Chapter 4

I spent the rest of the night in a dreamless sleep, my eyes were sore from crying and my arms hurt from holding the book in a unsurrendering position for most of the night. Eric was the first to rise and he chuckles when he saw me- he shook me awake. I jumped and the book fell to the floor.

"What?" I yelled, he looked worried.

"Are you alright, you haven't done this since you were three when Nathan left." He reminded me of a horrible memory and it hurt but I ignored it. He barely noticed my wince at my real father's name.

I shook my head and I moved over to my uncle, my foster dad and he grinned as I sought the confort a daughter needed from her dad. I told him I had a terrible nightmare, the kind where you wake up afraid and crying- he hummed and we both ended up falling back asleep not long after waking.


Eric working silently under the car, I knew he was alive because his legs moved and he cursed when he did something wrong. The car was fine, actually, but he just needed something to do so he broke something and now he didn't know how to fix it- I sat on the step, watching him entranced. My elbow on my knee, my mind racing with the dream like how Arubey was the one to everything, not Hardy or Nickolas. Nick and Hardy striked me as the more violent of the five; Hardy had this manly figure to him that I really liked seeing in such a young adult. He wore these jeans that had oil stains in them.

Suddenly Eric came from out under the car and got up and brushed off his jeans and turned to me, "I'll be right back." He said. We had both forgotten about the day we were supposed to spend together- his next day off was next weekend, I could wait that long. Maybe I was going through teasing withdrawl from Jason and my stepbrothers? Or maybe I actually did miss them.

I sat straight when he turned toward my castle, "Eric!" I called and chased after him, he chuckled. By how I had been watching him, he knew my dream last night was about him and that he had either gotten serious hurt or killed.

"I know that Hardy knows a couple things, I'll be right back." He said, I went with him anyway- I didn't want to and I wasn't allowed- at least that's what I had gathered.

He was taking long strides and beat me, I ran to him as Hardy answered the door- that manly look to him was proven true. His wore nice-but stained- pants and a nice dress shirt. "Can I help you?" he glanced at me, I involduntarily grabbed Eric's shirt in my fist in case he suddenly dragged him inside.

Eric chuckled, "I hope so- how much do you know about cars… under the skirt?"

Pervert, I thought Hardy smiled.

He just said, "Having problem Darkline?" Eric nodded and turned- I had to too. "Let me change quick and I'll be right over Eric, Kyra." He added, looking at me. I just sighed and pulled Eric away from the house.

He stared at me, "What's the matter with you?"

"Nothing with the house that's for damn sure," I growled and beat Eric home and went inside to get my lap top and start to finish my book. Brett and Ana were having problems and I had a few ideas, in the next three chapters I hoped to add the file 'DARKNIGHT'. I came back outside of course and sat on the porch swing and e-mailed my publisher and editor and told them I was nearly done with the next in the series and they told me to hurry up- hundreds of thousands have already pre-ordered a copy. That made me smile; I didn't set a release date, but I promised on my book's website that it will never take me more then six months to get the next book in line of a series on the shelves. I had also read on the site that everyone thought the author and creator of Brett was also a thirty-five year old male living in the ghetto of New York or something. How so wrong they were.

I typed faster then usually to try to get my attention on the focus on my chapters rather then the voices of Eric and Hardy as they spoke. Hardy traded in his nice shirt for a red one. Hated that all five 'brothers' were attractive and wondering which one Duane was going to try to set me up with. I scowled at the thought and prayed that he wouldn't even thnk about it. I'd rather date Travis Gage. Eric said my name but I was too entranced in my story that it took his four calls to get me to look up.

"What the hell are you doing, watching videos or something? Can you do me a favour?" I shrugged and said it depended, he frowned and I nodded. "Can you go get Nickolas or Arubey or someone- they should know something."

"You can't figure it out?" I asked surprised, I wonderd where Duane and Lynn where until I remembered that he took his wife to lunch and they'd be gone tonight too.

But I was frozen with fear of having to go over to Hardy's place to get his brothers- I was asking for their help, that was the big thing that had me to not want too go over. Hardy and Eric however were already back to work so I had no choice, but to go. Eric and Hardy stood up when Eric offered Hardy something to drink, he sighed happily and said that would be great. They went inside and left me alone still on the porch waiting for my legs to kick in. the house looked dark even at eleven in the morning.

What if I wake someone up, did we wake Hardy? I wonder as I save the work I have done and close it and get up and forced myelf to go over to the castle. I took the longest walk of my life to that door and upon getting there, the front door is open. "Nick," I whisper and looked back to see if Hardy was watching, waiting for me to enter- txt his brothers and tell them to have fun with me. Instead I heard sounds from the kitchen and I went that way.

Edam was had just finished eating breakfast and he gave me a tiny grin when he saw me, "Hey- good morning Kyra!" he said joyfully.

I sigh with joy at the thought that one of them is nice, "morning Edam- Hardy and Eric are having difficulty with the car Eric broke this morning-."

"Oh no, is he alright?" he asked starting to come over to me.

