"Luke! You're phone is ringing and it's fucking annoying!" Ashton shouted from outside his bandmates door.

    Luke groaned in reply, before pushing himself up from his bed and dragging his feet across his bedrooms carpet, wishing he could go back to sleep. He stumbled around, sleep-deprived, grimacing as he scratched the back of his head.

    "Jesus Christ, it's too early." Luke grumbled. It's only... 10. Oh." His voice was still rough from sleep as he grabbed his phone off the table and turned the screen on. He swiped across the screen to answer the phone call before pressing it to his ear, frowning as he realised it wasn't a number he recognised. "Hello?"

    "Hi. Is this Mr Hemmings speaking?" The voice on the phone came out gravelly and deep, unrecognisable to Luke.

    "It's just Luke; Mr Hemmings is my dad."

    "I apologise. I'm Mr Brown and I work in Sydney's Police Department. I regret to inform you that your parents have been involved in a car accident-"

    "What?"

    Luke's world was crumbling. His hands shook and his legs nearly gave way beneath him. Time slowed as his brain tried to comprehend the fact that his parents - the people who raised him - were hurt, or possibly dead.

    His heart thumped in his chest as tears brimmed in his eyes. "Are they okay?" The question came out as merely a whisper, and Luke had never felt so vulnerable. He knew that he sounded like a child, and that they weren't going to be okay - no one came out of a car crash unscathed.

    "I'm sorry, Luke, your parents didn't survive the collision. They died on impact."

    "Oh."

    Luke knew he should say something more, but his mouth wouldn't form the words and his brain couldn't process what was happening.

    "Your sister, Elena, is currently in hospital and I'd like to discuss her options with you. As she is a minor she will be needing a guardian. Now, you can either become her guardian or-"

    "I'll take her." Luke was all she had left, and there was no way he was going to abandon her now. Luke's mind was already set.

    Luke was already leaving his bedroom when Mr Brown continued.

    "That's brilliant! There will be a few papers that you will need to sign, but that can all be done when you arrive at the hospital."

    "Ok."

    "Once again, I am extremely sorry for your loss."

    "Thank you." What more could Luke say?

    The call ended and Luke stood in silence. His breathing became deeper as he struggled to pull in breaths, and his legs gave way beneath him as he fell to the floor with a thud. Luke clutches at his chest, and panic flared inside of him as his lungs no longer contained the oxygen he needed.

    "Luke?" The noise from Luke's fall had caught the attention of Calum, who was now stood before the man.

    "I-I-I can't- I cant bre-breathe." Luke gasped for air as he spoke.

    Calum's eyes widened as he dropped to his knees before Luke. "You need to breath. You need to slow down. You're having a panic attack." As Luke's breathing continued to quicken, Calum panicked. "Ashton! Michael!"

    The two men came running into the room, slowing as they saw the scene before them.

    "I-I think he's having a panic attack!" Calum quickly explained to the two.

    "Make him follow your breathing." Ashton suggested. "Pull off your jacket so he can see your chest moving and then he can follow that."

    Calum did so, muttering to Luke, whose breathing slowed as he followed the instructions given to him.

    "What was all that about, dude?" Michael questioned. "You know you can tell us anything, right?"

    Luke looked up at his friends - no brothers - his brain still not fully comprehending the news he had just received, with tears in his eyes. He let out a shaky breath, "They- They're dead. My p-parents are dead."

    "God, Luke. I'm so sorry, mate." Ashton spoke quietly.

    "I've gotta- I've gotta go to Elena. I've got to go to the hospital." Luke pushed himself up from the floor, only to be stopped by Calum.

    "We'll book your flight while you pack, there's s no point in your rushing - she's in another country. Hell, we might go with you."

    Luke gave his bandmates a teary smile, hoping it was enough to show his gratitude.

♤♡◇♧

    Luke didn't like planes; he'd never liked flying. You would've thought the young man (or boy, as his sister would often say) would be used to the form of transportation,
given his career, but his position stated otherwise. He sat in his chair, his hands latched onto the chairs arm rests and his finger nails digging into the soft material, and Luke couldn't help but picture every single way this flight could go wrong.

    His bandmates thought he was ridiculous, as flying was proven to be the safest form of transport, but Luke still feared being trapped in the metal container, flying thousands of feet in the air.

    He tried to sleep during the flight, but the thought of Elena alone in a hospital bed swam through the boys head. Guilt was devouring him,

    I should have been there

    I should have stopped it

    and no matter what his friends said, there was no changing his mind.

    Luke looked out the window with a grimace. Flying will never be natural for humans. Yet, a smile was brought to his face as he thought about how his sister would tease him over his fear, and somehow comfort him at the same time.

    His decision to gain custody of Elena had been so rash - a spur of the moment thing, almost. Luke couldn't help but worry, I can't parent a 15-year-old. I can barely look after myself. The young man was unprepared and inexperienced, but he was determined. There was no way he was going to give up the only family member she had left. Elena would always come first. Always. Even if it killed him.

♤♡◇♧

    Elena Hemmings woke once again to a bright room and loud noises.

    Her mind was still foggy from the anaesthesia, and her limbs were clumsy as she struggled to sit up. The fabric was soft against her fingers, and they slipped and fumbled around weakly.

    Elena frowned as she racked her brain, trying to recall past events. An argument? A crash?

    Her parents.

    Elena choked back a sob as realisation dawned on her. Her parents were gone. Tears slipped down her cheeks, dancing as they went. Her head dropped into her hands, her shoulders heaving as her body let out heart aching cry's.

    The opening and shutting of the door to her hospital room caused Elena to look upwards, and the girl froze in shock as what she had previously expected to be another nurse stood in front of the door.

    "Elena?"

    "Luke?"