Songbird POV

Groaning, my eyes flutter open. The ceiling that I was staring up at tilted slightly making me dizzy. Closing my eyes again, I wait until my world stops spinning before opening them again.

Where am I?

Gently sitting up, I notice that I was laying on an unknown bed. This feels familiar.

Testing my limbs, I sigh in relief when they moved. This is getting old...

The sound of mumbled voices on the other side of the closed door perked my curiosity. Sliding to the edge of the bed, I test my weight on my left foot. When my foot was able to support my body without giving out, I placed the other foot down. Wobbling a little, I make my way to a nearby desk and grab hold of it.

Not bad.

My eyes land on a picture of a girl that looked to be my age. Picking it up, I smile when I see her arms wrapped around a younger looking Sēnlín .

This must be Sēnlín's room.

The voices behind the door began to get louder. Suddenly I heard a thump followed by the breaking of glass. Panic filled me as I made my way to the door and silently opened it. The scene before me scared me as the owners of the voices didn't notice my presence.

"Why did you betray us?! If you hadn't manipulated her mind, she might still be alive!" My brother yelled as he slammed Sēnlín against the wall.

"Do you not think I know that?! I think about her every day of my miserable life!"

"You deserve this punishment! You weren't the only one that loved her, Sēnlín."

"Like you could have protected her better than me!" Sēnlín angrily said as he pushed my brother off of him.

"She died in your arms, Sēnlín. If she was mine to claim, she might have still been alive!"

In anger, Sēnlín punched my brother which made me paralized in fear. What do I do?

Holding his sore jaw, my brother stared at Sēnlín with deadly eyes.

"Did you love her?" Sēnlín asked as he struggled to catch his breath from the sudden rush of adrenaline.

Silence.

"Answer me!" Sēnlín's voice was a mixture of frustration and desperation.

"Romantically? No, only you did. And I respected that! But you should have sacrificed your love for the person that holds your heart like I did! Every day I thought of my little sister being alone in Korea without me or maybe even dead! So I thought, if I couldn't protect Míngqín when I was 9, then I could protect Meriem. All my life, I was hunting for a person that was actually my long lost sister. Alll my life, I thought my precious little sister was dead because of you jerks! Now I know that it was you and your brother's fault for what happened to my family.

When Sēnlín stayed quite, my brother looked down at him in disgust. "You didn't deserve her love. She loved and trusted you with her life! And you didn't even trust her when she was around other guys?!"

"That's enough!" I yelled at them. Surprised, both men turned to me.

"Míngming, you're awake! Should you even be walking?" My brother said with a concerned look.

"Don't give me that, Rèn!" I snapped in frustration. "Do you even know how many years I've waited for you to come back? I watched for you every night, hoping that you would be right beside me like you always were. But I always woke up alone. Because of that, I would have nightmares of you every time I closed my eyes. You wanted me to stay free, but I just wanted my Gēgē back." My lips trembled at my words. I've always wanted him to come back, but now that he is here...why am I not running into his arms?

"Míngqín, I didn't want to leave you..."

"I know that you thought I died....and I still love you. But your actions hurt me. Living thinking my brother betrayed and abandoned me hurt me more than it would have dying beside him with mom and dad.

If it wasn't for Tàiyáng and the new friends that I made, I would still be the small weak orphan getting bullied and wanting to die. When I was with them, I no longer felt like an orphan in a large world. I actually felt like a part of the world. So please don't judge Sēnlín for his past actions without getting to know him for who he is now. Both of you made decisions based on what your heart told you."

"I guess you hold this guy in high favor?"

"Yes, and don't forget that you're not perfect either, Lǐ Rèn!"

"Yikes, she used your last name." Jabbed Sēnlín .
"Shutup." Rèn muttered.

Hanging his head, Rèn looked at Sēnlín. "My anger got the best of me...thank you for taking care of my little sister when I couldn't." Swallowing his pride, Rèn bowed down to Sēnlín.

"You and Meriem were always close and I guess I let my jealousy get the best of me. But I never stopped loving her and if there had been a way to save her...I would have done it." Sēnlín confessed as he motioned for my brother to raise his head. Satisfied with his answer, Rèn gave Sēnlín a slight smile before walking over to my side to see how I was doing.

"So... Lǐ Rèn is your name." Sēnlín smirked at him.
"Whatever, you're name isn't any better."

Sēnlín grinned at Rèn. "It's been a while since we last talked. We have a lot to catch up with..."

"How did you adjust to the light so quickly? My eyes are killing me!" My brother whined as he rubbed his tembles.

I relaxed when the tense air finally cleared. That was too close.

"Are you still in Lacerta?" Sēnlín asked.

"No, after the incident, everyone dispersed and hid in the shadows. During the time that Jīngxì was in prison, I got a hint that my sister was still alive using a Korean name. So I was searching for my little sister here. I was eventually found by Jīngxì and forced to come back. But after that last stunt I pulled, I'm probably on the x-list with you guys now."

"Where's your gun? I remember that you were always packing back in America."

"Your little brother snatched it from me before he jumped out of the car." Sēnlín covered his mouth to hide his smile.

"You taught him well, Sēnlín,"Rèn praised.

"Sorry to interrupt this "sweet" moment you two are having, but does anyone of you care to explain what happened?" I asked as I sat down onto the floor. Standing for so long wore me out.

"You've been unconscious for a week." Rèn slid to the ground next to me so we could talk easier.

"That's not surprising," I sighed in frustration. I hate this. So much time...so many moments that I miss out on...

Where is Tàiyáng? The last time I passed out, he left for three months.

"He disappeeared," Rèn whispered as he carefully observed me, "We've been trying to track where the new Lacerta headquarters are."

"Disappeared?!"

"Yep." Holding my head, my world began to spin again. Why am I so weak?

While Rèn filled me in on what I missed, all I could think of was how to get Tàiyáng back.
"I have a question... "

"Yes?"

"You do know that Headmaster was the one who wanted Tàiyáng to start the drug?" Sēnlín asked Rèn .

"You don't say... " Rèn muttered as he clenched and unclenched his fists. "He lied to me some many times, I'm not surprised anymore. "

"Got it!"

"What?" I asked as I jerked my head up to Sēnlín. Holding his phone in his hand, he seemed slightly upset.

"I've been tracking the black market ever since Tàiyáng disappeared. Someone just contacted me about the drug I was looking for. He said he will meet me at a disclosed spot for the exchange."

"How would that help?" I asked

"This guy might lead us to where the new Lacerta headquarters are."

Which will lead us to where Tàiyáng is!

"We are going to get my little brother back from that monster." Sēnlín growled as he left the room to get ready.