The Break

Powerless

Reyna woke up in her sister's arms, content with staying there for another hour or so.

Then she remembered why her sister was still here.

Hylla worked three jobs, meaning she was hardly ever home. She worked at Sunny's Daycare in the mornings with her boss Hestia, Hephaestus Furniture & Crafts during the day with her boss Hephaestus, and at night she worked double shift at Poseidon's Diner with her boss Poseidon. The only reason Hylla would be at home with her for an entire day is either calling out sick to her jobs or being given a free day of pay to take care of Reyna. Reyna figured, as the bosses were kind, they gave her a free day of pay.

She felt Hylla shift beneath her. "Ya se despertó la bella durmiente?" she asked, voice tired and heavy with her Hispanic accent. Reyna smiled. It was always fun to mess with Hylla while she was too tired to understand English.

"Esa eres tu, Hylla." Hylla sighed, still sleepy.

"Levantame en tres horas." her sister said, nuzzling her head into Reyna's shoulder. Reyna couldn't hold back a laugh. "Cállate también, y déjame dormir." she muttered, swiping slowly and sleepily at Reyna's mouth.

"Tienes trabajo, Hylla. Ya se te hizo tarde." With that, Hylla jumped to her feet, dropping a laughing Reyna onto the couch.

"Hijo de la chingada madre," she cursed, rushing to her bedroom to get dressed into her morning work clothes. Hylla kept cursing even as she rushed into the kitchen to grab an apple, and Reyna couldn't stop laughing. "Y tu de que te ries?"

Reyna just continued to laugh. "Hoy... no tienes... trabajo..." she answered in between breaths, as she tried to calm down.

Hylla looked to her for any lies and, finding none, slumped against the kitchen counter as she dropped the apple back into the fruit basket. "No me haces eso, Reina." Hylla sighed as she walked back to the couch, sitting beside her sister as she swiped at her arm. "Te voy tener que castigar por eso."

Reyna kept laughing, only stopping seconds later as the words registered in her fuzzy mind. Castigar...punish. "Hylla-"

Before she could do anything, hard lips were on her own, opening hers and exploring her mouth. Reyna was too shocked to move, strong and calloused hands gripping her waist. They tasted of pine and mint, stunning and surprising her even more. Pine and mint...only one person tasted like that, and that was...

When the girl above Reyna pulled away, the Hispanic shivered at the sight of her best friend, eyes an electrifying blue. "Here's your punishment, Reyna," Thalia whispered, lips pressing lightly against Reyna's left ear. "After all, you belong to me."

----

Reyna woke up in a panic, sweat glistening on her skin and eyes wide in fear. Weight was around her waist, and she pushed against it, trying desperately to get away from it. The arms held her tightly, and Reyna would've continued to struggle had it not been for her sister's familiar voice startling her out of her panic. 

"Reyna! Stop! It's me, Hylla! Your sister," Hylla shouted, and only now could Reyna hear her. She stopped, shaking as she hugged herself. Hylla noticed, loosening her hold on her sister. "Hey, hey. Reyna..." She made her little sister look up at her, and Reyna was more than sure that Hylla could see the fear in her eyes. "Gods, Reyna. What happened? What's wrong? Was it a nightmare, or..."

Reyna just shook her head, unable to look at her sister, not after what she'd just seen. How could she be sure that this wasn't a dream as well?

Hylla sighed, wrapping her arms around her and pulling Reyna close. She ran her hand down her sister's back soothingly, though the marks and sore muscles made Reyna wince slightly even as she dug her face into her sister's neck. "It's okay, Reyna. I'm here. I won't leave you. You have nothing to fear."

Oh, if only she knew, Reyna thought as she felt hot tears fall from her eyes. But she can't know. For the same reason she should know.

Hylla murmured soothing words to her sister, though it did nothing to slow the images and feelings that ran rampant in Reyna's mind. Reyna remembered everything from that night: hands running down her sides and down her legs, lips and teeth against her skin, new sensations as a tongue sank into her lower folds... It scared the girl, the sensations having seared themselves into her mind as well as keeping her from thinking straight. It was what made her nightmare so startling, making her panic and fearful yet also powerless.

Reyna had felt powerless so many times before, not just with her father but also when she wanted to protect her sister and Thalia. She felt powerless when she couldn't help Hylla with work, instead just watching her older sister leave and come exhausted, only having time to sleep before going back to work again. She felt powerless when Thalia argued with her mother, just watching as her best friend walked off to disappear for days before showing up at school with new bruises.

What Thalia had done, it made Reyna feel more than powerless. She felt owned, under Thalia's control. Reyna would bet everything that if Thalia told her to do something, she wouldn't even hesitate to do it. 

People always said that Reyna was powerful, a natural leader. What they didn't know was of her past, that she lived with her sister who dropped out of high school to be able to pay the bills on time. They only saw the face she put on, the one of bravery and superiority that kept bullies and thugs away from her and her friends. No one knew the pain and weakness that this 'leader' held inside her.

Reyna finally found her voice. "Can I...Can I stay home?" she asked, voice shaky and cracking.

Hylla nodded. "Oh, of course, Reyna. I'll call you in sick." She paused, her next words filled with concern. "Is it Thalia?"

The younger sister didn't answer, but it was more than enough of a confirmation for Hylla. "Okay, give me a few minutes to call you in sick, then I have to go run a few errands. You sure you'll be okay by yourself?"

Reyna took more than a while to answer, Thalia's face flashing before her eyes before Hylla reappeared in front of her. "I hope so."