Page 20 of From Angel to Rogue (Four Foxes #6)

KATY

“Who are you?” A sweet voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

My gaze left the dancing trees to look up at a little boy wearing a white buttoned shirt and tiny blue slacks peering at me curiously.

“I’m Katy,” I whispered.

“I’m Luka,” he muttered, his brown hair swaying with the wind. “Mr. Matty asked me to go talk to you. I don’t know why,” he said, taking the seat beside me.

“Is that so?” My eyes met my twin, who had his eyes trained on us.

Concern shined in his green eyes as he slid us a small smile before returning his attention to Sierra, who was wreaking havoc with the other kids.

We had taken a day trip to Sierra and Raphy’s hometown, Iona, which was an hour upstate of New York. My brother, being the good, honest man he was, volunteered at a local home for children here every week and taught them to play drums among other things.

Since I was staying with them and had nothing better to do, I tagged along too.

My brother was skeptical about bringing me here, knowing my condition, but none of this bothered me. I was actually glad I came here.

“Yes.” Luka’s soft voice brought my eyes back to him. He had mousy brown hair that was tousled like beautiful chocolate waves. His pouty pink lips, button nose, and pudgy cheeks made him too adorable.

But his precious brown eyes didn’t have the sparkle that a kid his age should have. Instead, they held emptiness. A kind of emptiness that I wanted to fill with nothing but joy and happiness for some reason.

“Don’t you want to play?” I asked Luka.

After Matty’s little drum lesson that led to nowhere with a bunch of mischievous kids, Matty decided to make the best of the weather and announced it was playtime.

For the past ten minutes, I had been settled in a soft patch of grass in the backyard, watching the kids run around with Sierra and Matty with giggles and glowing eyes.

“No, I don’t play. I’m small for my age so I will only slow them down,” he mumbled solemnly.

My heart swelled. “Well, do you see Matty there?” I pointed at my brother, who acted like a zombie monster, and Sierra, the commander tasked to put him down.

He nodded adorably.

“He used to be so much smaller than you when he was your age. But look at him now. He’s so tall and strong.”

“Really?” Luka’s brows pinched. “How do you know?”

“He’s my twin.”

“What’s a twin?”

Oh, there went my heart. “Like a brother, but instead of being born year or years apart, we were born at the same time.”

My answer only confused him more. “How is that possible?”

Hmm, how do I answer that without saying something wrong to a child? “You’ll know when you grow up,” I said, and that seemed to satisfy him.

“How old?”

“Well, how old are you now?”

“I’m six now.” He held up seven of his fingers.

I couldn’t help but smile at that.

“You’re pretty,” he said before I could say anything. “You’re pretty when you smile.”

Emotion clogged my throat. “Well, you’re pretty too, baby. More than pretty.”

His cheeks flushed pink. “Boys aren’t supposed to be pretty.”

“But you are to me.” I ruffled his hair to which he gave me a toothy grin.

Who hurt this precious boy, and how the hell do I find their address and kill them?

I didn’t know how the time passed, but soon, it was time for the kids’ and Luka’s evening study time. And that was the time for us to sadly leave too.

“Will you come next week with Mr. Matty, Katiew?” Luka looked at me expectantly when I hugged him goodbye.

My heart tugged with unknown emotion at the way he said my name. And I couldn’t help but say yes to his request. “Sure, and I’ll bring you a chocolate milkshake, okay?”

“Okay, I never had a chocolate milkshake before,” he said innocently, blinking at me.

For some reason, my eyes stung as I hugged him closer, promising to buy more than one.

What the hell was this little boy doing to me?

It felt like I was leaving my heart with Luka when we all finally bid him goodbye and walked over to Matty’s car.

“That boy, Luka…” I started as I met Matty’s eyes in the rearview mirror.

“What happened to him? Why is he distant from the rest of the kids?” I only saw him interact with the three of us and one other girl called Mitchell.

And while the other kids were more active in their bubbly energy, Luka was the only one more withdrawn.

Sierra flashed me a sad smile over her shoulder while Matty inhaled sharply at my question.

And I knew even before he said something that it was going to scar my heart for this lifetime.

I was openly crying by the time Matty finished his story. Sierra seethed with fury at hearing his story again while she tried to console me, but I was a goner.

I had crumbled myself into a sad bubble while I cried for the torture that my boy endured at the hands of his previous foster home.

I couldn’t even bring myself to think about them starving and beating such a sweet boy like Luka.

