Step By Step

an ordinary day, part two

Saturday
July 22nd, 2023

"I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" A loud voice echoed throughout the small home. Cicada flinched, holding her youngest brother close. The voice belonged to one of her older sister's, Andrena. It was easy to make Andie mad, and it was really hard to get her to calm down without casualties. Whoever made her mad was in for it. Mars rushed into the room, his face pale. "You didn't see me, got it?" He told his younger sister. "MARS, YOU BETTER GET YOUR ASS BACK HERE BEFORE I USE YOUR HEAD FOR A TOILET SCRUBBER!" Andie yelled, running upstairs and slamming doors as she searched for the fourteen year old. Cade's eyes grew wide, "What'd you do?!" "No time! Promise you didn't see me!" Mars spoke quickly, looking around desperately for somewhere to hide. "Okay! Okay! I promise." The seven year old agreed, putting one arm up in the air. Whatever he did must've been bad.

The teen boy ran off, headed for the hallway by the stairs. Andie still ran around upstairs, looking for him up there as she hadn't heard him go down. It was fortunate for him that when she was angry she got tunnel vision. He found the cupboard under the stairs and opened the doors. He jumped in closing the doors as tight as they could and locked them from the inside. The three youngest kids all slept inside the cupboard as there wasn't any room anywhere else, so there was enough space for him to curl up comfortably. Mars held his knees close to his chest, his heart beating faster than it ever had. He tried to breathe slowly, hoping that it was quiet enough to not be heard. The cupboard under the stairs shook under the stomps of his angry older sister. He held his breath. Chris told him that he would have to wake up the twins to watch him and the younger kids when she left for work, even though he felt he was old enough to do that on his own. However, she told him she wasn't sure she could trust him after his stunt with Ollie that morning. He understood, but Mars knew that the twins would be mad about being woken up. He didn't realize that they would be this mad.

Andie ran into the living room, her breathing heavy and her face red. "Where's the freak?!" She shouted, pointing her finger at the seven year old on the couch. Upon first glance, Cicada couldn't see anything that Mars had done that would have made her furious. She shrugged, stumbling over her words. "I-I dunno... But you're not supposed to call him a freak, Chrissy said so." The girl reminded her big sister. "I don't care. That little bitch woke me up. Do you know where he is or not?" The seventeen year old asked again, speaking through her teeth. She was losing patience. If the kid wasn't holding Castor, she would've punched her the moment she mentioned Chris.

Cicada bit her bottom lip, shaking her head. Her voice became more high-pitched when she lied, and she wanted to protect her big brother, but she also wanted to avoid Andie's wrath. Mars listened in on the conversation from the cupboard, hoping that the upcoming senior would let it go. Andie frowned, sitting on the coffee table in front of the couch. "You know..." She paused, grabbing her baby sister by the collar of her shirt and pulling her close. "If I can't find him, I'm just gonna give you everything I was gonna give him. Is that what you want?" Cicada gulped, looking into Andie's eyes. She was serious. She was in for it if she didn't help her find Mars. "Shit." The boy in the cupboard mumbled, throwing his head back. It wasn't worth staying out of trouble if it meant one of the littles got beat up; he wouldn't be able to forgive himself. It was one thing when he picked on them, but Andie didn't hold back. She'd really hurt their little sister if she didn't find him. Besides, his leg ached. He wouldn't be able to run much longer, or at all if he kept this up. He stood up, his left leg shaking as he stepped forward and unlocked the small room.

"Andie!" He called out, stepping forward. He slowly made his way to the living room, his leg hurting worse with every step. "I'm right here, shithead. Leave the kid alone." The fourteen year old said, holding his arms out. Andie scowled, letting Cicada go. "You're about to be a shithead if you keep this up." She warned him. Mars gulped. "Cover your ears, Ollie-Bear." Cece whispered to the three year old that sat next to her on the couch. He did as he was told, and the youngest girl covered the baby's ears. She wouldn't be surprised if this became a cussing match, and the boys didn't need to hear all that. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a bitch when you wake up?" Mars wondered aloud, knowing that it would upset the older girl. "You motherfucker... I'm gonna fucking destroy you!" Andie growled, rushing towards the younger teen. His eyes grew wide, but he couldn't move. His leg had frozen up, a side effect from it being broken so many times. He woke up without any pain, so he assumed that it would be a day without his crutch, but, clearly, that wasn't the case.