Enjoy the Silence

Enjoy the Caplins

The voice that spoke was smooth and formal. It reminded me of purified water being poured into a tall glass. Which meant the voice was obviously female. My body remained frozen, not willing to turn around to make a new acquaintance.

"Clara," Danny said neutrally while spinning me by my sleeve to face his sister "this is Ashley." I nervously looked up to the top of the stairs to meet the gaze of not one, but three individuals.

Each one of them resembled Danny except different versions of him. The female whom I assumed was Clara was beautiful to say the least. Her raven black hair fell to her elbows in long wavy locks. She had very captivating brown eyes, nothing like the blue ones that her brother had, yet somehow she was able to stare me down with the same type of analyzing look. Her eyes were able to pierce almost as easily as Danny's did yet she didn't seem to notice. I focused more on the way her mouth quirked into a tiny smile and concluded that she was more curious than critical. So unlike Danny and much more relieving to be honest.

The second individual was a male and he was practically a carbon copy of his older brother. They had the same eyes, jaw structure, and hair color. But his expression was playful and almost childlike. Who's the new girl bro? I could imagine him asking. I think this was the infamous Damien Caplin I heard briefly about. The one that I was allowed to talk to, not that I would do a lot of talking. Pretending to be mute doesn't exactly make way for riveting conversations. Besides, men intimidated me far too much for me to carry out a decent conversation. It made sense considering my father's abusive nature.

Thinking about my father was something I was trying not to do, so instead, I moved my eyes away from Damien and towards the third individual. This one was also male and looked slightly older.

Xavier I thought and forced myself to suppress a shudder.

Xavier Caplin could be best described in one word. Dark.

It was like he purposefully put chills up my spine to get me rattled up. There wasn't a single trace of humor or happiness in his face. Everything about him was very cold and dark. Even the shadows on his face made him appear shifty and dangerous. His hooded eyes watched like a snake ready to strike. His shaggy long hair gave him a rugged, brooding appearance that did more than just unnerve me. If looks could paralyze, I would be stuck in a paralysis for the rest of my bitter existence. I understood only in that moment, why I was to stay away from him. He seemed like the type to be more bite than bark. He had a very wolfish personality; I had no doubt that the claws would come out if I provoked the sleeping beast within. That's why it was best to keep the animal in its slumber.

I gulped and turned my head away from him. My eyes averted to the floor and refused to look back up. It's easy to say that I was a social outcast within the group. My clothes, my stance, and my attitude was completely incompatible compared to them. Even my genetic makeup didn't blend. I was a pasty pale with dull blonde hair whereas they were striking dark haired figures with olive toned skin. I felt more than just awkward and out of place. I felt estranged.

"A shy thing isn't she," a playful voice said in reply to my aloofness "C'mon doll, don't you have anything to say. You can speak right?"

Of course I can speak I thought but I made sure not to voice it. Danny stepped in for my lack of words "No, she can't Damien."

"And why's that. You haven't stunned her to silence have you?" Damien responded.