>A piercing ray of life-giving sunlight forces you from your dreams as you throw a hand over your eyes.
>”Mhmmm...”
>The warm weight on your right arm falls aside as you sit up in bed, wiping the crust from your vision.
>You look over to see Sonata’s adorable scowl as she snatches your arm up again and tries to pull you back down.
“C’mon, Sonata,” you drawl, prying your limb free from her and throwing your legs over the side of the bed.
>”But it’s coooold!” she whines, scooting on her side to press herself back into you.
>You laugh and stand up, turning around and pulling the girl up by one arm.
>She stubbornly follows you, taking your comforter and throwing it around her like a shawl, her bare legs quivering.
“You’re cute when you’re mad, you know?” you tease.
>Unexpectedly, she smiles and blushes, opening up her cotton chrysalis to hug you.
>”Good morning, Uncle Anon.”
>You can’t help but beam with pride as you return the embrace.
>You could really get used to hearing that.
>A few seconds of silence pass before the both of you are startled by a sharp knocking on your bedroom door.
>You open the door and stumble backwards as the other sisters burst into the room, Adagio tackling you to the ground with a ferocity you thought impossible from such a spindly frame.
>You hear Aria muttering something to Sonata over the youngest girl’s protests.
>But most of your attention is focused on the near-feral snarl Adagio’s giving you, not unlike a den mother whose cub has been killed.
“Get off of me!” You shout as you press one palm into the eldest’s stomach and push her off with ease.
>No sooner than you begin to stand she immediately scrabbles over to Sonata, her slender shoulders squared up to match her grimace.
>”Adi, what the hell?” Sonata snaps.
>”I knew it! I knew you were the same, you son of a bitch!” Adagio screams, pointing one finger at you.
“What are you talking about?” you reply.
>”Sis, this isn’t what it-“
>”What I’m talking about is you bringing my sister into your bed right after she put her trust in you!” Adagio said. “After all the water she carried for you last night, you turned right around-“
>”ADAGIO!”
>The room becomes deadly quiet for a few short seconds, Aria tucking herself against the closet door.
>”Anon let me sleep in here so you and Aria could have some space,” Sonata continued in her normal voice. “I was the one who suggested it.”
>Her words do little to alleviate Adagio’s incensed glare at you.
>”Sonata, if you’re lying to me because you don’t want to make him mad-“
>”Would you quit it already?” Sonata cut her off. “I’m clothed, he’s clothed, and we don’t smell awful, so why are you still acting like he’s the bad guy?”
>Adagio’s mouth opened and closed a few times as she failed to find words, before settling into a curt snarl.
>”...sis, you can’t just assume you know what happened,” Sonata replies. “And you don’t have to scared anymore, remember? He’s family.”
>A moment of shock seems to overpower Adagio for a moment, and your own shoulder unconsciously loosen as she slumps to the floor.
>”You can’t scare me like this, Sonata,” she croaks out. “We always wake up together.”
>”I should’ve told you, sis,” Sonata said as she knelt down. “And I’m sorry for that.”
>Sonata gives Adagio a small smile of reassurance as she pulls her sister up into a hug.
>”We’re not going anywhere.”
“...So, breakfast?”
>Your awkward interruption manages to crack the glare Adagio gives you into an amused smirk.
>Walking over to Aria, your lightening mood crashes again at her clutched expression, eyelids smashed tightly against each other.
“Aria?” you whisper, gently tapping her on the shoulder.
>She convulses at the contact, whimpering and flattening her back against the wall.
>You decide right then and there that that call to Hyun you promised needs to happen.
“...Aria, it’s Anon. Can you look at me?”
>You swear to God you can hear her heart pounding in her chest as she lets one eye open, her ragged ventilating slowing and smoothing as her sisters each take one hand.
>”I’m sorry for yelling, Aria,” Adagio croons as the middle sister’s shoulders uncoil at her touch.
“...I’ll get the food started,” you near-incoherently mutter as you back out of the room.
>Adagio seems like she has it covered.
 
—-
 
“And, voila!” you proudly announce as you set a steaming hot plate in front of each of your nieces.
>Adagio rolls her eyes as she keeps the same uneasy glare she’s had on you for most of her time in your home.
>You really hope that the bedroom incident isn’t going to be a recurring thing.
>The other two are already poking at the stack of pancakes before them with their forks.
>”Uncle Anon? Isn’t there normally syrup served with these?” Sonata pipes up.
