Justin Peterson|| Age 19 || Sophomore at California University || Pure Newbie Detroit gave me great training to where I am today, and while I don't understand everything about being a Pure just yet, don't underestimate me. When given orders, I will attack. But other than that, pull up a chair, grab a guitar, and let's jam. My Songs Music Relationships
Hey guys. I feel like I owe you guys an explanation.
I just want to thank you all for making this an amazing eleven months. (Yeah, I was in this roleplay for eleven months. Not to bad for my first roleplay.) I want to say thank you to Ana, for creating a place where I couls lose myself and just have fun (and cry sometimes :P). I want to thank Sabrina for getting me into roleplaying. Without her, I never would have even joined Tumblr, not even on my personal. And importantly, I'd like to thank the roleplayers, for interacting with me, letting me into your world, and for just generally dealing with my bullshit. Words can not even began to describe how much I love you all.
If any of you ever need me for something, please feel free to send me an ask or something on my personal. I'm always on it on my phone, and I won't hesitate to help as soon as I can.
I really don't know what else to say. I thought my goodbye would be longer than this, but I can't think of any words to say. I'm in tears over this, but I know I have to do this. I haven't been into roleplaying or even getting on my computer lately, but that doesn't mean I don't love the roleplay anymore. I just think that others should have to opportunity to have my face claims if they want them.
I'll miss playing Marlow, and Kellin, and Justin. They really were my babies, and I'm going to miss them so much. But I'm gonna miss what you guys and your characters helped them to become. That's what I'll remember most.
So before I break down in tears and ruin my keyboard, I want to say thank you to all of you one last time, for letting me into your roleplaying world and this family thing you've got going on. I love every single one of you so much. And with that, fairwinds.
Let's scream until there's nothing left
So sick of playing, I don't want to anymore
The thought of you's no fucking fun
You want a martyr, I'll be one
Because enough's enough, we're done
The March day was clear, a bit windy for the boy's taste, but he couldn't complain. Justin Peterson couldn't help but notice the amount of people out on the streets today, confirming his suspicions on the quality of the weather. Being such a great day, he decided to take his siblings out while Luna was at work for ice cream, bringing a cup back for Luna, of course. She was a member of the family now, too. He couldn't leave her out.
A giggle from little Cassidy pulled his eyes away from the passing people and back to her, looking at the messy smile and the single tooth growing in. He had to laugh, grabbing a napkin and wiping the excess ice cream off of her proud face. "Looks like someone had a good time with their ice cream," he cooed, picking her up to put her on his lap. She giggled, causing Justin to gently bounce her up and down on his knee. Cassidy cried out even more, enjoying herself and the company of her brother.
It was times like those that Justin enjoyed most: being able to laugh and put a smile on his siblings faces. If being with the Pure organization taught him anything, it was to cherish the times together that he did get to share with them. He had seen too much bloodshed already, and the smiles of their faces was a refreshing. The previous night, he was sent with a small group of Pures to, in his words, "basically pillage and kill" a few mutants supposedly planning an attack. The amount of blood he had seen was something he hoped Noah, Bailee, Cassidy, and even Luna would never have to see. Some of it was even his own, remembering the covered wound of an attack on his upper arm, most likely some kind of odd power striking him. He held Cassidy with one hand, moving down his sleeve as a precaution over his tightly constricted wound.
"Noah, stop!" a shrill voice broke through his eardrums. The smile fell as he stopped bouncing Cassidy to look back at his other two siblings. Noah was poking Bailee in the face, trying to get a lick of her ice cream cone. "Justin!" Bailee cried out, trying to push Noah away with her free hand.
Justin couldn't help but smile at their petty little feuds. "Noah, what are you doing?"
The younger boy stopped, fixing his hair beneath his beanie before answering, "I only wanted one lick and the little runt wouldn't give me one."
"Because it's mine!" Bailee whined, moving the cone to the other side of her, farther away from Noah. "You shouldn't have finished yours so fast!"
