BK 5 - Chapter 10 - Connections
**Roseville, California**
Milo stared at Morgan in shock. Jade was his sister. He didn't know what to say, but Morgan wasn't done.
"Cat, he's also related to you and Kitty. It appears that Milo and Jade's mother is likely the granddaughter of Leo." Cat couldn't believe it. She pulled Milo into her arms and hugged him. Another family member had been found, who was from that piece of shit, Leo. She was glad Milo had made it home where he belonged. She could see the confusion on his face and understood.
"We'll explain everything about how we're all related. It gets a little confusing. So that's another piece of the puzzle we've found. How about either of their fathers? Did you find out anything about them?" Cat asked Morgan.
"Not yet. I know that Jade's dad was most likely a vampire, and Milo's was human. I have no idea how either of them got separated from their mother, though." Morgan looked at the young man and saw that he looked somewhat relieved. At least he gave him some good news. He couldn't think of a better family to belong to. He and Adelma left a few minutes later.
"I'm thankful that at least I wasn't related to Cole after everything I've learned about him. Does this happen often? You help random people that end up being your relatives?" Milo asked Cat and Trey. He noticed Trey's demeanor had changed a little after he heard the results.
"More often than you'd think. Let's call Jade and let her know she has a brother." Cat said as she pulled her phone out of her pocket. She put the phone on speaker, and Jade answered on the second ring.
"Hi, Aunt Cat."
"Hi, sweetheart. I have you on speaker because we have some news for you." Cat said, looking at Milo. He wondered how Jade would react to finding out they were siblings.
"Is it good or bad? Should I sit down for this?" She asked nervously. She was walking on campus and suddenly wished Bill was with her. What if it was bad news?
"Morgan ran Milo's DNA and discovered that Milo is your half-brother. You have the same mother." Cat answered. She thought maybe they had lost the connection when they didn't hear anything at first.
"Are you telling me that my own brother was trying to kill me? Alright, big bro, you just upped the stakes. Saxon was too old for me to have fun with when I was a kid, but you're just the right age. Get ready for war." Milo swallowed nervously. Jade was a vampire, and she scared him a little. However, Cat and Trey started laughing. "In all seriousness, it's nice to have another older brother. At least I'm still the baby."
"We'll let you get back to school. We love you." Cat said into the phone.
"I love you guys, too. Milo, we'll talk later." Jade hung up. Milo was still too stunned to speak. He had a sister, and he was related to Cat and Kitty. It was a lot to process, and he had a lot of questions. However, he didn't have time to say anything because the back door opened, and the kids who just got home from school ran outside.
"Grandma Cat and Grandpa Trey, you're still here." A little boy said as they all ran over. Cat and Trey sat on the ground as the little ones crawled all over them. The older kids came over, but they either stayed standing or sat on the ground. Milo watched as Trey beamed as the kids used him as a jungle gym. He would have loved to have someone to play with him like they did with these kids. They weren't just giving them a place to live; they were giving them a home and family. Milo looked down when he felt someone touch his hand.
"You're still here. Did you wait for me to get home from school?" Marcy looked up at him hopefully. He smiled down at her.
"Of course I did. Did you have a good day?" Milo sat down on the ground, and to his surprise, Marcy sat on his lap. He hadn't been around too many kids and didn't know what to do. He looked at Cat, and she smiled, so he relaxed.
"Yes. Today is Friday, and my birthday is Sunday, so they sang Happy Birthday to me, and we had cupcakes. I'm the youngest kid in my class, but my teacher says I'm smart." Marcy said proudly.
"You seem pretty smart to me. Everyone seems pretty happy here." Milo was having a hard time making small talk with a child. He'd always been a loner. Marcy turned so she was sitting sideways and could look up at him. She had long, dark brown hair and big blue eyes.
"Are you here because someone hurt you too?" She asked softly. Milo wasn't sure how to answer that. Cole hurt him, but he wasn't even sure to what extent yet. He had hit him a few times, but Milo realized now the real abuse was emotional and manipulation.
"Yes, my grandfather hurt me, too. I'm here to try to find where I belong." Marcy nodded her head and laid against him.
"My grandpa hit me a lot. Sometimes, he wouldn't let me eat. He always said that it was my fault his son was dead. I don't understand because I didn't hurt anyone." Milo saw her tears start to fall, and Cat got ready to come over, but he shook his head. Something told him that Marcy wanted to talk to only him right now.
"I'm sorry he wasn't nice to you. I'm sure you could never hurt anyone. Don't be afraid to talk about these things. If you're comfortable talking to me, you can talk to me whenever you want, okay?" Milo asked her. Marcy wiped her eyes and smiled.
"Okay." She said before hugging him.
"Snacks are ready," Melanie said from the back door. Marcy jumped up and ran inside with the other kids. Milo sat there for a minute, watching her. Cat and Trey came over and sat with him.
"You did really good with her. She hasn't talked about anything with anyone else yet. Sometimes, it takes someone who the child or adult feels a connection with to make them comfortable." Cat knew she was right, that they would be able to help each other.
"I honestly didn't know what to say. I've always been pretty much alone. Have you been able to find anything about her parents?" Milo asked. Trey shook his head.
"Not yet. We're still looking, though. We haven't even been able to find her birth certificate. I believe the man who claimed to be her grandfather was using a fake name because that person had no children. Unfortunately, we can't ask him because he died of a heart attack soon after he was arrested." Trey replied. Milo was growing on him. Not only was he a relative of Cat's, but he was just as lost as most of the kids in the group home. He was impressed by how he spoke to Marcy. Many who weren't used to kids would have blown her off or sugar-coated what she had said. Milo did neither. He listened to her and gave her a safe place to talk.
"I hope you can find her mom, but until you do, I'm glad she's here. Thank you for taking me in. Marcy was right. I'm like the kids here, too; I just hadn't realized it. It's funny, but when she was talking to me, I felt like she was helping me," Milo said.
"That's good. We're going to have a birthday party for her on Sunday. I'm sure she'll want you there." Cat stood up, and the two men stood with her.
"I'll be there." Milo wanted to get her a gift. He'd think about it because it needed to be something special.
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**San Diego, California**
Jackie sat down and worked out the plan Satan gave her to get Atzi's book. He told her that if she stayed on earth as he wanted, he would help her get the book and let her be one of his women who he'd visit.
Satan had said that she needed to work on one specific spell that would kill Atzi. The trick was that she needed to be the only one next to her and the book when she died, so the magic automatically transferred to her. It wasn't going to be easy, and it would take some time, but it would be worth it in the end. All that mattered to Jackie was that Atzi would be dead, and the magic would be hers.
