The skin around Sang's eyes felt tender and raw as she stared at the pale pink walls of the bedroom that she hadn't slept in for what felt like an eternity. Her head throbbed and she winced, her eyelids sliding shut to shield herself from the light that was filtering through her curtains. She was beginning to doze off when the disappointing reminder that she had somewhere to be in an hour fluttered through her mind. She groaned and pulling herself to her feet, dragging her feet in the soft carpet as she shuffled into her en suite bathroom.

She opted to leave the light off, not wanting to agitate her head further. She had little more than an hour to get herself ready then get out of the house, all the while dealing with her annoying best friends, and she already knew that her headache and lack of sleep was going to ultimately slow her down.

She risked a glance in the mirror and cringed at her reflection. There was bags under her eyes that stood out harshly against her fair skin, and the fact that her eyes were red and swollen as well would not get past her best friends as much as she wished it would. Her blonde hair was a mess around her face, knotted and messy. She tilted her head up slightly in order to observe the bruising and red marks around her neck; the night before the ugly reminder had been hidden by makeup, but in the light of day without anything concealing it, it was quite clear.

She sighed but went along with her routine. She wasn't usually one for makeup, but in order to look human, she used concealer around her eyes and popped on some lip gloss. Even though it was June, and it was getting warm out in Charleston, she carefully wound a thin scarf around her neck that she thought went well with her blouse. She gave herself one last look then stumbled down the stairs, a glare on her face.

Sitting in the kitchen already was Natalia, her dark hair pulled away from her face giving Sang a clear view of the scowl on the Russian's face. She was muttering to herself under her breath, her eyes scanning over papers that were spread out in front of her. Sang's eyebrows shot up, curiosity forming. Natalia was the more carefree one out of their group, and the look on her face didn't settle well with Sang. If Natalia was upset or concerned, than the others definitely should have been too.

"Natty? Are you okay?" Sang asked, her quiet voice echoing in the large kitchen. When Dr. Roberts had first purchased the house for the three girls, she had thought the sheer size of it was ridiculous. Two years later, and her opinion remained the same. They were just a bunch of teenage girls who weren't even home enough to appreciate the house, after all. 

Natalia jumped, obviously caught off guard by Sang's presence. She swore in Russian then sighed wearily, nodding fast. That was all the attention she gave Sang before returning to looking at the sheets of papers that were littered all over their kitchen table. Sang was genuinely curious at that point, but thought it was better that she leave it be. If Natalia was keeping a secret, then it was most likely for a good reason. Whenever they keep secrets within their small private group, it was typically for a good reason, the reasoning typically having to do with security and safety, as well as personal matters.

Sang poured her Russian friend some coffee then slid it over to her. She contemplated drinking some black coffee before her appointment, but decided on what her and the girls affectionately referred to as Baby Coffee. Not wanting to bother Natalia any longer, she strolled through the wide doorway into the living room, heading straight for the big window that looked out into the world.

It must have rained the night before, as there were puddles forming in the dips of the street and the flowers that decorated the front of the house looked positively drowned. Even though Sang wasn't fond of the size of the house, she truly did like it, as well as the location. The location was wonderful; they were surrounded by nature, something Sang had always adored and felt calmed by. Often times, when she needed to clear her mind, she would walk through the woods, and take in the peace and quiet.

"Do you want me to drive you?" Lex's smoky voice drifted through the room, alerting Sang to her presence. Lex didn't have to speak to make herself known though. There were multiple things that would have tipped Sang off to the entrance of her friend. The air shifting, the soft squeaks of the floorboards, the intoxicating jasmine scent that Lex wore so well. Sang was trained well, and anyone who knew her was aware of that.

"No," Sang replied, tracing her finger in the foggy mist that was left over from the previous night's rain. She drew hearts and flowers and smiley faces, all things that were associated with happiness, all things that Sang was unfamiliar with. "I can drive myself. All I have to do today is go to the appointment, then I'll probably be home."

