Forbidden

~Chapter Nineteen~

 A/N: Hello, all! Thank you so much for reading "Forbidden," and making time in your busy schedules for my amateur writing! I love you all!

Just to let you know, chapter twenty is already halfway done, so (hopefully) it shall be up soon!

This chapter is dedicated to RelentlessChaos, who is an amazayn (:-)) fan fiction writer on Wattpad. She has written "Broken," which is a phenominiall Niall Horan novel. Unfortuneately, due to busy schedules, I haven't been able to read the latest updates! :-( I apologize, RelentlessChaos! But, anyway, if you get a chance, you should definitely read her works!

And that apology thing? It goes to all of you, too! If I haven't been commenting recently, just message me...then I shall feel bad and go read! :-)

Picture is of Ari (played by Ken Baumann). I thought you might want to see what he looked like. :-)

THANK YOU!!!!

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~Chapter Nineteen~

Meaghan sighed, flinging her backpack down on one of the flimsy kitchen chairs surrounding the marble table. The urge to break something was intensifying, and she tried desperately to push it back to where it belonged: outside her body. Anxiety churned in her stomach, creating an irritating ball of nerves that needed to disappear before she could think clearly.

            Meaghan turned to the kitchen window, noting the sunshine pouring in from the panes. The warm pool of light was somehow comforting, like a blanket on a cold winter’s day. Drawing in a breath, she reached out a tentative hand, placing it on the tabletop at the exact radius of the circle of light. She relished the warmth saturating her skin, its glowing orbs dancing peacefully across its paleness. Meaghan closed her eyes, focusing entirely on that one spot of exhilaration.

            The sun’s light frolicked wonderfully through her hand, the natural connection shooting energy throughout her body. Warmth swirled healingly on top of her skin, the tenderness of it rejuvenating Meaghan’s mind. She exhaled contentedly, allowing her old friend to take over, savoring the gentle, cautious waves that flowed through her. Slowly, the wash of sunlight crawled comfortingly up her arms, reaching for its final resting place: the peaceful domain of her mind. Meaghan waited impatiently for the feeling of joy she would receive when the rays finally overtook her, creating her…

            Meaghan shrieked, leaping back from the sunlight as the shock scorched her temples. She gripped her hand to her chest, whimpering as the pain slashed through it repeatedly. Her breathing became short and heavy; a helpless sheen of tears clouded her eyes. Panicked, she snatched the curtains and yanked them across the wide window, calming as the sun disappeared behind the fabric.

            “How could I have been so stupid?” she wondered aloud, collapsing onto the floor. She leaned against a wall, mortifying vulnerability painting her flesh with idiocy. She still held her now-painless hand against her chest. “How could I have been so stupid?”

            “I don’t know, Alex,” a torturous voice muttered behind her. “I don’t know.”

            Meaghan scoffed and whipped her hair around her face, creating a vision barrier between herself and her brother. “Ari, just leave me alone,” she spat, bitter agony dripping from her tone.

            “I would,” Ari said, dragging out his vowels in his own annoying way, “but then you could ruin this for us all.” Meaghan heard footsteps behind her, each footfall echoing forebodingly through the empty house.  She froze, bracing herself against Ari’s growing ferocity.