Max found Jeremy and Clara huddled in the gardens, sitting on a bench hidden behind an enormous planter. Clara, though quieter now, was still crying in Jeremy’s arms.
“What happened?” Max asked while crouching and rubbing Clara’s hair, “What triggered the tears? Is she okay?”
“I'm not sure. But I think it was Celine." Max's brows furrowed.
"You made her laugh, and something about the sound brought back all her memories.”
“Clara kept repeating the phrase, "Celine is my sister." Do you think it’s true?”
“We have to look into it. It might be the piece of the puzzle we were looking for.”
“We’ve been looking for stories of ten-year-old girls being kidnapped, and we always came up empty. Maybe we should investigate Celine, her family background, to see if she has any siblings. Maybe she plays an integral part in all this.”
‘Fuck, I just met her, and we’re already entangled in this stupid mess. I want to be selfish and hope that Clara, for once, is wrong about something. But I want her to have closure at the same time. This is going to be difficult.’
Max nods at his brother, pretending to be unbothered by the news. “I’ll do it as soon as we get to the hotel. This might be bigger than we thought.”
Clara often has nightmares that send her into a state of crying in anguish all night, reliving the nightmares repeatedly. In times like these, Max and Jeremy felt helpless, and all they could do was soothe and hug her until she stopped crying or fell asleep.
Growing up, these three only had each other to rely on, and because of this, it kept them closer. Comforting each other in time of need and being each other’s family.
Max carried Clara like a helpless child curled up in his arms while Jeremy hailed a cab. They needed to get more information so they could help their sister.
-=-
Clara, Max, and Jeremy all grew up at the orphanage, where they adopted one another as siblings. And as soon as they turned legal in age, this ragtag crew changed their last names to Johnson, in homage to their favorite wrestler, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Max got dropped off at the orphanage when he was around five, and Jeremy was only two, so they had no recollection of their parent’s identities.
Because the orphanage was impoverished, they forced the older kids to care for the younger ones. To ensure that everyone would get cared for and to minimize the cost of hiring additional personnel.
The caretakers assigned Max to care for Jeremy, and he grew to love him as a younger brother. Occasionally, the boys gave into fights, but the longing to have a family always kept them together. Clara was eventually added to the mix, and she completed their little family.
Clara got dumped outside the orphanage by her kidnappers. She looked severely dehydrated and badly bruised when Max found her lying on the ground. He had snuck out to avoid doing his chores when he came back screaming, fearing she was dead.
When she awoke, Clara had no recollection of who she was and what had happened to her. She couldn’t even speak.
The experience had traumatized her so much that her brain repressed most of her memories before the accident. The doctor who examined her diagnosed her with traumatic dissociative amnesia.* A condition where the brain blocks out traumatic experiences, leaving the person in a state of partial amnesia.
People with this condition can remember primary bodily functions, how to eat, walk, read, write, and even recall facts about things around them. All except the most important thing about their identity.
Based on her height, weight, and knowledge, the staff estimated Clara to be around ten, so as soon as she could get up and walk around, they assigned her to watch the smaller kids, like Max and Jeremy.
The other kids avoided Clara because they thought she was weird. She never spoke or took part in any of the games, always sitting alone, looking at nothing.
But Max had an affinity to get close to her since he was the first person who found her. It made him very protective, especially when the older kids teased her.
By this time, Max and Jeremy had been inseparable, so they tried everything to help Clara come out of her shell and help speak again, but nothing worked.
And because the adults did not think she would get better, they mostly left her alone.
When her wounds healed and she was strong enough to walk around for longer distances, the duo showed her how to sneak into the nearby forest to pick berries or catch fish in the river. They were never lucky with the fish, so they ended up playing in the water.
Clara was shy in the beginning, but when she opened up and was more welcoming of their presence, the trio developed their own sign language in case she never learned to speak again.
At a very young age, Max had a penchant for entertaining people. So he occupied most of their days with tales of his dreams and adventures.
Jeremy learned to be quiet at a very young age, voicing out his opinions always got him in trouble, and he did not like getting punished. So he opened up only with Max and Clara.
Like a regular toddler, Jeremy loved being held and hugged all the time, which is why he loved Clara the most. She would always sit with him and cradle him until he fell asleep.
At night was a different story. Clara would frequently disrupt everyone’s sleep with her blood-curdling screams and constant sobbing into the wee hours of the morning.
It didn’t make her very popular, but it gave all of them an idea that she knew how to speak, but something was preventing her from doing it.
The nightmares made the caretakers at the orphanage miserable, so they left her in a room far from everybody so she wouldn’t disturb the other kids and them during their sleep. Unfortunately, this measure backfired and pushed her deeper into neurosis.
At a young age, Max and Jeremy knew Clara needed to be with people and did not need to be isolated. So the brothers would sneak out at night to be with her, hoping to ease her fears. Being with them had eventually lessened her nightmares, especially when they held hands or embraced one another as they slept.
To help her forget her nightmares, Max would tell stories before bedtime. Good stories that left her feeling happy.
It was as if they were kindred spirits, fated to find and care for one another. So, as they grew older, Clara just took on the role of their older sister. And since they never got adopted, they took it upon themselves to be each other’s family.
*Traumatic Dissociative amnesia occurs when a person blocks out certain events, often associated with stress or trauma, leaving the person unable to remember important personal information. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases9789-dissociative-amnesia#:~:text=Dissociative%20amnesia%20occurs%20when%20a,to%20remember%20important%20personal%20information. -=- Having siblings can be like riding a roller coaster. One day you are up, and the next day you are down, but rest assured that you have someone in front and behind you all the time.
