A/N: I promise. I am working on this story. However, I have been working on others more. If you want me to update this before I actually do, feel free to tell me to update, but please give me about three days to do so.

Thanks

~Rissa

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One by one everyone excused themselves and left until Declan and I were the only ones seated in the sitting area of my room. The adults looked at Declan with a warning gaze before they left, and I couldn't help but be confused and curious.

"Why did they look at you like that?" I asked and looked at my best friend, my brother, after I had watched them leave. "What are you hiding?"

Declan narrowed his eyes and scowled. He folded his arms across his chest, and I raised an eyebrow in question. "What are you hiding, Blaire?" he asked, not answering my question. "What is up with that fake smile?"

I scoffed and rolled my eyes, annoyed that he didn't answer my question like I hoped he would. "I didn't have any reason to have real smiles, Dec," I said and folded my arms across my chest. I looked at the table and pressed my lips into a thin line, not meeting his questioning gaze any longer. "It stopped happening when that fire burnt your letters, and you left." I licked my lips and cleared my throat. "Did you leave with him after you two made eye contact with each other while we did something?" I asked, talking about Justin and changing the subject.

Declan groaned and moved a hand across his face. He leaned back against his seat and sighed while he folded his arms across his chest. "There is stuff that I can't tell you," he said, his voice showing how tired he was, and I almost felt guilty. "But yes, I did leave with Justin after we made eye contact because I had found an escape."

I leaned back in my seat and pressed my lips into a thin line. "And you didn't think about us or how you leaving would affect us," I said while I moved my hand across my arm and sank lower in my seat. "And all the attempts to contact me didn't work because you sent it to the house."

"And where would you have me send it?" Declan asked with a small snap in his voice, and I tensed and stared at him with hard eyes that he ignored. "There was no other place we could have set up because you didn't answ-"

"HOW?" I shouted and slammed my hand against the couch, leaving a smallish dent in it, but neither one of us paid attention to it. "HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO?" I stood and twisted away from him while I grabbed my hair. "How was I supposed to know that you wanted me to contact you?" I asked, my voice cracking.

Declan stayed seated and looked at me while I started to pace back and forth. He stayed silent for a bit before he cleared his throat and shifted in his seat. "Your Spidey senses?" he asked, half joking and half not. "Couldn't you have done it that way?"

I scowled and narrowed my eyes. "I don't have any Spidey senses, Dec," I said. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"Yes, you do," Declan said. He raised his hand when I opened my mouth to say something and gave me a pointed look until I closed it and scowled. "You have this way of knowing shit, and it amazes me sometimes because you know what I am thinking before I either do something or say something."

I looked down and shrugged. "That's not Spidey senses, Dec," I said with a soft sigh in my voice. "That's from knowing you and knowing what you need from me to survive." I moved a hand across my face before I shook my head and sighed.

"Then why didn't you know that I wanted you to contact me or find a way to do so?" Declan asked softly. He stood and took a step towards me but stopped. His blue eyes were wide and filled with sadness while he watched me, waiting for me to say something. "You should've known that I wanted you to."

I hesitated before I looked away and shrugged.

I had a slight suspicion that he had wanted me to contact him, but I hadn't known how to do it without getting caught by Mrs. Garnes or someone else.

"Well?" Declan asked and raised an eyebrow. "Did you have a slight suspension or..?" He cocked his head while he looked at me, and I made sure not to look at him. "Please, Blaire," he said softly, his tone almost begging. "Answer me."

Finally, I sighed before I nodded while I looked at my feet, still not able to meet his gaze. "Yes," I said softly. "I had a slight suspension, but I wasn't sure what to do with it and didn't know how to get into contact with you even if I wanted to."

Declan hesitated but nodded. "Why didn't you leave town and try to find me?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper and filled with hurt that it made my heart hurt.

I rolled my eyes and scowled while I squashed the feeling of hurt and guilt. "Gee, I don't know," I said sarcastically and folded my arms across my chest while I pressed my lips into a thin line. "What about everyone that I have to protect?" I raised an eyebrow and set my jaw.

Declan sighed and moved a hand through his hair before he nodded. "Oh," he said, and I held back another eye roll. "Have you ever found someone else to help support you with the job?" he asked while he cocked his head and studied me.

I hesitated before I nodded and looked away from him. "I found someone to watch them, but I don't know how long until her cover gets blown, and I'm worried that it will be soon, sooner than I like, at least."

Declan furrowed his brows and cocked his head while he studied me. "Blow her cover?" he asked, and I nodded. "What do you mean?" he asked. "How will whoever you choose blow her cover?"

I pressed my lips into a thin line, knowing that he would be annoyed and mad that someone like her was watching over them. I knew that he wouldn't like it, especially since she was an adoptable.

Declan frowned, and worry filled his eyes while the silence drug on between us. "Blaire?" he asked, his voice holding a slight warning tone to it but filled with worry. "What is it? What's wrong?"

I sighed and shook my head. "She is an adoptable," I said, and his eyes grew wide, and he opened his mouth wide with shock.

"What?" he asked, looking at me. "BLAIRE!" he exclaimed, shocked and disgusted that I would do such a thing as have one of them look after the group. "Why? You know how they act. Why would you let one of them look after the others?"

"Because her sister is one of us," I replied coldly. "She will do what she can to protect her."

Declan slowly nodded before he cleared his throat. "Do you trust her?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper, and I nodded in confirmation.

"I do," I confirmed because I had a feeling that he needed that type of confirmation too. "I trust that she will watch after them and make sure that they will be safe while she protects her sister to the best of her abilities."

I sighed and moved a hand across my face before I cleared my throat and shook my head. "She's the one that had made contact with me first," I added. "She wanted to make sure if there was any way that she could help me out to make sure that her sister stays safe and away from Mrs. Garnes."

Declan slowly nodded. "They'll help," he said, and I had a feeling that he was talking about the people we met. "They'll make sure that they stay alive and will put them in places that will help them grow as individuals and heal from the abuse they have been through."

I hesitated but nodded, even though I didn't trust them. I had been burned too many times by people that said they would help me, and nothing came out of it, except for pain and grief.

So, how could they be any different?

My best friend frowned and studied me. "You don't trust them," he said, and I looked away from him and shrugged. "Don't you?" There was a small warning in his tone, and I had a feeling that he didn't want me to lie to him, even though a part of me wanted to.

I grimaced and shrugged. "A part of me doesn't," I replied, honestly. "It's not that they aren't nice people, they are, but..." I shrugged again and cleared my throat while I licked my lips. "I've been burned too many times before, Dec. So why would they care about us if others didn't? Why would they help us?"

Declan smiled and dipped his head. "Because," he said. "They are good people. There are a few bad eggs here, but you'll see that almost everyone here will take care of their own. And now, you are a part of this family too. They will take care and help you."

"Promise?"

Declan nodded. "I promise."

And for the first time in years, I believed him.

Everything was going to be ok...