“These don’t need it, trust me,” you laugh.
>All three of them shrug and pop a forkful of breakfast in their mouths.
>All at once, you hear three surprised, muffled moans of pleasure as the sisters close their eyes, savoring your cooking.
>You giggle over the sound of curled toes popping under the table and dig in yourself.
>So much easier to just use vanilla in the batter.
>As the glare on Adagio's face fades after breakfast, you excuse yourself and walk back to your bedroom.
>Three taps on a touchscreen later, and Hyun's voice comes through your cellphone receiver.
>"I was beginning to think I'd have to physically come over," she quips.
"Hyun, you know I love sass at 8:30 in the morning, but I'm not in the mood."
>"And I'm not in the mood to have a powwow with my neighbor over parenting issues, but I didn't put you on voicemail, did I?"
"Hyun, please, I've already been assaulted verbally by one woman younger than me today. I don't need another tongue-thrashing."
>She sighs into your ear, and you swear you can hear her eyes rolling.
>"Alright. How are each of them doing?"
"Adagio's been the most aggressive out of all of them," you reply. "She's uptight about most things and usually glares or gives some sort of worried look whenever I'm around the others."
>"Go on."
"She... attacked me this morning when she found out one of the others slept with me last night-"
>"Hold up."
>You gulp at the sound of her voice dropping and sharpening.
>"You slept with one of them?"
"Sonata. She's the only one who seems to trust me, and even then, she might just be trying to put on a face to avoid upsetting me."
>"And I assume that this was actual sleeping?"
"Yes, Mother Superior."
>You giggle at her exasperated sigh.
>"So what happened?"
"She knocked me to the ground, I pushed her off. She accused me of the... other kind of sleeping, and Sonata managed to calm her down somewhat."
>"Somewhat?"
"The whole thing kinda blew over when Aria clammed up over the yelling."
>"...oh no."
>That doesn't sound good.
>"So you're on Sonata's good side?"
"Yeah. She's the only one who calls me uncle, and isn't afraid to approach me or ask for something."
>"You have no idea how lucky you are that she's opening up to you this quickly."
"What do you mean?" you reply.
>"Oh right, you haven't got the chance to get the CoI release processed, have you?"
"No. I was hoping you could expedite that," you mutter, leaning back against your dresser.
>Confidentiality of Information, or, in layman's terms, everything pertaining to exactly what your sister did to your nieces.
>"Swing by today - I've got a light load on my plate right now. We'll get it sorted out."
"...Thanks, Hyun," you breathe, releasing chest muscles you didn't know were taut.
>"No problem."
>The click in your ears times perfectly with Sonata stepping into the doorway of your bedroom.
>"Uncle Anon?"
"Hmm?"
>"We're, uh... not full after breakfast," she sheepishly says.
>Jesus Christ, teenagers are ravenous.
"I'll get us something to top us off when we head out today. For now, you three take turns in the shower and get dressed. We've got places to be today," you reply with a ruffle of her bedhead.
---
>After some frustration with Adagio insisting that her poof of a hairdo needed time to fluff properly, and a quick raid of the corner store for cheap donuts, you let out a sigh as you and your charges walk into city hall.
>You notice Aria sticking close to her sisters with a panicked pace to her step as they take seats while you fill out the necessary papers for the consultation.
>"So, why are we here?" Sonata inquires as you sit down.
"Well, first I need to get some last little strings about you girls staying with me tied up, and then we're going to the mall," you reply.
>All three of them perk their heads up in confusion at the last part of your sentence.
>"Anon?"
>You look up to see Hyun standing in the back office doorway, waving you over.
"This shouldn't take too long, girls. Sit tight for a bit," you say as you move to get up.
>You're stopped short by Sonata wrapping her arms around you again.
>You squeeze her back and follow Hyun into her office.
>"You two look cute together," she quipped.
>You sputter at her comments as you both seat yourself on each of the loveseats in her office.
>She always did have peculiar tastes in furniture.
>"I'll need your signature here, here, here, here, here, aaaand... here," she nonchalantly spoke, pointing to various dotted lines within the stack of paperwork she had prepared.
"Good Lord, it's a neverending tempest of files with you people, is it?"
>"Yep."
>The moment you're done signing, Hyun slaps a stuffed manila folder down in front of you.
>"Anon."
>There's that sharpened voice again.
>"I've talked to you as a friend up until this point, but I need to say this as a professional - you're not going to like what's in this folder."
