Paul looked at the man sternly.

    "You've got to be shitting me!  I've got the best fucking security force available and you can't even find this kid?  Did he vanish into thin air?  Surely you have some type of a lead?" he said evenly and quietly.

    "We are good.  But it looks like he just vanished like I said.  He didn't show up Monday for his daily shot.  The security team there finally went and looked for him on Tuesday"

    "And just when did you learn of this?"

    "on Tuesday night.  They checked the whole compound but no one seen the kid"

    "And his security guard?"

    "Oh they checked with him.  He had nothing to report.  He called on Thursday and quit.  Told me that he was tired of babysitting a simple child"

    "I see.  Did you dispatch someone to actually follow up on things?"

    "Of course and they had nothing more to report"

    The two men glared at each other.  Sebastian was listening from the door unknown to both men.  He was worried.  It sounded like his brother had just vanished.  Now he was getting scared.  He had to think.  He went to the cement bench where he had spent lots of time with Devon.  He'd just vanished.  Gone.  No where to be found.  Where was he and how was he being treated?  What was this shot he was getting?  He had to talk to someone.  Maybe Rosie or Reuben could help.  Anyways it was time for his French lesson.  At least that hadn't changed. 

    The tutor showed up everyday.  It wasn't as fun as when Devon was there but at least he had something to do.  School was starting shortly so Amanda and him would also have something to do.  Paul had been good to them.

    Paul had been good to them.  He had the grandmother and Iris looking over his shoulder.  He had recording companies just waiting for the word to start the new album.  He had to rely on his security staff to keep Devon safe and get a cure for the boy.  Least the estrogen shots would keep his puberty in check for a few more years.  But where was the boy now?  He just vanished into thin air?  Did he need to hire another investigator?

    This went on for several more months.  The grandmother was extremely pissed off threatening to take the other two children from him since he already lost one.  She wanted to know where Devon was.  She found an interesting turn of events when peewee, of all her grand children, called to inquire how Devon was doing.  She figured it was something to do with the residual royalty checks he was receiving.  They were interrupted.  Devon's public image was dimming, but she could live with that.  She had money, more than she could even imagine.  She had let the entire security team go and replaced by another one just as reputable.  Paul wasn't happy either with that but that was tough. 

    Over in France, Devon had died his hair and eyebrows.  He was working on his French language with a fierceness that Pierre had to notice and was pleased.  Since the public caning of the two young teenagers for unprotected intercourse, he had began a different tune.  His brother the doctor said that the effects of the estrogen shots would wear off in time and hopefully he could still have a regular sex life.  Devon enjoyed the return of his erections.  He was careful to keep everything in check but occasionally they came up.  Adrien was pleased to receive the $500 from Devon's cousin in the state. 

    For his own development, Devon was talking to Pierre about his career.  that included Adrien though.  Adrien wasn't exactly nuts about the idea of spending more money on this boy.  Thru Pierre, Adrien eventually was persuaded to find a recording studio for the boy to record something.  Devon cooled his jets, he'd managed to get another journal and was writing again.  Some of his other songs came back to him slowly.  About 3 weeks later Adrien told him that he'd found him a studio to record in.  The owner was away taking a holiday in Africa.  Devon had approximately 2 weeks to do what ever he needed to do.  Adrien made it quite clear to him that he was going to offer no more money to the venture.  Devon overheard the two brothers talking about a waste of time and money.  Adrien wanted to send him back to the states but Pierre resisted.

    Adrien and Camille took Devon to the studio the next day.  Adrien took him into the control room and showed him what he could mess with and what he wasn't to mess with.  He showed him three guitars that he could play to record.  After that Camille and him left.  Devon was all alone.  He was starting to feel panicky at being alone.  He cried for a long time feeling like a failure.  

