"𝕀'𝕞 𝕥𝕣𝕪𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕞𝕪 𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕕𝕖𝕤𝕥 𝕥𝕠 𝕟𝕠𝕥 𝕒𝕔𝕥 𝕙𝕠𝕨 𝕀 𝕗𝕖𝕖𝕝."

  ⇝ 

Ｍａｓｏｎ

I followed slowly behind Mr. De Luca as we walked to the front door. The house was immaculate. As soon as we stepped foot into the foyer, my eyes immediately focused on the double staircase, winding up to the second floor. The foyer itself was bigger than my entire home back in England. I stood awestruck taking in the magnitude of the place. This was their home? Jeez, Louise.

"You're home!"

I blinked, turning my focus to an absolutely stunning woman who rushed towards Mr. De Luca, wrapping her arms around his neck as his arms came to rest around her waist. I looked away, feeling as if I was ruining a moment that was meant to be just between the two of them.

"My goodness. I'm sorry, please forgive me." The beautiful woman blushed slightly, stepping forward. "I'm Isabella." She smiled widely, pulling me in for a hug. This was Isabella? Holy crap. I mean, Mr. De Luca isn't bad looking himself but she, she was on a whole new level. Never, in a million years would I ever suspect that she had twelve kids, let alone even one. She was stunning from head to toe. She had long, deep brown hair that was pulled into a perfectly executed ponytail. She wore simple skinny jeans and a plain blush t-shirt with a pocket on the right of her chest. Her outfit was quite simple, yet she looked flawless. She had stunning blue eyes that stood out against the dark smokey eye that was done expertly. "But you can call me Bella." Her smile was literally the most perfect one I'd ever seen. How does one's teeth even get that straight and white?

"Hi." I practically choked out. She looked like a freaking model and standing next to her made me feel like a freaking worm. I saw her eyes soften immediately, the familiar look of pity making it's way on to her face. She cleared her throat suddenly, "Here, let me call me the boys down so you can meet them." She walked over to the little box on the wall, pressing a button.

"I want everyone down in the foyer in the next two minutes." Her voice was firm and demanding. She turned back around looking back to me. "How was your flight?" she asked with a much softer tone. 

"Um, it was okay." I swallowed so loudly, I'm pretty sure it echoed through the quiet foyer. 

"Oh my, your accent is absolutely precious." She chimed, placing her hand over her heart.

"T-thank you.' I mumbled out quietly just as footsteps began pounding down the stairs. One by one, the boys lined up, almost as if rehearsed. Some seemed annoyed and others like they couldn't care less. I rocked back and forth on my heals, nerves taking over as I stared at the twelve boys in front of me. One thing's for sure, all of these boys were abnormally tall; even the younger ones. Not to mention that they all looked like freaking models. Even the younger ones.  What the hell was with this family?

Isabella came to stand beside me. "Boys, this is Mason." She stepped aside so that they could see me full, causing my nerves to skyrocket. 

There was a chorus of 'Hellos'.

"Boys raise your hands as I say your names." Isabella continued. "Xander." A tall, thin man raised his hand. He had brown hair and big brown eyes with the highest cheekbones I'd ever seen on a man. He looked to be the oldest but he was still stunning nevertheless. "Beau." On the complete opposite of the lineup, an incredibly stunning man raised his hand. He had the most beautiful bright blue eyes. There was a light five o'clock shadow covering his jaw and chin as well as a thick set of eyebrows. His hair was black and styled beautifully. "Parker." Blonde hair and hazel eyes, he was still every bit as attractive as his already introduced brothers. His features were softer but still just as attractive. "Milo." Milo's features were soft just like Parkers, though his hair was brown. He had a baby face that made him absolutely adorable. "Nico." He was pretty, which I suppose is a weird thing to say about a boy but it was the truth. He had high cheekbones like Xander. Out of all of them so far, they looked the most similar. "Sutton." He had barely acknowledged his name being called and for the most part, looked like he wanted to be anywhere but here albeit, I couldn't really blame him. He was blonde with green eyes and held the same ruggedly handsome look like his brothers. "Kai." Kai, Kai looked innocent. Just like Xander and Nico, he was a brunette with large brown eyes but his soft features more resembled those of Milo. "Miles." He had beautiful blue eyes just like beau, though his hair was a mix between brown and blonde and the small smile on his lips was quite endearing. "Oliver." Bright green eyes and soft features. He managed to give me a small smile before bowing his head ever so slightly. "Henry." Henry was absolutely adorable with deep brown eyes and hair just to match. His ears were slightly too big for his head but it made him all the more endearing.  "Sebastian." Lord was he cute. Big, bright blue eyes that were framed with thick black glasses. His hair was gelled back in the most adorable way. "Alex." I glanced at the line, not finding a hand raised. Isabella sighed while Mr. De Luca spoke up. "Where's Alex?" All the boys shrugged not wanting to rat their brother out. "Somebody better speak up before you all get your allowance taken away for a month." Immediately, everyone began speaking apparently not wanting to lose their money. "Woah, Woah. Slow down." Mr. De Luca urged. "Nico, where is he?" Nico mumbled something, not quite loud enough for anyone to hear.