They must be pure monsters because no human could ever have it in their heart to hurt such a small child.

Knowing the reason for my boy’s thin, frail frame only dug the pain deeper, and my head ached as I silently cried, leaning against the window. I wanted to buy every food in the universe just so I could watch him eat.

It made me think how careless and clueless my relationship with food had been. Instead of being thankful for the food on my plate, I took it for granted and intentionally starved myself to make myself fit a certain norm in the society.

It was only when the NYC skyline came into view as we neared home that I realized I’d been calling Luka my boy. I wiped away the remnants of my tears not knowing why I did that.

It was something about him.

The more I thought of him, the more my mind connected him with a younger version of Lan. Only more sadder.

Then it struck, if I… if I was really pregnant back then and if I had given birth to a child, he or she would’ve been just around Luka’s age.

In the back of my mind, it felt like Luka was my boy in a way.

“You’re right, Si. This is kind of nice,” I commented as I felt the peculiar rush of blood seep into every inch of my head.

“Right.” Sierra grinned, dimples popping. “This is the best position ever.”

It’d been about a week, and I was still bunking at my brother’s place like it was my newfound haven. Thankfully, the couple didn’t object to me invading their apartment.

I was happy here.

Only it would feel more complete if my Lan was here.

Now that my head was more clear, I missed him more than anything.

There was one other reason I lingered like a stain on my brother’s apartment.

Luka.

I wanted to see him again. I wanted to talk to him again. I wanted to see this gleam in his innocent eyes when he tasted chocolate for the first time.

I didn’t know if I was supposed to, but I wanted to witness and experience his childhood like a mother.

“Sierra?” Matty asked. “Did you rope my sister into your weird position as well?”

“Katy loves it,” Sierra countered, munching her Cheetos.

“Yes, it’s really nice, Matty,” I added.

Sierra and I were upside down on the couch watching a Korean drama that she swore was the best, and I must agree that it intrigued me enough to continue watching it. The only problem was reading the subtitles, but it felt relaxing to lay like this and watch TV.

Matty’s bewildered expression didn’t fade. “I highly doubt it,” he murmured. “But come on, it’s time to go.”

I perked up to a sitting position, shaking off the light dizziness because excitement fired my heart at the thought of going to Iona to meet Luka again. After all, I’d secretly been hoping for this moment this entire week.

My excitement only brightened when the sign to St. Mary’s School for Children came into view.

It was a beautiful property on the edge of a quiet street, with the school and the hostel block in the same compound, lush with trees and expansive lawns.

It was run by Lucia and Peter, a wonderful couple who dedicated their lives to these children.

Armed with chocolate milkshakes to feed an army, we entered the small reception area through the back building and were immediately greeted by Lucia walking up to us, smiling warmly.

“See you brought the kids some treat,” she said as she took some of the bags from us.

“Can’t help it.” Matty shrugged. “I do apologize for the sugar rush in advance.”

“That’s okay, Mr. Evans,” she said over her shoulder. “As long as it makes them happy but don’t tell those rowdy brats I told them so.”

We followed her down the huge hallway to a small hall where Matty taught the kids drumming last week.

The chatter in the air grew louder as we neared, and as soon as Lucia opened the door, a scurry of excited faces swarmed Matty and Sierra, but my eyes searched the crowd for only one person.

And there he was in a quiet corner, leaning over a pillar. He bit his lips as he eyed Matty and the rest of the kids almost as if he was skeptical of what was going on.

I sidestepped the little crowd and made my way toward him, and Luka’s eyes brightened when they found mine.

“Katiew,” he said with delight, skipping over to me, and my heartbeat rose at that sight.

“Hey, Luka.” I crouched down to greet him with a hug. “I brought you a chocolate milkshake like promised,” I said, handing him the cold cup with a peppermint-designed straw poking out of it.

“Thank you,” he mumbled shyly as his adorable fingers clasped around the cup. He protectively held the cup to his chest and tentatively took a sip. His eyes twinkled at the taste, which only made him slurp more.

“Good?” I asked

“Yes, Katiew. This the best thing I’ve ever tasted.” He hurried, trying to finish the rest of his shake.

“Slow down, buddy.” I softly patted his hair back. “I brought plenty.”

He nodded, looking at me with so much trust and vulnerability that it made me want to wrap him in my arms and keep him with me forever.

It was then that I decided that Luka was going to be mine.

I had no clue how to be a mother, or maybe everything in my life happened so I could be this boy’s mother.

Or maybe he was my second chance.