    He went to the guitar room and played each of the three guitars.  They were all junk but Devon took strings from each of them to make a usable one.  He then began the slow process of checking out what he had to work with.  The problem he soon found was that the recording room with the microphone was in one room and the control panel was in the other room.  Devon spent the next several days running between the two rooms.  Camille offered to stay with him once and he finally accepted.  He had her in one room while he was in the other.  He had her plucking the guitar now and then while he played with the controls.  When he finally had them set to where he wanted them, they switched places.  He tried to sing something in French but to him it didn't sound right. 

    Camille was supportive as she could be but she could tell that Devon was getting frustrated.  He finally broke down at the pool later that night.  Pierre had been called away on some other business.  Devon felt all alone.  Adrien was around but would rebuke the boy now and then about being a waste of money and effort.  Devon ended up in the bedroom asleep on the floor crying himself to sleep.  Camille could tell thru the door.

    Being her uncle, the doctor's favorite niece, she phoned him in private as what to do to help Devon.  He listened but couldn't offer much advise but said he'd stop by later the next day to check on things.  Devon was dropped again at the studio, reminded how much time was available again, and alone.  Devon went into the room where the guitar awaited him.  He plucked some notes diddled around some more wasting time.

    "Is this what you are offering the people who have rescued you, my young friend?" he heard overhead thru a speaker in French.  Devon dropped the guitar on the floor when he fell out of the chair.  He looked around for the voice above.  It finally dawned on him that it was from the control room.  He picked himself up and then the guitar.  He held the guitar by the neck.

    "It would seem that I am wasting everyone's time" Devon said in English aloud.

    "And what would you like them to think you are doing?" he heard again in French.

    "I want to make a record.  I really am good--at least in the states I was" he said looking down.

    "So, Devon, sit and play something for me" he heard in perfect English.

    Devon did as he was told.  He began a song that was popular in the states.  The problem was he was singing it in French.  For once he could hear the feedback in the studio.  The guitar sounded just barely OK, but the words basically sucked.  He stopped after a verse or two.  He just looked at the floor.

    "And that sounds pretty bad to me" he said in French.

    "hmmmmm, does the song have an English version?" he heard in French.

    Devon nodded and stroked the guitar a few times.  He turned around away from the doctor and began to play thru the instrument.  The doctor was patient.  Then Devon began singing the song that would make him more famous in the ensuing years far and above what he was used too.  It was the tribute to his parents.  At the end, he was crying again barely making it thru the ending.  The music died away thru the feedback.  Devon could only sniff.

    "The song means a lot to you I see, Little Devon" Devon heard while the man was flipping a few knobs until eventually he said "We are ready now" in perfect English again.

    Devon was shaken to his core when he heard himself singing back with some reverb built in.  It was loud and vibrated right thru him.  it played thru twice.

    After it was done "I have your back little Devon.  You can not go back just now for the states.  People are looking for you.  Even now Pierre is risking his life for you <Devon immediately wheeled around and looked at him standing up>.  He is in the states faking, lying for you.  Remember, some don't care for you, but others are concerned.  You have a gift, you have talent, you are up against a barrier.  You must convert the words to French, the right french.  Once you get that, have Camille call me Little Devon.  Your time is running short" all in French that Devon understood perfectly.  The music started up again and Devon watched the man leave the studio.

    Devon had so much to ask him, but he was gone.  Still, he had his instructions.  Passable french.  Who could help him with that?  Camille?  he didn't know.  Pierre could if he was there.  And sure the hell not Adrien.  He was worthless piece of fat slob.  But he had to do something.  He had his orders.  How did the doctor know what buttons to push?  What knobs to move?  Devon had to investigate and quickly as time was running out.

    Devon spent the day wondering, pondering on his situation but didn't get much resolution.  Adrien picked him up and took him to the house.  He reminded Devon along the way at least twice of his situation and how he had less than 5 days to complete whatever he had to complete.  Devon felt lower than whale shit for the rest of the day.  Camille kept trying to talk to him but he didn't reciprocate much at her efforts.  He felt bad for that but asked her if she knew when Pierre was returning.  She had no idea and didn't ever know what project that Pierre was working on.  

