Hidden Within the Moonlight

Chapter 6

                                                                                          Aspen

I ended up spending an hour or two outside with Mychal. We spent some time in the garden and then she showed me around the house. It was big, but not so big that it felt consuming. Mychal had said that she did most of the decorating. Said it was only fair because she was the one who lived there full time, not River.

I thought about asking more about the house and why they lived all the way out here but decided against it. If they wanted people to know then they would say it. What I did learn, though, was that River bought it a few years ago and that they don't usually let anyone stay here or come and go. I guess Finn doesn't count into that, and now...I don't either. Apparently, the big apartment River keeps in the city is where Mychal would spend time during college so that she wasn't always making long drives. River stays there when he has a lot of things going on in the city at once. She made a dull point of saying that he is always at the house and breathing down her neck.

River, I have gathered, is very protective over his little sister. I still didn't know much about the family connection, but I did learn that they are half-siblings - they share the same father. There was a lot of history between River and his father, and while I do not know every detail of that situation, I do know that it led to River moving in with my family when he was only sixteen. I could only imagine what went on with Mychal.

It was moments like that where I'm reminded of how lucky I was to have at least one parent give a shit. My parents always did what they could to show that they loved us. There was never a time when I truly doubted that. Yes, there were times of struggle and it wasn't easy, but I knew that at the end of the day I still had them with me.

I quietly thank god that my father was able to be there for River all of those years.

I sigh and run my hand along the wall as I walk. Mychal had left me to go do her training - whatever that meant - so I was left alone. River was in his office, and I had zero clue where Finn had run off.

Along the wall were pictures. Only some of them were actually pictures of them - River and Mychal. There's one of them at her high school graduation. I've never seen River look so happy and proud, as he does in that photo.

God. To have a brother like that.

Part of me was envious of Mychal that she had that older sibling that cared so much. Not that Trent didn't care, but it was mainly Marcus. Trent and I were only a year apart and honestly speaking while we did spend a lot of time together. It was never that I thought different of my other siblings, but there was always something different about Marcus and me.

There for a while, he was the one I would call if I ever needed anything at all. That all changed when he started playing basketball professionally. His schedule just became too busy to do much, and he moved states.

After the accident, I thought everything would be different.

I'm learning that just isn't the case.

I wish he was more like Trent sometimes. Trent. God, I haven't talked to him in a couple of days. I grab my phone and scroll through my messages, searching for his name. Once I find it, I send him a quick text.

I love you, idiot. Don't do anything dumb. Also, email those files on the Davidson deal, please.

Despite wanting nothing to do with the family business or the one I have been trying to start up and run, Trent was always good at lending a hand and emailing me things when I needed them. He never wanted to have his own business. He wanted to create and travel and just live out his best life. Our father never supported it much at the beginning, but he has come around to it.