"Excuse me."

"He went out last night and hasn't been home since." Nico finally spoke loud enough. Mr. De Luca looked mad. Scratch that, he looked enraged. Isabella placed her hand on his bicep, rubbing it affectionately in an attempt to calm him down. She stood on her tiptoes, whispering something in his ear which seemed to relax him but only in the slightest.

The door swung open suddenly and shut with a resounding bang causing everyone's heads to snap towards it. The first thing I noticed was that he was absolutely massive. He was well over six foot and incredibly well built. There was no doubt that he worked out on a daily basis. His hair was styled perfectly, shaved on the sides and slicked back on the top. He had beautiful green eyes and a sharp, pointed nose. His angular jaw seemed taught as he took in the scene before him. His neck was covered in tattoos from what I could see. The rest of him was covered by a leather jacket and black, fitting, scoop neck t-shirt underneath. His jeans fit him perfectly, hugging every inch of his muscled legs while plain black Vans adorned his feet.

"Alex, where have you been?" Isabella questioned, her voice soft.

"I was out Ma."

"Out? Out where? You've been gone since yesterday." She pleaded, her eyes filled with worry while Alex's eye flicked towards his brothers, scoffing.

"You're a bunch of fucking snitches."

"Alex."

"Can we just have this discussion later? I'm tired." He sighed, annoyance clear in his tone.

"No, we cannot discuss this later. I thought we already had this discussion and we weren't going to have to do this again. I'm sick and tired of this. You're grounded." Mr. De Luca snapped.

'Well, this is awkward...'

Alex scoffed. "I'm eighteen, you can't ground me."

"In case you've forgotten, you live under my roof. I pay for you to eat, for your clothes, for anything and everything your spoiled ass needs or wants. I don't know who the hell you think you are or what you've done to that sweet kid I once knew but you will not disrespect me or your mother. You're grounded until further notice. Do you understand me?" Mr. De Luca ground out, a vein in his neck popping. 

Isabella cleared her throat. "I don't think this is the right time to have this conversation. "Alex, this is Mason. She's going to be staying with us."

"She?" he chuckled. "That's a dudes name," he added snarkily. I bit my lip, remaining silent. It wasn't the first time someone had commented on the fact that my name is typically a males name. However, it just so happened to be my father's twin brothers name who had passed just before I was born. So I was quite proud to be honored with such a name.

"Whatever. I'm going to bed." He grunted before trudging up one of the staircases. Everyone stayed silent as Alex trudged up the steps. As soon as he was out of sight Isabella sighed. 
"Okay, who's willing to show Mason to her room?" Nico's, I think, hand shot up instantly causing a few of the other boys to laugh. Isabella shook her head a small smile forming on her lips. 

"Yeah, I'm going to have to say no. Miles?" 

"What? Dad!" 

"Nico." So I was right. "I know she's beautiful but no." I blushed at his words while everyone laughed. 

"I wasn't even, okay; that's a lie but still, come on." He whined like a small child. 

"No, and I mean it. That goes for the rest of you too. I also expect you to be nice to Mason and treat her with respect. I know how some of you can be. You are to treat her as one of us. Understood?" They all nodded in compliance. "Is there anything I can get you before you go  up to your room?"

"No thank you Mr. De Luca." 

