i feel like hell, but im trying here. even if it all sounds like nonsense.
it is.
// Aria //
"Aria, darling, your brother's come to see you. The least you could do is say hello."
"Does a note count?" Ida glared at me, her deep hazel eyes sending waves of disapproval towards me.
"No, now please, put on something nice and go say hello." The door softly clicked shut as she walked off. The sound of her small heels echoed through the hallways beyond my room.
My stepmother seemed like an okay person, sure, but goddammit she loved to push my buttons. She knows what I'm capable of, but for some fucking reason, that doesn't stop her from barging in on my life at home, and I don't understand it.
Doesn't she know I can get her murdered?
Shaking my head, I started towards my closet, scourging around the massive piles of clothing until I found something that screamed, "I'm being forced to wear this." My fingers grazed across the different types of fabric lazily hung onto plastic hangers, my hand coming to a halt on the most colourful item in my possession.
It was a gift from my ex, one that she refused to tell me the cost of. Sure, I was used to expensive items from all my years of working, but I absolutely despised being showered with lavish objects that I hadn't obtained myself. It felt wrong.
A sigh escaped past my lips as I slipped into the rainbow hoodie with the words Palm Angels imprinted on the front, reaching into my hamper and pulling on the first pair of shorts that wasn't stuck to the wire of a bra.
"Aria!" I groaned and pulled my black sneakers on, glancing in the mirror for only a second before declaring myself presentable enough to be seen by my miserable sibling. He's five years older, yet I'm the most successful of the pair. It's a wonder how he made a living for himself once Mom disappeared.
The two story Victorian house my dad had lived in all these years seemed empty as I forced my feet to move from under me, bouncing down each step until I finally landed on the first floor. It was as though someone had removed the normally irrirating atmosphere and replaced it with nothing but tension. Physically, it was painful. Mentally? Bearable.
"Aria!" His voice, a deafening screech, seemed a lot higher this time around. "Where has my favourite sister been!"
"I'm your only sister, you prick." He pouted, crossing his arms over his chest and turning towards Ida.
"You never told me she'd be so mean, Ida!" I glanced at her unreadable expression, rolling my eyes as she nodded towards me. All too suddenly, a strong pair of arms wrapped around my waist, lifting me up from the safe ground and into the deadly air above. He spun me around, only stopping to catch his breath. I was already seeing stars by the time he dropped me onto my feet, landing on my butt with a loud thud.
"Arlo! You piece of fuck!" I coughed in an attempt to not heave. His sly laugh rang through my ears as he appeared in front of me like an apparition.
"I have a favour to ask, Ar. You owe me, and this is what you're going to do for me." Black spots littered my vision as his hand cupped my cheek, his touch too unearthly for me to handle. The ringing in my ears grew louder after each passing second until I was no longer able to understand the words coming from his mouth.
All he did was spin me around. How did this come from that?
