Astraea

"Guys?" Brina broke the silence inside their 'private space'. It's a holiday and Brina, Briony and Bianca don't have classes while Bell and Brylee were slacking off and refused to go to work on time.

So the five of them as if they have a mental understanding came one by one in their 'private space' and lounge the whole morning.

Bell laid on the sofa, asleep. Briony is leisurely playing on her phone. Brylee is sitting on the work desk with various recipe books laid in front of her. Bianca is walking around searching for a book to read though she doesn't really intend to read and just wants to pass her time. Brina is all focused on her laptop.

"Yes?"

"Hmm?"

Her four sisters replied without looking at her which she didn't notice because her eyes were focused on her laptop with her fingers working fast on it.

"Have you ever felt like someone is watching over you?" Brina asked.

Her words made four heads snap at her including that of Bell's that was supposed to be asleep.

"What do you mean?" Bell asked coldly.

"I mean I have a feeling that someone is watching us," Brina said then she finally tears her eyes away from her laptop to meet four pairs of eyes gazing at her.

When she said that, Bell immediately stood up and walked towards Bell. The others did the same and followed her. They stood behind Brina who pushed her laptop away from her to give her sisters a better view of what is on the screen.

All the girls' brows were furrowed while looking at the screen.

"I'll go take a look," Brylee said and acted to walk away but Bell stopped her.

"No,"

Bell crossed her arms in front of her chest and deeply examined the screen of Brina's laptop before she raised her head and met Brylee's eyes.

"We will observe the situation first and while we do that, we pretend that we didn't notice anything. We will act 'normal'." When she said that last word, she eyed Brylee and Briony sending them the message because out of the four, they were the two who could use their power or gift under any circumstance. And they don't want anyone catching them using their powers.

"I'll check out their identities and trace them," Brina said then she started to work back on her laptop.

This event made them all hot and bothered.

A phone ringing disturbed the sullen atmosphere around the room. They all glanced at the phone on the coffee table and identified it as Bell's phone.

Bell left them to answer the call. When she returned her face was stern. "Uncle Lorcan wants to see us."

Her sisters looked at each other and realized that they would be on a hunt.

"Don't worry, I can multitask." Brina shrugged her shoulders pointing out that she could trace the identity of their unwelcome guest and to research and investigate at the same time.

"Okay, should we go all at once or should we mislead them?" Briony asks worriedly about that since they are aware that someone is watching them, they should not let them find out what they are doing.

"No, if they have been watching us for some time now, I am pretty sure that they already know all of our business. We should just act like we always do." Bell said putting her phone in her back pocket then grabs a key from the desk.

"Okay, then let's not let Uncle Lorcan wait!" Briony said ardently. Brina closed her laptop and prepared to leave.

"Wait!" But they were stopped by Brylee. Everyone looked at Brylee who was left behind them who looked awkward. "I guess I should give you a heads up. Uncle Lorcan is...I think he is in a state that I've never seen him before."

Bell rolled her eyes at Brylee. "Can you be more specific?" She said in a grumpy tone obviously getting impatient at Brylee.

"Okay! Okay! He is heartbroken!" She blurted out before she explained what happened the other day at Miliani.

After an hour, they found themselves sitting in Lorcan's living room staring at Lorcan in his most miserable state wondering why did they call them because if it is something about hunting a fugitive, they should be sitting in the conference room, not in the living room.

"Did you call us here to join you in your melancholy?" Bell asked indifferently.

"Shut up, Bell!" Brylee reprimanded her elder sister in a hushed tone. Sometimes, or rather most of the time, Bell could be so insensitive. That comes along with her being impatient.

The five of them went silent and just waited for Lorcan to speak. As they do so, they get to examine his state. His hair started to grow long and sometimes he tied it in a bun is now messy. His eyes were sunken with dark circles under them indicating that he hasn't got enough sleep and some hint that he also cried. His skin also looked pale and dull.

He looks restless and just stares at the centerpiece of his coffee table as if it has something that caught his interest. His fingers were tapping on his leg.

It is a rare sight for them since Lorcan has always been arrogant and intimidating.

"Uncle Lorcan?" Brina's soft voice was heard.

That's when Lorcan raises his head and looks at each of his nieces. He sighed heavily and brushed his hair with his fingers then leaned back to his chair.

