Atlas High

Chapter 2-The Past meets the future

Third Point of View

                    10 years ago, 2010

            "Honey we are running late did you call the nanny?" A beautiful woman says to an equally handsome man. 

            Said handsome man smoothly replies with, "yes love I already called her letting her know." She nods her head and looks out the window enjoy the silent ride to their home. 

     The beautiful woman is 5'9 with an hourglass figure. Her waist-long dark brown wavy hair perfectly frames her oval olive face. Captivating baby blue eyes, full dark brown eyebrows, a slender nose, and full pink lips got the attention of many. But none got her's until one campus party. Her beauty captivated a certain famous basketball player who had the hearts and lust of many. She was a caring person by nature, intelligence, confidence, and a contagious laugh that made her future husband fall to his knees. 

    The handsome man is 6'4 tall with the athletic body of a basketball player who loves the game. His jet black hair slightly covered his bushy eyebrows and unique Atlantic sea color eyes that drew in many women to his bed. A player on the basketball court and in the halls of his alete campus. For years his tan skin, kissable full lips, sharp jawline, and high cheekbones got him whatever he wanted or whoever he wanted for a night or two. Expect when it came to his future wife. 

    The year they dated was filled with high and lows that tested their love for one another. Their struggles lead him to bend down on one knee and ask her to be his forever and to accept him as hers forever. Since that day they grew their love, trust, memories, and family members. 

    Not long after their short conversation, they see their three-story historical house down the road. Parking their car on their driveway they open their car doors and make their way to the front door. The dark wood double set doors open up and reveal their traditional home. Entering their home they take off their raincoats and hang them on the hooks. 

            The beauty moves to the bottom of the staircase before yelling out, "we're home! Ellie, Eric, Triston come down here."

            "Hurry please!" The handsome man says next to the beauty. 

    In a matter of seconds, they hear the all too familiar sound of thundering footsteps racing down the staircase. In front of them, they see their three children dressed in their pajamas with excited smiles on their faces. Two protective little boys sandwich their sister that is used to their protective nature and overbearing behavior. Their mother and father give each other a nod to one another before they slowly move away from each other. Revealing a hidden boy, a boy who looks to be their age. Dark brown hair that seems to match their own hair, full eyebrows, slender nose, pink lips, and green eyes with swirls of hazel in them stand out on his olive freckled covered face.

            "Sweeties I want to introduce you to Angel Julius Hall your new brother," their mother says to the trio with a smile. 

            The trio looks to one another before giving each other a knowing look. "Don't you want to-" their father stops midsentence. 

    Before their father could finish his sentence he sees his kids run out of the room. Leaving him and his wife shocked at what happened a moment ago. Angel looks down to the floor trying his best to hold back the tears in his eyes. A sniffle leaves his body which has his parents ben down to try their best and comfort him. A moment later they hear the sound of footsteps coming closer and closer to them before they see their kids again. 

            "Why did you guys run away?" Their father slightly raises his voice to make sure they know he is not happy with them. 

            Ellie who is in the middle speaks up for them. "Daddy we just wanted to bring our brother toys to play with. Why? Did we do something wrong?" 

            "Oh sweety we thought you didn't like your brother," their mother speaks up.    

            "Why wouldn't we like our new brother? We just wanted something to play with him," Triston says. After that, the three of them make their way to Angel. They introduce themselves before getting down to business. Moments pass by before they hear the laughter of the four them playing around the room. 

        8 years ago, 2012

    Slowly he leans down and places a gentle kiss on his daughter's forehead before doing the same to his boys. He lets out a sigh before quietly walking to out of the room and heads to his office. He spends the next 5 hours going over the testimony, financial records, reports, and schedules before he decides to join his wife in bed. Taking off his tailored suit he is left in his grey boxer before he feels the familiar warmth of his wife. Turning around he admires his wife like it is the last time he will ever see her. Lowering himself he kisses her with as much passion as he can. 

            Breaking the kiss he leans to her ear before whispering 9 words. "I love you with all of my heart, love."    

            "I love you D."

