AGE THREEIt was a cold, stormy night; lightening flashed and rain pounded against the window.
The kids all sat in the living room, all engaged in their own time-consuming tasks.
Lydia watching read to David, the twins wrestling with each other while Jeremy laughed.
Stasya looked up to watch her mom pacing, as she had been for the last fifteen minutes.
"
Mommy, what's wrong?"
Her mom looked up from the floor to her daughter. "Hm?"
Her face was pail and she chewed on her nails anxiously.
"Mommy's just worried about daddy. He should've been home by now..."
She looked at the door and then, as if it was planned, the phone rang.
"Brian, get off your brother and be quiet," she said as she walked into the kitchen.
Brian did as he was told and looked at his twin.
He beamed a grin and they ran over to the phone in the living room, Stasya right behind.
They picked it up and both pressed their ears to the receiver, covering the transmitter.
The twins listened quietly as Stasya climbed onto a chair to try and listen too.
Unable to hear, she dropped onto her bottom and crossed her arms with an angry pout.
She watched as her brother's jaws dropped and they nearly dropped the phone.
They shook their heads slowly and silently put the phone back in it's holder.
Brian grabbed his sister's hand and took her back into the living room.
"
What's wrong?" she asked, looking at her big brother as he held her.
He shushed her and sat on the couch, leaning over to whisper something to Lydia.
Stasya watched her sister looked sharply at him, the same shock in her expression.
Stasya glared at her older siblings, mad about not knowing the secret.
She turned as their mother came in, paler than before with tears running down her face.
She collapsed onto the floor, the older three Havok's running to her side.
She sobbed, her face in her hands, then held her three oldest close to her.
The three little ones wondered over curiously and hugged their mom.
"Mama, what's wrong?" Jeremy asked as the older siblings and his mom cried.
The woman managed to calm herself enough to speak, she looked at the triplets sadly.
"Baby... Daddy's gone..."
The look in her eye told them it meant so much more than that he just wasn't home...
They way she and Lydia and the twins were crying said he was gone, and not coming back.
Stasya's eyes widened and she shook her head fiercely.
“
NO! I DON’T BELIEVE YOU! YOU’RE LYING,” she screamed at her crying mother.
“
DADDY WOULD NEVER LEAVE ME! HE PROMISED!”
She understood the concept of her father's death, but she wasn't going to believe it.
The woman cried harder at her daughter's reaction but tried to choke it back enough to talk.
“Stasya, honey, I’m sorry, but it's true. The rain made it hard for him to see, and he crash..."
With each word, her voice cracked more and the tears spilled over worse.
The little girl shook her head in disbelief, “
YOU’RE A DIRTY LIAR!”
She ran out of the room and up the stairs to the bedroom.
She slammed the door to the triplets' bedroom and crawled into the closet.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AGE SEVEN Stasya and Jeremy wrestled on the floor, Rowdy and Bam on the couch cheering them on.
"
Admit it, Jer, you're gonna lose!" She laughed, pulling her brother into a tight headlock.
She huffed as he struggled against her, clawing at her arm, "
Give up! I'm cutting off your air!"
Rowdy cackled loudly and looked at his twin, "Get ready to pay up, bro! Stas is gonna win!"
"Children, I'm home! And I have great news," their mother called happily, walking in.
She gasped, coming into the living room, "Stasya, get off of your brother! You're choking him!"
She looked at the twins and shook her head, knowing they were the one that started the fight.
Stasya released her brother and rolled off of him into a sitting position, looking up.
"
What's the news, mom?" she asked with a smile, watching Bam slide Rowdy a ten.
She smirked proudly when Rowdy grinned and winked at her, giving her a thumb's up.
Their mom held her hand out with a grin, an impressive ring sparkled on her finger.
"Shawn has asked me to marry him, and I said yes!" She chuckled happily.
Shawn had been there a lot after Malachi's death, and has dated Melody since.
Stasya glared at the ring on her mom's hand, then at her mom. She scoffed angrily.
"
I hate Shawn, and I am not going to call him dad!" She barked vicious, crossing her arms.
She hated the man with a fierce passion and wanted him out of her life more than anything.
And now he was trying to replace her father; well, that just wasn't going to happen.
She ignored her mother's exasperation and pleas to be nice before storming out of the house.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AGE ELEVENIt was a quiet, rainy night and the Havok children were watching cartoons in the living room.
