Saved And Hunted

Luke Included

I pull up to a cute little trailer that has a barn and garage set a little farther away, all surrounded by trees and nature.

I step out and make my way to the front door.
I raise my hand to knock but before my knuckles meet the door, its being pulled open.

I put my arm down as I study the man in front of me. He seems familiar but I can't figure out why. Nor do I have time to dig through my brain to figure it out.  He looks at me in confusion and curiosity so I give a small smile.

"Hi, sorry to bother you, but I came here because even though they both said there's no abuse or anything wrong happening here, that Luke was still their friend, and they wanted to include him into their little family. I would like to as-" He cuts me off before speaking.

"Cake"

I stare at him blinking for a moment. THATS why he's familiar! He's Academy himself! I remember now. He goes by Uncle and he recently opened up that Academy diner. It's currently only for Academy members until more work is put in to sustain more. Which is expected to take a few years or so.

"Grenade" I say back smiling at him.

He relaxes his stiff posture and shakes his head.

"I don't need to know anything else about your mission. I'll get Luke for you. Give me a moment." He says as he heads back inside.

I stand paitently. Not willing to tell him that I'm not actually Academy or on a mission.

When the man comes back, he has a small boy with long blond hair in his arms.

"At least I don't have to figure out when to initiate him now." Uncle says with a soft smile at the sleeping boy.

I give a nod as I reach to take the young boy.

I gather Luke into my arms, the moment only waking him for a moment before he falls back to sleep. Then I turn around and carry him to my car. I make sure to let Uncle know he's completely safe before I drive away.

💗♾

On the drive to the Academy, I hear the sounds of soft snores from the boys as they sleep. Even protective Kota couldn't stop the drowsiness. I smile to myself, feeling my heart swell with happiness for these boys.

Who knows, maybe they'll be the family that Owen and Sean have been looking for. You can never have too much family. I'm sure Sean and Owen would love them.

💗♾

When I pull up to the Academy building it's already about six in the morning.

The boys are all slowly waking up so I wait a few moments for them to stretch and wake a little bit before ushering them all out gently.

About ten minutes later we are all hand in hand walking up the steps to the building.

The boys are between emotions of grief and excitement. I can only hope that they become happier in time.

They look around nervously when we enter and walk to the front lobbies desk.

I smile at the receptionist. 

"Hi, how may I help you?" She spoke kindly as she glances at each of the boys faces.

"I have some recruits who I think would do well on the Blackbourne team. They're all new to Academy, but one has a relative here."

"Oh okay! Well give me a moment to call someone to help get them settled in" she says as she dials a number and talks over the phone.

A few minutes later a man walks over to us smiling kindly at the boys.

"Well hello kiddos! I'm glad you are all safe. If you don't mind, would you all go and stand by that wall over there?" He points towards where he came from.

The boys nod and give me hugs full of tears before they walk over with drooping shoulders.

"It's nice to meet you. You're quite the mystery around here. Not even the council knows who you are. Yet, you know us and send us kids who are in need of help. So we can't fault mistakes when you do good deeds. Owen and Sean are always asking about you. Even now after not seeing you. It's not my business to pry so I'll ask nothing. But thank you. These boys have better futures because of you. They're dealing through problems and striving to become the best to make you proud. They're talented. I would like to extend a invite to you. If you ever wanted to become apart of the Academy, just let me know. " He hands me a glossy black card before he walks away and to the boys.

I stand there stunned for a few moments before shaking my head clear and exiting the building.

I'm glad to know they think I'm Academy material, but I couldn't join. I'm not meant to exist. And working for the Academy could bring attention to me in all the wrong ways by the wrong people.

But I'll continue helping them whenever I can. Just like I'll continue watching those boys from a distance and make sure they succeed.