Clara, Max, and Jeremy all grew up in the orphanage. That’s where they adopted one another as siblings. As young adults, this ragtag crew changed their last names to Johnson, in homage to the wrestler, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
They left Max at the orphanage when he was around 5 years old. Jeremy was only 2 during that time, so they had no recollection of their parents. Because the orphanage was very poor, they forced the older kids to care for the younger ones. This was to ensure that everyone would have someone to care for them and minimize the cost of hiring additional personnel.
Max got assigned to Jeremy, and because of this, grew to love him as a younger brother. Occasionally, the boys gave into sibling rivalry, but the longing to have a family always kept them together. Clara was eventually added to the mix later when she got left outside the orphanage.
She was severely dehydrated and badly bruised when Max found her lying on the ground. He had snuck out to go forage for fruit and came back screaming, fearing she was dead.
When she awoke, she had no recollection of who she was and what happened to her. She couldn’t even speak. The experience had traumatized her so much that her brain repressed most of her memories before the accident. Later, they diagnosed her with traumatic dissociative amnesia when examined by a doctor.
Most of the kids avoided her, thinking she was weird. But Max had been intuitive for his age, and since he was the one who found her, he naturally became her protector. The boys tried everything to help her come out of her shell and help her speak again, but nothing really worked.
The adults did not think she would get any better, so they left her alone most days.
When her wounds started healing, and she was strong enough to walk around, the duo showed her how to sneak into the nearby forest to pick berries or catch fish in the river. But they were never lucky, so they just played in the water. She was quiet and shy in the beginning, but when she opened up, the trio developed their own sign language just in case she never learned to speak again.
At a very young age, Max had a penchant for entertaining people. So he occupied most of their days with tales of his dreams and adventures.
Jeremy, on the other hand, was very taciturn. He figured since Max was so boisterous, he chose to be quiet most of the time. Only opening up when he was with Clara and Max. This was one reason he never got adopted.
He was happy being held and hugged all the time, and it was why he loved Clara the most because she would always sit with him and cradle him until he fell asleep.
Before Clara regained her voice, she would frequently disrupt everyone’s sleep by screaming and crying into the wee hours of the morning. This didn’t make her very popular, but it gave all of them a strong idea that she knew how to speak, or at least, vocalize her feelings.
The nightmares made the caretakers at the orphanage miserable, so they left her in a room far from everybody so she wouldn’t disturb the other kids. Unfortunately, this measure backfired and pushed her deeper into neurosis.
Even though they were young, Max and Jeremy had the wisdom of kids beyond their age. They knew Clara needed to be with people and should not be isolated. So the brothers would sneak out at night to be with her, hoping to ease her fears. Being with them had eventually lessened her nightmares, especially when they held hands or embraced one another as they slept. But this eased not only Clara’s fear and loneliness, but in a way, it also helped relieve Max and Jeremy’s need for company and affection.
To help her forget her nightmares, Max would tell stories before bedtime. It was like they were kindred spirits who had always been fated to find and care for one another. As they grew older, she just took on the role of their older sister, caring for them as much as she could.
They never got adopted, so the trio just took it upon themselves to be each other’s family. And for a long time, it was just them until their lives changed when Clara met Mr. Wong in High School. He was a self-defense instructor, training people to work as security guards for different companies and famous celebrities.
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Clara had this innate desire to learn how to defend herself, so she begged Mr. Wong to teach her, but without the money to pay him, she volunteered to help him with chores instead. Cleaning around the dojo, the bathrooms, and throughout the building. After she got done with her classes and part-time jobs.
When business began to slow down, Clara volunteered to help him with the flyers and advertising. Encouraging him to place some ads on the radio and the newspaper so people would know where he was. This revived his business enough to survive a few more years until she went to college.
Max hated Mr. Wong only because he kept making him clean the toilet and beating him on the mat. Aside from that, he was alright. Max recognized Mr. Wong was helping their little family survive. So in his books, he was a good man.
Mr. Wong had assigned himself to be their guardian. He had kids, but Clara had become dearer and dearer to him, so he had adopted Max and Jeremy as a package deal. He taught the boys self-defense so they could defeat their own bullies.
They would always hang out with Mr. Wong after school and perform odd jobs in his building. To pay him back for all the lessons and the help he gave them. Like Clara, they helped with cleaning the dojo and distributing the flyers.
But there was one instructor they really liked. Mr. Wong had told them he had a dark past, something the trio did not care about. They judged people by their character and not by their previous deeds. Probably because they felt they had no right to judge anyone by their past, not having one themselves.
The instructor used to be a security guard for one of the most prominent families in the country. But he messed up, and they had him banned from the industry, and now he can’t work anywhere. But since it seemed that Mr. Wong was a refuge for rejects, orphans, and blacklisted individuals, he took the guy in and gave him a training position.
He was the best instructor they have, always stepping up and making sure the students lived up to their potential. He stayed late and came in early like the dojo was the only life he knew.
Mr. Wong helped the siblings with their other bills and school supplies while they worked for him part-time, so they could concentrate on studying instead of working too many odd jobs that always left them too tired to do their schoolwork.