Their mother was in the kitchen, talking and laughing with a man she'd been seeing a lot of.
But it wasn't Shawn. It was a man a lot like Malachi, a man that made Melody happy.
This was a man Stasya liked a lot more than her step-father, so she didn't mind his presence.
Shawn walked in through the front door, mud covered boots and rain drenching his clothes.
Out of the corner of her eye, Stasya watched him stagger drunkenly toward the kitchen.
She bit her lip to keep from grinning and nudged Rowdy, who looked more concerned.
Stasya heard muffled fighting from the kitchen, and she thought the issues were over...
But the girl didn't know how right she was, but in the complete wrong way...
Suddenly the sound of a shotgun rang the the house, all the Havok children jumping.
Stasya jumped off the couch and ran into the other room, yelping at a second gunshot.
She looked up and nearly screamed, her mother and the man both laying dead on the floor.
Shawn knocked her out of the way, sending her crashing into the wall with a loud bang.
As soon as she heard her siblings scream, she ran into the living room.
The gun was now pointed toward Lydia and she cowered in fear, eyes shut tightly.
Stasya screamed and jumped onto her step-father's back, arms wrapped around his neck.
"
Run," she screamed at her siblings before the ran out the front door, Brian carrying Lydia.
Shawn fought against her, clawing at her arms and leaving scratches and bruises.
He thudded backward into the wall, Stasya grunting loudly from the blow, but not letting go.
Thunder crackled loudly outside and Shawn fell to his knees, still struggling to get free.
Finally, he fell to the floor and didn't move; shallow breath the only sign he was still alive.
Red and blue lights flashed outside the window, sirens blaring before cops entered the house.
"What happened here?" one of them demanded, looking at Stasya with wide eyes.
She looked toward the kitchen, sobs wracking her body, and she closed her eyes.
"
They're dead," she managed to whisper, tears silently falling, "
He killed them both..."
The check Shawn's pulse to make sure he was still breathing before escorting Stasya out.
She was quickly in a tight hug from all her siblings as they cried along with her.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AGE TWELVEEver since the murder of her Melody and the incarceration of Shawn, the Havok's were in custody of the state.
They had been placed in a foster home until a more permanent solution could be put in place for them.
In the meantime, the children went on with their lives as best they could in their new situation.
Lydia had gone off to New York to build a life for herself, and maybe help her siblings if possible.
But then things went wrong.
Stasya was walking up to the foster home after having to go talk to more people about what had happened.
She spent a lot of time talking to social services and police and detectives to get the case figured out.
The world already knew he was a murderer, but apparently there were other issues in the case.
She walked into the house and dropped her backpack tiredly, exhausted from school and court.
"
Rowdy, Bam, Jer, Kid?" She walked peeked in the doorways she passed by, looking for her siblings.
She found them in the dining room with their foster mom, they looks on their faces too familiar.
Her heart sunk as they looked up at her, tear streaked faces adding to Stasya's worry.
She swallowed hard and approached them with her chin high. "
What's going on guys?"
Rowdy choked back a sob, the sound too pitiful and sad and defeated for Stasya to not choke up herself.
Their foster mom looked at Stasya sadly, shedding a few tears herself. "Stasya... It's your sister Lydia."
Those words made Stasya's heart completely drop. Her throat constricted and her eyes burned with tears.
"There was a drive-by and she got hit by a stray bullet... She passed before they could get her to a hospital."
Stasya's eyes darted to her brothers, the retelling of the story to them just confirming the reality of things.
She couldn't believe this was happening; first her dad, then her mom, now her sister? It was all too much.
Without another word, she suddenly turned and ran out of the house, tears running down her cheeks.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AGE THIRTEENIt was a terrifying moment. A family was coming in today to adopt a child.
They had filled out their form and all the children fitting it were sitting in the living room, waiting.
Dark brown hair, green eyes, thirteen years old, female... And it meant someone was leaving.
Stasya swallowed hard, looking at the new clothes and foster mother had gotten her for this event.
It they chose her, it meant she'd be leaving without her brothers... And she couldn't stand that thought.
"Alright girls," the foster mother said in sing-song, coming into the room, "they should be here soon!"
The other girls cheered and looked at each other in excitement; Stasya sat silently, brooding.
"I want you all to be on your best behavior and be good little girls! Good luck, my beautiful girls!"