    Camille being the aggressive one kept on him thru the night.  She'd tried to seduce him but didn't have much luck.  Very rarely would she see him totally nude but it was enough to keep her interests peeked.  Just before he left for the studio the next day he finally broke.  He told her that he had a great song in the states.  She'd never been to the states and as far as she was concerned, it wasn't worth the effort at any point to expend to try to get there.    Devon understood since it was probably from her father's constant negativity of the states.  She got it out of him what the major problem was, even warning him not to mention that her uncle the doctor had helped him or advised him, especially around Pierre or Adrien.  Devon had no idea but went to the studio anyways.  He figured he could at least expend the effort.

    He walked into the place and locked the doors.  Going into the control room, he pressed the button to make the tape play.  He went into the media room and just sat there holding the guitar in his lap.  He felt totally worthless.  He'd spent so much time and effort to try to do what was right.  He needed to make the right decisions and hopefully eventually make enough money to get his brother and sister to come somewhere with him.  Since his grandmother and Iris had given up on him, he knew he was on his own.  At least Peewee listened to him when he called to borrow the money for Adrien.  Peewee listened totally captivated thru the whole 9 minutes of conversation before the Internet went down somewhere.  Peewee saw Devon thru the webcam.  His words matched his mouth, so he knew it was true.  Devon didn't know that Peewee was going nuts wondering what was going on.  Devon had sworn him to secrecy as to what was going on.  

    Devon was just looking at the guitar when he noticed some non-white lights going on behind him in the control room. 

    "What is bothering you little one?  You sit there all alone looking hopelessly lost" he heard thru the control room speakers.  The voice was female and in French.  Some version of French he caught most of the meaning of.  Devon didn't even bother to look around as the former song of his had began to play much quieter.

    "Has the cat got your tongue?  The song is most beautiful" the female said again in the french.  

    A cold shiver ran up Devon's spine.  The lights went out behind him and inside the room he was in turned way down to almost dark.

    "Do you not understand me?" the voice again in French.

    Devon looked up from the guitar, memories flooding thru his memory.  This voice reminded him of his mother.  He softly began to cry some.

    "Am I so foreign that you do not understand me?" the voice once again said but this time it was in educated English and right behind him.

    Devon shook his head, gasping for air "No, your voice reminds me of my mothers"

    "is this bad?" she said again placing her hands on his shoulders.  She could feel his great racking pains for breath.

    "I feel so alone"

    "But your not alone, Devon.  You have more people around you who care than you realize.  The timing is not right for things to be revealed to you.  You must be patient and do what is expected of you"

    "But what if I cannot, momma?" he said not realizing what he said.

    "It is within your grasp.  All you have to do is focus on it"

    "But I can't.  The words won't come"

    "Oh they can come Devon.  You just have to let them.   If you feel the pain while you sang that song that is in the background in English, then you can also sing it in French and life will move exponentially along at a rapid pace.  You just need to do that"

    "But I don't understand it enough, the language to translate it"

    "Love is a universal language, Devon Shire.  Your grandmother feels it for you.  Even now, she is going nuts trying to find you"

    "How do you know my grandmother?" he said looking up for the first time and slowly turning around.  He didn't get to since she held on to him slipping her hands over his chest to hold him there.

    "Time is not for us to discuss that" she said in that french he didn't understand much of.

    "But how?"