"Lily will want to see you once she knows that you're home," Lex pointed out. Most would have expected her to move closer since they were having a conversation, but Lex remained hovering in the doorway, her arms crossed. Sang wasn't looking at her, but if she was, she would have seen that the blonde girl wore a frown that reflected the concern she was feeling. She missed her old Sang, the one that hadn't been a despondent shell. She wasn't sure what had happened to the tiny girl in Russia, but she was sure, that whatever had happened had destroyed her.

Sang could sense that Lex was fishing to have a deeper conversation, and she tensed, not in the mood for one at all. 

"Lily can wait." Sang said, the words resounding with finality. The tone of her voice warned Lex not to push it, and Lex being pretty clever as well as amazing at knowing when to stop, gritted her teeth and exited the living room, stomping back up the stairs.

Sang leaned her head against the window, letting out a small sigh. She hated pushing her friends away, the ache in her chest that resembled loneliness was awful, but she didn't know how to speak of the things that her heart weeped about. She didn't want to see the way Natalia and Lex's face was crumple in if they knew the truth, so Sang kept it to herself, carrying the burden on her own. She wasn't sure if she would ever be able to tell anyone about the secrets she held in her heart.

Not in the mood to start crying, Sang straightened up and called out that she was leaving. When no response came, she figured Natalia was still busy and that Lex had gone back to sleep. She shrugged, deciding she would speak to them later if they were both home when she returned, and slid out of the door. If she didn't leave quick, one of the two would demand to attend the appointment to ensure that Sang wasn't lying about her health to have her way. If there was no one there to observe the appointment, then she was going to lie however the hell she wanted to if meant she would find her boys sooner.

Walking through the halls of the Academy hospital was mostly unpleasant for Sang, bringing back old memories of her first visit there when she was only fifteen. She inhaled sharply, the memory of being dragged down the hall, kicking and screaming and spitting, overcame her momentarily. How naive she had been at the time to think that these people would hurt her too, when really, they had saved her life. It was where she had met Dr. Roberts, a man who would soon become one of the most important people in her life as well as one of the most permanent fixtures in her life.

She dragged her feet some as the door of the room she was supposed to enter came into sight. As much as she loved to see Dr. Roberts, she didn't need to see the look of horror in his eyes when he saw her wounds and she most definitely didn't need the questions that would be asked. She wound her arms around herself, then slid into the room, her eyes on the floor. She was aware that no one was in the room yet, but she still hated it.

She took a seat and sighed, pushing her hair away from her face. As she waited, her thoughts inevitably drifted to the little boys that had claimed her heart so many years ago. Her fingers traced the tattoo on her wrist, and she sighed wistfully, remembering the year and a half that she had spent with them. She missed them. She missed North's over protectiveness and tough facade when he was just a confused little boy. She missed Silas' awful jokes and his hugs. The sooner she got this appointment over with, the sooner she could start looking for them. 

"Miss Sang Kaylor?"

Sang's head snapped up and she froze, shocked to see that it wasn't Dr. Roberts standing in the doorway.

The man standing before her was considerably younger, close to her age if she had to guess. He had a halo of sandy blond curls and bright green eyes that were examining her as he waited for her to respond. There was a small smile on his face. He had to be taller than her, and he also looked like he was pretty fit. Her mouth instantly dried, because all and all, whoever this man was, he was pretty damn handsome.

"Yes," Sang replied in a small voice. "That's me. Will you be the doctor checking me out today?"

"Yes I am!" He exclaimed cheerfully, fully stepping into the room, closing the door behind him. "I'm Dr. Green, but pretty girl's like you can call me Sean." He winked at her afterwards, and she blushed, ducking her head down. She wasn't used to attention from decent men.

"What happened to Dr. Roberts?" Sang asked carefully, slightly confused and mostly flustered. She had mentally prepared herself to only see Doc Roberts, but now she had to deal with Dr. Green. He was handsome and wonderfully cheerful, but not who she was expecting to see.

"Busy," Dr. Green explained with a small shrug. "He sent me. He thought that you might be comfortable with me. Will you be comfortable with me checking you out?"

She squirmed in her seat some, considering his question but then nodded her okay to him. "Yes. I'm comfortable with it..."

"Wonderful!" Dr. Green beamed, pulling a chair close to her and taking a seat. "This means I get to spend more time in the presence of a lovely lady, the lovely lady specifically being you."