Justin chuckled, amused at the simple problems of the two. It was common for them to fight over petty things. It was nice to see something normal after the night he had. "Noah, if you really want some more, go get your own," he compromised, grabbing his wallet with his free hand and tossing it at the teenager. "Just quit bugging your sister."
Noah caught the wallet, one-handed, and turned to run back to the ice cream stand, making sure to hit Bailee's head before he left. Bailee shrieked, glaring at the light brunette boy running down the street. She whined Justin's name, stomping her foot before sitting down at the open chair next to him.
Justin laughed, saying, "Don't worry, Bails. You can help me with dinner tonight."
The ten-year-old raised her eyebrow, confused on his proposition. "And what would that accomplish?"
"You can spit in his food," the older one smirk, watching as a matching reaction climbed on the younger girl's face. He knew that now as a guardian, he should be teaching them better than to give and take petty revenge, but today was a special day. After the night he had, he decided to dedicate that day to family and letting them do what they want, even if it required a little mischievous advice.
As Bailee licked her ice cream cone, Justin took a look around, holding Cassidy with both hands now. She started to squirm and Justin didn't want to drop her. He watched all of the people pass by while they waited for Noah to return, so they could head back home to start dinner and start Bailee's assisted plan. His eyes followed everyone who passed, looking for signs of anything abnormal, anything that would be mutant. He couldn't get his brain off of his Pure duties. They were engrained in his head, making him paranoid at every turn. He had seen some of the things the people he hunts can do and he had to be ready in case an attack happened. His siblings were important and he vowed to not let anything happen to him, until his dying breath.
His mind always went to Luna when he started thinking about Pure missions and such. She was one of them, a mutant. How could he let one of them in? How could he not have told that she was a freak, a mutant, someone who he was supposed to kill? But that was just it. She was someone, a person, a living thing with a beating heart and the capability to breath and function. She was a human, just like him. So why could he kill so many other people, humans, but not her? What made her so special that she wasn't a subject to his knowledge?
He got to know her, and her powers. From what he told her and some research in the Pure library on powers, hers were seemingly harmless. And that was his main concern. He didn't want to bring anyone in that could harm him or his siblings. But most importantly, he got to know not the mutant, but the person. He didn't really understand his feelings towards the mutant, but he knew his feelings towards the human.
And that's what they all were: humans. He was killing humans, people. He was a murderer. Not all mutants were bad; Not all wanted to kill and pillage. But he couldn't afford to think like that, literally. The Pure organization paid him well for his services, which added to his occasional gigs, made the payments. He literally couldn't afford to go against anything his superiors told him. If they knew about Luna....
A loud boom pulled Justin out of his thoughts, causing him to jump in his seat. He looked over at Bailee and followed her head to the cause. Grey smoke billowed from down the road as the sound of car horns and people conversing on the occurrence rang out. Another explosion consumed the area, mixing with the screams and yells of citizens. Justin took Bailee in his arms, holding Cassidy between both of them, trying to block any debris that might come their way. He felt Bailee shake in his arms and heard Cassidy start to cry, but his attention was focused on the sound. He looked over, noticing the amount of smoke and damages ranging from turned-over cars to busted windows of shops. It was a disaster, and he didn't know what was happening.
"Justin!" a voice called out from the direction of the destruction. "Justin Peterson! Show yourself, my son!"
The green eyes of the nineteen-year-old sprung open wide as his name was called, wondering around the street looking for the source. Far down the road, with green rays encompassing his hands, was Justin's father. He was sure of it, from the unkempt beard to the skinny, drug-abused body, plus the fact he was called "my son." His father looked mad, crazy, insane to the point of no return. Even from so far away, Justin knew he came for blood.
"What... What does he want, Justin?" Bailee's cried, looking over at the man walked towards her brother.
He didn't want her to see this. There was no telling what his father would do, to him or them, and he didn't want the girls to see that. Quickly, he grabbed Bailee's hand and put it on Cassidy's stroller, rushing to strap the crying baby in. "Bailee, I need you to take Cassidy and get out of here. Run, run to Luna's coffee shop. Just get out of here!"
"But... But Justin..." she cried, being pushed by Justin to get to the stroller baggage compartment.
