Cleo Hart: Intelligence by Default

Alice

Luke shot me a warning glance, shaking his head slightly. I could feel his gaze pleading with me not to say anything.

Alice eyed both of us suspiciously from the bottom of the crooked stairs, before shuffling slightly in our direction.

"They told me you wanted to hurt us, that you used me some how. Is that true?" Alice's voice was shaking as she picked up a knife from the corner of the room and walked over to us. Her make-up was smeared, she'd been crying.

Luke nodded, sighing slightly. "Most of it."

She pointed towards me with her free hand.

"Is, is she dead?" Her voice quivered as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Not dead, injured. She wakes up now and then." Luke's voice was even, like he was trying to calm a child.

"I've been in the kitchen most days, Dad made me quit my job and stay in this house. He says you made our family unsafe, is that true?"

Luke nodded. "Probably."

I inwardly glared at him. He really wasn't trying very hard at keeping her calm. But somehow, she seemed soothed by the information, maybe it was his honesty.

"I heard you say she was yours a couple of days ago. How could you do that to your brother?" The knife shook in her hand, and her eyes wandered over me. I made her jealous.

"Uh, Jason..." Luke stammered, probably wondering how much he could reveal.

"He's not his brother." I muttered, looking up. Luke groaned, rolling his eyes.

"You're awake," She smiled slightly before her expression turned bitter. "You lied to me, used me."

She rushed up to me, thrusting the knife up at my throat. I could feel the blade millimetres away from killing me. I tried to shift backwards slightly, but I didn't have any room to move.
My palms began to sweat as I peered down at the knife at my throat. I attempted to gulp in air, realising I had forgotten to breathe, but I couldn't. My breaths were shallow and uneven. I rubbed my hands against the chair's arms, trying to calm down.

"Stop." Luke pleaded, looking up at Alice. "Stop, you're going to give her a panic attack. She likes to feel in control. She's too weak right now she hit her head. Look at her. Alice. Stop."

She hovered over me before sighing and walking back to Luke as I attempted to slow my heart rate and regain the ability to think properly.

"Tell me everything." She demanded, her brow creasing a little.

He shook his head. "I can't."

Laughing manically, she sat on the floor. In a way I pitied her. Her life was based on lies.

"What can you tell me then?"

"I am Luke, she is Cleo. Jason isn't my brother. Your mother is the leader of a criminal organisation. Me and Cleo are... complicated. I can't tell you very much else."

"A criminal organisation?" Her eyes widened. "What kind?"

"We only get told what we need to know. There are some drugs involved but I doubt that's even half of it."

She sobbed a little, before touching her thumb to Luke's black eye. He let her, his eyes watching her movements. If I wasn't so tired I got the feeling I would have felt jealous.

"They did this to you?" She whispered. He nodded as she turned to me. "And you?"

"Yes." I muttered, pleading with my mind to calm itself.

I groaned, keeling over and coughing, blood dripping to the floor. My vision blurred slightly, dotting dark at the edges.

"Alice, do you have any medical knowledge? She needs help."

She shook her head, stepping back a little.

"I can guide you if you get a medical kit, do you have one?"

"I shouldn't help you two." She whimpered, walking towards the stairs.

"Alice please-"

"Leave me alone, you two are evil liars!" She shrieked, dropping her knife on the floor and tottering up the stairs.

Luke snarled as she slammed the door.

"I've let you down." He swallowed. "I'm sorry."

"What're you talking about you didn't do anything wrong." I croaked, straining slightly in my restraints.

"I didn't do anything right."
He paused, staring at the floor as if he wanted nothing more than to shrink into it, "And now I can't do anything to stop them from hurting you." a tear slid from his cheek, splashing on the ground. "I'm so sorry Cleo. You didn't ask for any of this."

"Are you kidding me Luke? You think I'd rather be stuck in my half assed yellow room right now listening to care workers lecture me about how much of a failure I am? Sure you're a bit of a shit head at times and I mean you did kill my parents, but you're kind of alright apart from that."

He chuckled, the sound warming me immediately. "Wow, that was almost a compliment!"