Unknown POV

She was so comfortable today at breakfast. So happy, and carefree with her words. She laughed, and barely paid any mind to who all was in the room.

It was disgusting.

It's like she's forgotten everything I've taught her.

She used to be the model child. Small, soft spoken, obedient. She never used to raise a fuss, and now look at her. It's like they've ruined everything good about her.

She used to sell so well but nobody is going to even touch her with all those injuries. Not to mention the gastric tube.

Such a turn off.

He knew better. I warned him that he shouldn't have gone so hard on her, everything is going to be ruined all because of him.

Now I'm leading the twins Juliana and Jamie back to their rooms. Watching silently when Gino picks up Julie as it comes time for the stairs. She doesn't protest, taking the help gratefully.

I almost can't help the sneer that tries to make its way across my lips. Spoiled brat.

Don't worry Julie. Soon enough, you'll be back where you belong.





Grandpa's POV

I've seen a lot of things in my lifetime. A lot of death, a lot of injuries. I know how abuse can be. I grew up in a different time. Laws were a bit different back then. Nobody really cared if you laid a hand on your child.

It wasn't their problem after all.

But to hear of the horrors that happened to my grand-daughter, I can't help but think about how we didn't notice.

Because it was our problem. She needed someone to keep her safe. They all did. And instead of simply taking them with us, we left them to monsters. We should have seen it. The isolation, the sudden cut in contact.

There were signs. As much as I would like to believe there wasn't, that simply isn't true. There were signs that we all refused to recognise.

When we got the call that Juliana was hurt, my first thought was of all the things I wanted to do to that bastard. When we got the call that her likelihood of making it through the night was close to nothing, and to come say goodbye, my heart all but stopped.

Seeing your grandchild laying there, completely battered and unresponsive, is not something I wanted in my lifetime. I knew that with our profession, it was a possibility. However, to know that it happened at the hands of someone we should have been able to trust was absolutely heartbreaking.

That night, as terrifying as it was, was a bit of an eye opener to me. I'm not going to be around forever. I'm getting older, and I don't want my grandchildren to think of me as a stranger.

Over the short course of their stay, I've gotten to know John-Carlo's kids a little bit better. Jameson is still as shy as ever. The kidnapping might have amplified that, however.

Jensen, as much as he tries to act civil, seems as though he could care less about most things. Gino, well that boy definitely has a lot to unpack. And Jamie... She's a rambunctious child, to say the least.

But with Juliana it's different. I got an entire month to learn about her and you know what I have? Absolutely nothing. That child is about as closed off as she is resilient.

But I'm going to change that. Starting today.

When I asked Juliana to ride with me instead of her brother, I thought the girl was going to have a heart attack right there. She looked like a deer caught in headlights.

But regardless, she hobbled her way over to where I was, because she absolutely refuses to be pushed around in the wheelchair. Should I add stubborn to that list?

"So am I like, in trouble?" She starts, flopping her head to stare at me as I focus on the road. "Or is this where you claim we're going to the park but you're really plotting to kill me?"

If she isn't Edith's child...

"Yes, Juliana, I only said we were going to the park to throw you off my scent." I draw out, turning the wheel as I mentally remind myself that I have a child in the car. Therefore; cursing other drivers out is, in fact, wrong.

"Had a feeling. We've been going the wrong direction for ages." She huffs, throwing her head back onto the seat. I glance over at her, taking note of the absence of bruising around her neck.

"How would you know?" I ask, legitimately wanting to bang my forehead against the wheel at the stupidity of these people. Learn how to fucking drive.

"Because I watched you turn the opposite direction as everyone else like, twenty minutes ago."

"Are we there yet?" She asks for the eleventh time in three minutes. And yes, I've been counting.

"If you ask me that one more time, I will follow up on that plan to kill you."

I hear Juliana gasp dramatically as I pull into the driveway. "And here I thought I was your favourite." She grumbles with a huff.

"Oh really? Why would you assume that?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"Because I'm everyone's favourite." She follows up in a 'duh' tone. I let out a breath, hiding a smirk. She definitely got her grandmother's arrogance.

Pulling up in front of the barn, I notice Juliana go quiet as she leans her head into the window, eyes glued to something in the distance.

There are a multitude of things she could be looking at. Perhaps the pastures, closed in by tall wooden fences. The large, bright red barn looming ahead of us. It's not until I hear her gasp in fear that I figure out what it is exactly that she's ogling.

