The Forgotten Child

22

I was fast sleep when I heard doors slamming downstairs, waking me up instantly.

"MATILDA GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW", Stone screamed up to me. I rolled my eyes at him as I groaned and pulled myself out of bed. Well it was a good run I guess, I did manage to survive 16 years of torture, but noo, my stupid mouth had to go ruin it all for me. I grabbed some pain killers and went downstairs, preparing myself for the longest lecture of my life.

My ribs were healing now but my breathing was becoming worst and worst, but maybe it will be better by school time. I walked slowly downstairs and into the living room, with a calm look on my face to show that I wasn't afraid. It wasn't just Stone and my brothers though, my male cousins were there, as well as my grandpa and uncles.

Well, I guess the women are 'shopping', I mimicked in my head. Jesus these men are so controlling that they won't even let a woman in the room with me to make me feel safer.

"Yes", I asked them all with an innocent look on my face, blinking my eyes alot with my long blonde lashes. Ash and Elijah rolled their eyes are me, as the twins and Lucian sat with a straight face. Millian was no where to be found.

"You are not getting Emancipation young lady", My grandpa said sternly. I just stared at him as he looked back at me , starting to squirm.

"Do I bother you?", I asked all of them. The room suddenly shifted, to one in which I was in control of the conversation. Imagine getting thrown from your high horse by a little girl, and I could tell they were thinking the same thing.

"What?", They asked. 

"Does the sight of me bother you?", I said with a smile. I knew what if I rilled them up enough, I could get them to hit me maybe and it would be a good source of proof to the courts.

"Yes, you look just like my daughter", Grandpa said warmly, which took me by surprise with the tone but still I kept a straight face.

"Okay, well genetics are a thing you know?", I said, making them all deadpan me. It was pretty intimadating having 16 men all staring at you, it un-nerved me quite alot but I knew that if I acted confident then everything will be alright.

"What's your point?", Stone asked, obviously fustrated. I just looked him up and down and went to sit on the sofa. This was a power point for me, as they will all have to look in the direction I ask them too.

"My point Stone, is that even though I look like her, doesn't mean I have to act like her", I said calmly. This intrigued them as they all went over to the opposite sofa to mine, some stood behind and other leaning against the wall behind it.

"But you had a childhood like hers, you had your brothers, your father", Grandpa said confused.

"Why did you never visit?", I asked them instantly. I knew the answer but it was also to help make a point of something.

"What?", They stuttered. I just raised my eyebrows at them. It took a few minutes until one of my uncles spoke up.

"Your dad sent us a photo when you were born, and we just couldn't handle it", He said slowly, stuttering when he spoke. I nodded at him.

"So what your saying is that you couldn't handle the fact of even visiting me, whereas my brothers and father had to live with me. How do you think they dealt with it?", I asked once again. Stone was starting to get impatient and slammed his hand onto the table.

"WHAT IS THE POINT MATILDA?", He shouted at me, some of the boys holding him back whilst I sat on the sofa with one leg over the other with my hands wresting on my lap. This time it was me who was ignoring them.