Lucas had a hand on the window as he drove the car through the streets of Bluris town. His best friend had just asked him to check on his sister, and he was obviously willing to comply. It gave him a good chance to meet Grace, who had only been a small kid when he last saw her.

He always had fondness for little kids, wanting to act as a big brother. It brought him genuine joy when they considered him as one. He cherished the moments when they confided in him, when they played with him, just being with them lit up his day.

This town was serene, peaceful, very much to his liking as compared to the cities he had visited for his work. He was sure Aiden would want to be in the city though. His buddy always yearned for more, to see more, to experience more, to expand his view on the world. His mind was always ready to tackle more problems, to elevate himself.

Not him, Lucas knew it wasn’t like him to be as adventurous as Aiden. He wanted to settle down in a peaceful corner, farming a small land of vegetables and fruits. Have a kind wife, lots of kids and a few pets.

He heaved a sigh as he looked back at his dreams and the current reality.

Peaceful? Is it possible? With ghosts like this randomly running rampant? Even though the Bureau is taking care of them, it’s obvious they can’t save each and every person on time.

He hit the breaks after noticing the familiar sign in the distance. The care center was just ahead.

He parked the car and took out a few chocolates before locking it. He bought them on the way for grace. After all, everyone at this age likes chocolate right?

He first knocked on the gate. When asked for a purpose, he stated that Aiden had sent him to check up on his sister. There was silence on the other side of the intercom before they asked for proof.

“Huh. Proof?”

“Yes sir. We can’t just let anyone visit the children. Their guardians left them under our care trusting us with their safety.”

“But I was really sent by Aiden! Aiden Spencer!”

“That’s not a legitimate proof sir.”

Lucas frowned as he came across this unexpected issue. After a few seconds of thinking, he suddenly took out his phone and showed them Aiden’s number. Look! I have his number, I can call him for you to check.”

Another silence ensued on the other end as the male voice spoke once again.

“We currently don’t have records of the guardians. I am going to have to ask you to provide us with another proof.”

His mood worsened as he harshly replied, “What other proof could I even give you?”

“Sir —”

“Lucas?!”

A yell interrupted the person on the intercom, catching Lucas’s attention as the speaker was standing just on the other side of the gate. He looked at the young girl who seemed to be around 13-14 years old, with blonde hair just like him. She had a bright smile on her face, overlapping with the image of the little girl in his mind. Aiden had, of course, shown him her current image to help him identify so he called her out, “Grace?”

“Yesss!” She screamed in joy. She turned around and looked at the side. “Let him in. I know him.”

Lucas’ vision couldn’t reach that side so he just kept his sight on Grace. She didn’t look like Aiden in any way.

She had long, sun-kissed blonde hair that cascaded down her back in gentle waves, unlike the rough mess of black hair Aiden had. Her bright blue eyes contrary to his void black sparkled with fighting spirit and liveliness.

True, this brat picked up fights left and right. While Aiden never liked fighting.

Standing at about 5 '4, she had a slender, athletic build, hinting at an active lifestyle. Her demeanor was a mix of playful innocence and emerging maturity, balancing the cusp of childhood and adolescence.

He spotted a few bruises on several places, making him worry. All this happened in barely a couple seconds as the reply from whom he assumed to be the security guard on the other side of the intercom made his blood boil.

“Miss Grace stop being mischievous. That person could have just been someone who looks alike. We have no way of confirming if he is truly one of your guardian’s friends. Please move back into the common room or strict actions will be taken.”

With rage in his voice, Lucas yelled, “You fucking donkey! This way there will never be any kind of proof! Open the gate or I’ll tear down your care center.”

His brain connected the dots. The weird behavior of the security guard to not let him enter the premises of their care center, along with bruises on Grace’s body. It gave him bad vibes.

He gave up trying to reason with the security guard. “Grace! Move away from the gate!” He yelled before running over to his car, he quickly put the key and changed direction of the car, pointing it straight towards the gate and slamming on his accelerator.

