Chapter 1

The monitors all beeped in sync. It was like they were wired to beep at the exact same time. Charlotte eyed in scrutiny Silas and his pale skin. He was fast asleep  with a frown on his features like he was in a lot of discomfort. Well, he actually was. Her eyes rested on Chase next. His bald scalp. His body wasn't in agreement with the treatment. His podgy body had turn skinny with the twinkle of an eye. Both lads had an oxygen mask attached to their noses.  Charlotte's eyes traveled to the last bed. It was empty and her heart fell to her stomach as she remembered the tragic experience from the night before.

She clasped her eyes as memories from the night flooded her head and replayed like she was watching a television. She was fast asleep on the couch.  The same red comfortable one she was seated in. It was the loud thud that made her shoot open her eyes and jolt up like she had sat on a pin. Her eyes scanned the room quick. Her face had softened when she didn't see a thing out of place even after looking around the room. A small frown rested on her face at the realization that it was probably a false alarm. Her eyes wide widened seeing the youngest of her siblings shaking vigorously on the floor close to his hospital bed. Harry was in the intensive care unit. He had an episode the night before and after the doctor had checked on him it was inevitable not sending him there.

The only good thing about having Harry in the intensive care unit was that his bed was vacant an she had somewhere to lay on other than cramp herself in the only couch in the room. Charlotte however couldn't find herself sleeping but instead she was filled with worry for her thirteen year old brother. Her heart banged in her chest as time went by and the only time she was able to get any sleep was after two hours when the nurse had assured her Harry was out of danger. She had managed to sleep for a couple of hours before she was woken thirty minutes late by the sound of Silas puking.

Charlotte stood from the couch and threw her head back and hands in the air, stretching. The stretching earned her cracks of her bone stretching. She felt s little better but she would haved loved to have a massage. One where her bones would be rearranged so she didn't have the aches on her back and the banging headache. She went to cabinet between Silas' and Chase bed. She carefully checked out each bottle of pill and fished out the one she wanted. A pain killer. She poured herself just the right number of pills she felt she needed. She picked a bottle water which was only half filled.

She threw in the pills into her mouth and downed the entire content of the bottled water them made her way to the bathroom. Her eyes skimmed the bathroom. It had most of their stuff. Two towels hung on the door which was ajar, she had her hair brush and lotion on the small stand. There was also toothpaste and toothbrush, a bottle of shampoo, blue hair dye and half  bar of soap. She had a black bra and her panties hung on the door knob. They were always in and out of the hospital and so he hospital was unfortunately almost like a second house.

She packed her long, blue hair in a messy bun then took a deep breath. She watched the lady before her. She was a complete shadow of herself. It was expected when you gave to juggle life, education, jobs and sick brothers. You almost didn't have the to take care of yourself. Charlotte couldn't remember the last time she got a hair  cut or went to the spa. Her main priority was making sure her brothers were treated well and for that to happen she had to work her butt out since she definitely was Elon Musk's daughter neither was she affiliated to Beyonce.

Their father had died in a car accident when she was just seven. It was the hardest thing she had ever had to go through as a child. It was difficult not to stand in the window waiting for her father with a grin plasted on her small lips. His death marked the end of him walking in with a fake frown and she would also fake a frown as soon as she sighted his car driving in the garage. She would hurry over to the door and when her dad walked in with a frown as well, the father-daugher duo would both burst into fits of laughter then embrace one another. When she was told about his death, she had cried her eyes out. She didn't stop waiting by the window waiting for dad to drive into the garage. It took her four months to stop waiting by the window. Her father's deatg was  really difficult time for the family. On numerous occasions, her young self would wake up in the middle of the night to hearing sobs. The sobs were her mother.  It was hard not having anyone to come to your bring your father to class days. Uncle Eric tried  to fill in the gap but two years later he moved to Italy after he got married. After that there was no one to fill in the shoes to a father figure around. It was just Charlotte and her mother taking care of the boys. As the years went by, it didn't hurt as much. Well, they say time heals everything. There was still an empty feeling deep down in her heart but Charlotte didn't feel as hurt as she was when her seven years old self heard about her father's unfortunate demise.

Her world crumbled when her mother took her last breath a year ago. Charlotte couldn't ever forget that tragic morning. It was that morning her troubles had started and her life to a turn for the worst. Yes, the worst! She and Silas had walked into their mother's hospital room with a bunch of stuff. They had been to the grocery to get a few things since they were staying in their mother's hospital room. She had unfortunately been diagnosed with cancer and the doctor had told them she had just two months to live. And those two months were the toughest their family had gone through.

