I swear, I almost pissed my pants. I can't believe she just said that. The look on her face speaks a thousand words. She looks determined and completely convinced. She truly believes she is a monster. And, once I register everything she just said, I feel myself begin to bubble with rage. How could someone harm such an innocent angel?

Xavier asks through our mindlink. His voice is full of hostility and malice. And if looks could kill, the whole country would be dead right now, chocking on the poison in his green eyes.

Ashton answers him. He looks pale, like he's about to be sick. But I can still see the anger swirling around in his eyes. It looks like a brewing storm on a crystal lake.

I say, my deadly tone rivaling Xavier's.

Xavier responds, animosity leaking from his words. Wow, he truly is the voice of reason.

It is at this very moment we realize we've been mindlinking for far too long again. Because the determined look on her face turns into one of confusion. It's almost impossible to stay mad because she looks so fucking adorable right now with her nose scrunched, eyebrows furrowed, and head tilted. But, the spitefullness and red hot anger return tenfold when the next words escape past her beautiful lips.

"I'm a monster, and they like to make sure I never forget. That's why they punish me. I'm an abomination, but I still find myself wishing to have some kind of normality. I want someone to love me, I want friends, and I want my family to care for me like they used to. Like they should. So please, even though you know I'm a freak, don't leave me like everyone else," she pleads, voice cracking at the end. I can tell it was hard for her to say those words for us, and I honestly don't know why she did it. That kind of shut takes a lot of courage, and she literally just met us. Maybe she feels the same pull I do. The same sparks when our skin touches. . .

Ashton is the first one to snap out of his surprised trance. "Babygirl, you're not a monster. You're an angel. A beautiful, perfect, innocent, little angel. You shouldn't be punished. You deserve all the love the world can offer, and I can promise that we'll never leave you."

She starts to tear up, and Ashton's eyes glaze over with a kind of emotion that can only be described as adoration. She truly is perfect, especially if she can get Ashton to say something like that.

What happened to the emotionally unattached bad boy?

"Princess, from now on, we'll always protect you," Xavier chips in with a voice full of compassion and patience.

"And you don't need your family, you have us now, kitten," I continue for him. She lets out a little whimper, which soon turns into a sob. All three of us immediately pull her into our embrace.

Now I want to kill them even more. My kitten is crying, and it's all their fault. Still, though, somehow she manages to look gorgeous even when she's crying. Her silver hair is sticking to her face, and her eyes look like a raging ocean. There's a bit of mascara running under her eyes, but I can tell that's all the makeup she's wearing. And it seems to me that she doesn't even need the mascara.

"Promise?" She mumbles very quietly. Her question is barely audible, especially with her face pressed against my chest. But, with our great hearing, we're able to make out the words. She leans back to look up at all of us, her arms still wrapped around me, and I lift my hand to gently wipe away the mascara under her eyes.

"Promise," we all repeat simultaneously. There is an undeniable confidence lacing our tones. One thing I know for sure, she's everything we didn't know we needed, and we're never letting her go.

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I know it's kinda short, but the next one will be longer. As always, feel free to correct me for any mistakes. Blah blah blah, you get it. Until next time...

Sincerely,

The Annoying Author Lady