Ellie Hall Point of View

                    Present-day, 2020

    Am I the only one that can't stop thinking? My mind feels as if it is forever running with idiotic thoughts, memories, a mini conversation with myself, or just saying random things. For the last three months, all it can every picture or think about is my family. I love my parents with all of my heart or maybe I should get used to saying I loved my parents with all of my heart. My mom was an amazing person who loved having a career and a family. The same thing goes with my dad who loved building his company and foundation. They loved having their own passions and own ambition. Even though they were considered work alcoholics they never made any of my siblings or myself feel their lack of love, concern, affection, attention, or anything. 

    My mom Cara Elizabeth Hall was the number one neurosurgeon in the United States and known in the world. Her dedication was something you could not underestimate. She loved the operating room, writing papers for journals, and staying hours and hours in her labs improving her field. Her passion drove her to be the best for herself and for her patients. She was both a caring mother and wife to her husband and kids. I would describe her as confident, organized, intelligent, caring, and so much more. She loved to read to us telling us to always keep educating yourself. She never let us forget how much she loved us. 

    My dad David Spencer Hall was the top legal law firm on this side of the globe. His law firm which he founded with the help of his wife and best friend would go on to win many impressive cases. The elite of the elite came to cozy up to my parents for insurance. He loved building his law firm and foundation that helped out many people. His passion for justice could be seen in his generosity and fair pay. He was the type of guy to keep calm under pressure trying to predict other's moves. Always thinking ahead was his Motte at work and in our home. His love for his work showed with us. He would always treat us with the same respect as a junior lawyer. Both of our parents made sure to provide us with whatever we needed. We had the dream life but I guess the dream had to die right? Or just the dreamers? 

    Honestly, the only thing that has been holding me together is knowing my brothers are there for me. Even if we all look like crap and aren't really ourselves we are there for each other. Just looking at Triston he looks completely different from before. His protective and overbearing nature has not changed one bit but I don't think that ever will. I am the baby of the family and the only girl, lucky me. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. Triston is the best big bro I could ever ask for besides Angel and Eric. He has this mysterious vibes that would have girls line up to try to get a moment of his time. But all Triston cares is football, family, and the gym. 

    However lately he's been grumpy and not at all himself. He's constantly cleaning the house which he uses to hate doing. He lives in comfy clothes when before he uses to pride himself in his outfits. He was the mini version of our dad with the expectations of having our mother's nose shape, eyebrows, and smile. His jet black hair is all over the place which hides his eyebrows. Oh and Angel is now living on the couch watching criminal minds and SVU. Before he would always convince us to do stupid s**t which got in trouble with our dad. Now his adventurous nature is gone and replaced with chips and soda. His player's ways still keep us up at night but the same thing goes with Eric. Both of them can't keep their grunts in no matter how man times I disturb them. If I don't get sleep then they don't get to c*m its as simple as that.  

    Eric and I took after our mother, for the most part, expects for our height, sapphire eyes, full lips, and cheekbones. Being twins we are so used to doing the same thing which means I've been at the gym 24/7 with Eric by my side. Its the only way I can think about doing instead of crying my eyes out. We use to have so much fun chilling with our friends and now we can't go out without one sorry look given to us. Hopefully, that changes and soon. 

                    One hour later

Triston Hall Point of View

            "Eric! Ellie! Angel! come downstairs," I yell from the bottom of the stairs. "Be down in 5..."

            "...4...", Ellie yells down. 

            "...3..." Angel yells soon after. 

            "..2.." Eric yells out.

            "And 1," I say to my siblings who are now by my side.     

            "So.," Angel asks me. 

            "Uncle Ken will be stopping by in 30 minutes to discuss a few things with us," I say to them who nod their heads. "So we should all try to look our best and not like a living corpse."

            "I'll try my best just for you," Ellie says while taping my nose. 

