Her Heroes

Chapter Twenty-Nine

"Nadia, please look at me. We're not mad about what you did, we just want to talk." My gaze remained focused solely on my second eldest brother's bandaged bicep. I actually shot him. I shot my own blood. I was as cruel and wicked as my fosters. They did this to me. I was like this because of them. My fingers twisted into my hair and pulled at my roots. The pain did little to calm my nerves but distracted me from my current situation.

That is until the lovely brother named Mathieu removed my hands from my hair. 

I continued to stare at Alexandre as two calloused fingers reached under my chin and turned my head. I continued to stare at him as I felt hands on my legs. I stopped staring at him when I realized who exactly was in front of me.

Hercule was squatting down so he was at my eye level, his suit tightening over his visible muscles. My eyes danced over everyone else's forms. Mathieu was to my left and Valentin was to my right. Behind Hercule sat Gabriel, Armel, and Léon. I didn't blame Alexandre for his spot against the wall of the plane. I would've chosen the same spot too if my little sister had just shot me.

"Hey, there mon bijou. Do you think you could let us into that there mind of yours?" Hercule gently tapped my forehead and sent me a soft smile. Everyone was looking at me with a soft intensity, the anger from minutes before seemingly forgotten. Bipolar much....

I wanted to tell him that I couldn't talk. But, before I could utter a word a phone was in my hand. Glancing down at it I saw that a translation app was opened in English to English "We did some research and found out that you can use this as a text to speech - if you want I mean." I would have laughed at Valentin's flustered words but I couldn't tear my eyes off of the phone. Why hadn't I ever thought of this? It wasn't like I had just become mute. My head shook negatively as I realized what they were wanting to know. They may have given me a voice but that didn't mean I was ready to share my deepest and most disturbing memories.

"What do you mean 'No'? I don't believe that was a choice." Léon's anger-filled voice forced my attention to shift to him and I flinched at his raised tone. Hercule noted my distress and turned fully to his younger brother.

"Léon, out."

"No." 

"I wasn't asking. Get out, now." The two had a mini staring contest before Léon huffed and left to a different compartment of the plane. Hercule turned his attention back to me once the door had been closed. "Now, how about you tell us where exactly you got those scars and burns from, hm?" I shook my head and looked around at the five other sets of eyes still boring into me. He let out a slow breath before responding to my reluctance. "Would you rather you, me, and Armel speak in the bedroom, privately?" I nodded my head and he stood up, his knees crackling. If I was going to bare my memories to them, there was no way I was going to do it in front of six sets of harsh eyes.

Hercule turned and headed towards the bedroom but I couldn't bring myself to move from the couch. 

"Bébé, what are you scared for? From what it looks like, the worst has passed." Matthieu's gentle hand reached for my own and patted it. He smiled at me before standing and joining Léon in the other section of the plane.

A deep breath left the back of my throat as I realized what this meant. "He's right, you know. I've yet to know what happened to you, but the only way from here is up." Armel smiled down at me and offered me his hand. I had said it myself all those weeks ago, 'Once you fall, it's impossible to get back up.' Those were the words I lived by. If I kept a negative view of life, I would be prepared for anything that would come my way. Or at least that's what I thought before I met the hulk of men called my brothers.

Armel shook his hand and my eyes snapped back to his. "It'll be okay and you will too belle." He smiled softly at me and I hesitantly reached for his hand. If I didn't do this for them, I would do this for myself. Keeping a secret as large as mine had taken a toll on my mind and body - I needed someone else whom I could rely on.