Blood Doesn't Make Family

Chapter III

Callen's POV
It took a while to calm Ben down. It seems like Ben is extremely protective of our sister.
It took another amount of duration to explain and make him understand our situation.
"This is crazy. Why didn't you all tell me? I could have helped you guys out" Ben gasped.
"No, he will know that you are helping us. You were the one who can take Elsa out without anyone following her. You are giving her the freedom we craved. Thank you so much, Ben," Darren bowed his head to Ben.
"Hey, Elsa is my sister, which means you guys are my brother as well," Ben smiled.
"Wait, I think I know a way to keep Elsa out of the house for a long period, but you guys need to hurry your plans," he snapped his fingers.
We all looked at him with wide eyes wanting to know what it is.
"Elsa got invited to apply for Fakern Special School.  I can get your parents to let her stay with my family until she finishes the exams," he planned out aloud.
My sister is smart. She gets invited to the biggest school for the smartest of the smartest.
I saw all my brothers smiling proudly.
But Ben was right this is not a permanent solution.
I have to work harder on the plan. I have to get it ready within a few months. I have already prepared a new home for us. We all have our rooms. Jordan and Darren have been preparing Elsa's room personally. They wanted it to be perfect for our princess.  We want her to be happy and safe. Her safety will always be our priority.
"Wait a minute. What if she gets accepted into Fakern Special, which she will? She can request boarding school. We can pay for it and request for it to be anonymous," Daniel speaks up for the first time since he came here.
But he is right, if we do what he says, we will not be involving her in what is about to happen. She will not get hurt, hopefully.
"I agree with Daniel" Ben nodded.
"I still think we should be open and upfront with Elsa. She deserves to know the truth. I am scared the longer we take to tell her, the further she will go away from us and it will be too late to get back our sister to us" Brandon mumbled but we still can hear him.
"Bran, we cannot give them any reason to hurt her. She will not be able to handle it," I replied tiredly.
"Why do you think that?" a soft voice echoed in the room, making us all turn to look at the source of the voice.
It was Elsa leaning against the door frame, sobbing shakingly.
"Elsa?" Brandon whispered, his voice expressing what we are all feeling at the moment, shocked and scared.
"Why did none of you think of sharing your pain with me?! I am your sister for god sake!" she shouted wiping her tears away annoyed.
"I know I seem withdrawn. But I always thought you guys hated me. But I did not know that you guys were going through so much while trying to keep me safe from our parents," she whimpers, breaking all of our hearts.
Each tear of hers is shattering our hearts further.
"Elsa, we are sorry, but I know just saying sorry is enough" Brandon took the first step towards her and hugged her.
That was when she broke down totally. Brandon consoled her.
After a while, she calmed down,
"I will stay in the hostel while you guys settle everything you need to settle,"  she tells us firmly.
"You sure?" Jordan asked worriedly.
"Yes, this is the best I can do for you all. This way I can help you guys in the way I can and able to" She smiles softly.
"Okay, that is settled. Now, El how did you know where I was?" Ben asks her.
"I hacked into your phone and got the signal" she shrugged, making Ben to be flabbergasted. Making us laugh at his reaction.
"Damn, the police officer was followed by a young girl" Daniel laughed which made Elsa laugh as well.
Hearing her laughter made us feel better.
Something tells me that things are going to get better.
"Wait, we should celebrate. We are finally reunited" Darren cheered,
"Let's order some ice cream and snacks," he clapped his hands while ordering the food.
"Elsa, I ordered your favourite, cotton candy ice cream" Darren informs her making her look at him in shock.
"How?" she asks him.
"Who do you think stocks the fridge with the ice cream for you?" he winks at her.
"Thank you so much Darren" she smiles at him widely.
"She is finally happy. For the first time, I am seeing her super relaxed"  Ben whispers to me.
I look at him confused.
"I have brought her out for ice creams, till now I did not know that she loves Cotton Candy flavoured ice cream," I am shocked.
How did my younger brother know something about our sister, when we did not talk or spend time with her?
I look at Darren with suspicious.
Feeling my suspicious gaze, he sighs.
"Elsa, I love to build a treehouse in a deep forest that is surrounded by lakes. I dream to be a home designer" Darren tells her out of nowhere.
She frowns first, then gasps in shock.
"You are Hen?" she points at him,
"Yup. I could not get to know my only sister. Therefore I had to do something about it. I created an application for us to chat. When creating it, I made sure, that our conversation is secured. No third party can read it" he smiles brightly.
"No wonder, the coding was super hard to understand. You have to teach me" Elsa smiles.
Seems like those two will get along just fine.

