Dangerous Boy

Chapter Thirty-Eight

"Poppet" Something pokes my shoulder and I grunt in reply, still asleep the following night. "Wake up Poppet."

"Mason?" I squint. My eyes still adjusting to the light of the lamp, the voice isn't deep enough to be Xavier's.

"Not quite" The small figure slowly becomes less of a blur. "I'm prettier than he is, and I have much better fashion sense."

Any words possible for me to speak become a slurred squeal of nothing as I pull him into my arms. I squeeze him so tightly he can barely breathe and I'm never letting go - he's alive.

"Sam!"

"Hey Poppet" He squeezes me back tightly too. He looks exactly the same as he did three months ago, nothing's changed since the last time I saw him.

"You - you're" I pull him back ever so slightly. "How are you alive? Where is everyone else? Are they okay? Are you okay? I went to your funeral!"

Neither Xavier, Mason or Noah had contacted Arnica and I yesterday. We've had no idea what's been going on.

"Mason and Noah are both fine, they're here. Xavier's fine too, he'll be home soon." A massive release of relief escapes my chest, thank goodness. They're all okay.

"How are you alive? Why didn't you try to contact us? Any of us? We thought you were dead. I cried for a week straight!"

"Woah woah, calm down" He sits beside me on the bed. I realise it's nearly midnight and I'm currently dressed in Xavier's clothes with some kind of birds nest in my hair but I couldn't care less. "Slow down" I nod, staring patiently at the boy I thought I'd never ever see again.

"That night, I did get shot in the chest. I have the scar to prove it and I don't blame Xavier for thinking I was dead, the bullet hit me here" He points to just left of his heart "And I basically was dead when they found me."

"They?"

"Xavier's grandparents."

"What." I gap at him. "He has grandparents?"

"Not all of his past is bad" He tells me. "They found me and rescued me, they took me back to their home and mended me back to health, it took a while. But they saved my life."

"Why didn't Xavier know about this? Why hasn't ever talked about his Grandparents?"

"They went into hiding. When Xavier's Grandfather told him he didn't want to be in the gang he and his wife, Xavier's Grandmother were forced to run away and live in isolation. If they were found they wouldn't be alive."

"They made sure nobody could find them?"

"Not even Noah and Xavier" Sam answers. "I don't know how they got to me, I had passed out by then but they looked after me, up in the mountains somewhere while I recovered. If I'd contacted you, Victor would've been able to find them."

"But that photo" I pause. "You were with Victor, at his birthday party."

"I went to him" Sam nods. "Because I knew that Victor wouldn't be able to help himself, if he had me he'd want Xavier to know about it."

"So you went to Victor knowing Xavier would save you?"

"Hoping" Sam clarifies. "I was hoping he'd save me."