"Holy shit. She's British." Nico muttered, biting his bottom lip. 

Mr. De Luca rolled his eyes but otherwise ignored his comment. "Please, call me Alessandro."

"Can I call you Alessandro too?" Beau smirked.

"No, you little tit face. Now Miles, can you please show Mason to her room?" Miles stepped forward while everyone else seemed to head off in other directions. "If you need anything, just ask Bella and I or even one of the boys, okay?" I nodded, mumbled a quiet 'thank you' and followed after Miles as we ascended the stairs. 

"So, how old are you?" 

I looked up to find Miles looking at me waiting for an answer. "Um, seventeen but I'll be eighteen in six months. You?" 

"Uh, seventeen too except my birthday was in June." I nodded, unsure of what to say. I had never been much of a talker when it came to people I didn't know too well. Not that I was much of a talker in general. "So this is Parker's room, he doesn't actually live here anymore. He lives with a few of his friends about thirty minutes away but he's here most of the time. Then there's Milo's room and across from his is Nicos. Then Sutton's and then there's mine across from his and here's your room, besides mine. Across from you is Kai's and besides his is Beau's and Oliver is beside him.  Unfortunately for you, Alex's room is on the other side of you. 

"Unfortunately?"

"Let's just say that Alex likes to bring home guests quite a bit and since my mom and dads room along with Henry and Sebastian's rooms are on the other side of the house, they don't bother with being quiet." 

My cheeks flushed as his words registered in my mind. "Oh."

"Yeah but if it gets too loud, just let one of us know and we'll intervene." I nodded unsure of what to really say. I mean, what do you even say to something like that? "Heres your room," he said whilst opening the door beside his. The room was massive. The colors were quite neutral but I didn't mind, it was absolutely beautiful. "You have your own bathroom just through there and that other door is a closet." 

"Okay." I nodded, attempting to take everything is. This house was ginormous. It was beautifully decorated and bigger than any house I had been in before. 

"We'll be having a late lunch soon. Mom wanted to wait until you and dad got back so we could all eat together. So whenever you're ready you can make your way back downstairs."

"Uh, yeah. Okay. Thank you." I nodded, adjusting the strap of my bag on my shoulder.

"No problem." he gave me a soft smile before leaving. I set my bag down on the cream-colored bench placed at the end of the bed. Wandering in the direction he had said the bathroom was in, almost immediately, I really had to pee. I was way too freaked out to go to the bathroom on the plane and it wasn't like I was going to ask him to wait for me at the airport to use the bathroom. I gasped, entering the bathroom that was most defiantly bigger than my entire bedroom back home. My father and I had lived in a small two bedroom house with a single bathroom. The living room probably wasn't even as big as my new bedroom. We didn't need much space though seeing as is was just the two of us. It was quaint and modest but I loved it dearly. I could feel my eyes begin to burn with tears as memories clouded my brain. I pushed them away the best I could and turned on the shower, stepping into it as soon as the water had warmed. I quickly washed my body and got out pulling on a pair of black leggings along with a pale blue hooded sweatshirt and some fuzzy socks. Not wanting to bother, I pulled my hair into a messy bun atop my head and decided to head back downstairs. After getting lost a few times, I managed to find the kitchen. 

"Mason, you're just in time. Are you hungry?" Bella, smiled.  I nodded. "Good, take a seat wherever while I bring the food over."

"Do you need any help?"

"Oh no, you don't have to." She assured. 

"I don't mind, really."

"Are you sure?" I nodded, giving her a soft smile. I really didn't mind helping. Not to mention, it was the least I could do for them letting me stay here. "Okay. Did you want to grab the first lasagna and salad and I can grab the second along with the garlic bread?"

"Yeah sure." I quickly stepped forward, grabbing the glass baking dish that ended up being far heavier than I expected, along with the oversized bowl filled with salad. I for one had never had lasagna. It's not that it didn't sound good, it's just that for the most part, I did the cooking and I had never bothered with learning how to make it. As we set the food on the table, the boys came trickling in. Isabella told me to go ahead and sit down while she grabbed the two pitchers of lemonade. As soon as everyone had food on their plates, the boys began shoveling food into their mouths as if they'd been starved. Just as I was about to take my first bite, Isabella spoke.

