Witch Hunt

The Book of Enrada Chapter 3

“Have you guys eaten yet?” I ask to break the silence.

“We were gonna order takeout, you want some?”

“Why would I turn down take out, did you really need to ask me that?” I ask dramatically. “I could live on takeout.” I sigh, a smile that fail to hold it back perches on my lips.

“I’ll go order it.” Ryan pushes himself of the floor and jogs through the open door and into the room opposite, to grab the phone from the kitchen counter.

“Do you have a crush on Ryan?” The hairy eyebrows boy on the couch says lazily.

“What kind of question is that, that like asking if I would marry a cat?”

It was true; once upon a time I had had a crush on Ryan. It was years ago and a minor crush on the boy next door, which I now see as a brother. My friend, a shoulder to cry on when the nightmares, left me sweating and throwing violent fits. A tidal wave of water soaking through my bed sheets.

“It’s a yes or no question, Eliza. Just answer.”

“No.” I answer automatically. “I don’t fancy my brother.” He studies me for a moment before slowly nodding his head.

“Ok.”

“Errr, Eliza. This is Connor, our …. Friend.” Nick gives a meaningful look at the older looking boy.  

I give him a tight smile. “I would say it was nice to meet you but so far you’ve asked me awkward questions….”

“It’s on its way.” Ryan says walking back into the room, removing me from the sofa and dumping me on the floor in heap.

“There is a perfectly good seat over there that you could have sat on.”

“I prefer this one.” He gives a satisfied grin.

“Only because I was sitting in it.” I grumble.

The biker dude and the older version of biker dude walk back in, young biker dude had blood pouring out of his nose, the top of his lip had slightly split and it looked like he would have a bruise on his cheek and a black eye. “Oh, god.” I cry. I jump up from the floor and race into the bathroom, searching for the medical kit. I run back down the stairs to the boy. I open the kit and dig in, finding some cotton wool and disinfectant. He is sitting on the floor hand back resting against the sofa. The other boy is staring out of the window, looking at the pasture in which Chilli, Storm and Sunny are grazing in.

“What are you doing?” he flinches and growls venomously as I bend down.

“What do you think I’m flipping doing?” I say bringing the wool to his face.

“Either let me do it or I’ll call an ambulance and they can do it.” I reply calmly.

“I don’t need you to do anything.”

“Danny, let her clean you up.” Ryan commands. “If dad finds blood on the carpet we are screwed.”

“Tip your head forward, not back. That’s it, now put pressure there and breathe through your mouth.”

I dab at his lip, he winces. “Sorry.”

The doorbell echoed through the house, immediately Ryan and Nick jump up and race to the door. Liam jumps on both of them as they try to squeeze through the door together. “You all need to go on diets.” I tease. “You’re too fat to fit through there all at once.”

I finish cleaning the blood cascading down his Danny’s chin. “Don’t blow your nose for a few days, or get in to any fights, unless you want Niagara Falls coming outta your nose again.”