Angel loved her family.
She really did.
Who wouldn't want a large family where there were always pranks to play, secrets for blackmailing, a chance for eves dropping at every corner or some sort of scheme being planned?
But Angel was that member of the family.
Among her parents, siblings, aunts, uncles and grandmother she ended up becoming that member of the family.
That member, who knew every affair, who knew each diabolical world ending plot and who walked in at all the awkward moments.
All of that led to Angel knowing everything about her family and just how perfectly, absolutely, positively INSANE her family was.
It was incredible she had lasted 9 years with these people.
~MR~
Her feet padded carefully on the floor boards. She walked into the room marked 'Phoenix' and closed the door behind her.
"Hi sweetie," her mother's voice called. The young woman stood behind a chair and was failing miserably at combing the hair of a squirming 2 year old.
Angel grabbed the comb from her mother and began the task herself.
"Mom," she began, then thought better of it. Pulling out her iPod she plugged it into the toddler's ears, muting her conversation from the younger girl.
"Mom, I think Nudge is trying to kill Iggy," she whispered.
Max burst out laughing.
She dulled her laughter to chuckles once taking note of Angel's serious expression. "Nudge couldn't kill a fly," she stated.
Angel rolled her eyes, so similarly to Max that the woman was forced to confront her own mannerisms through genetics.
"That's cause Nudge screams and runs out of the room. She thinks flies and wasps look alike," Angel retorted.
Max nodded, she couldn't argue with that. She also couldn't tell Angel that she didn't believe her. Last time that happened the girl's screams had the neighbours calling Social Services, which was saying something when they lived on an estate with 90 feet between their house and the neighbours.
She did have to tell her something though. "Look Angel, I think maybe Nudge is just having a rough time at the moment, give her some space cause then she'll sort through her murderous feelings. You'll see she won't kill anyone, she might threaten but she won't kill." Of course Max hadn't understood a word of what she had just said, so as she sat with her forehead creased in confusion trying to make sense of it.
Angel meanwhile decided it would be better to confront her father.
Once Angel left the room Max sighed. "Note to self: don't console children on an empty stomach."
~MR~
While on the search for her hopefully more concerned parent Angel ended up heading toward the kitchen.
Although the sight that met her left her frozen at the doorway. Her three eldest siblings were preparing dinner, except one of them wasn't contributing so much.
Nudge stood at one end of the kitchen, her eyes trained onto Iggy who was stirring a sauce of some kind. Except this wasn't her adoptive sister. Her Nudge never had such a cold look on her face but this one did. Her eyebrows were drawn together, head slightly bowed, eyes narrowed with a ferocity she never knew existing.
"Hey Nudge this knife isn't sharp enough to cut the carrots, can you hand me the sharpener?" Ella asked.
Nudge's lips turned up at the ends creating an even sinister air about the twelve year old. "I can sharpen it for you Els," she replied in a monotone that sent chills down Angel's spine. She had never heard the older girl speak that way before although Nudge's silence the last minute or so was also something Angel had never heard.
She resisted the urge to yell 'no' as her heart pounded against her rib cage.
Angel had never seen anything more terrifying in her life. Nothing as terrifying then her sister glaring at her brother while striking a knife to perfect sharpness. Especially when Nudge lightly ran her finger across the blade's tip whispering a barely audible 'perfect'.
Ella didn't seem to notice anything, she just took the knife back with a thanks.
"Oh and can you cut the meat Nudge?" Iggy called and when Nudge pulled out a chopping knife the size of her face Angel couldn't take it anymore.
She ran through the hallways almost tripping over her own feet in an attempt to escape. When she stumbled up the stairs screaming 'Daddy' they heard it.
Ella turned guiltily to her adopted siblings. "I think we've traumatised her."
Nudge looked down in shame, while Iggy looked between the two girls.
"Does this mean we're not going to make Ari believe Angel's old dolls are trying to take over the world?" he asked.
Nudge's head shot up. "Or convince Gazzy the house is haunted?"
Ella shot them both an incredulous look before walking off.