    I'm not used to seeing Eric's and Ellie's sapphire eyes look dull and lifeless but what should I expect? Mine looks like the same maybe even duller. My once baby blue eyes use to be brighter but with all this s**t they got dimmer and dimmer. Their brown hair looks dead and mine looks like the shadows of our demons. Angel looks paler and skinner, not like his usual slim tall physic. I've gained some fat in my ass so much that I need to hit the gym again. Or wait a while before going back and instead buy bigger jeans. Shaking my head trying to get rid of stupid thoughts I go to my room and change. 

                    30 Minutes Later 

            "...again I would like to thank you for taking the time to meet with me...especially considering the little time that has past since." The man in his late 50 says to us. I nod my head in understanding before showing him to our father's home office. Once all of us are situated Ken our father's partner looks at all of us before speaking up again. "I would like to start off by saying the love I have for your father and mother will never die. I see each of you as an extension of my family and I wish you see me as such." 

            "Of course we do Uncle Ken. You've been a huge part of our lives and will continue to be," Angel says for all of us. 

            Ken gives us a loving look before taking a moment to get himself together. "Thank you that means a lot to me. Now on to business...your parents Cara Elizabeth Hall and David Spencer Hall were prepared for this unfortunate event. Your parents insured each of you would be able to continue on with or without them. As it seems it will be without them. As stated in their will they wished to give you some time before letting me contact you about this matter. Since the mandatory time has gone by it is time for me to keep my promise. I have a copy of their will for each of you to read on your own. I've highlighted the important details that needed to be discussed with me right now. Please take a moment to review them."

                    5 minutes later

            "Do any of you have questions for me?"

            "Well from what was highlighted I'm still unclear on how we would settle the property situation," Ellie says to uncle Ken.

            "And what about our father's share in his foundation and law firm representation," Angel voices his concern. 

            "What about our education? Not only for our senior year but as well for college," I ask. 

            "Why don't we begin with Ellie's concern and go on from there. When discussing with your parents about there shared properties they wish to leave the four of you with options and absolute say. The first option that they discussed and left you with was to sell all of the 16 properties or selected properties. If chosen then the profits would be divided with each of you equally." Uncle Ken finishes his sentence and takes a moment before moving on to the other options. 

            "The second option is for some or all of the properties to be rented out. The profits would be divided between the four of you evenly. The third option is for the four of you to keep all 16 properties in each of your names. The fourth and final option is to divide the properties evenly between the four of you. Meaning each of you would have total control over four properties. If decided on this option then it would be insured you would receive the equal value of the land. All of you must agree and no pressure from anyone. I will leave the room to decide." With that, he got up from his seat and left us alone with our thoughts. 

Angel Hall Point of View

    The sound of the door closing echos in the now silent room. Each of us is in our own worlds with our own thoughts. Thoughts on what we should do moving forward from this tragedy. Ever since that night, nothing has been the same and why would it be? Now the four of us are left having only each other. I let a sigh past my lips before shaking my head before looking around the familiar room. The room my father used almost daily for his work meetings or workload. It was the one place where we saw our father become another person. 

    The person who I knew as my dad was a protector but not only to his family and friends. I guess it comes with being a lawyer who is meant to bring justice to this world. The person who many strangers, clients, or anyone else see is professional, calm, organized, and determination is his middle name. A name everyone knows just by looking at him. But, to my siblings and I all we saw was a lovable family man. A man who cared about his family and friends who mean the world to him. A man who was great at almost anything except he couldn't make anything edible for us. 

    He would always say to us "protect the ones you love with all of your heart. Those who have a special place in your heart who you can't live without them and never want to." That quote will forever be in my mind as long as I breathe. I relook at the copy of my parent's will one last time before looking up to my siblings who are rereading the will. "What do you think about our options, Ellie?"

            Ellie looks at me then at our other brothers before speaking up to us. "I'm leaning more towards keep all 16 properties in each of our names. I don't like the idea of selling the land that was once theirs and now ours. What do you guys think?" 

            "I agree I don't like the thought of selling or renting out. What about you Eric? Tris?"

            "I'm glad you guys like that option because I agree to," Eric says to us. 

            "Well, it looks like we all agree on the properties. Now let's call back uncle Ken," Triston says before moving to the door and letting in our uncle. 

