mum didn't want to take you?"

Zayne tightened his lips, as well as his jaw. "No."

Brynn didn't know how to feel about that. She couldn't imagine her mother doing something like that to her eldest son. Her mother showed her nothing, but love. It didn't seem like Zayne had that from her as much.

"You were supposed to have regular visits," she was brought out of her pity thoughts, "but mother stopped bringing you."

His fingers were removed from her chin, allowing her to look down at her lap again. Zayne stood back up, brushing his blazer off once and holding his right hand out. "Shall we?"

Brynn stared at his hand for a few seconds before him and giving a tiny sad smile. She placed her right hand in his, him pulling her up slowly from the seat and taking a step back.

He looked down at her dress once she was fully up and his eyes faltered a little in a way Brynn never thought they would.

Their eyes met once again before Zayne exhaled barely audible. "You look very pretty, sorellina."

Brynn blushed, not expecting that. She looked back down at the dress, as did Zayne. He looked at the dress and then her face a few times. Everything on her.

The girl shifted, gripping the sides of the dress and fiddling around with the softness whilst she waited for Zayne to finish what he was doing.

His right hand was brought up once again in front of her which she took a little less hesitantly this time.

---

<3