Glancing past her I see Caspien, one of our many well seasoned ranch hands. He's working with one of our more... spirited horses.

The midnight black thoroughbred was one of many that came to us in rough shape. His previous owner was a real shithead. Would leave him in a nasty stall for days at a time. No food, minimal water. He was just about dead by the time the previous owner's niece found him.

What seemed to spook Juliana was when the horse in question bucked his back feet, almost nailing Caspien right in the chest. He then jerked his head wildly, prompting Caspien to let go of the lead.

When he didn't, the thoroughbred continued to throw a fit for the next couple of seconds before seeming to tire himself out. He stood there, head down as he heaved in deep breaths, occasionally stamping his foot as a warning for Caspien.

Juliana shrunk down in her seat, though her concerned eyes never left the pair.

"Why isn't he getting out of there?" She asks me, voice tense. Still, her eyes never waver, as though she's scared the moment she looks away something bad will happen.

"Well that would kind of defeat the whole point. Besides, do you see the kind of lead he has? It's a lung rope. That horse has more than enough room and he knows it. He's known for being a brat. Sort of like a little girl I know." I sneak in the last comment, hoping for a reaction from Juliana.

She nods absentmindedly for a moment before my words truly process in her head. The moment they do her head is swinging in my direction, her mouth fly-catching ready.

"Hey! I'm not a brat." She demands with a huff.

"If that's what you need to tell yourself, dear." I say, deciding to test my luck as I reach over and pat the top of her fuming head.

I honestly think she's too mad to notice. Her eyes narrow on the cutest excuse for a glare I've seen and her nostrils flare.

"Do you want to see the horses or not?" Those words seem to spark several different reactions from her. At first it's excitement, but only for a split second. Her gaze quickly flips through what can only be described as apprehension, and then fear.

"Not if something like that is going to happen." She whispers, motioning with her thumb out the window back at Caspien and that stubborn horse.

I let out a small laugh, shaking my head as I reassure her that I will not be letting any untamed horses close enough to kick her. She seems at least slightly pleased by this answer because she hesitantly opens the door, grabbing her crutch from the back before she gets out.

I make sure to cut the engine before I exit, walking over to meet her. Together, we make our way into the barn. With each step Juliana seems a little more apprehensive than before, but the curiosity burning behind her eyes must have won the battle.

As we walk through the dusty, yet well air conditioned barn, Juliana's eyes can't seem to find a place to settle. She glanced wildly from left to right, subtly inching closer to me when she noticed that we would indeed have to walk between stalls filled with horses on either side.

I have to hold in a laugh at the monstrous view she must be getting from these horses. From my height, they all seemed of average height. But to Juliana, she was having to look well up above her head, only to stare into the eyes of a beast nearly twice the weight of her. Poor thing must be thinking of all the very easy ways these horses could crush her.

"Meet Mindy." I spoke, drawing her attention to me as we stopped in front of a stall containing a chestnut brown Anadolu pony.

The thing couldn't have been born more than a couple of weeks ago, and it's one of our newer arrivals. I had gotten clearance from Caspien that this foal was a sweet thing before ever bringing Juliana anywhere near it. In Caspiens words, "That little foal wouldn't nip a cowtick."

Juliana lets out a small sound of endearment, leaning against the bottom half of the stall door as she rises to her tiptoes, peering down.

"Where's its momma?" She asks in a sad tone, like she already knows the answer.

"Dead. They were a part of a wild herd whose home was getting localised. They kept wandering too far into the city until eventually the mom was shot down."

"That's so sad." Juliana whispers, resting her chin on her good hand.

"You want to go in?" I ask, already undoing the latch to the door. Juliana stiffens, backing away slightly. "He doesn't bite. You just have to be gentle and don't spook him."

Pulling open the door, I make sure to block the space not occupied by Juliana just in case Bolt here decides to well... bolt.

Once she gets inside, Bolt is immediately on her. Sniffing away at her hands and pockets, checking for treats. Juliana simply giggles, taking half a second to haphazardly lean her crutch against the wall before crouching down and using her good hand to pet him, all previous fears forgotten.

Bolt takes to sniffing her face, and before she can move away, gives her a real nice, juicy lick all the way up the left side of her face. Groaning, Juliana falls back onto her bottom.

"Gross." She moans, bringing up her sleeve to wipe her face while also trying to push back Bolt, who is all up in her business.

