The Secrets Behind Them

∅{Knots And Roses}∅

"Ssssh..." I hush little Ellie. The two of us are staring down Gabe in the livingroom from the kitchen entry way. He's sniffing the flowers near the window and in between the two sofa chairs. The sunlight shines through the blinds of the enormous window and brings out the brown in his dark hair. As soon as he turns his back completely, I'm going in for the attack.

He turns, leaving his back completely exposed to the two of us.

Perfect.

I tiptoe out of the kitchen and onto the carpet of the livingroom, inching closer and closer to the victim as quietly as possible. It's much more difficult than you think, even with the radio playing in the dining room, I still have to be as stealthy as a predator catching it's prey. I look back to Ellie, giving her a thumbs up and wink before I bring my attention to Gabe, who's about a foot away from me.

I take a split second to figure out what my attack will be. I can't go for the waist or hips, he fell on his butt a few days ago. I could just scream, but Neveah and Dahlia are taking naps right now. If I were to wake one of them up, death would probably come my way.

I take a glimpse at his hair, the brown curls on the back of his head look so content and gentle. I also take this moment to notice how long his hair is getting, it's covering up at least half of his neck...

The perfect length to tug on it like a goddamn rope.

I let out a quiet, almost silent chuckle before digging my fingers into the curls covering his neck. I yank down, pulling his head back and getting a nasty gasp from Gabe's mouth.

"Hnng," Gabe tries but fails to hold in a groan, "fuck, Miah! You little-" He then yelps, leaving me to instantly release and fucking scram.

I glide onto the hallway's wooden floors, then take a sharp turn into my room. That reaction was priceless! I think to myself while slamming the bedroom door shut. A few seconds later, the door handle turns. The first thing that comes to mind is to body slam the door closed, I have to keep Gabriel out if I value my life.

"Miah! Let me in!" Gabe pushes into the door, barely giving effort. His hip probably hurts too much to shove any harder. I continue to resist against the door, getting a few weak punches from the other side of the wood. "I swear to god, if you don't-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP, GABRIEL!"

SHIT. VEAH'S UP.

Gabe grunts and bangs into the door once more, but I think he used his forehead this time. He's been defeated. He can't do anything. If he yells or kicks the door down, Neveah will most likely make that hip injury double the pain.

"Miah."

Gabe's voice is suddenly high pitched and filled with all of the frustration he can express. I step away from the door and exhale heavily. He doesn't open the door, so I choose to open it for him. Pulling the door open is a joy, especially when Gabe falls head first into the room. He grunts at me when he finds himself having to catch himself on the table at the end of Carlos' bed.

"Gaaaah, Miah." Gabe stands up and rubs his waist where his injury is. The groaning human forces himself to his own bed, which in the furthest corner of the room from the door. I watch as he takes every slow step, I can almost feel his pain for him by watching him.

"How's your hip feeling?" I tenderly ask despite the bitter feeling I get by thinking about the injury. This is part of why I hate winter so much. Ice is everywhere, and that guarantees some form of pain. Whether it's the frozen grass beneath the snow, begging for sunlight and heat, or the human being that slips and falls on their butt.

"Could be better." Gabe forces a laugh, rubbing his hip as he sets himself on the mattress. If it were spring or summer right now, I would probably cringe at pain he would've gotten from sitting down. However, it's winter. I'm too busy having my senses filled with other plants' pain. I shake my head in response to Gabe's answer, huffing out a weak laugh.

As soon as I stop laughing, the room goes silent. I can hear the floor boards under my feet as they give a whisper of a creeky squeak. It's odd to me though, this is the lowest floor of the house.

I take a quick glance over Gabe, reminding me of the strange intensity I've been feeling in my body lately. Matter of a fact, I feel my stomach in a knot right now. My bones feel like broken gears in a clock. I think there's something coming up. There has to be. And I don't think it will be a good thing either. Ugh. I need to distract myself.

I bring myself to the tiny rose bush near my bed. Really, the plant is meant for Gabe. Him and his flowers, especially his roses. The color of roses I chose for him are supposed to be more of a deep red, to match his rich personality. He's beyond loving and daring, Gabe has always had a spark. Also, not that I dislike my other siblings, but because he really is my favorite sibling. He's honestly my best friend.

Carlos is nice too, he quickly comes in second place thanks to him working so hard to keep us going. I think if I get a plant for him, it might be an aloe vera plant. For some reason, Carlos just reminds me of that type of plant. For now, I'm going to focus on the plants I have currently.

My attention goes back to Gabe, who appears to be smiling in my direction.

"What?" I question him, wondering why he looks so happy.

"You and your plants," Gabe chuckles and pats on the bed, "c'mon, come over here." I tilts his head, showing me the widest grin on his face possible. Part of me is suspicious, the rest of me doesn't care what card he might pull.

I sit next to him, he immediately pulls me in for a side hug. With his arm over my shoulders, I relax and try to release the tension in my body. It's as if he knows how twisted my stomach is. I did tell him about how I've been feeling lately. 

Gabe's hand glides up my shoulder, then my neck, and finally into my hair, where he twirls with the few curls I have in my red-brown hair. I sink into his body, not knowing what else to do.

"It'll be alright Miah, I promise."