Those words sounded more like a curse to Stasya than what it really was.
The doors opened and in walked a couple, most likely in their mid thirties, both eager and excited.
Stasya stayed back in her spot, eyeing the couple, while the other girls greeted them excitedly.
They're not taking me, and I'll make sure of it! She crossed her arms tightly, and didn't move.
After a while, the couple made their way to where she was seated and the wife looked at her.
"Oh, honey, isn't she just a beautiful little girl! What's your name, sweetie?" The woman sat across from her.
Stasya swallowed hard and stared at the woman for a minute in silence. "Stasya," she finally stated.
"What a beautiful name for such a beautiful girl! My name is Mary, and this is my husband Jackson."
The man knelt down to her level and smiled, offering his hand to shake, "Pleasure to meet you, Stasya."
Stasya shook his hand and he grinned crookedly, "A strong handshake for such a little girl!"
A smirk stitched onto her face, "You want a boy, but she's wants a girl. That's why you pointed me out, isn't it?"
The couple looked at each other then looked at her curiously. "What do you mean, sweet pea?" Mary asked.
"
He wants a boy, but gave in to a girl because that's what you want. But I'm not like the other little girls.
He wanted to talk to me because I'm not wearing a dress like the other girls, I have a stronger handshake.
I'm sitting along instead of dancing around for you two. You can tell I'm different. And I am." She nodded.
Mary pursed her lips then forced a smile, "Why don't you tell us about yourself, sweetheart?"
Stasya shook her head with a chuckle. "
My dad died when I was little. My mom was killed by my step-dad.
My sister died last year, so now I'm the only girl in my family. I have two older brothers, twins, Rowdy and Bam.
I also have two younger brothers, triplets of which I'm the oldest." She looked at their shocked faces.
"You poor thing," Mary exclaimed before enveloping Stasya in a hug. Stasya shifted uncomfortably with a frown.
She tensed at the awkward contact with the stranger, never being someone that enjoyed physical contact.
When she was released, she sighed and looked at the couple, "
Look, I know you guys are looking to adopt.
But I'm not the kid you want. I'm fucked up and I'm not going to be easy to deal with.You don't want to take me.
My brothers are all I've got left and I will not go anywhere without them. Take me and I will make your life hell."
The couple looked at each other and nodded. "I'm sorry, you'll be okay. Good luck with everything, Stasya."
Jackson shook her hand again and pat her on the back, Mary giving the girl another awkward hug, then moved on.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AGE FOURTEENStasya walked into the house, not bothering to take of her soaking wet rain boots.
Her knuckles were bruised and bloodied, a long scratch lined her cheekbone.
She walked passed the living room, nearly walking into Jeremy.
"Whoa, you look like something that cat dragged in. What happened to you?"
Stasya shrugged, looking up at him. "
I got into a fight. So what? Get out of the way."
She tried to push passed him, but her triplet knew her better than that and grabbed her arm.
"No, something's wrong... You aren't acting like yourself. What's going on, what happened?"
She glared at him intensely, green eyes bright with anger. "
Let go of me, now," she hissed.
Jeremy blinked in shock, never having been spoken to like that by his triplet before.
His jaw dropped as, in the blink of an eye, the two were on the ground and she had a knife.
"Stasya, what the fuck!? Get the hell off of me, what the fuck is wrong with you!? Ahhh!"
He screamed and kicked her off of him as the blade cut from his shoulder to his pectoral.
Blood ran down his hand and dripped on the carpet and Stasya smirked wickedly at him.
The sounds of his struggling siblings brought Rowdy out of the living room to the hallway.
"Holy shit, what the hell!?" He ran over to Stasya as she crawled back toward Jeremy. "Stop!"
He grabbed her and twisted the blade from her hands, "What the fuck was that!?"
Rowdy looked at his younger brother, "Jeremy, are you okay?" He looked at the cut worriedly.
After Jeremy nodded and Bam gave him a cloth to cover it with, Rowdy gave the knife to his twin.
"What the fuck is wrong with you!?" He held onto Stasya with both hands now.
Stasya struggled against her brother's grip, growling, hissing, and screaming at him.
"
He wouldn't leave me alone, and now you won't either," she snarled, struggling more.
She leaned down and bit Rowdy's hand until she could taste blood.
Rowdy hissed in pain and, quickly, Bam was helping to hold her down and keep her still.