It was too late by the time anyone could notice. The gates of buildings in the new towns weren’t made keeping vehicle intrusion in mind, it was purely to stop human intruders. The car bulldozed effortlessly through the gate, it also didn’t help the fact that Lucas, due to being favored by the Bureau, had a way more durable and modified car.

He accurately pressed on the brakes and stepped out of the car after he had successfully barged in. Removing the gate from above the car was but some paltry work for someone with peak human strength.

He first turned to the side, and noticed that instead of someone in a proper outfit, there was only a boy with casual clothes leaving the cabin.

He probably isn’t even the security guard for fuck sake.

Lucas mentally cursed but turned his attention to Grace. She had hands over her mouth with a shocked look on her face. With concern evident in his body language, he ignored everyone and approached her.

“How are you? Are you getting bullied here? Is anyone troubling you?”

Before she could answer, another voice cut into their convo, “Is that you Lucas?”

It was an unfamiliar voice, and face, to Lucas who turned to find a young man, probably his age, standing on the door of the care center. Along with him stood a couple more young men and women, some clearly around Grace’s age. It was strange how the staff hadn’t come running yet given how he literally broke down the gate but he paid no heed to it.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“You are?” Lucas asked with a frown. He couldn’t remember who the young man was no matter how he jogged his memory. He had afro hair, wheatish skin along with muscles prominent enough to be seen through his clothes.

“Of course, you won’t remember me. I was just another kid who wanted to be in your group, but was beaten black and blue by Evander. I dropped out of school later, completing my rest of the education online.”

Bit of memories resurfaced in his mind as Lucas hesitantly asked, “Ethan?”

“Oh? Glad you remembered. Now please go back to where you came from, you should be done meeting Grace who you came here for. There’s no Evander around to save you this time.”

“How dare you say you only intended to join our group? Do you not remember hitting Sylvia because she didn’t want to sit with you? I also remember you troubled her a lot. It was just a matter of time Evander beat you to a pulp. If not him, Aiden would have done much worse.”

“Shut up!” Ethan’s expression worsened as he barked, “Get lost.”

Lucas ignored him this time around, turning to Grace, he asked her again with a gentle tone, “Why are there bruises on your skin? What’s happening here?”

Grace found the current Lucas far different from the previous one. According to Aiden, he had been somewhat of a coward, a shy and kind coward if one must specify. But what she was witnessing was entirely different. She recognized him in the first place because Aiden used to tell her about his friends sometimes in his free times. Even taking out his album to show her snippets of his memory with them.

The brother sister duo frequently chatted, so Grace knew Lucas would be coming to check up on her. She hadn’t planned to tell him anything. Considering his persona, that might only cause him unnecessary distress. But looking at him now.

Grace opened her mouth, “Bullying isn't rare here. With me and big bro being the only family of each other, plenty of money in our accounts and adding to it Ethan’s grudge from practically years ago, I was quite an easy target.” She looked at a certain few people among the crowd before continuing. Lucas noticed these people had much worse wounds.

“Of course, I didn't mind when they resorted to verbal plays. I am not Aiden’s sister for nothing, I wouldn't fall prey to merely mental stuff.” There was pride when she mentioned Aiden. “But when things got physical I didn't back down either. I got hurt, but they ended up much worse. I am fine if you call it that.”

Lucas forced a smile as he heard Grace narrate her experiences in the care center. The establishment was worse than he thought. He noticed a few youngsters shuffling about as Grace’s voice brought his attention back to her.

“Oh well, they only sent kids my age though. Those big fuckers directing all the crap in care center don't have the guts to come themselves.”

Uh oh. Are you deliberately picking fights now that I am here? You haven't changed have you? No worries, this time I have the confidence to back your trust in me.

“What did you say you little shit? Who is the one who always hides behind nurse Ava? I’ll make sure she gets fired if only because of you.” Ethan was fired up after being humiliated.

Grace’s voice still held the same cheeriness and sarcastic edge to it as she replied, “Oh no, the director’s son is mad. He’ll fire anyone now, cuz that’s the only thing he can actually be good at. Irony how that is also because his father has the power to do so, not him.”

