Their Weakness( Somerville Book #2)

Before-Chapter One

12 years ago
Lavender's 10 and Asher is 18

I hear the whispering of another person pulling me from my sleep.

"Lavey wake up." A quiet voice whispered. My eyes moving beneath my eyelids as I tried to urge them to open. I felt a gentle nudge on my arm as I groan.

"Not now Asher. I'm sleepy."  I groan to my step brother.
He is the only one who would wake me up after my nanny Maria puts me down to bed. He usually sneaks in sometime later disrupting my deep slumber so we could sneak down and engorge ourselves with tasty snacks and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

"Psstt, Lavey want to go the beach." At the sound of Asher's teasing voice I jolt upright, pushing my blue blanket that was warming my body off, the brisk air sending chills along my arms. The moonlight and my little star nightlight plugged into my wall the only luminances that gives my small bedroom a tiny glow.

I could see the outline of a tall shape crouched down towards my bed. "You will take me to the beach? Now?" My voice still raspy from being woken but the surge of dopamine at going night swimming made me smile out at him in the dark room.

I could here him chuckle lightly under his breath. "Yes. Get dressed kid."

I bolt off my bed racing towards my drawers for my little pink one piece swimsuit. Maria said because I'm ten I can't wear a two piece that I will have to wait until I'm older. And they don't make subtle little girl swim suits, its always tacky with bright colors. That's why the bright atrocious pink swimsuit felt nothing like me. Yet Maria was so excited for it I couldn't tell her I hated it.

She doesn't have kids and I think taking care of me and Asher gives her joy, that and she gets paid to do it. Plus she's the only real mother I have ever known. My mother would have to recognize I ever even existed to try a hand at raising me, but alas I am her burden so she keeps me tucked away with nannies, maids, and anything a ten year girl could possibly want in order to be a normal happy pre pubescent child, as long as I stayed out of her and Mark's sight.

Magnolia Sanchez Peirce had not an ounce of motherly instinct in her body. And I guess I could have had it worse, but even with all the money in the world. There was an emptiness in my heart that left me cold. And the feeling I couldn't  shake had everything to do with how my mother treated me. That I knew for certain

I rushed to my side bathroom and hurriedly put my ugly swim suit onto my body. No other thoughts other than the excitment of never being night swimming and I haven't been able to see Ash in along time. He rarely came home now. Since he just turn eighteen, he was always busy. Now that he had better things to do he rarely spent anytime with me. He always was with his friends and told me I'm was to ittle to go along with him. I hate being a kid.

I opened the bathroom door to see Asher waiting patiently for me by my bedroom door. "Ready to go, kid."

"I'm not a kid." I huffed out, my voice a little whiny as I glared at him.

Even in the dark I could feel his grin on his stupid face. "If you say so. Come on we have to hurry."

I couldn't help but giggle as I grabbed for his hand in the darkness. Trying to ignore the now present sick feeling inside my belly everytime I get close to him.  Something that is new as well as annoying. He tugged me along the house so we could sneak past our parents bedroom.

"Won't you get in trouble if they find out you are sneaking out with me."  A nervous edge in my tone as I worried about him getting into trouble. His father yelled alot, and I didn't want Ash to be on the other end of it. Usual when he was, he would disappear for a few days. Those days are always depressingly lonely for me.