            "Well, what is your decision? Or do you need more time," uncle Ken asks us. 

            "No uncle we don't need more time we have all agreed on keeping all of the properties in each of our names," Tris says. 

            "Great! I'm glad to hear that and glad this is going smoothly. Now before any of you sign the paperwork I need to further explain what this option means. Your parents stated that if you were to keep the properties in all of your names then any future decision must be made together. If you guys agree to this stipulation then we can move forward with the signatures." They nod their heads agreeing with the stipulation and so they sign the paperwork.

            "Okay, now that the property situation is settled we can move on with the foundation and law firm that needs to be dealt with. What is the situation with that?" 

            "The law firm and foundation were controlled by the three of us which were your parents and me. Meaning they owned 66% of the firm and foundation which will be divided between the four of you. Meaning each of you would receive 16% of the company and foundation. Now the only issue is that the law firm and foundation needs a physical body to handle the day to day work when they finish their education. Until then I will hold the position until their graduation of college. I know that your parents were going to talk to you all about this later but now it seems I am the one that needs to. You will need to decide who that will be." 

    With those last words leaving his mouth he gets up from his seat and heads for the door. Giving us some time to discuss who would want to represent our interest and take over our father vacancy when the time comes. There is only one person who I think could handle the work and who would be thrilled with this opportunity. 

                    7 minutes later

Third Point of View

            The sound of the door closing gains their attention letting them know their time is up. Their uncle sits down once again and gives each of them a look before speaking up. "Have the four of you come to a decision?" 

    The four of them nod their heads before Eric speaks up. "We have uncle and we think the best person to take our dad role in the firm and foundation should be..."

                    6 hours later     

    The four of them take a final tour of their childhood home before making their way to the entryway. Closing the door behind they symbolic are closing a chapter of their life and beginning a new one somewhere else. The four of them go to the doors of their 2019  mustang gt 0-60 in all blue.  Pulling out of the driveway Triston drives part of the journey from Washington to New York. As Triston drives Angel starts watching a new episode of criminal minds while Eric puts in his headphones and closes his eyes. Ellie does the same but instead pulls out her sketchbook. 

                    11 hours later

            “Ellie...Ellie..you gotta wake up. We’re here.” I hear one of my brothers try to wake me up. 

    I slowly open my eyes and stretch my arms above my head. Once I fully open my eyes I can barely make out the silhouette of our new home in the dark sky. He mutters something that I can't understand before he gets the hint of carrying me in. I smile when he finally picks me up and takes me into the house. Soon enough I feel the hard air mattress underneath my body and the comfort and softness of a blanket. Before sleep takes over me I remember feeling my brother kiss my forehead and leave my room. 

                    New morning 

    I groan as the sunshine fills my empty bedroom. I move off the air mattress and out towards the door to the kitchen where I hear my brothers talking. Eating some of the food we packed for the morning. 

            "Good morning," I say in my sleepy voice still rubbing my eyes.

            "Good morning, E" Angel, Tristan, and my twin Eric say in unison. 

            I make my way to the breakfast bar where they are sitting and sit beside my twin. After a few minutes of silence, I decided to break the silence. "I'll be back in a few hours, okay?" I say.

    All three of their heads shoot up from their phones. I wait for them to yell at me but they give me a simple nob. I take that as my cue to leave before they change my mind. As I make my way to the staircase I am stopped by my twin brother Eric. I turn around waiting for him to say something. 

            "Be careful Ellie. It's been a while since we've been in New York. Things have changed since the last time we were here." 

            "I will be Angel. Don't worry so much..it doesn't suit you," I say in a whisper. 

    Angel only nods knowing I am saying the truth. I make my way to my room where I search for my purse in my suitcase. I get out of my clothes from yesterday and wear a pair of black skinny, and a plain grey sweater. I make sure I have my phone, my taser, my wallet, and another billion things. Leaving my room I go down the stairs and yell my goodbyes to my brothers grabbing the keys to our car.

