Prologue
"Lukas? Get your ass over here now!"
The pale boy was hesitant; he didn't want to work more. He was tired. Couldn't Amelia do her own work? Right now, he could barely stay upright, and his eyes almost fluttered to a close.
"Lukas? I'm not going to fucking ask again. Get your ass here now." There was a pause. Then she continued.
"Emil's asleep upstairs. He's so pitifully helpless right now...You don't want Mother to do anything to him, do you?" Amelia called, her voice melting into a cruel honey.
No...Please, don't do anything to Emil. D-Don't...! The young boy tried to scream, but no sound came out. He couldn't let them hurt Emil. He had never let them do anything to his precious brother, and he certainly wouldn't now.
"LUKAS!" The said person snapped to attention.
"Y-Yes!" His voice was quiet.
"Stop hiding, and come out. You have five seconds before I call for Mother."
Anything for Emil...
"One."
Why does it have to be like this?
"Two."
Father said Mother loved us.
"Three."
Is this the love he meant?
"Four."
Lukas stumbled out of his hiding spot, barely standing. Using one skinny hand, he grabbed onto the cupboard handle to support his frail body. It was getting stuffy behind the sugar sacks of the kitchen. Almost instantly, a tan hand grabbed a fistful of his hair and dragged him away from his sanctuary. Shivering from fear and pain, the little boy turned to look his sister in the eye.
Amelia. Her red eyes glowed with unmistakable amusement as she shook his head back and forth teasingly, tugging at his hair this way and that.
"I thought you'd be here. The floor can't clean itself, y'know. Hurry the fuck up, though; Mother says we have guests at dinner, and you know how she is when she's pissed."
"I already cleaned it." he said softly, trying not to wince. It wasn't his intention to argue, he just wanted to prove that he had already done it, and that there was no need to do it again. The mansion was huge. He didn't have the strength.
Amelia just stared, like he had just said something wrong. Then she turned around, her hold still firm on his hair.
"Mother! Bring Em-"
"N-No! I'll do it again..." he broke in quickly. He wanted to be a good big brother, someone Emil could turn to for safety. How? He couldn't even protect himself from his sisters.
He opened his mouth to say more, but all of a sudden, she let go of him, causing the weak boy to drop to the floor with an audible thump. Lukas did his best to stay quiet. He wouldn't give them the satisfaction. Instead, he looked down at the floor, not wanting to let Amelia see his fear. Her malicious eyes stayed pinned on him, though, and a smirk formed on her lips. She reached down to ruffle his light hair, almost affectionately.
"Good boy...That's a good boy..."