☬ Ashley's Pov ☬

I never had a shock like this, and I just stood there motionless. My blood ran cold at the sight of him. I felt my chest tighten, my heart stopped momentarily. Suddenly I felt my heart started to beat fast. It was ringing in my ears. My whole body started to tremble, I was breathing hard. I had never imagined that I would see him in my life. I had seen him in the photo that my foster mother showed me. Nothing had changed except he aged a little bit. He was one of the rich and respectable person in the world and he was my uncle Gabriel Collins....

"Why am I here, sir?" I asked choking on my voice. I didn't want to be here. I could feel my finger nails were digging my palms painfully.

"Well, Mr.Collins wants to see you. You know that who he is..." Mr. Landford said.

"Oh. I know him very well. Why are you here Mr.Collins? I have no desire to see you." I snapped at him. I regained my posture.

"Ms. Smith, watch the tone you’re using. You should consider yourself lucky." Mr. Landford said sternly.

"You don't have to scold her. She is my niece. I haven't visited her. That's why she's angry and upset," He said  clamly. Then he looked at me and said," How are you, Ashley? I'm really sorry that I haven't visited..."

"Well, now you have visited me. So, can I go back to my class?" I asked sarcastically.

"No, Ashley. I have something to discuss with you. So, I want to take our leave Mr. Landford, " He said.

"Yeah. Sure. Sure...Mr.Collins. You can take her. But will you mind if me asking that why your surnames don't match, and why didn't you visit her, and why college facility don't know about You? " He asked curiously.

"I'm not obliged to answer your questions. It's family matter and I want it that way. So, don't ask questions that you won't find any answer, Mr. Landford. High authorities know about it, they just didn’t tell you." he said with authority in his voice that it kept the dean's mouth shut instantly.

'Wow...the power of money.'

"I don't want go with you anywhere. I will take your leave," I said to him. I had bite my lips so hard, I could taste the metallic flavour of blood.

"Well, I'm afraid that you have to come with me. You don't have any choice, my dear. " He said looking in my eyes.

I was tempted to reject him. Why I had to go with this person? Why? But I couldn’t say him no. Something in side me told that I couldn’t say him no.

"Ok, Mr. Collins. Lead the way," I said angrily.

"We will take your leave. Let's go, Ashley."

He stood up and we left the room. He was telling me that I should go with him in his car when we were passing the hallway of our college.

When we went outside and I said, "Look I agreed with you because you have respect in there. I don't want to go with you. So, leave and never come back in my life,"

"I know that my words and my actions won't be enough for you. What I did with you....But if you give me chance, I would like to explain myself...I request you to give me a chance," He said sincerly and honestly.

"Um...I don't know what to say. But I will listen to your speech you want to give me. You have thirty minutes to explain yourself. " I said angrily. Everything was getting on my nerves.

"Ok. We will go to the near that coffee shop,"He said.

"Hmm. I'm going in my car and you take yours." I said and stormed toward my car.

We reached coffee shop and ordered our coffee. After a few moments he started to say, "Like I said my words won't effect, or I won't have any forgiveness from you. You gave me a chance. I must say that I'm surprised. You're truly your mother's daughter. She was so kind and gentle. Always wanted to see the reasons past anyone actions,"

He cleared his throat and said,"You know that after what happened twelve years ago...You haven't seen me...I was trying to protect you. It was my last promise to your mother...I was trying so hard to find those people who killed your parents and your baby sister. I got threaten of my life, got myself injured. So, It was safe to give you new identity and staying away would make you safe," I didn't give him chance to finish his speech. I was getting angry.

"Guess what my life is ruined. I have been humliated and bullied...Where were you? You know that you have ruined everything,"I yelled at him.

"I know that very well. Do you think I didn't know that? and I am regretting it. Please calm down. Look from my situation...Let's start from the beginning...Your mother had loved your father very much. Our father wasn't fond of him. He had forbidden her to see your father. She was stuck in her room and college. She wasn't free to go anywhere. One night, she fled with your father by the help of her friend. She thought our father would take her in. But...she was abandoned...We were forbidden to see her. Our father made us promised. I had broken it by went there...I couldn't save her...she told me to...save you from...them..." his voice weaverd and silent tears fell from his eyes. He tried to control his voice from breaking.

I could really see that his heart was broken. He looked so much older then. His blueish eyes were hollow and almost grey, because it looked lifeless. I felt some wet thing in my cheeks and I wept it angrily. I didn't cry in front anyone. It made me feel weak against everybody. I had to get out here and didn't want anyone to see me weak and vulnerable...

"I just want a chance. I couldn't find those damn culprits. After all these years...I guess the threat has been finished off...So, I want a fresh start. Will give me chance Ashley?"

How do you answer that? How could you forget what you have been through all these years? It wouldn’t  hurt anymore like I was hurting right now. So, I made a decision. I knew that I would be regreted it or not.

"Ok...Um...I need time for this. I can't function properly right now," I said with a blank face that I had learnt very well, my voice void of any emotions.

"Oh...Yeah take your time, Ash. Here's my number and card. If you find any problem or you need anything, just call me. I really want my niece back." He said smiling. I could tell he was happy. His eyes were getting back its life.

"Well, I can't forgive you right now. It will take time to gain my trust. Bye. Don't call me unless I say so."I said

"I respect your wish. Goodbye, dear." he said with happy tears. He had a huge smile on his face. He looked happy.

I got out from there and didn't look back. I needed to fresh my mind. I needed process everything. I had to make decision. I went to my apartment to clear my head, might eat something or cried then sleep. Yeah might watch some movies, good plan.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
          

Thirty minutes later.....

Ah home, sweet home where anyone could do anything. I entered my room. The emotions had broken down in me, it was a like a raging strom, blowing my mind.

