Lavender

Flashback

I sat on the bed and rest of them stood with their arms crossed, looking down at me. "What do you want to know?" I ask simply.

"Everything." Adam said sternly.

"Give me some specifics. I can't sit here for the next year explaining every aspect of my life." I scoffed.

"Who's blood was that?" Luther asked.

"Our dad. They must have killed him. Jack said they shot him twice in the heart and once in the face. But believe me... it was self preservation. It was life or death."

"What crimes did you guys commit?" Max asked hesitantly.

"Drug dealing for all of us. Drug abuse for most. Assault, if someone needed to pay up. Murder for whoever shot dad. Probably murder for Kellen and Percy. Or, I guess it would be manslaughter. They weren't hitmen or anything. Um, I doubt they got their guns legally. I think that's it." I answered honestly.

Adam was pissed. "You're telling me you dealt drugs? You? You were 18 when you got here."

I nodded. "I did as my dad asked. We all did. After mom left, everything went south. It's started slowly, but it just... escalated."

"So, because of this 'escalation,' there's murderers, drug addicts, and drug dealers in our home?" Adam seethed.

A tear slipped from my eye and Adam continued. "You didn't think to mention that you're a criminal?! You didn't think that maybe they shouldn't be here?!"

"I didn't have time to think. I didn't want them to die, so I just ran." I responded with tears on my face.

The others stayed silent as Adam got more and more mad. "You've been lying to us, Link! Every day, you have lied to us!"

His anger spiked. He grabbed a book on the table, whatever Luther had been reading that day, and threw it at the wall. In an instant, I was back in my old house, with a beer bottle shattering against a wall. I did what I always do, and ran to the bathroom. I locked it and sat next to the bathtub, sobbing. I heard, "Take a walk, Adam. Go."

I hugged my knees and heard someone knock on the door. I knew, rationally, that it was Max and Luther, but my panic told me my father was on the other side of the door. "Link? Link, it's Max. Come out, love. We're worried."

They hate me. They'll hurt me. I didn't move.

"Link!" Luther's voice rang out, "It's okay. Take some deep breaths. In through your nose, out through your mouth. Breathe."

I tried to follow his instructions. I tried to breathe in slowly, but I couldn't get enough air. I heard whispering from beyond the door, then running. Luther continued speaking. "How are we doing on those breaths, Link? In through the nose, out through your mouth."

I could get a steady breath in this time, but it was shaky when I exhaled.

"Link, Leo's here." Luther said.

I heard my brothers voice through the door. "Link, what happened? Can I come in?"

I flashed back to the hundreds of times he's said this before. I crawled to the door and unlocked it. I heard him say "stay out here" before coming in.

I sat on the edge of the tub and he sat next to me. "What happened?" He asked kindly.

"They didn't know. Now they hate me." I cried.

He nods. "They don't hate you. They love you, Link. Max and Luther are out there, terrified. They want to see you."

"And what about Adam? He's the one who... he's angry."

"And you're afraid he's Dad-level angry?" He looked surprised.

I nodded and wiped my tears. "Link..." he thought for a second, "No one here is Dad-level angry. He was a rare type of person. A horrible person. I mean, even when mom was around, he was never loving. He always had that inside of him. Does Adam? Does he have that boiling, under the surface, red hot malice?"

I shook my head. No, Adam was kind. He could be stern, sure, but he loves me. He just got mad. "No, he's nothing like him. I just... panicked."

Leo nodded. "Do you want to get out of here? Adam's not in the room yet, just Max and Luther."

I nodded and he helped me get to my feet. He walked out and I followed him. Leo nodded at me as he left. Max and Luther looked relived. "Can you be touched right now?" Luther asked.

"Yeah." I said as I extended my arms.

Max wrapped me up in his arms and, when he eventually let go, led me to the bed. He sat against the headboard and I cuddled close to him. Luther snuggled into my other side, putting an arm around my waist. Max runs his hand through my hair. "Adam says he doesn't mind waiting outside for however long you need. Even if it's all night, he'll wait to apologize until you're ready to see him."

"Adam wouldn't hit me." I absentmindedly say, mostly to myself.

Max moves and makes me look him in the eyes. "Adam would never hit you."

I nod. "He's probably beating himself up every second he's not in here."

Luther nods. "Definitely."

"I'm ready to see him. It's fine." I say.

"Are you sure? It's okay if not." Max kisses my forehead.

"It's okay. I know him, he just got mad. It's safe."

Max looks me in the eye again. "He's safe. I promise."

And I know that in my core. Adam would never hurt me, and he just wants to keep me safe. He loves me. I suddenly miss him. "I want to see him."

Max texts on his phone and Adam comes through the door a minute later. He immediately starts apologizing. "Link, I am so sorry. I promise it will never happen again. I-"

"Shut up." I smile and get off the bed.

I hug him and he hugs me back carefully but firmly. "I love you." He whispers.

"I love you too."