THE KNIVES EDGE | M R ✔︎

THIRTEEN ⁂ WRATH

Spencer and Nathan have been grilling me about Mattheo ever since break has started. The moment Jace heard of the kiss he and I had shared, he had demanded the boys to get off my ass.

We've been at one of our family's beach houses on the coast of Brazil since the start of December and will be until a few days after New Years.

Stuck in the house with my brothers for the next few weeks is not ideal. Especially since Nate and Spence have been avoiding me like the plague since being reprimanded by Jace, indulging themselves in random Brazilian women who come one night and leave the next morning.

Right now, I hold the punching bag as my oldest brother rapid fires angry strikes in its direction. A business deal gone wrong, he had said.

But by the tense lines of his shoulders, I'm not sure I believe him.

His face has more stubble than he had last time I'd seen him, successfully shading the lower half of his face darker than it once was. His brown eyes glint with regret and his fists are curled with annoyance. Even his hair is screwed up. Typically lightly gelled back--not to shine but to shape his hair--his curls fall loosely in front of his eyes.

I've avoided speaking since he doesn't seem to be in the mood to, but the harder he just glares at the punching bag, the more it makes me wonder who he's envisioning it to be.

I suck in a breath, preparing myself to ask a question when Jace cuts me off with one of his own, an action he does frequently when he doesn't want to talk about what's on his mind.

"So, are you and Riddle official or is it a mutually beneficial agreement type of thing?" He asks, not angry or disappointed but genuinely curious.

"I... I'm not sure." I admit, my cheeks twinging pink.

He stops assaulting the bag and puffs out a breath of air, wiping a bead of sweat away from his forehead. His bare chest rises and falls, exposing the harsh lines of his abdomen.

"Haven't you two discussed it?" He questions, a crease forming between his eyebrows.

"It kind of happened really fast. It was the night of the Snowfall Ball when Spence and Nate saw us. That was our first kiss." I state, keeping the time in his bedroom to myself. "I haven't spoken to him since then."

"Novaline, what is wrong with you." He sighs with disappointment, pinching the bridge of his nose. "How do you just completely ghost a person after making out with them?"

I shrug, my face becoming increasingly hot. "He didn't exactly make an effort to either."

He scoffs, raising his hands and bouncing back and forth on his feet as he positions himself in order to continue with the punching bag. He gives a few jabs, the bag jolting against my chest as I adjust my grip on the leather.

"Why don't you invite him to stay over for winter break?" He asks, swinging again and again and again. "It would give the boys and I a chance of getting to know this kid."

I furrow my eyebrows, silently studying him as he continues his attack on the barely swinging bag. His hands stay up near his face as he bounces back and forth, eyes on the bag the entire time.

"What?" He asks, flicking his attention to me before continuing.

"I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not." I tell him, pressing my lips into a thin line before puffing air into my face in hopes of blowing my hair away from my eyes.

"If I wasn't being serious, Nova," he pauses, surprising me by driving his foot forward into the bag, "I wouldn't have said anything at all."

The conversation between Jace and I replays in my head for hours, taunting me in ways I'd never thought imaginable. Spencer, Nathan, and Mattheo have never gotten along. Not since Nathan's third year when Tom and Mattheo jumped him for stealing the Slytherin quidditch trophy. It's been an ongoing war between the Riddle brothers and the Wrath siblings ever since.

But, maybe, Jace is right. Maybe they could benefit from some bonding. Maybe we could bury this feud in the past and move towards a productive future where we learn to rely on each other rather than tearing one another down. Maybe, Mattheo, Tom, Jace, Nathan, and Spencer could even become friends. Maybe they could learn some codependency.

Maybe Mattheo and I could entertain the possibility of a future together where we're not running from my brothers every time he kisses me, or we're not whispering hexes at one another from across McGonagall's classroom. Maybe, just maybe, it would work out between the two of us.

Those thoughts alone are what have me ripping an envelope out and scribbling his name over the white paper.

I begin my letter, my hands beginning to shake as I write.

Dear Mattheo,

My brother wants you to come over.
We live at--

This doesn't sound like me.

I huff and bunch up the paper, tossing it over into the corner before grabbing out another and beginning again.

Riddle,

Today while holding a punching bag for my oldest brother, Jace, he recommended me something. To invite you over for winter break. You'd stay with us for the entirety, if that's alright.
Don't worry, Riddle. You'll have your own room and my brothers are under Jace's command to not kill you. They have a ninety-five percent chance of actually obeying him, though. Even then, your chances are decent.
Jace said it would help him get to know you for who you are rather than how you're depicted with your reputation.
Don't mind the button. It's a Portkey.

~Novaline

P.S. Bring a swimsuit. We're on a beach.

After writing for over an hour and a half, I decide that this is the best. There's at least forty crumpled paper balls in the corner, all full of writing mistakes, letters that sound like they were generated from a computer, or just cheesy lines.

I make a mental note to throw all of them out later.

I whistle through the opened window, sealing the envelope as an all black owl makes its way into my line of sight. He perches on the windowsill and holds his beak open, allowing me to pass him the letter before he clamps his beak around the paper.

"Good, Ollie." I praise the bird, giving him an affectionate pet before he launches himself into the air.

I watch him soar over the open skies before disappearing into a small dot, then, eventually, vanishing all together.

My stomach turns with anticipation, but I don't make any sudden movements. In this moment, I begin to plot ways to get my brothers and Mattheo to bond without being to obvious. Subtlety is key in this situation.

Maybe I can try to get Mattheo and Jace to spar in the weight room. Scratch that, Mattheo is too competitive. Maybe try to have Spencer teach him how to surf? Wait, does Mattheo know how to surf? And quidditch with my family on Christmas? Does he even celebrate Christmas? What if he's Jewish? How do I help him celebrate that without disturbing our typical customs?

A knock at the door pulls me out of my thoughts, and I make my way towards it.