Deciding to intervene, I slip into the stall. Making sure to firmly latch it before I cup a hand under Bolt's neck, applying enough pressure for him to back off.

When I turn my head to check, Juliana is still sitting on the ground, only this time, she's rubbing the top of her head with a pained look on her face.

"What happened?"

"My crutch attacked me." She mumbles, turning to glare down at the crutch which had tipped over from the wall and was now laying on the straw.

"Bad crutch." I scold lightly, wagging my finger in its direction. Though it feels silly, it's worth it for the giggle that escapes Juliana's mouth.

"What's this I hear about cotches?" A loud scream comes from Juliana as the unexpected voice startles her. This, unfortunately, also caused Bolt to startle. He lets out a distressed noise, jerking his head back from me as he frantically backs up, swinging his head around wildly.

Using my body I trap him into a corner, doing my best to make sure he doesn't go over and try to trample my already injured grandchild.

He calms within a few seconds, quickly seeing that there's no true danger, but he still paws at the ground, small huffs escaping him.

I turn to look at Juliana, who has both hands pressed tightly against her ears, eyes wide as they fill with tears.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be." The words were no sooner out of her mouth before Caspien, the idiot who thought it was a good idea to sneak up on her, was speaking.

"That was my fault, I shouldn't have done you like that. Hi, I'm Caspien." He sends her a bright, wide toothed smile, though Juliana still doesn't remove her hands.

"Here, will feeding him help with my apology?" He asks, slinging his arm over the door to show her the large gallon jug with a screwed on nipple that we use to nurse the motherless foals.

"He isn't going to want anything to do with me after I scared him." She says in a heartbreakingly sad voice. Juliana stares at the ground, shoulders shrunken as I see the first tears start to break through.

Ah shit. You have to be kidding me. The last thing I wanted to deal with today was a crying child. Haven't I had my fair share of those?

Deciding to let Bolt free, I see him pause for a moment as he tries to locate the new voice. When he sees what Caspien had produced, he bolts over, trying to latch onto it immediately.

"You might want to hurry up, or I think this one will take matters into his own hands." Caspien warns, waving the jug at Juliana one last time before she finally makes a move to start getting up.

Before she can very well hurt herself in the process, I've snatched it, holding it above the overly eager baby.

When I lower it, Juliana makes a grab for it, but I swat her hand away, instead balancing it on her left shoulder. I show her where to hold it, and make sure that Bolt is situated before I leave her to it.

"So that's the little troublemaker, eh?" Caspien asks once we know Juliana's attention has been diverted.

"Yep." I sigh, leaning my back against the stall door as we both watch Juliana feed the foal. It is kind of fascinating because she's watching the horse like he's the most incredible thing she's ever seen in her life.

"She's cute. Tiny little thing, 'int she?"

"Oh you should wait and see her around her brother. She can give as good as she gets." I laugh, checking my phone as I feel it vibrate for what has to be the hundredth time.

As expected, I have message after message from my middle son, demanding to know where I snuck off to with his child. I decide to mess with his head a little bit, seeing as he'll find out soon enough when Juliana inevitably confesses every second of her encounter with the real live horses the second anyone will give her the time of day.

Sending him a photo of Juliana kneeling in the stall, propping up the milk for the foal, I promptly mute his messages. Tucking the phone away, I can't help the evil grin that teases the corner of my lips.

"-worry. Me too. But just like me, you'll have people to take care of you. I'll make sure of it." Juliana's voice once again centres the attention on her.

She continues on mumbling things that don't fully reach out ears until the jug is completely gone, and the foal moves onto a more comfortable part of the stall.

Juliana looks kind of sad, moving the jug off her shoulder and cradling it in her arm. Though her eyes portray her longing for the foal to come back, knowing enough about Juliana I know that she won't be the one to approach him.

"Juliana." Caspien speaks, snagging her attention away from the foal. From the way she jumps ever so slightly, I think she forgot we were here for a moment.

Looking at Caspien, I can see something in his eyes. Something that most definitely does not bode well for me. If time has proven anything, it's that Caspien likes pushing boundaries.

"You want to learn how to ride a horse?"



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Is there anything you guys would like to see? Scenes between characters, certain POV's?

What are the thoughts on Caspien?

Also, can we please just pretend it didn't take me a ligitement month to update?? You would think that it being the end of the school year I would have more free time. Not less. This is bullshit.