ADOPTED BY PHAN

CHAPTER FORTY-THREE

"This is the eighth time it's gone to voicemail, Phil." Dan sighs, tossing his phone down on the couch where he sits. "What if something happened to her?"

Phil sits next to Dan, wrapping his arm around him in comfort. "It's okay, Bear. Maybe her phone died?"

"What if she died?" Dan's voice shakes.

"Look, it's dark outside. Would you want to walk in that?" Phil asks in a soft voice.

"No, I guess not."

"See? She's probably just staying the night at Skye's."

"What if she's having sex? My baby girl is too young-"

"Oh, put a cork in it!" Phil exclaims, rolling his eyes. "If you're that worried, why don't you just call Skye?"

"I don't have her number." The younger boy mumbles out in response.

"Really?" Phil takes out his phone. "I do. Here, give her a call."

* * *

Iris wakes up to the sound of soft guitar plucking. She opens her tired eyes and slowly lifts her body up into a sitting position, searching for the source of music. Her vision locks on a silhouette sat on a stool by the window, which shines from the morning sunrise. The smile she wears shortly turns into a yawn.

"Isaiah?" She speaks up, grabbing his attention.

Setting the guitar down, Isaiah slides off the stool to sit next to Iris. "Good morning, Girlie. How'd you sleep?"

"I don't know," Iris retorts in response, "I was asleep."

"Shut up, smart ass! You know what I mean." Isaiah pushes himself up off the bed, giving Iris a smile. Though something about him seems off.

Iris sighs, "I didn't have a nightmare, Isaiah. Don't worry about me. How was your sleep?"

"I got a good ten hours." He shrugs

"Then why do you still look tired?"

"I'm always tired."

Iris squints her eyes, not fully understanding the situation. "How can you still be tired when you get more sleep than the average person?"

"Well," Isaiah sits back down on the bed, not meeting her worried stare. "I'm not the average person."

"What do you-"

"Listen, Iris. You can't stay here."

"You said yesterday-"

"I know. I . . . I know what I said." Isaiah looks up into her pupils, making sure Iris understands how serious things are. "The reason I'm tired is from the medication I'm on. And I'm on these meds because I'm sick. I'm crazy, Iris. And I know it hurts for you to hear this, because it hurts me to say it. But I can't take care of you. Not when I can barely take care of myself."

"No." Iris shouts back, "No no no!"

"Yes, Iris." He stands up again, his voice remaining calm. "I'm not safe to be around."

"But-"

"Iris-"

"You saved me, Isaiah! You know damn well-"

"No, Iris! I killed our parents!"

The young girl stares at him in disbelief. Not from what he said, but from how he said it. This is the first time she's truly seen him angry. With his voice raised and eyes glazed. It amazes her that he's putting up a fight.

"Iris," He whispers, "You need to listen to me."

"No Isaiah! you need to listen to me!" Iris yells, standing up on the bed to stand at eye-level with him. "I know . . . What our parents did to you."

Isaiah's vision goes right through her. He always believed that Iris was too young to recall those memories. Hearing her say those words puts a tear in his heart. He has to blink a few times, catching himself before he responds. His voice comes out in monotone, "I don't know what you're talking about."

She grabs his shoulders, forcing him to look at her. "You know exactly what I'm talking about, Isaiah. I lied about not having a nightmare! And . . . I lied about not seeing what happened between you and dad."

Iris' face contorts with her guilt, watching as Isaiah's eyes fill with tears. The boy is at a loss for words, and simply wraps his arms around his sister. He holds her head against his shoulder, muttering indecipherable apologies.

"It's not your fault, Isaiah." Iris sobs into his shirt. "They pushed you past your breaking point."

"But I kill- I killed them- Iris- I- I killed-"

"Look at me, Isaiah." Iris pulls away, holding his face with her small hands. The older boy looks into her eyes, a million emotions running through his veins. He rips himself apart from her, sitting on the floor with his face in his knees.

"Iris," He murmurs, "I called Skye earlier this morning-"

"You-"

"And before you say anything, please just hear me out." Isaiah begs.

Iris sits down next to him, rubbing his back. Her voice softens, "I'm listening."

Isaiah looks ahead as he speaks, "You have friends who love you. You have a girlfriend who loves you. You have parents who love you. I love you. And we all know that you belong in a home with Dan and Phil. Not me. You have so much life to look forward to. Don't throw it all away just to hang out with your psychotic brother."

Iris responds in a calm voice, "My dads won't let me hang out with you, otherwise."

"We'll work that out later." Isaiah sighs, getting back up on his feet and offering a hand to Iris. "But as for now, we have to get you home."

* * *

Skye twists the knob and pushes in the front door to the flat, walking in first. She turns to hold the door open, waiting for Iris to come in behind her. The brunette trudges in, keeping her head down in fear. Dan and Phil immediately spot their daughter, jumping off the couch and running towards the doorway. They pull her into a bone crushing hug, whispering apologies and vows. Iris tries to hush them, pulling away. But to no avail.

"Oh, Honey." Phil coos, pulling Iris against his chest. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm-"

"You're not hurt, are you?" Dan asks in a panic, his cheeks stained with tears.

"No-"

"You can always come to us when something's wrong." Phil reminds her.

"I know-"

"Did Isaiah-"

"Dad." Iris says firmly, clenching her fists while closing her eyes. "Stop."

Dan looks at Iris in empathy, placing a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong, Iris?"

Shrugging off his hold on her, Iris cries out, "You! That's what's wrong! You're always getting mad at me over the littlest things! You yell in my face, then pretend nothing ever happened! My brother isn't even seen as a human being to you, but a monster! You act as if he's the bad guy here! When really . . . really it's you!"

"Iris. Hun, calm down. You don't really mean that.." Phil's voice is gentle as he rubs her back.

"I said it," She states, glaring at Dan. "Didn't I?"

"Look, Iris." The man tries to explain himself. "I know I've messed up-"

Iris laughs, "Yeah, you did!"

"But I'm really trying to fix things!" Dan closes his eyes, keeping the tears from forming. "Please, just give me a chance."

"Why should I?"

"Because I've been talking it over with Phil, and-" Dan looks into her green eyes. "We want to adopt Isaiah."