Her voice instantly switched as she screamed to no one in particular. “Are you all going to keep watching as the care center rots? He is going to fire nurse Ava, the only one who shields you all from bullying. Are you never going to speak up?”

A nervous voice spoke up amongst the crowd. “She is going to get fired because of you. Don't drag us into it.”

“What now? Don't tell me y’all never received nurse Ava’s care? Ungrateful spineless fucking cowards. You all deserve to be bullied. Fuck you.”

Lucas’ show of display seemed to have been a stimulant for her as she cursed and made enemies left and right. Her face had turned red like a tomato.

A grating laughter escaped Ethan’s mouth as he spread his hands.

This was how everything ran here. Privileged kids who lived in bungalows paid up a little more from their pockets to avoid bullying. They called it protection tax. Complaining to parents was useless, Ethan’s dad owned the care center and was pretty high up on the political ladder himself. If anything, it would only worsen the bullying. The rest of the kids could only endure or join in the bullying.

Grace was the one who stood up to it. She was also smart enough to always leverage nurse Ava’s presence. As to why nurse Ava couldn’t be trifled with compared to other staff? It was because her sister was pretty high up in the political ladder too. Rumors suggest she might be higher than Ethan’s dad. Of course, Ethan wouldn’t admit to it.

“Why did they not let me in earlier?” Lucas asked with a frown on his face when he realized things weren’t adding up. He might be stupid but his guts still made him realize the inconsistency of the situation.

“Ethan has all the important staff engaged with an important meeting in a soundproof conference hall. All the remaining ones were bought by him. He planned to teach me a lesson, but I still knew a few secret routes through the structure of the building. I planned to run away but came here after hearing the commotion. Turns out I did the right thing.”

“Gathering so many people to beat a single girl? Are you out of your fucking mind Ethan?” Lucas snapped so hard he laughed. “Did Evander beat so hard you’ve got no sense left?”

Lucas was seething in anger. Aiden was his best friend. He asked him to check up on his sister. To see if she was doing alright. It was his duty to ensure she was. True, it wasn’t his fault, but could he be able to face Aiden guilt free if something happened to her? No. True, she said she had backup plans, but who knew if she would have succeeded?

Lucas noticed some young men taking out their bats. Are you kidding me? The final string in his head snapped.

*****

Aiden sat quietly on the last row of the bus alone. The bus coincidentally took the route which went through the shop where Mimi won the potato chip in the lottery. It was also coincidentally on the same route as the care center, where he intended to drop off Mimi.

He had already told her about Grace and the do’s and don'ts of everything. She was currently going through everything he had taught her.

“Always trouble Grace?”

“Yes.”

“Never leave her side?”

“Yes.”

“Cry if it’s convenient?”

“Yes.”

“Eat on time?”

“Yes.”

“Sleep on time?”

“No. You first trouble Grace, don’t let her sleep easily. Then you’ll get a more peaceful sleep.”

“Is that how it works?”

“It’s a universal rule.”

Mimi seriously nodded her head. Her little hands held four packets of potato chips tightly as if someone might come and steal them anytime. Aiden made sure to instill valuable knowledge in her while waiting for the stop at the care center.

When it was finally time, like before, he asked the driver to wait for a few seconds. “I’ll be back quickly, just dropping her off in the care center here. Please wait a few seconds.”

He took her in arms and ran up to the familiar building. The next second though, he frowned hard as he caught sight of Lucas’ car rammed into the gate. His run transitioned to a walk as he carefully stepped in through the open gate.

His eyes instinctively caught sight of the familiar figure of his little sister Grace, standing alone. His gaze traveled to what she was looking at.

Only a single man was moving.

Amidst a sea of twitching and groaning mass of flesh, only he was moving with vigor. To be precise, punching.

Aiden recognized the bloody figure of Lucas smashing the face of some young man with an afro hair style.

In the silence of the scene, Mimi’s exclamation rang loud. “SO COOOOOL!”