"I figured that much-"
>"Stop trying to play this down!" she snaps at you. "Humor might be a good way to get some stress off your head, but I NEED you to take this in complete seriousness."
>You gulp at the pitch-black pupils boring through you and nod.
>"You're going to be angry, and disgusted, and want to make some rash decisions," she continued, one of your hands firmly grasped between hers. "But you need to keep calm. I'll be here to help you think through this."
>You want to say she's being dramatic or paranoid, but you know the look in her eyes.
>She's never this on edge unless something is beyond wrong.
>You gently free your hands from her and turn the front cover of the folder over.
"This is gonna take some time to read over-"
>Your voice dies in your throat as you read the heading of the first document.
>"I wanted to get this out of the way first," Hyun whispers.
>Date: 11/7/2017.
>Subject: Sexual Assault Investigation.
>The bile is heavy in your throat as you silently sift through the contents with a shaking hand.
>Pictures, forensics, testimonies...
>"I need you to keep calm," Hyun said, taking your other hand back in hers.
>A few minutes later, you look back up to her, ready to vomit.
"...No wonder she flinched this morning," you manage to choke out.
>Hyun's pained expression matches yours as you fight back the heat in your eyes.
>"Let's keep going. Don't let yourself get entangled in one part of this," she replied.
>The two of you spend the next ten minutes reviewing the rest of the folder, mostly consisting of psychological analysis of the culprit.
>By the time you're finished, you borrow Hyun's office trashcan and retch your breakfast.
>"We've gathered all we can from other sources," Hyun speaks up, handing you another folder. "It's not much, scraps of neighbor testimonies and camera footage, but we couldn't risk directly making a house call out of fear she'd do something drastic to them."
>Her.
>HER.
>You take a few moments to breathe the stale interior air, working your hands against the hem of your shirt fabric.
"...So what do I do now?"
">Aria needs to know you can be trusted to take care of her," Hyun replied. "She's anchored herself to the only two people she feels she can trust, and you're going to need one or both of them to back you to get to her."
>You flip open the other folder to find more statistics.
>Weight, physical descriptions, personality, basic interviews...
>You shudder at Adagio's painfully frail frame in the photos.
>She'd somehow been even more malnourished than before you took her in.
>"As for Adagio, you've got a textbook sentinel on your hands."
"A what?"
>"Oh right, you're not familiar with our, uh, lingo," she replies.
"Just give it to me straight," you mutter, one hand cupping your burning forehead.
>"She sees herself as a guardian to the other two, and she's scared of you, trying to guard both her sisters from a potential enemy, and worried that you'll be taking her self-appointed position from her," Hyun says.
>You lean back into the cushions, rubbing your temples.
"So how the hell am I supposed to "fix" that?"
>"You don't."
"OH FOR THE LOVE OF-"
>"Keep your damn voice down!" Hyun hisses. "Do you really want to scare the girls in here?"
"...Sorry. I'm just at the end of my rope here."
>A few stretched seconds of silence pass before Hyun slowly gets up from her seat.
>"Anon, if I didn't think you were capable of helping these girls have the best shot at a normal life they can, I wouldn't have pulled as many strings as I did," she began, placing a hand on your shoulder. "What they need is a rock, someone outside that the know they can depend on, something they've never had before. You just need to be there, and to listen. They'll open up to you if you can just do that."
>It's not every day - hell, every week - that you see Hyun genuine give anyone a wide smile.
>With a pull to your feet and a strong hug, the two of you gather up the documents and head back out to the girls.
“Girls, I’d like you to meet Hyun. She’s our neighbor and a good friend of mine,” you say with your best smile.
>Adagio gives a curt wave to her and turns back to the magazine she’d shoved her head into.
>...why would she be interested in Modern Mothers Monthly?
>”Oh, I remember you! You were there when...uhh...”
>Sonata’s sentence dies in her throat as Aria tenses up beside her, shoulders tucking inward.
>”It’s nice to meet you girls,” Hyun seamlessly replies. “Anon and I go way back to our college days, before he put on the paunch.”
>You smack her poking finger away from your abdomen in mock outrage, managing to get a giggle out of the girls.
“Alright, alright, let’s get going. I’ve harassed our local, hard-working civil servants enough for one day,” you quip back.
>Hyun rolls her eyes and waves one last time as you lead the girls out of the winding building and back to the car.