            "When I get back I'll help you unpack the boxes," I say to them as I put on my black converse.

            "No need to worry sis. We're getting some help from the next-door neighbor," Eric says.

            "Oh okay. I won't be too long" I hug him goodbye and way to the other two. 

    Getting in the car we drove I reverse and head down the road getting away as quickly as possible. I don't know when I started to cry but the tears seem endless. My cheeks making my sapphire eyes red and puffy. I pull into a parking lot and I can't stop myself from crying. Each tear is taking a load off of my guilt-ridden body. 

    I hear a knock from my window which forces me to lift up my head from resting on the steering wheel. Looking out the window I quickly wipe away some of my tears and see a guy around my age looking at me with concern.

            "Hey are you okay?" the stranger asks me.

            "oh yeah..I'm fine," I say trying to sounds as convening as I can but the raspiness of my voice giving my pain away.

    The stranger look weary as he can still see my tear stain checks and the redness in my eyes. "Why don't you let me buy you something. Take your mind off of whatever you're going through." He says while pulling a pack of tissues from his grocery bags.

    I don't know why but I agreed to go to a nearby café in the parking lot I parked. We just stared at each other until he broke the silence. 

            "Do you want to tell me what's got you so upset, sweetheart?" He says trying to soothe me.

            "It's nothing really. I appreciate you looking out for a stranger but I think it's time for me to go." 

    I say while getting up from our table at the terrace of the café. 

            "It might help you to talk to someone about what is making you cry. Who better than someone who you won't ever see?" He says trying his best to comfort me in any way he can. 

            "No, really I'm fine. I just need a good cry that's all" I try my best to sound convincing. 

    Before he gets the chance to say something his phone starts ringing. He holds up his finger to tell me to hold on. The whole time he was talking to whoever he was I didn't pay attention. My mind wondering about everything that is going on in my life. Once he finishes his call he gives me a look as if saying just tell me. I look at him and sigh before taking a deep breath and a moment before I speak to him again.

            "Three months ago my...three months ago my parents were involved in an accident," I say barely managing to keep the tears at bay or my voice from cracking. As soon as he sees the tears in my eyes he reached out and grabs my hand giving it a gentle squeeze. I give him a small smile before taking a breather and continuing. "All my life my parents supported my siblings and me in everything we did. They supported our love for our sports and so let us join clubs for it. They gave us all the attention we needed and made us feel loved even if they had piles of work they had to do. 

            Four months before the accident my parents started to distance themselves from my brothers and me. Solely focusing on their jobs instead of their family.I felt as if I was acting like a brat for missing my parent's company or love that they showed me for years. I did not want to make a big deal out of something like that. Before they loved our family dinners or watching our games. Now they missed our family dinners, soccer finals, football games, wrestling matches, parent-teacher conferences, and more for their jobs. Everything they missed cemented their feeling for us which was that they have forgotten they had kids. 

            The day of the accident was a day filled with competition. I had to go against our school's oldest rival the Cobras for State championship. Angel and Triston had one of the most talked-about games this season since they were competing for state as well. Going against the Kent Tigers who mirrored our season of perfection. Eric had 3 matches he needed to win to become number one in our state and division. Each of our competitions was going to be a great to compete in and to watch. The only that could have made things better was having the support on one another," I say. 

            "Eric and I had to drive to our competition home turf which was an hour and a half away. Meaning Tris and Angel could not come to support us because of the distance. So before Eric's and I game they wished us good luck and went to do their thing. The moment I stepped on the field I could hear the cheers and clapping of the families and friends who came out to support us. The benches were filled with people and their signs that showed their love for a player or two. Each sign I saw reminded me that my parents were not there supporting any of my brothers or me. It hurt seeing my teammates having their family cheer them on when I had no one.

            The hurt turned to a painful squeeze on my heart. But, no matter the pain I felt from the numerous cuts on my knees, the dried up blood on my ankles, or the indents of the opponent cleats on my ankles compare to that squeeze. I guess for my parents their work was worth missing my game and missing me score was worth it. In the end, my team and I won with the score ending at 2-12. The cheers of the parents and the tears of my teammates were caught on camera for our newspaper with the caption, 'Captin First Lady brings home another victory'. 