"I said now, Bailee!" Justin yelled, pulling out a small emergency sword. He kept it in the stroller in case something like this happened, but it was not the size he needed. It was almost the size of his forearm, not nearly long enough to make a smooth strike he would need. "Go!"
With a small sniffle, Bailee took off down the street, following in on the crowd of people who decided to run for safety far away. Justin didn't know if they would be safe by themselves in this ruckus, but it was better than them staying there. Now he had Noah to worry about. He just hoped the kid was smart enough to bail already.
Fighting the crowd of people, he ran towards his father, small sword in hand, ready to either kill or be killed. The enormous amount of people around him blocked his view of the explosions his father kept dealing. He didn't know his father had these powers. His mind and upbringing never would have guess he was a product of the same thing he was trained to kill. Another explosion went off as a car came spiraling towards the boy. Thinking quickly, he jumped to his right, just barely evading the oncoming threat. His father was strong, no question. Justin didn't know how he would be able to defeat him by himself.
"I know you're here, Justin!" the deep voice taunted, stopping his tyranny for a moment. "Come on, and no one else gets hurt!"
He couldn't risk letting others get hurt. That was what the Pure were for: to kill mutants before they hurt anyone. But looking around at the destroyed street, Justin knew he was failing. He had to act quickly. He took covered behind a car that was still on its wheels, seemingly untouched by his father's direct power. With only a moment to think, he sprinted out and took cover behind whatever he could, calculating his movements fluently. With every minute that passed, Justin's father grew more furious, letting it show by more blasts of whatever it was that he could produce from his palms. But Justin couldn't afford to attack from the front. There was no telling what the blasts could do to him if he was spotted. "A sword from behind should weaken him just enough to give me time to defeat him," he thought, looking out from his cover behind a mail-dropbox. His eyes scoped the area, looking for one last thing he could take cover behind before he went into battle. A destroyed car, obviously his father's doing, was his only option. Taking one last look at his dad, he made a break for it, taking off as fast as he could to behind it.
"There's no point in hiding," the mutant yelled, blasting a whole throw a florist window. The bright colors of the flower went up in a blast of fire. Justin had a difficult time taking his eyes off of the senseless destruction, hoping no one was in the store, before focusing back on his target. He knew the best time to attack was during one of his power attack. The burst of color from his hand was powerful by itself, but while it was working, it seemed to make his father a bit weaker, if only for a moment. It was like the colorful power was the source of his energy. But whenever he would ruin another shop, car, building, Justin's feet wouldn't move. He knew he had to; there wasn't any other option. But this man was his father. Justin contained part of him and part of his mother. Half of the reason for his existence was the man in front of him, who Justin would have to kill. His mind wouldn't let him.
The cry of a small child attracted Justin's attention. A small boy, looking to be only a year or two older than Cassidy, knelt frozen underneath a cafe table. Justin could see the tears in his eyes, the fear falling down his cheek. The boy was terrified, with good reason. Justin looked over at his father, who's attention was also caught by the sound of fear. Justin could see a smirk form on his dad's face as the power from his hands started to grow in size. The Pure's eyes widen, realizing what his father was planning on doing. It finally click: this man was not a human. He was a freak, a mutant, a true monster. Justin held no sympathy for anyone willing to senselessly kill a boy, as his father was showing to do. He knew what he had to do.
Kill. That. Monster.
His grip on his sword tightened, and his knees sprung his body up, as Justin took off in a full sprint to his father. He felt like he was flying. The adrenaline had taken over his body. He felt nothing as his dad inched closer and closer. The monster had his arm raised, ready to fire at the kid. Justin took a final leap, jumping off of runaway tire on the street, and lifted his sword high above his head, ready to slice through the flesh and muscle of the man who helped in his creation.
Suddenly, something tight wrapped around his neck, jerking him back in his launch. Justin heard no blast, no sound of something destroyed or the grieving a mother saddened by her child's death. No, there was nothing. The sound of chaos was stopped around him, only to be replaced by the small whisper of a deep voice. "Well, look who decided to show up."
