Five's A Crowd

two

My house comes into sight, and I don't even wait for the Uber driver to stop. I thank him quickly and tap my credit card across the payment machine. I slam the car door shut and turn towards my home which looks like a crime scene. 

One hour ago, it was fine, and now I barely recognise it. The front two windows are smashed, and a part of the roof is missing. Five police cars swarm the property, and the lights flash from red to blue, warning people of who's here. 

I approach the first man I see who is dressed in the classic blue costume.

"Excuse me, sir," I say to the officer, "this is my house and I was contacted a little while ago. I'd like to see my mother please."

The man looks at me with pity swirling in his eyes, as he directs me into the house. Yellow crime tape lines the walls, and forensic scientists are already working hard on the small splotches of blood on the floor. 

The police officer steps aside, and I see my mother's body. A strangled sob leaves my body, as I fall to my knees next to her. A small, neat hole sits in the middle of her head, and blood oozes out of it. 

"From what we can gather, your mother's death was very fast. The bullet would have penetrated her brain in less than a second. We estimate that she didn't feel any pain," the police officer tells me gently, as water pours from my eyes.

How did such a good night, turn so bad?

"A bullet? You mean to say that someone shot my mum?" I question through tears, holding onto her hand. 

"Unfortunately yes. We'll have to take you back to the station for questioning, and to find out if any family is willing to take you in."

I sigh at the thought of that. My father wasn't in the picture. He never was. So I didn't know anyone from his side. My grandparents on my mother's side are both dead, and she's an only child as well as me. 

"I don't think that you'll be able to find any family for me." I give the cop a small, sad smile, which he returns. 

The man, whose name I learn is Brandan, brings me to the police station, where a DNA test is done, by me spitting in a cup.

My mother always told me not to spit because it was rude, and here I am doing exactly what she told me not to do. 

"Do you know why anyone would want to kill your mother?" Brandan asks me, leaning against the table. It's the only thing that separates us. 

I shake my head in defeat before answering. "She was everyone's favourite. All of the parents at school loved her. All of my friends. Her co-workers. Me."

I break down into tears for the second time tonight. It's finally processing that she's really gone. Brandan passes me a box of tissues, and I thank him in a small voice.

God, why do I have to be vulnerable? And at a police station, of all places. 

When Brandan had gotten all the information he wanted, he left me alone, with only my mind to keep me company. 

Eventually, though, he came back holding an extensively long file. Inside, there would have to be at least fifty pages, and my eyes pop out of my head. What on Earth could this be?

"Okay, Hazel, the people from the lab have gotten your DNA tests back. You claimed that there are no relatives to take you in. Is that-"

"No living relatives," I mumble, cutting Brandan off. 

"Well, apparently you're wrong. It turns out that you have brothers who are more than willing to take you in. Since they live in New York, it will take them a while to get over here, but they said that they'll come as fast as possible. You'll probably meet them in a couple of hours."

"Brothers?!" I shout in shock. "As in more than one full brother?"

I can't believe this. In the last day, I have gotten the biggest shocks of my life. First, my mother dies, and the house is destroyed. Then I discover that she has been shot in the head for no apparent reason. Now, (after fifteen years of life,) I find out that I am not an only child, and just happen to have more than one brother. 

"That is correct. They'll sign the adoption papers when they get here, and then you'll be good to go," Branden says with an enthusiastic tone.

"Hold your horses buddy. I thought that I had the option to say whether or not I wanted to go with them. You know, since I am a teenager, and close to adulthood?" I question, raising an eyebrow in suspicion, as to why I haven't been given my simple rights. 

"I was not going to argue with your brothers. From what I could gather, they are very important people, and if they want to have custody over you, then that is what will happen. Nothing you say is going to change that," Brandan explains, tossing the file on the table in front of me.

I gather the paper up in my hands and start to flick through the pages, skimming over words. Most of it just describes my heritage, like where I am originally from, but in the last three pages, things start to get juicy.  

The portfolios of my brothers. 

I hear the door of the interrogation room open from behind me, as I mutter one of my brothers' names out loud. 

"Matteo Bolivi."

"Thanks for the introduction darling."

A/N: Hey guys, I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. If you did, please remember to vote, comment and keep reading. I'm going to update tomorrow night- but depending on where you live, it will be day time. Please have a great rest of your day. I hope to see you all again tomorrow. (P.S you can always save this book to a reading list, just so you remember to come back every day for another update.) <3