Asher
"Owen, can you sit up?"
The oversized teenage boy, with his shocking hair and piercings, dwarfs Evangeline's bedframe, laying prone on her cutesy cartoony sheets. It is a rather bizarre sight. He grunts, and I help him into a sitting position. He sways slightly, still not having recovered from the earlier incident.
I make myself comfortable on her desk chair, silently watching as she focuses on treating Owen's wounds. She slaps an ice pack, fresh from the freezer to his face and tells him to hold it there while she removes his lip ring for him and proceed to apply plain water to the gauze, gently daubing away at the flakes of blood on his lip. Envy sparks in me as her delicate hands gently ghost over the corner of Owen's lip, almost like a tender caress.
What I wouldn't give...
For some reason, his eerie cat eyes are riveted to her form, as are mine, watching her every movement like a hawk. His lips part, wanting to say something, and I have suppress my laugh as Evangeline pinches them shut wit her fingers like nothing.
"Don't make your lip worse. Those hurt like a bitch." She tuts and swipes at another bead of blood welling on his lip.
Owen coughs rattlingly, raising a brow at her.
Evangeline nods solemnly. "Trust me. I'd know. Go to sleep if you like. I'll get Lucas to let Ora and Penny know."
Owen nods weakly and slumps against the mountain of pillows. Never mind that fact that she stupidly told him he could spend the night in her bed. What the hell.
"Thanks." Owen rasps quietly, then falls silent. Poor dude.
Having finished with Owen, my stepsister turns to me.
"Your turn, bud."
I glance at Owen. "Uh, go to my room. Let's not disturb Owen."
-
Evangeline
As we pass the twin's room, raised voices can be heard. Lucas isn't in his study. Asher users me past. "Luke will come to talk when he's ready.''
Asher bring me to his room. He sits on the bed, and I settle cross-legged on the floor.
I begin applying iodine to his cut.
"I can treat myself."
I shake my head fervently. "Let me. Please."
After the initial adrenaline rush as faded, all I'm left with is a horrible, heart-pounding, suffocating sensation.
Owen's injuries...Just what did he do to anger Daniel so?
The bazillion questions I have are eating me up alive.
Sometimes I could barely function normally after Dad's beatings, from the agony of the bruises and the lashings hindering my ability to do anything properly. Dropped, shattered dishes, caused by trembling fingers and an aching grip, would only result in more. Dad wouldn't hesitate to bring out the belt, the one with the wrought steel buckle that would cut into your skin and make it bleed, drop by drop for hours.
Spare the rod, spoil the child, Dad would say.
"Hey. Are you okay?" Asher's palm, the one not in my lap, is cool on my cheek.
I didn't realise my hands were shaking as I stuck the bandaid to Asher's hand. My lip quivers.
"Y-yeah."
"If you're done, I'll go order some food for us. I don't think we'll be cooking today, hm?"
He cracks that sexy half smile, then stands up.
"Thanks for everything. You're really brave."
He leans forward to press a kiss to my cheek. I hate it. I hate the fact that this kiss is only a symbol of affection. I hate the fact that I'm selfish, and that I want more than just a sibling relationship with them all.
At first, the kisses and the hugs were nothing but an innocent display of affection to me. Now, they don't feel so platonic.
I don't think I can go on like this. My body seems to have a mind of its own. I grab my stepbrother by the tie and yank him toward me.