"Fuck," Rowdy muttered, sucking on the wound for a minute before holding his sister down.
"I wouldn't test her... I think she's capable of anything right now," Jeremy winced. "Even murder."
"You guys just need to shut the hell up, I mean it! You're always fighting and saying shit!"
Kid looked at his siblings, eyes wide as his voice echoed. Her barely spoke, let alone yelled.
"Jesus Christ, we're siblings! All we have is each other and now you're trying to kill us?"
He glared at his sister and shook his head in disappointment, "Dad would be disappointed."
Stasya glared acidicly at her triplet. She struggled to get free from her older brothers.
She snarled and howled like an animal caught in a trap, eyes wide and dark with fury.
"
I'll kill you if you ever talk to me like that again, if you can still talk when I'm done with you!"
She continued to struggle, screaming and yelling profanities incoherently at her brothers.
"Stasya, knock it off," Rowdy ordered, throat tight and making his voice go up an octave.
He had never seen his little sister like this; sure, she got violent and angry, but never this bad.
Risking her wrath by letting her go with one hand, he smacked her across the face, hard.
She froze, face suddenly becoming devoid of emotion, then was completely unconscious.
Bam took the chance to help his hurt brother, the amount of blood oozing out was alarming.
Checking with his twin briefly, he helped Jeremy to his feet and up the stairs to get a bandage.
The entire way, Jeremy was wincing and hissing in pain, leaving small drops of blood on the floor.
Stasya finally opened her eyes and, looking around the room, went wide in alarm. "
The hell?"
She looked at Rowdy, staring down at her while he pinned her to the ground, Kid in the corner.
"
Wh-what happened?" She swallowed hard, afraid of the answer she would receive.
"Well, let's see. You tried to kill Jeremy, cut him, threatened to kill Kid, bit the hell out of my arm..."
He turned his arm to look at the bleeding wound, releasing some of the pressure on Stasya.
After watching her for a minute, no longer struggling, decided it was safe to get off her.
He sat back against the wall and watched his sister cautiously, waiting to see if she was okay.
"
Fuck," Stasya muttered, covering her face with her hands. She felt the warm blood from the cut.
"
Is Jeremy okay?" She moved her hands to look at Rowdy, who shrugged and nodded.
She sighed in relief then looked at her other triplet, "
I'm sorry, Kid... Are you okay?"
He nodded, back to being the silent shadow that he was, but was still worried about her.
She looked at Brian, the bite mark on his arm bleeding, and she blinked. "
How about you?"
Rowdy smiled weakly and shrugged, "I've had worse. Soon, it'll be just another scar."
With a nod, Stasya sat up and ran a hand through her hair. "
I guess I'll go check on Jer then."
She pushed up and walked upstairs to the bathroom, looking at the floor in shame. "
Hey..."
Jeremy looked at his triplet guardedly as Bam put himself between them, "Fucking normal again?"
She cringed slightly but nodded. "
Are you okay?" She looked up at him worriedly.
He shrugged and winced as Bam poured alcohol onto the cut, "No, but I think I'll live..."
Stasya nodded for a second. "
I'm really, really sorry Jeremy! For hurting you, for whatever I did!"
He shrugged again, biting his lip while their brother continued to tend to his wound silently.
"What the fuck happened? You weren't you down there..." Jeremy looked at her, waiting.
Stasya shook her and shrugged, "
I don't know... I got into a fight and the guy punched me.
I blacked out and, when I finally came to, I was laying in the hallway. Bri told me what happened."
Jeremy nodded slowly, like he was trying to figured out what had happened all on his own.
"Well, at least you're okay now." He turned when Bam said he was done, and looked in the mirror.
"Now I'll have a cool scar like the rest of you guys." He chuckled lightly and shook his head.
Walking over to sister, he playfully punched her. "If you ever try and kill me again, I'll kill you."
She scoffed a laugh and smirked, "
Okay, fair enough. Hey, where is everyone?"
"You picked a perfect night to try and kill me. They went out for ice cream; we didn't wanna go."
Stasya raise a brow, "
So they left the Havok's home alone? Wow. Show's what they know."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AGE FIFTEENStasya sat on the edge of the tub, her legs bouncing uncontrollably from the nerves.
She knew exactly what she would see when she looked at the fifth pregnancy test today.
She looked at it and, sure enough, the parallel lines told her exactly what she feared...