They had walked in to see their mother coughing out blood. Harry was struggling to help their dying mother cough into a bucket placed before her. The twelve year old had blood all over his hands and his shirt had blood stains. Silas and Charlotte hurried to assist their bother with their mother. When their mother was done with coughing, they got a nurse to clean her up as well as a cleaner to clean up the room. Harry also changed his shirt and cleaned himself up.

"I'm going to miss you my sweet, sweet children." Their mother said with all of her strength. Her eyes were glassy and she was wheezing.

Charlotte was seated on the hospital bed by their mother's feet. She placed a hand on her mother's leg which was covered with quilt. "Don't say that mom." Charlotte hated the idea that their mother was speaking that way.

"Char is right, mom. Don't say such words.  Miracle could still happen. I really believe that  miracle would happen."  Harry told their mother. He was seated on a plastic chair just right across their mother's bed.

Their dying mother ran her white tongue over her dry lips. "You all don't understand the time has come."

Charlotte and her siblings shared a look not fully understand what their mother had just said. Chase walked in. He had exams at school so he really couldn't be with them at the hospital.

"What's up peep?" He walked in with a cheerful smile but his demenor had changed into a soft one when he saw the atmosphere in the room. "I hope everything is okay?" Chase took a space on the large plastic chair Silas was seated in with Harry so all three of them ere seated across their mother.

"Mom, just get some rest. Okay?" Silas told their mother. He didn't want her speaking anymore.

"It's a good thing you all are here." Their mother managed to say then gave a cough. "I wished I could spend more them with you but I need rest. My body can't take this any longer but I need you to know that I love all four of you with all of my heart and it is my greatest wish to spend more time with you all but I need to rest and besides I need to get some good loving over in heaven. I've missed your father."

The kids gave a chuckle at their mother's words.  "Mom, would you stop speaking this way. Please, stop scaring me." This was Harry.

"My son." Their mother tried to stretch her hand to Harry but couldn't. Harry noticed this so he got on his feet and moved closer to her bed. His brothers followed suite and so did their elder sister. Harry took their mother's hand. "My cute, cute prince Harry." Their mother gave a sad smile.

"Yo, mom! I'm the cute one." Chase said feigning a frown making the others chuckle.

"Oh, Chase. My handsome boy and daring son. I would miss you and you trying to act as the man of the house." Their mother smiled. She turned to Silas. "Silas, my smart child. You're always so smart and know the right words to say." Finally, their my mother's eyes rested on Charlotte. "My darling Charlotte. You're the leader of this clan now. I trust you can handle this all by yourself. You're so strong. I'm proud to see the beautiful young woman you have grown into. Seeing you and knowing how much you've grown and knowing your capabilities, my spirit can department now."

A tear rolled down Charlotte's cheek but she was quick to wipe it. She had to be strong for her siblings.

"I just need all four of you to promise me one thing. I need you to promise me you all will be strong. I need you to promise me that no matter what comes your way you all will stand strong and in unity. I need you to promise me that no one would ever break your siblings bond but instead you all would wax stronger as siblings. I need you all to make a promise to me now that none of you would betray the other and that every single one of you will make me and your father proud and smile from heaven. Promise me..." Those were their mother's last words before she gave up the ghost.

Charlotte gave a sigh as she sat on the bench. She placed a voluminous book on her lap and shoved her hands into the black t-shirt she was wearing. It had Superman and Batman on it. It was Silas'. She shut her eyes and took in a deep breath. She placed her cup of coffee on the floor next to her. She wanted to enjoy the cool air for a moment. She was upstairs in the hospital balcony. It was one of her favorite places to be in the hospital. It was one of the places that wasn't sad and didn't smell like drugs and sick people. It was only filled with noise of cars blaring it's horn and the usual hustle and bustle of New York.  She closed her eyes again ready to take in a deep breath when her phone started to blaring out Christ Brown's Under the Influence. She rolled her eyes seeing who was calling her.

It was her boyfriend or maybe ex boyfriend. Well, she wasn't sure anymore what they were because after Benjamin had brought the very crazy idea of both of them absconding New York and leaving her siblings to die all alone in the hospital. She had rebuked him immediately. She loved her brothers too much to do such to them and she didn't quite trust Ben because he ran a shady business. It was tough but she was okay with working multiple jobs trying to make ends meet and  pay for her siblings. Her extended family had cut all ties with them even uncle Eric. Their extended family had abandoned them to suffer and live in abjei poverty. So, it was basically just she and her siblings and Charlotte was determined to do all it takes to get her brothers in perfect health again.