When Mr. Wong’s business started failing. Another facility with more updated and high-tech gym equipment had opened up in the next city over. They claimed they were training better security personnel, taking most of their business. And because money was getting tighter, instead of competing head-on with their competitor. And perhaps going to debt just to buy top-of-the-line gym equipment, Clara suggested they venture out where they’ve never been before. To specialize in the technology side of the industry. A business that needs little to nothing in terms of capital. This was because they needed to supply the equipment only upon demand. It was slow going at first. Installing security cameras, monitoring systems, and intruder alert technology for single individuals and small family-owned companies, but as their clientele grew, so did their profit. Eventually, when the business kicked off, they were able to
It was 10 am, by the time the SST team re-surfaced and made their way to Navio’s headquarters. All they needed to do was iron out any loose ends and answer any of their questions. The Johnson siblings talked about what they should expect when the system is in use and all its limits and possibilities. Max did most of the talking. Clara looked like she wasn't up to it, spacing out most of the time and working on her laptop. Sebastian invited them to lunch before they left for San Jose, but Max declined, saying he had something he needed to take care of. Clara and Jeremy, on the other hand, accepted. They both felt embarrassed to say no after what happened last night, hoping this would be an opportunity to clear the air. Jeremy excused himself to go to the restroom. Max followed him, saying he needed to make a
‘Why do I feel like it’s my first date?’ Max felt so nervous he was sweating. This was not a feeling he was familiar with. He always had the confidence to face any task or person, but there was something about Celine that threw him off his game. It felt like this was one date he could not mess up because his life depended on it. ‘So how is your sister? Is she feeling any better?’ She asked when someone tapped her shoulder. ‘Celine, I saw you from the street. Why are you having lunch here? Does your lunch date know who you are? That you don’t eat at places like these?’ ‘At least if I was your lunch date, I would never have brought you here. It’s so dingy, and things look cheap.’ He swipes his finger on the table, coming up with nothing, but pretending there was dust on it, to show his disgust. Celine rolls her eyes. ‘Dante, nobody asked for your opinion. And this is my lunch date, not yours. You can leave.’ Dante is the son of one of the prominent families in San Diego. Plastered o
Max Clara has been quiet on the plane ride home, stewing in her thoughts. She has a lot of things to process about her identity, her parents, and her sister. 'I would probably feet the same way if I ever find out about my past.' 'Is she really Carmen Jacobs? What does that mean for Jeremy and me when she finally reunites with her family? Will they be welcoming to us? Will they ask her to move in with them?' Now he started to get nervous. 'I would like to think she would not abandon us for her actual family. After all, she spent most of her life with us already, we have become her family. I just hope we continue to be together. I can't bear to lose Clara. There I said it.'
‘Hey, kids!’ Mr. Powell says from the open door. After a round of hugs, he told them that records from the kids in the orphanage before they assumed management was missing.‘I asked them about all those records when we arrived, and they told us about a break-in years earlier. Those idiots trashed the whole place. Do you know what the biggest surprise was? The only thing the looters absconded with were records of all the kids living here. Since most of you guys have grown up and moved on, they never bothered to restore the missing data,’ he said. ‘I think the old caretakers should have fixed the records because there is always a chance that someone might return.‘Pa, were there any other pictures you could show us from before?’ Max asked hopefully.‘Nah, but
Jeremy texts Max that Sebastian is in the building. ‘Give me 15 minutes before you come to my office. And don’t forget to pay up.’ Sebastian Colfer is in their office, and Max knows he came to see Clara and nothing else. The brothers had been betting on the two CEOs ever since the Installation three weeks ago. Max guessed he would be there after the one-month mark. Believing Sebastian would hold out and pretend he was not that interested in his sister. Jeremy said it would be less, claiming the CEO wanted to hurry things along. His sister and Sebastian have been butting heads the whole time, but he could see that the attraction was not one-sided. Clara felt something, otherwise, she wouldn’t have risen to his bait. Typically, she would just walk out and give him the bird*, but she stayed the whole time. An
‘These bozos can help you with that. I have no time right now,’ she said dismissively as she looked at her papers.Sebastian replied, ‘Oh, I had a meeting with someone at the Embarcadero yesterday and thought I’d drop by to see you guys - say hi.’ Max caught the intense look he gave her. ‘There was is no tamping down the intensity with this guy.’‘I remembered you cycled, so I was going to invite you to show me the trail near your area. It looked very scenic. I remember Max saying it circled a lake, and your social media was full of pictures of it. So I wanted to experience it firsthand. Will you give me a tour?’ he asked confidently.Max kept on texting Jeremy regarding their bet.
-=- Clara’s secretary called her brothers to come to her office for lunch as she laid the food on the table, but there was nobody in the office, and she did not know if Clara came back from her bike ride, so she left. Max and Jeremy came in laughing. They were teasing each other and betting on Clara again. They were trying to guess where they would find the two CEOs, and what they would be doing. Yeah, it was a bit mean to bet on their sister, but they had nothing else to do at the moment, and her love life was the hottest news right now. Their plan was to catch them, ‘making out,’ they both said in unison as they barged into her bedroom. When they saw Sebastian with his arms wrapped around Clara, they high-fived. But when the couple never pulled apart, it seemed lik