Justin opened his eyes, staring straight back at his father's, green light obstructing part of his view. He was dangling above the street, feeling nothing under her feet, only the clutch of his father's hand around his neck. His airway tightened, causing the boy to cough, choking. Surprisingly, his neck didn't hurt. His father's powers weren't hurting him.
"Look at you," the older man spat, using his other hand to brush a misplaced strand from his sons face. "What have you done to those beautiful locks your mother gave you? Your mother passed down her prefect hair, the best shade of brunette I had ever had the pleasure to lay my eyes upon..." His fingers ran down Justin's hair, grabbing at the slight shade of light brown the boy had in. "And you go fool of it, with this light..." His fingers grabbed the rest of the boy's hair, pulling his son's head down from the back. "And this black. You don't even remember the color who were born with, the color your mother privileged you with having!"
His father let go, pulling him closer to his face. "And those eyes..." he whispered, moving his son slightly back and forth, staring deep into his hazel orbs. "They're mine," he noted, smirking. "In fact..." he pushed Justin back, taking a look at the boy's body, "just about everything about you is mine: your legs, your arms, you torso. You get that all from me." His smirk fell and Justin felt the grip tighten around his neck. "Everything about you is mine! You are my son! You are mine!"
Justin's eyebrows furrowed at the remark, sparking angry deep within his body. Rasping through his shallow voice, finding the air inside of his to speak, he choked out, "If I... were really yours... you would have... stayed."
The malcontent look on his father's face grew darker. He raised Justin higher, his grip tightening again. "I didn't abandon you! Your mother stole you!" he yelled, his face turning red. "She couldn't stand having a son with someone like me, someone with these abilities! I could have kept you and her safe! I could have protected her from all of those other guys! But no! She took you and ran off, leaving me to fend for myself!" Justin felt his neck get hot, obviously from his father's power. If he couldn't figure a way out, he knew it was the end. "It was your fault. You took me away from her. And now I take you away, forever."
Justin shut his eyes, knowing his neck was starting to burn. He felt himself slipping, and he could hoping hope that Luna and Noah could take care of Bailee and Cassidy as well as he knew they deserved. Before finally falling, the grip loosened, dropping his body to the hard ground. He cough, trying to regain his breath, as the painful yell of his father pierced his eardrums. Squinting, he noticed his father turned around, hand over a red spot on his shoulder. He couldn't see what was in front of his father, but whoever it was just saved his life. Probably another Pure dispatched once the news of a mutant leaked.
"Stay away from my brother!"
Justin's eyes popped open, trying as hard as he could to regain his breath and stand up. He couldn't believe it. How was that possible? Able to crawl a little way from behind of his father, the brunette shaggy haired boy was holding a gun perfectly, straight up at his father. That boy was Noah Peterson.
"Noah, what are you doing?" Justin yelled. "Get out of here!"
"Justin, I can't leave! It's my Pure duty," Noah explained, eyes still straight on Justin's father. "Do one more blast and my next bullet goes farther north. I was thinking somewhere between your eyes, like were that ugly unibrow is."
Justin's breathing increased, never seeing this side of his little brother before, never wanting to see this side before. He couldn't believe Noah went behind his back and did that, became a Pure. Justin did his best to keep how he paid the bills a secret from the younger siblings. They didn't need to know about the evil things he did. But looking at how calm Noah was, he knew that he had been at this for a while. The brunette boy knew what he was doing, and must have had some extensive training. Although, it wasn't his lack of ability that would get him killed. It was his mouth.
"Noah, knock it off! I've got this! Run!" Justin pleaded, stumbling to his feet. He had a hold on his sword, but he knew he was still weak.
"You should listen to your brother, Noah," Justin's father smirked, looking confident in his thoughts. "I have no problem killing two people."
"No, Justin. I can't let him go!" Noah replied, not looking away from his target. "He's going to kill you. He's powerful, too powerful for one person to handle. You just have to trust me." Noah stared straight ahead, not taking his eyes off of the monster. Justin could tell by the look on in his eyes that he couldn't convince him to leave. The older boy had no choice than to let his brother help. Besides, Justin wasn't in prime condition to do this by himself. Justin gave Noah a nod before the teenager continued, "And I have no problem taking down scum."
