--13 years ago--

"Shorty Revy, can't catch me~" 12-year-old Calixto teased Revere while shaking his behind at him, wearing blue and red striped beach shorts.

"No fair, you are like a foot taller than me!" He complained.

"Stop exaggerating, Revy. it's just one and a half" Soren rolled his eyes.

"Easy for you to say! You are the tallest among all of us! And that's literally worse than what I just said!" To which Soren smirked.

"Ali, where are you? Stop making me look for you, you idiot older brother of mine!" Seth yelled in a hoarse voice after yelling over and over again.

Meanwhile, Alicai, Calioppe, and Devereux hid behind one large rock covering their mouths to stop a laugh from coming out.

Madeline, Devereux's younger sister came running with a bucket of sand and dumped it on the half-submerged, Viktor. who had shades on top of his head.

"Maddy, I'm going to be a superstar someday. So please be careful on the face."

"Hm..NEWP" She threw some sand on his face and started running away.

"This is injustice!" Viktor groaned.

"Injustice my butt." Viktor's older sister, Vera laughed.

"Oh Viktor, sand does suit you though." Vesna, the twin of Vera complimented him with a smile.

"That's not helping.. hey, where's Maro? I don't see that tofu anywhere." Viktor sighed.

"Why do you call Mawo topu?" Madeline sneaked behind him just to pour some more sand.

" It just fits him." He shrugged. "You'll see."

"Maro, you look like a Tofu!" Vera teased Maro who then burst into tears. "Wha- it ain't even that bad?!"

"See my point?" Viktor pointed out to the disgruntled Vera and the cry baby Maro.

"oOoh, I shee." Madeline nodded her head.

"Kids! Stay here with the bodyguards. We'll just go to the yacht to have some adult time, do you guys think you can behave yourselves?" Calixto's mother asked with a smile and her hands on her sides.

"Of course, we aren't kids" Calixto rolled his eyes.

"Said by a 12-year-old." Vesna snorted.

"You're no older, you're just 14." He complained.

"Still older" The twins shrugged.

"Op course we'll behabe, aunty." Madeline smiled brightly.

"Let's build a sandcastle!" Seth proposed eagerly while jumping.

"So Childish~ "Devereux teased while slowly pacing around Seth with a smirk.

"Oh yeah, what's your bright idea then?" Alicai raised a brow while crossing his arms at Devereux.

"This!" He then took out the hidden water gun and started spraying them.

While the children had fun, the mother went to talk to the bodyguards and then left to ride the yacht. Devereux managed to talk with Calixto about how was his training in taking over their family business as they were both starting with their lessons.

Calixto reassured him that everything was going well and that he really didn't need to worry as he doesn't even need to take over the business not until he was well old enough when his father is ready to retire from old age.

They laughed along with the conversation and even build a sand fort while talking.

"Why were you ignoring mom earlier at lunch?" Seth asked Alicai.

"She didn't give me what I wanted to my birthday." Alicai pouted.

"And that was?"

"I just wanted to watch a movie with her but her schedule was full and all she said was that she'd watch it with me at another time. Then it's not special anymore.."

"..Its fine, there's always the next time." He patted his back.

"Hey, what are y'all talking about??" Devereux butted in with a grin.

"Tch, nothing." Alicai rolled his eyes.

"Were you guys talking about your mates?" Lippe asked with a lollipop in between her teeth.

"Where did you get that idea from?" Seth asked while she shrugged.

"Did I hear mates?" Calixto popped up out of nowhere, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I'm excited to meet my mate. She'll be the most beautiful woman in my eyes." Seth blushed.

"What are you talking about? Our mate would be the most beautiful one." Soren boasted while grinning.

"Here we go again" Vera rolled her eyes.

"I wonder what she looks like?" Viktor thought eagerly.

"I wish we can find her quickly as possible." Calixto said giddily.

"Didn't Aunt Jenny say that she isn't your mate and it was a mistake?" Vesna pointed out, talking about what Maro's mother said.

"Still, we want to meet here either way. There must be a reason why she's our mate right?" Alicai expressed.

"I agree, they might say it is a mistake but I say that it is destiny~" Devereux said in a sing-song voice.

"Just thinking about her gives me butterflies. I think I'm already in love, I'm going to treat her like a queen." Revere crossed his arms.

Meanwhile, with the parent's yacht, the Wilson couple excuse themselves and rode a boat back to the shore. All the while when the children's laughter echoed, suddenly the yacht exploded in ablaze.

The children were too shocked to move or feel anything. It wasn't when Lippe started crying from stress and fear. Calixto ran to his siblings' embrace and picked her up, trying his best to stop her from crying though he himself was scared.

Vera and Vesna rushed to cover Viktor's eyes while hearing the people's screaming.

"Viktor don't look. Don't look okay?" Vera cooed.

"T-The y-y-yacht" He stuttered, blood was staining the half of the yacht and he could see all of it.

"Dammit Viktor! Please, just focus on us okay? Just focus on your older sisters. Focus on Vera." Vesna yelled. She grabbed her head and bashed it onto hers to make him look into her eyes. He hastily nodded his head and stared at his sister, Vera.

"Madeline! Madeline! Come back here!" Devereux yelled out to Madeline who was trying to swim in the water. He grabbed her wrist and crushed her in a hug. Preventing her from facing the crimson red yacht but in the process, he could see everything unfold with his.

Alicai and Seth both turned around, not wanting to see the scene while tears streaming down their faces as stress overcomes them. Unconsciously grabbing each other's wrists.

Soren and Revere just stood from where they were with blank faces. As if they couldn't comprehend what was happening, the alarms of the police cars. The yelling of the bodyguards, the screams of children and bystander adults alike.

They didn't want to process anything at that moment at all. A total stage of shock took over them while they watch the rescue boats rushed to the yacht.

With emotionless eyes, Maro gazes at his parents and back to the blazing fire, unamused.

" Remember Maro, cry. " His father whispered and he smiled and nodded. He then started crying and acting distraught.

The mother of Maro ran and gathered the children, "Aww it's fine, it's alright. Don't worry, everything will be alright.." She pretended concern while talking in a soft tone.

. . .

The Aftermath left broken families.

A joint funeral was held for the lives lost, Calixto and Lippe's father, and for Alicai and Seth's mother.

Devereux's parents were both admitted to the hospital, and his father's legs were crippled leaving him no chance of walking again. Soren's and Viktor's parents were busy taking care of all the family businesses as they were the only functioning couple. They had to get their selves together albeit the struggle of losing their close friends. Revere's parents had to be admitted and were in a coma.

'' Alicai cried while silently mourning.

Calixto kept a stoic facade in order to keep his sister from panicking. It was one of the things he remembered his father tell him about, is to hide your feelings only when needed and if it was important and this was an important time to him.

A month passed and they were experiencing neglect and so, it happened. "Children..I'm so sorry that this happened..Revere's aunt will be taking care of you all while we take care of everything. I'm so sorry but don't worry, you will all be there together. Ok?" Maro's mother cooed and some of them nodded their head.

"I have an aunt?" Revere questioned.

"Yes you do." She patted his head.

"Who is she?" He asked once more.

"..."

To be Continued . . .