Luis Gomez- Atlanta, Georgia

1:30 am EST

"Ari," Luis said, his voice barely above a whisper while he shook his sister awake, his heart pounding a little harder in his chest while excitement filled his body. "Ari, despierta por favor. (Wake up, please.)"

Ari bit back a small groan in annoyance but did what he told her to do and woke up. She blinked and blinked again before she looked around and then looked at him. "Luis?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper and filled with sleep. "¿Qué es? ¿Qué ocurre? (What is it? What's wrong?)" She sat up and turned toward him, biting back a small frown. "¿Estás bien? (Are you ok?)"

Luis bit back a small smile and slowly nodded. "Sí. Estoy bien, (Yes. I am ok,)" he said before he cleared his throat and shifted in his bed. "I have to go, though. I have someone waiting for me."

Ari blinked and blinked before she rubbed her eyes, and a small frown appeared on her face. "What?" she asked and was fully awake. "What do you mean? Where do you have to go?" Panic and fear filled her voice, and his heart broke and became filled with pain.

Luis bit back a small smile and shook his head. "I don't know, not yet, at least," he said honestly. He cleared his throat and shifted on his bed. "However, I am having to leave, and I have to leave now."

Ari pressed her lips into a thin line before she cocked her head and studied him. "Does that mean you have to leave us?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, and Luis smiled sadly before he nodded.

"Sí lo siento, (Yes, I am sorry,)" he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't want to, but..." He shrugged and grimaced before he cleared his throat and shifted in his bed before he looked at his hands, not able to meet her gaze any longer. "No tengo otra opción. (I have no choice.)"

Ari pressed her lips into a thinner line before she cleared her throat and shifted on his bed, too. She furrowed her brows and set her jaw while she looked at him, and a look of pain and sadness flashed through her eyes. "Are you going to find stuff about you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, and Luis bit back a small chuckle and nodded in confirmation.

"Sí, (yes,)" he said before he cleared his throat and shifted on his bed. "I am going to be finding stuff out about me that has had us confused."

"But you won't forget about us?" she asked, raising an eyebrow in question, and Luis laughed and shook his head.

"No, no," he said. "I will not forget about you all. However, I do not understand why you are afraid of that." He gave her a pointed look, and Ari rolled her eyes and scowled, pressing her lips into a thin line. "You are my sister, even if we aren't siblings by blood."

Ari hesitated before she slowly nodded in confirmation, and a look of relief appeared on her face. "Were you supposed to wake me up?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper, and Luis bit back a small chuckle and shook his head.

"No," he said. "However, I had to do it because I was not just going to leave you all a note and not say goodbye like this."

Ari furrowed her brows before she slowly nodded and pressed her lips into a thin line. "Are you going to wake the others up?" she asked, and Luis smiled sadly before he shook his head. "Why not?"

"Because you are now the oldest, Ari," he said, his voice barely above a whisper and moving a hand through his hair and across his face. He sighed and shook his head before he pursed his lips in annoyance. "And I have a feeling that they will try to make me stay when both you and I know that I can't."

Ari frowned and slowly nodded. "How do you know that I will not try to make you stay?" she asked and raised an eyebrow in question, and Luis chuckled and shook his head. "I mean, I want you to stay."

"I know you do, Ari," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "But you also know that I need to know this; I need to do this. You know that I can't keep living like this and wondering who I am supposed to be and where my family came from."

Ari pursed her lips and wrinkled her nose while she looked at him. "Well, you aren't from Mars, Luis," Ari said, and Luis chuckled and slowly nodded in confirmation. "You are from Earth."

Luis bit back another chuckle and shook his head. "I know," he said before he cleared his throat and shifted on the bed, "but there is something different about me, and you know it, too."

Ari bit back a small sigh and slowly nodded, looking down before she licked her lips. "I know," she said before she cleared her throat and shifted on the bed. "I wish you don't have to go, though."

Luis nodded in confirmation, and his heart broke into a million pieces. "I know," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. He pulled her into a hug, and Ari hugged him just as tight. "Te amo, (I love you,)" he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Te quiero muchísimo. (I love you very much.)"

Ari bit back a small laugh and held him tighter. "Misma, (Same,)" she said. "Yo también te amo. (I love you, too.)

Luis placed a small kiss on her forehead before he pulled away from her. "I will see you soon, ok?" he asked and raised an eyebrow in question. "I have to go." He started to get off the bed but stopped when Ari grabbed his arm tighter.

"W-W-Wait," she stuttered and released his arm. "Un segundo, por favor. (For a second, please.)"

"What? What is it?" Luis asked and furrowed his brows. He set his jaw while he looked at his sister, worried. "What's wrong?"

Ari's hands shook while she took something off her neck, and Luis looked at it and then looked at her, his face pale, not saying a word. "Here," she said and gestured for her to put the thing in his hand. "Take this."

"Your rosary?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper while he looked at her, and she nodded. "¿Por qué? (Why?) You never take this off."

"Because I want you to have it. It'll protect you from whatever you have to face. Ok?"

Lusi bit back a small smile before he slowly nodded. He didn't say a word and got off the bed, clutching the rosary closer to his chest. He didn't believe in religion or whatever, mostly because of what he had been through, but he encouraged the others to do what they wanted, especially since that was what they had been "raised" in.

"Can you keep that with you?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "Please? I know that you don't believe in that stuff, but..?" She shrugged and grimaced, pressing his lips into a thin line.

Luis bit back a small chuckle before he slowly nodded in confirmation. "I will do it for your peace of mind," he promised. "Prometo. (I promise.)"

And with that, he bowed his head and left the room after he picked up his bag from where he had placed it before he woke his sister up, and he left his sister awake and lost in thought.

Please, protect her, he silently prayed, clutching the rosary tighter in his hand.

Please...