    "Love will get it there for you Devon" she said slowly unbuttoning his shirt. He stood there frozen. she rubbed her hands all over his bare skin on his chest. Up and down playing with his nipples. He felt tremors and feelings that he'd never felt before. He leaned his head to one side as she began to nibble on his neck. the little nibbling was getting to Devon when he involuntarily moaned a little. He felt his shirt being removed as his erection was pressing against his pants. he felt her hands on the back of his ass, rubbing up and down, moving from the rear to the sides. she reached around and undid his snap on his jeans and unbuttoned the fly. She pushed him down on his hands and knees. she reached and removed his shoes and socks on both legs. then she reached again to his chest, tweaking on his nipples. One hand remained as she grasped his hard thru his pants. No one had ever done that to him before. She reached behind his crack of his ass and the clothing was pulled down to his knees. His erection sprang free to hit his belly, sprewing some precum against his chest. Funny he'd remember that later. She rubbed his hipples again and he moaned. She pulled his legs apart, still from behind him. He was getting extremely turned on but could only tell she had long hair in the extremely dark light.  His nuts were swinging free between his legs when she moved down to the crack of his ass.  The licking down there grossed him out at first but the more she did it the more it turned him on.  He was almost ready to come then.  

    A few minutes of getting tothe peak of coming and backing down, drove the poor boy crazy.  He forgot his worries for awhile.  She turned him over finally and engulfed his erection.  he lasted for 3 pumps before he was spewing inside her mouth.  She drank it down and he was surprised he was still hard.  She moved up to his belly button and nibbled there, then down to his nuts.  She took the into her mouth and rolled them around with her tongue against the walls.  she engulfed his hard again and he felt her insert her finger into his butt.  She moved against something down there that made him begin the biggest load of his life.  

    His hard finally deflated after that load. She held him by holding gently on to his legs.  He was spent and enjoying the bliss of the after moment. He'd never had a blow job before like that.

    "So you enjoyed this"

    Devon only could moan.

    "Devon, listen to me.  Like this experience here in France, you could have the same in the states.  Life is all universal.  You simply have to make your music the same, maybe tweak here and there a note, but the words should mean the same, not just substitute them.  You have to reach deep inside of yourself, determine what it is that you are feeling and then express them on the paper.  You can't remember everything since your french is not that good.  You can speak it, but not fluently.  The longer your here the better you will be.  Do you understand me?"

    Devon moaned some more.  His pecker was starting to recover a little.  He was trying to think about what she said.  Since she said it in English, he had no difficulty understanding it, just digesting it enough to ask questions.  He felt her get up from the floor where he laid still.  He heard her leave the room.

    "You are just like all the other men, you only take what you want!" she said thru the speakers in French.

    Devon sat up or tried too.  His abdomen was pulled tight.  He moaned and shouted "NO!" in English and French.  He rolled to his side and got up on his knees and hands.

    "NO!  Wait!  Please" he said in English, struggling for the words in French.  They didn't come to him as  quick.

    "I can't think what I want to say in French.  Your right.  I suck at it!  Please don't leave.  I don't care about the sex, I want to talk more to you, please" he whined staring at the window of the dark room.  

    She was still there.  She hadn't gone anywhere.  It was still dark in there but he could see her silhouette.  

    "Please!" he said collapsing on his chest in tears "pleaseeeeeeeeee"

    She could hear him sobbing thru the microphone.  She'd been hurt so many times before from her marriage before the wreck.  Her daughter vaguely knew about her.  Her ex had given her this studio to find a vocation, she knew he couldn't stand to look at her disfigured face of 26 years age.  She barely went out in public anymore.  Her vocation made a mediocre existence and she craved for something more.  Adrien had treated her like crap for the past 11 years.  She knew he was no prize at 300 pounds and 5 feet 9 inches.  Body of fat.  His business dealings and lawyer kept him in money, but she never saw any of it.  

    No, she was lonely too, but this boy was barely-what 13 or 12, half her age.  Was she that desperate?  She knew he was some very distant relation to her, back several years.  Her ex-brother in law had told her his name.  She researched it alone in the back recesses of that huge recording studio.  Distant relation.  Successful in the states and then something happened.  What she had no idea.  She'd have to ask the doctor.

    "pleaseeeeee don't leave me!" she heard him beg before she heard no more except a small quiet snore.  He'd fallen asleep, overcome by emotions.

