The Four Brothers ~ Completed

Capítulo Dezesseis: A Descoberta

Gemma's POV:

I wasn't sure what I heard the night before, but I knew that it meant nothing good. If hearing someone speaking in Ukrainian wasn't weird-or creepy, however you want to think about it-but the next morning everyone was pretending like the night before never happened.

I arched an eyebrow at the tension filling the room at breakfast. I was pretty sure it was the first time that I'd seen Zion or Tobias eat breakfast.

"Are we going to continue avoiding everything that happened last night or are we going to be grown ups and talk about it?" I asked. Tobias took a deep breath, but only raised his spoonful of oatmeal up to his lips.

Who eats oatmeal? Gross.

"You're one strange child." Damian shook his head as he continued to whisk some type of batter up. I didn't understand why he was cooking since everyone was eating something and he had a lollipop in his mouth.

"So I've been told." I remarked dryly. His lips quirked up to the side.

Apparently, they were going to ignore the stifling tension that filled the room. I rolled my eyes at the silence. If they wanted to act like babies, let them. I said what I said and I meant it. Simple as that.

"I understand that you think your treatment here has been... Unfair?" Tobias asked, sounding awkward. My eyes widened a bit at how unsure he sounded. I'd never heard him sound like that.

First time for everything, I guess.

"Not necessarily unfair, but cold. You haven't been treating me like your long lost sister. More like an intruder who broke into your house and is now forcing their way into your lives." I shrugged, slowly glancing up from the coffee pot every once and awhile.

"You have to understand that this hasn't been easy on us." Sinclair defended himself, and the others. I set the mug I was filling up with coffee, down on the counter with a small clang.

"And you think this has been easy for me? Sure, I've moved from the pits of hell into the lap of luxury, but I just found out I died. I have no memories of this family or this life, and suddenly I'm being thrust into this world. I understand that this hasn't been easy for you, making room for me in your lives, but you also haven't considered that this is just as hard for me." My cheeks were flushed when I was finished.

I tried to stay calm as long as I could, but my temper always seemed to flare up while I was trying to make a point.

"How about a deal?" Zion spoke up. He sounded strictly professional, but his eyes were soft. Like he didn't know he was being as cold as he was being.

"I'm listening." I said, prompting him to continue. I arched an eyebrow at the over the rim of my mug at their shocked expressions. Maybe not a lot of twelve year old girls they knew drank coffee black?

"We try to be warmer, more like a family, and you start to tell us what happened with George?" Zion offered with a cocked head. I could understand why companies fell at his feet, crumbling to nothing more than ashes under his withering glare.

He was scary when he wanted to be.

"You've got yourself a deal." I smiled softly, but quickly brought the cup up.

They didn't need to know that their acceptance made me smile. They didn't need to know how much it meant to me that they were listening to me and trying to compromise, or strike a deal. Whatever you want to call it.

"Just a warning, but we haven't been a family since the car crash. This might take a while. Plus, none of us live together." Damian said. I bit my lip, trying to think of a solution. While I was thinking, I noticed that every head in the kitchen but mine turned to look at Sinclair.

Well, obviously he didn't look at himself, but you get my point.

"Uh, no. We're not moving into the compound. You really think that's a bright place to bring her?" Sinclair asked, jabbing a finger in my direction. I grinned at his frantic looks around the kitchen. Everyone then turned towards Zion.

"I actually like my penthouse, and would prefer no type of destruction coming to it. I'm not letting you baboons in." Zion immediately waved the idea away. Everyone turned towards Damian.

This was getting more and more fun.

"I don't actually have a house. I live in hotels between jobs. I'm rarely out of work." Damian said, scratching the back of his neck. Tobias groaned loudly and rubbed a hand over his face, making everyone glance towards him.

"We might as well stay here, then." Tobias nearly whined. I laughed, slapping a hand over my mouth seconds later. Tobias's glare wasn't heated, which was nice. It was nice to see him let his walls down around me.

Somewhat. Somewhat let his walls down around me.

"Yay! I like my room. It's massive. That and I know where the library is." I said, smiling gleefully at the thought of finally making someplace home.

I'd never had a home, or a place I even wanted to stay. I never wanted to be around George or near the house we lived in, if you could even call it a house. There was a lot of horrible things that happened in that torture-house.

"How do you even know where the library is? I don't think I've ever been in there." Sinclair admitted. I pursed my lips, shaking my head in disappointment. I rubbed the skin between my eyebrows, then softly sighed.

"I stumbled in there by accident and then I returned. I started organizing the library since whoever Tobias had do it sucked." I said, finishing off my coffee in a long gulp. I put the cup in the sink before turning back to my brothers, who were watching me with narrowed eyes.

"What twelve year old drinks coffee like that?" Damian wondered aloud. Tobias looked at him, aghast.

"That's what you're concerned with? Not that she's reorganizing a two story library?" Tobias asked. I chuckled at the two who were starting to sound like children.

Maybe all it took to get them to open up to me, was not bowing down to what they said or did. I didn't really care since I was still seeing a breakthrough.