"Alex." I looked up, glancing at the Adonis as he entered the room. As soon as he caught my eye, I looked away, flushing with embarrassment. He said nothing as he took a seat directly across from me, though it seemed as if it was the last thing he wanted to do. Everyone continued eating as he served himself, the only sound was of forks hitting plates. 

"How long is she staying here?" Alex questioned causing everyone to stop eating. I looked up to find him already looking at me, his eyes hard. 

"As long as she needs to," Isabella said, placing her napkin down. 

"Where the hell did she even come from?"

"Alex."

"What? I just don't understand why she's here all of a sudden and now she's living with us. Doesn't she have her own family?" He argued, seeming to get more and more irritated with each word he spoke. 

"Al-" Alessandro began, looking and sounding just as annoyed as Alex did.

"My father was killed yesterday." I blurt out causing everyone's heads to snap towards me, shock gracing their features.  

Alex, on the other hand, stayed the same. "What, you don't have a mom?"

That wasn't the reaction I was expecting. I wasn't necessarily expecting pity but I defiantly wasn't expecting him to ask about my absentee mother. "Uh no. She left when I was born." I had no idea why I was telling him this. Why I was telling any of them this. Though I'm sure Isabella and Alessandro already knew, I doubt the rest of them did. 

He laughed humorlessly, "Your own mom didn't even want you?" 

I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat. I usually steered clear of any topic including my mother. Though she had left me, it didn't make my want to know her any less. She was my mother nevertheless and though I loved my father with everything I had and wouldn't change my life for the world. There was always that little part of me that wanted to know her. At least know who she is. My dad always told me how much I looked like her and I couldn't help but wonder if that really were true. I knew it hurt my dad when talking about her, so I usually refrained from asking questions. He had loved here quite a lot and because of me, she had left him and I'd always blame myself for taking away that bit of happiness from him. 

"Alexander!" Alessandro bellowed. "Apologize."

"Why? I didn't know it was a crime to state facts." He replied nonchalantly, stuffing a forkful of lasagna into his mouth. 

"Apologize, now." 

"I'm sorry your mom didn't want you."

"Alexander James De Luca! That's enough. Go to your room, now."

"I'm eating." 

"I don't give a flying fuck." He snapped, the same vein in his neck popping out again. "You're not going to speak to Mason that way. Now apologize and take your food to your room."

"It's okay, really," I mumbled, not wanting to be the cause of anyone fighting. 

"See Dad, the little orphan said it was okay." he shrugged, taking a large gulp of lemonade. Alessandro looking furious. He jaw was clenched tightly, along with his hands. If this were a cartoon, I'd say smoke would be billowing out of his ears. 

"Dude, what the fuck?" Miles said from beside me. 

I decided it was probably best to excuse myself before I caused any more arguments to break out. "May I please be excused?"I rushed out, hating that my voice cracked. 

Isabella nodded, giving me the same sad smile I had seen so many time in the past thirty-six hours. "Of course honey. You can take your food up to your room."

"I'm not that hungry. It was absolutely delicious though. Thank you." I said, my voice cracking yet again. Everyone aside from Alex was watching as I quickly pushed back from the table, reaching forward to grab my plate to bring it to the kitchen. 

"Mason, don't worry about your plate. I'll clean it up for you." Isabella assured. 

"I can do it. It's okay." I assured my voice quivering as I fought back tears the best I could.

"Don't worry about it Mase, I'll get it for you," Miles spoke softly, taking the plate out of my grip which caused Alex to scoff. If it were any other day, I would've insisted I be the one to clean up my plate but it was only a matter of time before I began ugly crying, again, and I really preferred not to do it in front of everyone. I nodded and walked hastily out of the kitchen and up to my room, thankfully remembering the way. I climbed into my bed, pulling the blankets all the way up to my chin. Tears sprung from my eyes as yesterdays and today's events crashing over me and all I could think about what how badly I wanted my dad. 

"I miss you,"  I whispered, hoping that he'd be able to hear me all the way up in heaven. 

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Authors Note, 

Poor Mason. 

and Alex is basically the biggest douche known to man. haha. 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and there are pictures below of what I picture Mason's new room to looks like. 

also, please don't forget to comment & vote!

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