She blushed again, shaking her head at his flirting, but couldn't help the smile that formed on her face. If she was being honest with herself, she thought that the only people who had ever flirted with her were North and Silas when she was young, and she wasn't so sure that actually counted.

Dr. Green tilted his head head slightly, a serious look coming over his face. "Dr. Roberts said I'm checking over some injuries from a recent assignment. Is that right?"

Sang nodded, although reluctantly. She hated anyone knowing about her injuries, but he was a doctor and he was trying to help her. His eyes were scanning over her, as if searching for the injuries that he was supposed to check over. She looked away as she tugged off her scarf, revealing the bruising and red marks around her neck. There was a small exhale from Dr. Green, and Sang peeked up to see his reaction. His eyes were soft with sadness and all of his previous cheerfulness was gone.

Gently, he began to check over her neck, and Sang tilted her head up, allowing him to have more access. She was trembling slightly, and in order to hide it, she clenched her fists in her skirt, as well as biting her bottom lip to keep it from quivering. She had to clench her teeth hard in order to ward off the memories that wanted to filter through her. She would not allow herself to fall back into the dark place that she had when she first came to America. She often wondered how she could have allowed herself to be talked into going back to Russia in the first place.

She loved Russia, but the memories she associated with it were the kind that induced nightmares and panic attacks. 

"The bruising should go away in a few days," Dr. Green informed her, his voice gentle. "It's not that bad, luckily. Based on the bruising, you should have come here days ago, though. You're lucky it's not that bad."

"I couldn't," Sang admitted in a shaky voice. "I just returned home from Russia yesterday, and I had an event to attend that night. I made the appointment as soon as I could, though."

Curiosity lit up in Dr. Green's eyes. "You were in Russia for your last assignment? How long?"

Sang shifted in her seat again, not all that fond about discussing the assignment, even with her girls. "Six months. I've been gone for eight months though. Before I was in Russia, I went home to Greece for a brief visit as well as some prepping."

"You're from Greece?" Dr. Green perked up, returning back to his happy disposition.

"Ναί, I am..." Sang replied hesitantly, confused by Dr. Green's sudden interest in where she was from. She knew she didn't look Greek, but that was probably because she was of Russian descent, though she considered herself Greek from all the years that she had lived there. Greece was her real home, and she loved it with all her heart. 

"I have a teammate who's Greek," Dr. Green announced, standing up and shoving his chair away. He stretched slightly, his T-shirt that was on underneath his white coat lifting some, revealing a strip of stomach. Sang's mouth dried out again and quickly looked away. "Silas doesn't meet a whole lot of other people who are from Greece. We'll have to introduce you some day."

Even though knew it was unlikely that his Silas was her Silas, as well, her heart soared at the name, and a soft smile formed on her face. "Well, I'm on vacation for the summer after that long assignment I just did. I can give you my phone number for him if he would like to see me sometime. I like talking to people from Greece or Russia too. Those are the countries I grew up in, though I'm more fond of Greece."

Dr. Green was practically beaming at that point. "Excellent! I'll give you his number, and if you could give me yours as well, I'll give it to him. And I may keep it for some selfish purposes too..."

Sang laughed, blushing slightly. She hated to admit it, but she thought she may just enjoy is flirtiness. She got to her feet and took the pad of paper he was handing towards her, scribbling her number on it, as well as her name. Dr. Green tore off that sheet off paper, keeping it for himself, then did the name with Silas's number, handing it to her after he finished writing.

"Look forward to me texting you!" Dr. Green called after Sang, and she laughed, waving bye to him as she walked out the door.

She had reached the parking lot when she finally decided to look down at the paper she was holding in her hands. She practically froze at the words that was on it. Other than the number there was the words:

Silas Korba's #

Sang nearly slipped to her knees. "Holy shit." 

a/n: ehhhh this is kind of  short chapter i'm sorry, but like a lot info and a lot of foreshadowing and a lot of hints about her past so be proud of me!! 

I HAVE A QUESTION: Do you want to see a scene of North and Silas speaking with Owen about Sang or do you want to see Silas's shock at getting the number of a girl named Sang?? Because only one of these is happening. let me know!!

xoxo,

ry.