The Four Brothers ~ Completed

Capítulo Onze: A Dor

Gemma's POV:

Let me get one thing straight, the day started out normally. Sure, there were some weird sounds coming from outside but nothing I was too concerned with. I hadn't had coffee and wasn't really concerned with anything.

When sitting in the kitchen, completely alone, I realized that the weird sounds coming from outside were people. Shouting?

I walked to the nearest window, which was in one of the sitting rooms, and glanced outside. I nearly dropped my coffee when I saw the enormous crowd of what looked to be paparazzi on Tobias's lawn.

I didn't even notice Zion standing next to me.

"I'd hoped for a day or two more of peace before the paparazzi caught up to me. Terrific." Zion grumbled, sounding positively chipper. And here I thought that I wasn't a morning person.

Zion walked away, his phone pressed against his ear as he stalked off.

Who peed in his Cheerios this morning?

"Morning, Gemma." Damian said cheerfully. I stopped watching Zion pace around the room and turned my attention back to the people standing outside of Tobias's house. Well, our house, I guess.

I sipped my coffee.

"Morning. Why're they here?" I asked, pointing a thumb at the flashy cameras and yelling people. Damian chuckled.

"Because they have nothing better to do." He said. He unwrapped the yellow lollipop and popped it into his mouth, then walked to the couches. I followed him closely, still not understanding.

"What?" I asked. I wasn't stupid, it was just too early in the morning to try and understand these already confusing men. Damian spread his arms across the back of the couch.

"It's pretty widely known that the only time any of any member of this family sees each other is the day that our parents and little sister died. The paparazzi take advantage of that and try and get group photos." Damian explained, not noticing how pale I got when he told me.

Yesterday was the day I technically died?

Oh God.

"I died yesterday?" I whispered. Damian froze. He turned towards me with a pained look. I could tell that an apology was coming on.

"Gemma, I didn't-" I cut him off quickly.

"It's fine. I'm going to retrace my steps to the kitchen. See you later, Damian." I waved and hurried out of the room. I didn't notice Zion watching as I jogged from the room, confusion painting his features dark.

Maybe I was overreacting, but everything was starting to hit me all at once. I thought that maybe I hadn't accepted everything that I'd been through, even if I didn't know I'd been through it. Or didn't remember it.

I died yesterday. I died yesterday, twelve years ago.

I felt sickened by the thought.

"Gemma?" Sinclair called as I rushed past him. I didn't answer.

I would curse myself for doing that later, but I honestly thought I was going to vomit. And vomit I did when I made it to the kitchen sink.

I cleaned up my mess, breathing heavily while I did. Vomiting was a pretty basic sign that I was finally coming out of shock. But that didn't mean that it was pleasant.

"Gemma?" A worried voice came from the doorway of the kitchen. I turned and looked at the speaker, my eyes widening when I saw it was Tobias. Of course it had to be him. He hates me. He would probably enjoy seeing me in pain.

"I'm fine." I muttered, brushing off his anxious look.

I was fine, right?

"It certainly doesn't look that way." Tobias said, walking over to me. At first, I thought I spoke my thoughts aloud but then realized that I hadn't. He was just being a jerk.

"I told you, I'm fine." I snapped, running a hand through my messy hair. Tobias stopped, mid-step, and arched an eyebrow at my sudden attitude.

Yeah, well, I wasn't going to bow down to him whenever he wanted to play the role of caring big brother. He didn't get to pull the caring brother card whenever he wanted. He needed to realize that.

"Okay." Tobias said, taking a cautious step back. I hadn't seen him act so unsure in all my time of knowing him, which hadn't been a very long time.

I left the kitchen with the intent to get the taste of vomit out of my mouth. It hadn't been anything more than acid. I hadn't had much of anything to eat. The food Damian had cooked me and the Cheetos.

I made it back to my room, back to my bathroom, and I instantly turned on the shower. Maybe taking a really, really hot shower would help me feel better.

I brushed my teeth and then hopped in the shower.

The boiling water met my back and I hissed in pain, but didn't change the temperature. Sometimes being in pain was better than feeling anything else. And if boiling hot water was the most pain I was going to get, then I would suffer through it.

I was in the midst of grief, I realized.

I was sitting in the shower, watching my skin turn a vibrant red from the boiling water. I didn't even notice that some of my previous injuries had split open and had started bleeding again. I cursed George silently when I saw the pink water.

What? Did you think that George had only been neglectful?

If only I could've been that lucky.

Where was I? Oh, the midst of grief, right.

I was grieving for a life that I never got to live. A childhood that I wasn't allowed. Trust that had been crushed. Innocence that had been stolen. A will to live that had been demolished. Hope that was lost amid my nightmares.

"Gemma! Are you okay in there?" Someone asked. I couldn't tell who it was since the shower was too loud, but I let out a small sound of agreement.

"Yeah, fine." I managed to croak out.

I guess I worried Sinclair when I stormed past him in an effort to return to my room. I probably worried Damian too. Possibly even Tobias. Nah, I doubted that he cared enough to be worried about me.

Even if I did stink of vomit. Even if I did puke in front of him.

Or, I assumed I puked in front of him. He probably just heard me upchucking dinner.

There wasn't another word from outside the door, but I got the feeling that the person was still there. I turned the shower off, readying myself for whoever I would face outside the door.

I only wanted a few minutes to grieve for everything I'd lost when I'd been taken. And then that got interrupted.

And I had to put on my old, unwashed clothes.

How wonderful.