From behind, Justin could tell is father was getting infuriated. The glow from his hand burned brighter. Justin took a small step towards him in the dead silence of the three's company. "Father, we don't have to do this," he tried to reason, taking another step forward. "If we can just calm down..."
"Don't tell me to calm down! I am your father!" The monster turned around, his hands being completely engulfed in a blinding light. "You're just a boy, barley eighteen! How dare you speak to your father like that!" He took a step towards his son, and then another, and another, with each time to power from his hands growing brighter and seemingly stronger. "I'll be doing the world justice when I kill you." Without a second's notice, the monster lunged, pouncing on his son.
Justin didn't have time to think. Not a thought came to his head. His combination of training and just living gave him the knowledge of what to do in this circumstance. Without a single feeling, Justin put his sword in front of him and let it go into his father's stomach. A breathy gasp came from the man's throat as the green light faded from his hand, becoming almost invisible in the daylight. Justin's eyes stared deep into his father's. For the first time, Justin saw pain and sadness in them, tear building up behind the shattered wall of his eyes.
"I... I just wanted to love you, son," the man cried.
Justin could see the death in his eyes, the pure agony of pain and suffering. Even though he was a danger, the man was still his father. "If you wanted to love me..." Justin started, feeling his eyes swell up with tears as well. "You wouldn't have left, lied to me about my mother, and tried to kill me. My mother told me everything, everything about what kind of man you were. She called you a coward, abusive, hell-on-earth. She was the great woman to have ever walked this earth, and I have no idea how in the hell a man the likes of you got her. I don't believe a word you said. You just want to save your sorry ass." He moved his face closer, noses touching. "You're not hurting me, my family, or anyone else anymore." Justin noticed a shadow looming behind them. It was now or never. "I'm sorry, Dad, but I'm not sorry." He moved as far back as he could while keeping a firm grip on the sword. “And if you truly loved me, you would know something as simple as my age.” Justin took the sword, slightly twisting it in his father’s stomach. “I’m almost twenty, you piece of shit,” he growled, snarling at the man. "Now, Noah."
The gunshot rang through the street, bouncing off the walls of the dismembered buildings, broken glass, and the ruins of destruction laying haphazardly in the street. The cracks of gravel in the beat-up street were streaked crimson red, flooding through each pivot like a river, flowing from a burst dam. Justin knew he shouldn't have looked, but he did. The busted dam was his father's head, bullet lodged in his cranium as his skull oozed blood down on match the splatter that came from the initial blow. It covered anything closer, including a few speckles on the Peterson brothers.
But it was done. Nicholas Powers, the cruel, destructive monster, was dead, killed by his own son.
Justin looked up at Noah, who was staring down at the dead man's body in shock. The gun in the boy's hand was shaking, much like the rest of him started to. Justin could see the trauma and fear in his eyes. He had just killed someone.
"I... I've killed before, Justin..." Noah, stuttered, his eyes never looking away, much like they hadn't before the death. "But I've never actually seen them dead. I never had the time to look at the person I just killed..." Tears started pouring down the young man's face. "I... I don't like it, Justin..."
Justin let out a sigh, knowing how hard his little brother was taking this. That was a common thing about being a Pure: they wouldn't let a lot of the younger ones dispose of the bodies after the kill. Justin wasn't a minor, so this wasn't his first time seeing the dead, but that didn't make it any easier. Instead of relaying his message, Justin stood up and walked over to his brother, engulfing him in a hug. He wasn't much taller than the sixteen-year-old, but he did all he could to protect his brother's eyes from the sight. The brothers were always close, ever since they were younger. Justin was always Noah's protecter, no matter what. Even though the kid could be a pain, Justin would go out of his way to protect his little brother.
Justin felt Noah burying his head into his shoulder, and heard the soft sound of muffled crying. "I killed him, Justin," the younger cried. "It's my fault he's dead... It's my fault..."