Clara’s life changed when she met Mr. Wong in high school. He was a self-defense instructor, training people to work as security guards for high-profile clients and celebrities.She had this innate desire to learn to defend herself, so she begged him to teach her, but without the money to pay him, she volunteered to help him with chores instead, cleaning around the dojo, the bathrooms, and throughout the building.Mr. Wong was surprised that a girl so young as Clara wanted to volunteer in the dojo to get her lessons. She told him about her recurring dream of being abducted and wanted to learn how to protect herself in case it happened in real life. It was a valid argument, and he did not want to discourage her, so he accepted her proposition. The two bonded over time because of her dedication and diligence. Clara would always come after class when her schedule permitted. After each lesson, she would help clean up the room, returning the mats to their proper order and mopping the ent
At the Hotel Clara got up from bed and went to the bathroom. She needed to change into something more comfortable. Her brothers let her go to bed with her party clothes on. Probably because she had already passed out by the time they got back and did not want to wake her again. They took turns watching her throughout the night, knowing this was going to be rough on her. Because of her constant nightmares, she didn’t stop crying until she ensured that both of them were near. She looked at her brothers lovingly at the foot of the bed. ‘What would my life have been without these two? I’m thankful those assholes dumped me in that orphanage. I think this time we will find our closure. Celine is holding our key. I hope next time we find ourselves together, it will be because a
In the Office They were eyeing each other when Jeremy suddenly walked in. Sebastian was trying to find out why she was lying and what she was lying about, but now was not the time to pry. ‘So I don’t believe we covered the remote connection to the cameras yesterday,’ Jeremy volunteered. ‘Let me show you how to access it from your phone and from your other devices. This would definitely make it easier for you to monitor the office when you go out of town.’ ‘Okay,’ Sebastian said as he stood up and returned to his desk, giving Clara one last look. She was already busy clicking away on her computer. Clara was not particularly interested in having lunch right now. She was concentrating on finding out more information regarding her sister and her family. So fa
Clara held her breath. There was blatant interest in his eyes, and it scared her that he would kiss her right there and then. His eyes were so intensely green right now, and she couldn’t look away. It was like there was nobody else but them in the elevator, and all she could hear was her heart beating loudly in her chest. The more she spent time with him, the more she felt compelled to do whatever it was he wanted. ‘Kiss me,’ her brain said. Looking into his eyes was a mistake. It drew her in like you would imagine a vampire mesmerizing his prey. He had a very tiny scar on his upper lip that she wanted to run her lips over. The ding of the elevator saved her from embarrassing herself. She almost collapsed on the flo
Clara had been quiet on the plane ride home. She had a lot of things to process. Was she really Carmen Jacobs? Is that going to be good or bad? What does that mean for her and her brothers when they finally find her family? Will they be welcoming? Of course, she would not abandon her brothers for anyone, she’s spent most of her life with them already, and they would continue to be together. It just meant that, finally, she would have closure. She did not remember if she had pictures when she was younger. Not even one with Max and Jeremy as kids. In fact, they were so poor that pictures would get taken only for records and identification. So she had nothing to compare to the photo in that news article. At an age when kids were making memories with their friends, she was already working. In her hand, sh
‘I’m so glad all three of you are here today. I haven’t seen you in a long time, and my, how you’ve all grown. Max and Jeremy, you boys are still very handsome.’ Mrs. Powell patted their cheeks. ‘Don’t make the girls cry, okay?’ and they both smiled. ‘And you, my dear, have become more beautiful. A little thinner than before and with dark circles around the eyes, but still beautiful,’ she lovingly caressed Clara’s cheek. ‘Have you been sleeping well these days? I saw your article in the newspaper and congratulations on the launch of your new product. Some of your staff installed a few of your cameras here as well, but I doubt we’ll need it.’ The Powell family and the Johnson siblings have known each other for 10 years. Mr. and Mrs. Powell asked the siblings to call them Ma and Pa, just like everybody else.
Six months. Sebastian was supposed to see Clara again in six months, according to the contract. But that was way too long for him to wait to see her again. He was getting antsy and frustrated. ‘How is this relationship ever going to start when she ices me out? I’ve been texting her almost every day, and all she gives me is her one-word answers. Ugh!’ The last time he saw Clara, he thought they had made progress. Sure, he might have annoyed her a little, but he thought being honest was the key. And instead of acknowledging his feelings, she blocked them. Jeremy kept him from spending any time alone with her after they had come back from the restaurant. He had business to take care of, but Clara filled his thoughts. She hadn’t even done anything special to catch his attention, except by rejecting his advances and telling him she wasn’t interested. It seemed to
‘Take a seat, Sebastian. We all know you did not come here to complain about the security system we’ve installed or to ask for more enhancements, or even to give us feedback.’ ‘We have been monitoring your system for three weeks. It has undergone extreme scrutiny by your own security team, and so far, it has proven to be stable. So let’s cut the bullshit.’ ‘I know you’ve had our family investigated, and you already know that all three of us come from the same orphanage.’ Jeremy started. Sebastian shrugged, not denying his accusation. ‘Did you find anything useful?’ he inclined his head and moved his lips, showing he found nothing. ‘We love Clara to death. She is our whole world, and we will do everything possible to protect her.’ ‘She is not one of your busines