The next few hours, we all ate ice cream, watched movies, playing some games. At different timing, we all sent a message to our parents to say we will not be home for some reason. Elsa said that she will be having a sleepover at Sophia's house, so that the girls can study together for the upcoming address.
They brought it. She spent the night asking us questions after questions.
Her eyes keeps looking at me, she has yet to ask me any questions yet.
"Elsa, he will not bite you" Darren held back his laughter as he said that.
She looks at him worriedly,
"Ask me something" I spoke up, making the first move.
"Mmmm, what is your occuption?"  she played with her fingers,
"My occupation is being CEO of our Dad's company and my own company" I answered her softly.
She nods her head slowly.
"What are you hobbies?" She looks at me carefully.  Side of my mouth twitched at her expression.
"He has no hobby. He just stay at work the whole day or he is with one of us," Darren smiles.
"My hobby is to keep my siblings out of trouble" I answer while glaring at my siblings.
She nods before going into deep thinking mode. She has been doing that since we told her everything.
I looked at Brandon and nodded towards her with a frown. He shrugs not knowing what she is thinking about.

She takes a deep breathe.

Elsa's POV

I was debating with myself if I should tell my brothers my deepest secret? I mean they told me everything.
It's either all in or regret in the future.
Taking a deep breathe,
"I have something to tell you all" I spoke up, making all of them to sit up straighter and giving me their full attention.
Feeling a bit scared I grabbed Darren's hand. Who then traced circles on my palm to calm me down.
"A few years back, I ý our parents on one of their business trip," I started, Callen nodded remembering the day.
"It was not a business trip. It was for my engagement party" I blurted it out the best way I could. Just rip the bandage out.
They all froze, Callen made a tight fist. It got tighter and tighter as minutes passes by.
Soon, I saw small blood, causing me to be worried about him. I rush over to him and open up his palm. He cooperated with me with a complain.
"You are hurt. Don't do it again" I chided him softly and I tended to his injuries.
"None of you should get hurt" I voiced out.
They all replied okay and yes.
"Did you meet the guy?" Callen spoke softly yet I still heard his anger.
"Yup" I blushed thinking about the boy I met a fews ago and someone I am still talking to unknown to my parents. They banned me from talking to him or his family until the day, I marry him.
"Okay, she is blushing thinking about him!" Daniel shouted making me to jump up in fear. Callen pulls me to his side.
"Dan, you are scaring our sister," he tells Daniel, who apologies.
"He is a nice guy.  Our parents said that I should not talk to him until the day I marry him. But somehow he got my number, and we have been talking and meeting up once in a while the past few years. He is very nice" I explained to them.
"Plus he helps me with my studies as well" I smiled softly.
"I am happy you met a nice guy. But Elsa you are just 16 years old. You should be free and happy. Not engaged to someone our parents chose," Brandon voiced out.
"But because he makes you happy. We will give him a chance.Ask him to meet us soon" Callen ruffled my hair, before pulling him behind as he left the room.
He walked up the stairs.  There were many rooms along the corridor.
We passed a few rooms before he stopped in front of a room.
"This is your room, our brothers helped to create this for you" Callen tells me as he opens the room.
I gasped. The walls were painted to make it look like a galaxy. A king bed with some dolls on it. A black study table with computer on it. A hammock on the balcony.  Wait! What! I went to the balcony and took a closer look. There was really a hammock there. I jumped happily.
"You like the hammock?" Callen chuckled.
"Not like, I love it! Thank you!" I hugged him tightly.