>”She seemed nice,” Aria speaks up from the back of your motley procession.
“Hyun’s good people. Just don’t ask her about the cheek scar,” you reply as the lot of you pile into the car.
“Alright, mall time!”
—-
“You girls okay in there?”
>Silence is the only response from the changing rooms as you wriggle on your seat outside.
>It’s been almost 10 minutes since the three of them filed into the stalls, giving your back a reprieve from the caravan of cloth you had hung from your forearms as they browsed.
>You scratch your scalp idly as the dulcet tones of mall Muzak do nothing to quell the growing sense of worry in your head.
>Like a rat gnawing at its cage, the panic ebbs at your consciousness as the seconds tick by, fingers coiling and relaxing in rhythm.
>They could be breaking down over undressing in public, terrified you’re dolling them up to be your playthings.
>A buzz in your pocket draws your attention as you pull out your phone, Hyun’s caller ID flicking on the screen.
“Hello?”
>”Hey Anon. I’m afraid I’ve got bad news for you,” Hyun bluntly throws out.
>The rat starts gnawing harder.
“What’s wrong?”
>”Your sister managed to post bail.”
>The rat squeals, and you shudder at flashes of the morbid photographs you reviewed with Hyun.
“What?” you spit out.
>”I’d suggest keeping the girls inside for a few days. Her rap sheet stinks of a woman who takes things personally,” she responds.
“...Fuck me.”
>”Not until the third date, sweetie.”
“Oh for fuck’s sake, Hyun! This is ser-“
>”...Uncle Anon?”
>Your body swerves sharply leftwards to see Sonata’s big eyes poking out from the changing room stalls.
“I’ll have to call you back in a bit, Hyun,” you mutter as you cut the call, getting up as Sonata’s hand beckons you over.
>Rounding the corner, the three girls line up as you take in the new outfits.
>”What do you think?” they say in unison.
>Honestly, purple and pink weren’t really your colors, but you didn’t care.
>The only thing you can focus on is how, for the first time in the past two days, all of them are smiling at you.
>Granted, Adagio’s looks like it’s been smeared on by a plaster artiste, but hey, small victories.
“You girls look adorable.”
>”Well, I’m good then. Let’s change back and get all of this paid for,” Adagio curtly replies with a dismissive shrug as she pulls her sisters back in.
>After 10 more minutes of checking out and a tiny part of your wallet’s soul dying as it realizes how expensive teen clothing is, you breathe a sigh of relief as everything is bagged.
“Alright, let’s get back home and get some lunch in us-“
>”Umm, Uncle Anon?”
You turn to see Aria, surprisingly, looking you dead in the eyes.
>”C...Could we wear our new clothes home?” she sputters, her body visibly shaking in anxiety.
>”This is your moment, Anon,” you hear Hyun’s voice in your head.
“Of course Aria. Whatever you like,” you softly reply, putting a hand on the girl’s shoulder.
>She goes stiff under your touch for a single, stretching second before the gentle stroking of your thumb seems to calm her down somewhat.
>You quietly follow behind the girls as they hop into the changing room one last time, hitting your speed-dial on the way.
“Sorry about that Hyun, the girl’s needed me for a bit,” you say as you swear you can hear her eyes rolling on the other end. “What else did you say?”
>”Your sister might want to see her kids now that she’s out,” she replies. “It’s not uncommon for these situations to loop back around.”
“And if that does happen? I mean, I could just smack the bitch,” you begin, venom creeping into your voice.
>”And if she gets violent, you have every right to, but you need to be concerned for the girls,” Hyun shoots back. “Even seeing her at this time might crumble any sense of trust they have in you.”
“You... have a point. But we really need to just be cooped up in the house for a week or so? I need to get groceries sometime.”
>”I’m not opposed to the idea of doing a grocery run for you,” she replies.
“You really mean it?”
>”Yes. It’s critical that you get as close to your nieces as you can before they get back into school.”
“...Why?”
>You hear rustling as she shifts around in her chair.
“Why are you doing so much just for me? Is it blatant favoring, or just boredom?”
>Silence passes for a few seconds before she responds.
>”...Anon, you’re dealing with something no parent or guardian should ever have to go through. You’re the only shot they have left before getting shoved into the machine that is foster services, and this is the only time in my years here that I can directly help.”