In an instant, Justin's mind was pulled back in his memories, from long before. He held Noah like this before, huddled in a corner of their mother's Detroit apartment as their mother and Noah's father argued. Little Noah, around three, tried to bury himself in his older brother's shoulder, as their mother accused his father of beating the two boys. Six-year-old Justin took Noah in his arms, shielding him from any repercussions that might come his way, while trying to comfort the crying toddler, kissing the bruise covering his cheek. "It's my fault, Juswen," the younger cried. "I shouldn't have told Mommy. I should have just kept Daddy's secret. It's my fault, Juswen, my fault..."
"It's my fault..." sixteen-year-old Noah cried, pulling Justin back. The older boy didn't know what else to do besides what he did back when they were younger. He kissed the top of the boy's head, shielded him from the sight, and whispered, "I'm proud of you, Noah. You did the right thing."
He couldn't keep them there. He simply couldn't. After the trauma of everything that happened the day before, Justin knew that he couldn't keep his siblings in Los Angeles. Justin spent all night looking for plane tickets, five of them, and packing up all of their belongings. He got Cassidy to sleep easily. She was a baby; she didn't understand and probably wouldn't even remember the events of that day. Bailee and Noah, however, were a different story. Bailee was confused and worried about the events that occurred that caused her to run off, even still a little frightened that it might happen again. Noah couldn't shut his eyes to sleep. Every time he held them closed, the back of Justin's father's head appeared, before and after the bullet went through. In an attempt he knew was going to be in vain, he pulled his mattress off his bed, pushing it downstairs to the living room, along with Cassidy's crib, to let the kids sleep together tonight. Justin could tell the two older one, especially Noah, were still shook up from the events, but he needed them all to get some sleep. It was going to be a busy day tomorrow.
He didn't know where Luna was, probably out wandering the night like she was prone to. Tonight was not the night for her to be off, though. She was part of this family, and Justin would feel horrible for just up and leaving her there by herself. The flight Justin booked left at seven in the morning and he didn't know when she would get home. Just in case, he printed out a ticket, leaving it out on the kitchen counter, in plain sight, in case she wanted to join them. Justin couldn't make her come' she would have to want to herself, but in case she did, he wanted to make sure. Besides, if he was taking the family out of Los Angeles, she should be invited. She was family, after all.
But he knew he couldn't leave without an explanation. Packing all of their belongings, the small amount they could fit into airline-approved suitcases, proved to be tedious work, and with the thought of leaving Luna haunting him, he decided to take a break, grabbing one of Bailee's puppy-covered notebooks, and started a letter.
Dear Luna,
Please, don't be worried. We're all alive. On us being well, I can't say. I'm taking the family out of LA. This isn't a choice I made lightly, but after the confrontations of today, I feel like it's the best choice, for me and my siblings. The house is yours, if you wish to continue your residency. Don't worry about my father attacking like we thought he might. He's dead. The events that occurred up to his death are the reasons I have decided to relocate.
He found me, Luna. He's been following me for a while now, and he caught up to me down on Maise Avenue, by the ice cream place. He had powers, strong powers that would have killed me if it weren't for Noah. Secretly-- to me, at least-- he was a Pure. Noah did it. Noah killed him. But behind this grand event of freedom came the sad reality that I should not be raising my siblings in this kind of environment. I'm not thinking of me in this case. It's for the wellbeing of Noah, Bailee, and especially little Cassidy. She's just a baby, who shouldn't be subject to these violent events.
Please don't take my decision lightly, or angrily, or any other negative emotion that you might have. At this moment, Noah can't sleep. He's traumatized by seeing his first kill. He can't close his eyes without seeing my father's body. Bailee cried herself into a slumber, not understand why her brothers were almost killed this afternoon. Can't you see these kids don't deserve this? No kid should have to kill. No kid should have to deal with living in the place of a terrible memory.
And that is why I have to leave.
Enclosed in this letter is an airline ticket. I don't know if you'll get home in time for our early flight, but in case you want to follow us, the ticket is for a later flight. You can turn it in to the airport for a ticket at a later date, at least, I'm guessing that's what I agreed to. Anyway, please do not feel like we're abandoning you, because we're not. We're abandoning LA. We're abandoning the Pure organization. We're abandoning the painful memories of this area.