"I cannot find her." He mumbled but the girls were still able to hear him and were eventually speechless. They know who he is talking about.

"You want us to help you find her." Bell voiced out what Lorcan cannot put into words but Lorcan just remained silent.

"You are the one who put us into this place. The person who taught us everything we know about tracking people. And you can't even find one single person?" Bell said in bewilderment.

Having heard that, Lorcan's face turned solemn. "But there are things that you can do that I cannot. Brina is the best when it comes to digging information and hacking. And I don't know the way how you think."

The girls looked at him confused.

"Aren't you girls thinking the same?" Lorcan pointed out with irritation.

"Of course not!" Brylee disagreed.

"While two sexes think differently with men tend to think more with their gray matter and women with white matter that does not affect our intellectual performances meaning, we still differ in how we express or enjoy our mental ability," Brina stated earning her an amused look from her sisters.

"I don't think this is the time to showcase your mental prowess twin sister," Briony said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Brina just shrugs her shoulders and says, "Can't help it." Sometimes pieces of information were overflowing in her brain that she just can't help but blurted it once mentioned. She doesn't call herself a genius but she is smart and has a good memory. A very good memory that's just too abnormal.

Lorcan grunts. "At least you might know what she is thinking, where she would hide."

"We do not have the same experience, so probably not," Bell replied indifferently.

"Yeah, like she has pushed away while we are not," Brylee added snidely. She still hasn't gotten over the fact that the girl was treated badly by her uncle.

"When will you girls start to respect me?" Lorcan sounded slightly offended that his nieces talk to him like that even though he is their Uncle that is seven years and older than them.

"When you started to show some respect to her," Brylee replied, not hiding her displease towards the man.

"I do respect her!" Lorcan said solemnly. The least that he would do to Lydia was to disrespect her.

"But you did disrespect her! And you hurt here making her leave her dream and passion behind so that she could get away from you as you wish!" Brylee is so enraged. Though she just had a short interaction with Lydia she felt sorry for her and felt that she was treated unfairly by her uncle.

She felt a connection with Lydia that if given the chance, the two of them would be a good friend if it wasn't for her Uncle's insistence that she stay away from her.

Lorcan's face softened and his shoulders fell on the sides defeated. "Yes, I did. And I want to make it up to her."

"Why?" It was Bell's cold voice.

"Because I need her," Lorcan said without hesitation but the girls know that it was more than that.

"I don't think she feels the same." Bell was so straightforward that it hurts Lorcan.

"She needs me," Lorcan said but this time, his voice is uncertain.

"If you say so, why did she leave? Well except for the fact that you push her away. She could've just stayed in her place and never seen you again but instead, she flew away and left everything behind." Brylee shifted to her left while sitting on an accent chair in front of her Uncle.

Lorcan just silently looked at them and sighed. He knows why she left and that is also the reason why he wanted her back. But aside from that, he knows in his heart that there is a deeper reason.

He sighed defeated and hesitated to tell them the truth.

"We can't help you if you don't tell us what really happened." Brina continued making her sisters look at her. Bell has that 'Who told you we will help him?' look.

Seeing that he has no way out, Lorcan started to tell them what he found out. From Lydia's illness to the night that they made love, Bell has to cover Bianca's ears thinking that she is still a child despite her age of 18. To their argument their next day, until her pregnancy. That was the last thing he knew about her before she left.

While listening to Lorcan, the girls felt sympathy towards Lydia and anger towards Lorcan. They felt that he was too heartless to push away a pregnant and sick girl that has nothing but love for him. But in the end, they could not blame their uncle because he didn't know anything. Lydia hides everything from him.

After a moment of silence pondering on the information that Lorcan told them, Bell was the first one to speak.

"The girl was hurt, ill and now pregnant with your child. You said you need her and she needs you. But do you think that's enough reason for her to come back? She could be..." Bell was cut when they heard Lorcan speak.

"I love her and I believe that she loves me as well... Is that enough reason for her to come back?" Lorcan said solemnly, making the girls speechless. Never in their wildest dream that they will hear their Uncle Lorcan say those words.

"I'll be damned..." Bell shook her head while the other girls had a wide grin on their faces.