'Why is my life so difficult?! Can't I live like a normal person?'

I screamed with all I had in me. I started to throw everything, I could  reach. I started to cry. I couldn’t control my emotions. I felt my heart was breaking into pieces. I tried so hard to forget that incident. The wall, I tried to make this past years, it just crushed again because of him.

I had a box. It was a treasure to me. It contained last memory of my parents.

I took out the box where I kept it hidden. I saw my parents pictures. There were not so many pictures. I had their wedding picture and a picture of me and my baby sister. They died on that monster fire. This fire had swallowed my whole family. Everyone thought that it was accident, but I knew better. I was hiding in my closet.

'I shouldn’t listen to my parents. I should have died. At least I would be with them right now.' I thought that angrily. I was angry at my self. I was a selfish person.

They had set up the house on fire. That's what doctors had told me. They also said that it was a miracle that I didn’t die. Oh well, they had found me in the back yard of my house. But did I want to get saved? No, I didn’t want to. I really didn’t understand how I got saved from that fire, and ended up in the back yard from the closet. It was quite mystery to me. I could still remember that day vividly.

We were having dinner. Someone was knocking at the door harder. My dad got up to check it out. But when he came back, he was panicking. He told my mother something. My mother ordered me to go to my room to hide myself. I was little then. I didn’t know what that meant. I went to my room and locked up. Suddenly I heard crashing and thrashing sounds. I was terrified, shaking like a leaf. Then I heard screaming. I locked myself in the closet. Then it was silence, I smelled smoke. It was choking me. I couldn’t breath, black dots were forming in front of my eyes. I tried so hard to stay wake, but I drifted in the depth of a black sea. Next thing I knew, I was in hospital bed, surrounded by medical kits. I regreted it that I hadn’t taken my sister with me. I hated my self for that, I would never forgive my self.

"Ahhh...Why did this happen to me?What have I done to have this fucking punishment?" I shouted my hearts out.

I started to punch the wall until my knuckles were bloody. So, it could numb my feelings that I was feeling. After some punches, I sat on the floor crying. The skin of my knuckles had broken, blood was flowing freely.

"I miss you mom and dad. I miss you Aurora, my baby sister...I should have died that day. I would have been with you." I cried. I wrapped my hands around me.

"Ash. Ash! Open up! What are you doing in there?! I swear if you don't open up, I'm gonna break it down, Ashley! " Savannah screamed.

"Yes, Ash! We'er gonna break this fucking door. Open up, buddy." Charlie yelled, started to bang up the door.

"Please open. We're gonna find a way. You don't have to say. It's okay to cry. Please come out, Ash." Sam said softly.

"Go away. Stay away from. I killed them by listening them. Mom and dad was trying to save me," I whispered and silent tears were falling from my eyes. I was rocking myself to control my emotions.

There was silence and next I knew that my door was broken. They came running in my room and took everything in. I could say that they were shocked. Everything in my room was broken like me.

☬ Savannah's Pov ☬

I stood there stunned. This beautiful room was disaster. Everthing was broken and scattered around the room. Most heart wrenching was watching Ashley. She always held up  herself strong. She started to cry harder and wrapped her arms around her tightly. I saw her hands were bloody. I knew what was the reason behind of her break down. I had one job to watch over her and kept her safe. I failed that. I was disappointed at my self. We ran to her. I scooped her in my arms. I held in my arm trying to give her comfort. Sam had gone for looking first aid-kit. So, we could patch her hands. I patched up her hands. After thirty  minutes later, she had stopped crying.

"Get out, please. I really need to be alone. I want to take shower." She said hoarsly.

"Umm...Ok. We're gonna order your favourite foods and ice cream. It's sleep over, bitches." Charlie was trying to cheer up.

"Yeah. If you don't want to talk about it, we won't force you. When you feel comfortable, you can tell us. I just want to say that we're here when you need anything, Ash." Sam said.

Then we walked out from the room. I told Sam to order foods and bring ice cream. He went out for food....

"Charles, we should clean the mess."

"Yeah, Sav. I knew this would happen. We failed our job."

"I know. But we have to do something to cheer her up."

"Yeah. Oh oh...I have a plan want to listen? "

"Shoot, bitch."

☬ Ashley's Pov ☬

After they closed the door, I went to my shower.

'I don't know what would I do with out them?' I thought

'Probably die.'

'Yeah. I know brain.'

'I'm always right. You somehow manage to do some dumb shit.'

'I know. What should I do? He is my only family I know. What should I do, brain? Brain?'

............

'Uff not again. When I ask you something important, you just shut down.'

I huffed, thinking about what I should do. Maybe I should sleep and eat. I would think about it later.

After shower, I dressed up in a huge t-shirt and my shorts. When I got out, I had a feeling that somebody was watching me. Not again, buddy. Fuck! Why was I feeling this like my whole life?! If someone was watching me then let them watched. Heh...they didn't have anything to see anyway.

When I got out from my room, I was awestruck. They had fixed and cleared this room as much as they could. But something that caught my attention. They had lightened up the room with small lights. There were like stars in the crystal clear sky. They knew that how much I liked to watch stars. It was different in colors and oh my favourite food.

'They did this for me! Oh how much I love them.' I thought happily.

"Thanks, guys. I love ya all. This means sooo much to me." I hugged them one by one, my eyes were getting wet.

"Group hug, bitches," Charlie yelled.

We laughed, grouped hug, and settled on a movie. After watching two movies, We went to our room for sleeping. Charlie was with me and Sam was taking the couch. I fell in a blessful sleeping, thinking that they were gonna be with me to give support when I needed It.

A/N : So, How was l? What do you think....😊😊 Please comments and vote and also share it...💖