But we don't want to abandon you.
If you're still here by the time we find a house, I'll be sure to mail you with our address. We love you, Luna, We all truly do. (And to be honest, I think Noah's gonna miss you the most. I think he might have had a little crush on you. Oh, to be sixteen again...)
This isn't goodbye. This is a "See You Later!"
Love,
The Peterson's
Justin, Noah, Bailee, and Cassidy
Justin put down the pen, ripping out the sheets of paper. On disk bedside table was the tickets, including Luna's. He took it, looking down at it for a moment. This was all so quick, but he knew he was doing to right thing. He wrapped his letter around the ticket and walked out of his room to start towards the kitchen. Before he could make it to the steps, Luna's open bedroom door caught his eye. It was closed when he went into his room, so he was suspicious of the reasoning. Quickly from inside the closet, he pulled out his favorite sword, making him armed and ready in case of an intruder. With careful steps, he walked over to the door, nudging it open even more to get a better look. What he saw surprised him more than an intruder. Placed delicately on her bed was a beautiful white flower, with a small note, and a picture. He knew he shouldn't have, but he walked farther in, placing his sword down on the bed besides the gifts, and pictured up the picture. The smiling faces of Noah and Bailee stared back at him. He couldn't help but smile. This was the one picture he was ever able to get of them being actually friendly. Placing the picture back, he picked up the note, recognizing the handwriting immediately. It was Noah's.
I got this flower today while I was out with Justin and the girls. I don't know, it reminded me of you, because it's so pretty and pure white, just like the moon. I thought you would like it. I thought you'd like the picture as well. It's a pretty good one, besides my ugly face. You look stunning, of course. Like always. Well, beside's that one little detail called your face. :P I'm kidding. You look perfect. Don't forget to text me, buttface. I love you. Love, Noah.
Justin couldn't help but laugh at his brother's poor attempt at flirting. He was never one to be kind and he knew he would rather taunt the girl than just come out and say it. He felt bad for taking him away from her before he had a chance to do anything about his feelings, but it was for his own good. He would understand. And who knows? Maybe they would be able to meet again.
The boy placed the gifts back on her bed, still smiling, as he grabbed his sword and walked out of the room, gently shutting the door. He placed his sword back before walking downstairs to the kitchen. The letter was placed directly in the clean table top, where Luna would be sure to see it.
Walking out, he checked on his siblings in the living room. Noah finally seemed to be asleep, and had stolen Bailee's bunny stuffed animal. They all looked so peaceful, like nothing bad had happened, like they didn't see anything of the events of that day. That calm look made Justin's decision all worth it. He did it for them, and that was all that matter.
He walked into the living room and took a seat on the couch behind the mattress where the Noah and Bailee were sleeping. He figured he could get a few hours before they would have to be up again. Laying down, he took a strand of Bailee's hair and put it behind her ear and out of her face. He started to hum a familiar tune. It was the song their mother used to sing to them before bed when they were little. She sang it for all for all of them, from Justin to little Cassidy. He thought it was appropriate for the occasion, and for a split second, he could have sworn he heard his mother's voice humming along with him.
He remembered all she used to do for them, as her voice continued to sound along with his. She would do whatever she could for them, even giving up her own life for what her children needed. Justin's entire life was in California now. His schooling, his job, his dreams. But what was more important to him now was the well-being of his siblings, and if they were safe. They mattered more to him than anything else in the world, just like his mother had.
And in that moment, Justin Peterson truly felt like a real guardian.
King For A Day||Pierce The Veil feat. Kellin Quinn
You told me "think about it," well, I did
Now I don't wanna feel a thing anymore
I'm tired of begging for the things that I want
I'm over sleeping like a dog on the floor
A group of girls squealed and cried when they saw me
Noah and I were so confused on why they were screaming and crying, until one of them said, "Oh, my god, it's Kellin Quinn!" I... I didn't have the heart to tell them I wasn't him...