    A while later, Devon awoke still on the floor next to the guitar.  He was chilly from the air conditioning.  He realized he was in his birthday suit and finally remembered all that'd been happened to him.  He sat up and looked around.  There on the floor next to him was a note.

    "Remember what I told you.  Work on that and we'll meet again soon"

    He looked around.  No one was there.  The lights were back on as they were when he was there initially in the morning.  He was confused but got himself dressed looking at the clock.  Adrien would be there shortly.  Fucking Adrien!  The fat slob.  Devon left the building for the front to wait on him.
    Like clockwork, the mercedes pulled up and Devon crawled into the back.  He was still tired.  As usual, much to Devon's dismay, he began telling Devon that the owner would be back and that he'd have to finish up his work, whatever that was going to be, by then.  Devon asked later that night when Pierre was scheduled back.  Andreien told him that Pierre had picked up some additonal work to keep the heat off of him from his disappearance. 
    Devon thought 'great' to himself but said nothing.  The next morning he was taken to the recording hall.  Devon waited the whole day hoping his friend would show back up.  Devon had nothing on the last day.  He slumped in the back seat. 
    Andrien said "So what do you have to show me?" he said in French.
    "Nothing that you'd be interested in" he muttered in French.
    "WHAT??  AFTER ALL I WENT THRU TO GET YOU THIS AND YOU LITTLE BASTARD, HAVE NOTHING  TO SHOW FOR IT? You ungrateful little bastard.  Well that's it!  When you get to the house, MY HOUSE, you will pack your little happy ass up and get out!  Pierre isn't here to stop me and I am not going to continue to let  you freeload off of me!  Humpf" Andrien said in French. 
     Devon caught most of it. He wasn't sure what all was said. For as dramatic as it should have been, he was relieved to some extent.  He walked into the house.  He heard Camille splashing in the pool as he walked past.  He went to his room.  Packed his clothes he'd come in, rolled and tied up the sleeping bag, checked the room again.  Wrote Pierre a quick thank you letter for all he'd done and put it on the bed.  Then he went down stairs where Andreien was sitting at a table with a beverage of some type. 
    Devon walked  right past him not saying a word.  Of course Andreien was expecting a begging session where he'd claim victory but it didn't happen.  Andrien was kind of pissed off and surprised when he heard the door slam shut.

He don't know much about how Devon made it back to the studio. He got there holding his sleeping bag. This was the only place he felt any akin too   He walked around the building holding his stuff looking at every nook and crany. In his second time around, he found a old fire escape back in an enclosed area. The area looked like it had been a trash collection for the building at some point. Devon had to stand on a 55 gallon metal open faced drum and jump high until he caught the ladder. Ge struggled to get up it. The problem was it's age. So old it made lots of noises when Devon almost fell off of it as it came down. Devon held on for the ride. He got within 12" of his sleeping bag when it started up again along with all the noises. But Devon was tired and quick enough to get the bag and return to the ladder. Once there, he climbed to a small platform several feet up about a third of the way. After he stepped off the ladder, it vegan raising again until it stopped.

Devon looked at his options. Go up or tide it back down. He climbed. But the time he got to the top, he was getting really tired. It was just turning dark out as he looked around the roof top.

Meanwhile back at the house, a very politted abdrien was being questioned by Camille on Devons whereabouts. Adrien told her in no kind terms how a worthless piece of crap Devon was and the best Camille could do is forget about him. Adrien had been drinking since the came home.

Pissed off, Camille called her uncle about the situation. She told him that Devon had vanished. The doctor brother visited but could fair no better advice than Camille had.   The brother could only drive around looking for him which wasn't successful. No one knew where Devon had vanished too.

Devon saw nothing much. He walked the rooftop quietly. He didn't know much about the building. There was a roof entrance near the one end far away from the fire escape. Devon tried the door to no avail. He put the sleeping bag down exhausted from everything, removed his sandals and shirt. He crawed into the bag and fell asleep almost immediately in the lessening daylight.