“Hyun-“
>”Do you have any idea how many hundreds of kids I’ve seen slip into this bureaucratic shithole?” she continues, her voice raising. “How many kids who’ve done nothing wrong get bounced from shelter to shelter, falling out onto the streets because nobody cares to look for them when they’ve run away in confusion?”
>She manages to collect herself long enough to let a shuddering sigh through the receiver.
>”I transferred into Child Services two years ago so I could stop ...WHORES like your sister from hurting these kids any more, after I found about...well, you know. And after two years of paper pushing and organizational work, I can finally make a difference. So, forgive me if I’m a little invested,” she finishes with a quivering voice.
“Hyun, I’m sorry. I should’ve known better than to push you-“
>”It’s fine. Something I probably should’ve  told someone a long time ago,” she cuts you off. “Just go to the girls. They need you.”
“...Thanks, Hyun.”
>”Careful, now. Say that enough times in one day, I’ll think you actually like me,” she  says, punctuating her sass with a click.
You roll your eyes and hang up as the girls reemerge from the dressing room.
“We good to go-“
>Your voice cuts off as Aria darts forward and wraps her arms around you, her thin frame squeezing you with what little force it can muster.
>”T-T-Thank you...”she whimpers.
>You simply smile and gently wrap one arm behind her shoulder blades.
>”HUGS!”
>You look back up and let the wind leave you as Sonata crashes into the other side of you, mirroring Aria.
>Adagio crosses her arms at the three of you and scoffs.
>”Come on, Adi, you know you want toooooo~” Sonata teases.
>With an exasperated sigh, the girl acquiesces and joins the clump of bodies with a halfhearted hug.
>Figuring Sonata’s been hugged enough the past two days, you shift your arm to Adagio with a firm squeeze, pressing her against you.
“You’re welcome, girls. Come on, let's get home."
>All of you separate and bag up the old clothes.
>You make sure to drop the faded rags in the garbage on the way out.
---
>The rest of the day, thankfully, is rather uneventful, with the girls spending most of their time in their rooms reading.
>You decide to hit the bed early again tonight, figuring you need to be up before the girls regularly from now on.
>The girls seem to have the same idea, and after a quick dinner of hot ham & cheese sandwiches you're all almost ready.
>Sighing as you pull your nightshirt over your head, you reflect on Hyun's words.
"Sentinel..." you whisper to yourself.
>Your dry throat rattles in protest of your voice, and you quickly trot down the stairs for some water.
>Walking by the girls' room, you hear the sound of whimpering.
>Through the crack of the open door, you see Aria hunched down on the side of the bed, Adagio beside her with one arm on her shoulder.
>You can't help but stop, pressing yourself close to the doorframe to observe.
>"Hey, hey, don't go crying on me," you hear Adagio say. "I know that place reminded you of him, but he's not here. He'll never be here again."
>Aria's shuddering sobs are her only response to her sister as she curls up, knees pulled to her chest.
>"Would you like me to sing?" Adagio asks.
>A whimper of affirmation, and Adagio pulls a banged-up CD player from her nightstand.
>The player itself looks like a junk dealer refurbished it, but it plays well as the eldest sister turns it on.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCkwAgTcDBw
>Every hair on your body goes stock stiff as an almost haunting melody comes from Adagio's throat, Aria relaxing slowly as she croons.
>The serenade stretches on, Adagio's eyes closed in concentration as the house is filled with the dulcet arrangement.
>What is only a few minutes seems to be eternal as you stand transfixed in the hallway, paralyzed.
>By the time the CD player is through with its instrumental backing, Aria is fast asleep, the eldest giggling at her as she tucks her sister in.
>You back up into Sonata as the spell finally leaves you.
>"Could you please get off my foot?" she asks bluntly.
"Oh yeah, sorry," you blurt as you collect yourself.
>"She was singing, wasn't she?" Sonata asks.
"...Yeah," you reply after a moment. "I had no idea she could do that."
>"She's the best out of all of us," Sonata replies. "She used to perform at the junior theatre all the time, before..."
>You decide not to prod.
"Well, goodnight."
>"Umm, could we, uh..." Sonata trails off.
>You smile and tussle her hair.
"You want a cuddle buddy again tonight?"
>She blushes and nods.
>You can't help but laugh as she trails behind you to bed.
>As you pile in, she immediately throws her back into your chest, same as before.
>You roll your eyes and sling one arm over her.
"You really like being the little spoon, huh?"
>She smacks your hand lightly and settles into you.
>As you drift, you can still hear Adagio's singing in your ears.