            Coming off my high I raced to catch the ending of Eric match. He won all three of his matches with little to no problem resulting in him being number one in the state. Truly the best of the best as his coach kept saying every five minutes to anyone who would listen. And of course, waiting near his office I got to hear that. Pictures of his moves and grin flood social media with praise and flirty comments. Now it was up to Angel and Triston to win state for our school. Soon enough Eric showed up with clean clothes and hair that looked slightly damp. He runs to me with his duffle bag and award in hand going in for a bear hug. Which has me laughing at his silliness and big brother attitude. He most likely saw a guy looking at me or something."

            "Lucky for the two of us our competitions ended earlier than expected which meant that we could make Angel and Tris game sort of on time. About half an hour late was better than being 2 hours late. Every time we went to one another game we made sure to get each other the best seats. And it so happens that Eric and I get to watch the game unfold right by the players themselves. When we finally go their both teams were done with their warm-ups and now going into their positions. Eric and I got a chance to wish our brothers good luck before they ran off and onto the filed. 

            It wasn't until the third quarter that I got a call that I did not expect and that was my dad. Feeling bitter I showed Eric who declined the call and instead focused on our brothers. I did not know then but that would have been the last time my dad would ever call me again," I whisper out the last words. "The team victory was cut short when the siren of police cars showed up. The crowd of players, coaches, parents, students. and townspeople on the field made a path for the officers as they approached someone who offered them a microphone. It was clear they needed to find someone but the question on everyone's mind was who.

            The officer who now stood in front of larger crowd turned out to be chief Nickolas Davidson. A decorated officer who was in his late forties spoke out with confidence in his voice out to the crowd. He asked if these students could please follow him to the police station. He was looking for Angle Julius Hall, Ellie Juliet Hall, Eric Romeo Hall, and Triston Apollo Hall. Every step the four of us took we could feel eyes on us up until the doors of the vehicle closed. Once at the police station we were lead to the Chief's office where he would talk to us privately. After confirming some details he began by saying, 'I am deeply saddened to say that earlier this evening we received a call about an accident. Upon arrival at the cite, we found a vehicle that was badly damaged. 

            Preliminary evidence shows the damage of the car would have been caused by another vehicle driving at a dangerous speed. As a result, they, unfortunately, did not survive the accident. I am truly sorry for your loss...for all of you.' The moment those words left his mouth my whole body feels numb. After that everything is fuzzy but the next thing I remember is Triston grabbing my hand." 

            That's what I wanted to say but instead, I look at him and say, "It's been rough the last few months...I guess that is life huh?"

            Shaking his head side to side he look at me straight in the eyes before responding to my comment. "Life is a lot of different things or stuff wrapped up into one amazingly confusing painful gift. It can be filled with moments of great pain that test our strength within ourselves. It can be filled with moments of great joy that take your breath away without even trying. It is filled with moments of confusion or what others called grey noise. Noise that can cloud and busy your life with random stuff. It is up to you to create the ever so sliding balance between them." He looks to have gone  somewhere else until he slowly comes back. I give him a small smile which seems to make him feel better from what I can see. He look at his phone before looking up at me. "I'm so sorry but I gotta go before  my friend executes his plan of killing but before I leave you here is my number. Call, text, or even facetime just do something with it okay? I’m Leo by the way." He says before handing me a piece of paper. 

            "Why are you so nice to a stranger Leo?"

            I notice how his whole body goes stiff before I see him force himself to relax. "You remind me someone from my past. Someone who tested all of my strength," he whispers the last part to himself. I see him trace something on his forearm. 

            "Thank you Leo, for listening to me. I'll call you soon," I say squeezing his hand. He nods and I take that as my cue to leave the cafe. I make my way back to my car than to my home. As I enter the house I am tackled to the ground by my three annoying brothers. We all burst into a fit of laughter as we know what this means. This means war and I don't like to lose to my brother