Run.

Broken

I was woken from my sleep by soft knocks on my door. They were hesitant and so I opened my door without trying to show too much annoyance at being disturbed from a sleep that had proven to be more appealing than reality.

Cassandra stood at my door with her eyes downcast, scared of my reaction no doubt. I ushered her in with a sigh and she shuffled in, looking around the spare room as if to pass time. She was prolonging something.

"Cassia and her brothers are awake." She fiddled with her hands before drawing her blue eyes over to meet mine.

"What are they doing?"

"Chuck's talking to them right now...they seem nice."

"We'll decide that later, what is it that you really wanted to talk to me about?" Because her posture told me there was something else.

"Emilia won't eat." Cassandra breathed out. "I took breakfast in to her, she didn't have dinner last night and hasn't had blood in over a week...I don't think that's a good thing."

"No, it's not." I ran a hand through my hair. "What do you want me to do? We're not exactly on...good terms. In fact, I don't think we've ever been this bad before."

"Talk to her, maybe now things won't be as intense."

"I don't want to talk to her." I admitted. "I don't even want to see her, she said some pretty fucked up things. Hell, she doesn't even regret letting that leech kiss her."

"There's obviously a reason, she wouldn't just do it, Alexis. She loves you."

"And I love her, more than I've ever loved anything ever, but we fight more than we're happy. Is that even a relationship?" I sat down on the bed. "I think when all this is through, you and her need to leave for a while, we're going to need space."

"You don't mean that." Cassandra kneeled down in front of me and surprised me by taking my hands. "You're just upset." She looked up into my eyes. "We need you, Alexis. Chuck's right, we're a fucked up family, but we are a family now. So we need you."

I squeezed her small hands and smiled at my protege. She was so sure of everything she was saying. Emilia might have turned her but she was slowly making me realise just what I had always wanted. Cassandra was so blind to our world still and I enjoyed teaching her, watching her grow into the creature she was made. I liked seeing her excel in our training, seeing her eyes light up in self-pride.

I had grown attached to the blonde, I had grown to be protective of her, I wanted her to see the world, to experience everything. She had crept into my heart and made herself my responsibility.

"Come on," I stood up, there was no point in hiding in my room all day. I could try to avoid Emilia but at the end of it all, we would have to talk and figure out what we'd do next. "I want to formally meet the siblings."

Cassandra released my hands and we made our way to the kitchen where everyone seemed to be mixing. My parents had even decided to join us this morning and Chuck was busying himself with meals. Cassia was sitting at the dining table eating what looked like an omelette whilst her brothers were feasting on bacon. She looked up briefly to me upon making my appearance, smiled and returned to her meal.

Chuck was plating up something for Melanie when I sat down beside her at the counter. Emilia was dishing her own plate of food, but barely enough to sustain her. She caught me staring. I looked away. My father was standing off to the side, keeping an eye on the new arrivals and my mother was engrossed in a conversation with Melanie.

Darcy was nowhere to be seen but I could still smell his lingering scent, he was in the house somewhere. Cassandra made her way to Emilia and dished some more food onto her plate but Emilia just scowled and set her plate down, looked at me and then retreated out of the kitchen.