Nausea sweapt over her as she put a hand on her stomach, denial holding fast.
"
Brian," she nearly cried, dropping to her knees and putting her head against the counter
Rowdy opened the door and walked in, freezing when he saw the positive tests lined up.
His jaw dropped and the smile usually glued to his face vanished as he looked at his sister.
"No... Stasya Marie, please tell me these aren't yours." His voice was pleading and worried.
She nodded slowly as the terror started to set in as she thought of the human growing inside her.
For the first time since Lydia's death, a tear slid down her cheek and she choked back sobs.
Stasya had known even before she took the tests but had hoped that she was wrong.
Slowly pulling her phone out of her pocket, she typed a message to her boyfriend.
"
I need to see you ASAP..." She could hardly believe the reason, it seemed like a bad dream.
She dropped her arms limply, her phone clattering against the tile, and she looked at her brother.
"
Brian, what am I going to do?" she squeaked, eyes brimming. She looked at the test in her hand.
She dropped the test and covered her face with her hands and sobbed.
Rowdy sat on the ground and pulled his baby sister, close in a secure and reassuring hug.
"Everything'll be okay. You have choices. And me and Bam and Dave and Jer are here for you.
And Edward will be too, he's a good guy. And mom and dad. You aren't alone, kiddo. I promise."
He stroked his sister's hair and let her cry on his shoulder until she couldn't anymore.
She picked up her phone and looked at the new message. "
I'm on my way. Is everything okay?"
Stasya choked back another sob and looked at Rowdy in horror, feeling like a lost little girl.
"
What am I going to tell him? He'll be so mad at me..." She covered her face again.
Rowdy grit his teeth and shut his eyes, "Well, he was dumb enough to not be safe, time to be a man."
She looked at her brother, obviously not happy about the situation but trying to hide it the best he could.
Their foster mom called up to her that Edward was at the door and Stasya went pale. "
Wish me luck."
She walked out of the bathroom and down the stairs. Her boyfriend was sitting on a bench on the porch.
With a deep breath, she walked over and sat beside him. "
Hey," she mumbled, staring at her bare feet.
He greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. "What's wrong, babe? You don't look so good..."
Stasya laughed bitterly and shook her head. "
Our lives are about to change big time, buddy..."
She looked at him and his face became serious in an instant. "Our lives? Stasya, you're not...?"
Holding her breath and looking at the ground, she nodded. "
I took five tests, all were positive..."
"Holy shit..." Edward ran a hand through his black hair and nodded. "Holy shit... Uh... Fuck."
That was the last conversation the two had, the last time they saw each other.
After that, he all but vanished off the face of the earth, leaving Stasya to raise their baby alone.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
AGE SIXTEEN"Push," the doctor told her as she laid in the delivery room going through the most intense pain.
Stasya glared at the man, "
I AM YOU FUCKHEAD, JUST GET IT OUT OF ME!" She screamed.
The pain caused tears to pour out of her eyes and she was screaming profanities at everyone.
Looking over at Rowdy, "
If I ever see the fucker again, I'm going to kill him for doing this to me!"
Rowdy stifled a laugh and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, though he couldn't feel his fingers.
Finally, the room was filled with the loud cries of a baby and Stasya let out a single sob of relief.
"Miss Havok-Trainer, you have a beautiful baby boy." The doctor handed Stasya the baby in his blanket.
She adjusted him and he instantly stopped cry. One look at his little face and that was all it took.
She sobbed and lightly stroked his soft cheek with his fingers. "
Hey Motley... I'm your mama."
She looked up at Rowdy, crying happily, then back down at her little human... Her little baby boy.
"
Do you want to hold him?" She looked up at her brother again, and he nodded eagerly.
With his own tears brimming, Rowdy carefully took the little bundle and secured it in his arms.
"Hey, buddy! I'm your uncle Rowdy and we're gonna be best buddies." He grinned widely.
The baby boy wrapped his tiny fingers around Rowdy's pinky, yawned, and squinted up at him.
Rowdy looked at Stasya with an excited grin, "Hey, I think he likes me!" He looked back at the baby.
Stasya nodded tiredly and sighed, settling into the bed a little in exhaustion and closing her eyes.
"Get some rest now, Miss Havok-Trainer, you won't be getting much for the next few months."
She opened one eye at the doctor and half-smiled before falling asleep to Rowdy talking to her son.