I giggled, "No, no, he's fine- he got bored and decided to break his car- now he can't figure out how to put it back together or something. Know anything about cars?" he laughed.

"Sorry no, Hardy and Nickolas do though. I can go get Nickolas-."

"If he's still asleep, forget it my brothers are crabby if woken up."

he laughed and motioned for me to follow, "they've been up all night playing cards. Come on," he said and beckoned me with him as he led me upstairs to a second- second floor family room. There was a television and the other three were busy, they looked tired. "I went to bed just a couple hours ago, they won't stop unless if someone wins," he whispered. Hardy gave up at around three this morning." He added in the same whisper.

We went over and sat down, I spoke next, "What are they playing exactly?"

"Death, it's a ancient game- well according to Arubey over there. He used to play it professionally, won every time against his fellow competitors. They're almost done actually- oh did you want to see the rest of the house?"

"That be great," I said and we stood up. The other three seemed to be in a trance or just really good at ignoring me. He showed me Arubey's room again and commented that they fought over this one, he said he liked the lake view.

He frowned as he spoke, "Duane mentioned a couple guys on his land last night- Wesley said he spoke to you."

I shrugged, "I don't remember that much." I lied.

Edam scowled, "Don't go out to the lake after dark-."

"That's the best time though." I went silent as he led me from the room and as we closed the door to his own room ten minutes later Arubey, Nickolas, and Christopher came from the family room.

"I won," Arubey bragged to Edam. Edam rolled his eyes and said he expected it, "Why are you here?"

"Eric sent me over, Hardy is helping him with Doc's car-."

"Who's car?"

"Eric- that's what I call him."

"That's stupid," Arubey muttered and I glared at him, "What?"

I answered his question to the fullest, "I have been calling him 'Doc' for years- he's not your uncle."

"Good, he's dying soon anyway-." I hit him harder then I thought possible.

Christopher grabbed me around the middle and Edam and Nickolas held Arubey back, "Chris take her outside for a little while, I'll come and help Hardy and Eric." Nickolas told him.

Chris dragged me as I called up to Arubey, "If you dare threaten him in my presence again, I swear I'll hurt you Arubey!"

He growled after me and Chris picked me and flung me over his shoulder, "Calm down."

"Let me go Christopher," I tried to get enough length from his body to kick him so it hurt but he grabbed me by the ankles and held them tightly. He walked us around the house and to the edge of the porch, he set me down- Eric and Hardy already back outside waiting. I heard Nickolas's voice on the other side of the house.

Chris pushed me down into a chair, "You know, Arubey has hurt people before."

"I'd like to see him try to kill me-."

"Well, since you're so small, it should be pretty easy."

"Screw you Chris," I snapped and started to get up but he pushed me down. "Get away from me, and if you ever hang me over like that, I'll find a way to kick you. I'm told I have a break-ass kick." I threatened and went inside.

I went through the house and gathered my laptop and went to my room, I closed and locked the door. If they wanted Eric they could have him… I was to angry to care all that much. I finished the book by dark and I saved it to a disk and used Duane's car to drive myself and the envelope to her office.

Her name is Abby and she wore leggings and had her blond hair in a single braid down to her waist, "Can I help you?"

"Um, Gwin sent me here with the finished product," I lied. I wasn't ready to have people know who I really was.

Abby wore a gray shirt and a pink blouse, her brown eyes went wide. "What's she like?" she asked right away and took the disk. Her hand was shaking.

I shrugged, "Alone," I muttered. "She told me to tell you, that she wanted you to e-mail her as soon as possible and all the details and she'll send me back here to relay her messages and questions." I said and left. Abby thought I was the luckiest person in the world. Brett and Ana's life would take a turn in the next book. I had already made up my mind. Ana's ex-boyfriend was going to come and kidnap her, maybe or Brett's secret past comes to haunt him… probably Brett's version. I wasn't sure yet to be honest.

I drove past the cemetery that Duane's sister's first daughter was buried in, the little girl had lived to be about three hours old when her lungs filled with fluids and she drowned in it. Her name was Cassey I think, I don't remember. I stopped and went to visit her grave quick. The grave was small and in the corner of the cemetery, she had been born twenty years ago now and I took her mom's face and made it younger looking to give me what I thought Cassey would look like. I kissed the tips of my fingers and pressed them against her grave and turned to leave. My body turned first then my head and I bumped into something solid. This time it wasn't Eric.

He grabbed my arms and threw me, my back connected with a large tombstone and I grunted, "If you think you can hurt me, let's see."

"Arubey?" I asked and looked up to see Arubey Karew standing there over me, "You followed me?" he grinned and knelt down next to me and placed his hand over my throat, to make it look like he was choking me but really his fingers just rested on my skin.

I pushed him away when I figured out that he just came to scare me, he chuckled and I kicked him. He cried out and I stepped back, ready to do it again of I had too. "Damn it Kyra," he groaned.

"I told you, you damn bastard, now stay away from me." I said and as I passed him he grabbed my ankles and I tripped and fell onto my knees, I cried when they fell into a tombstone in the grass. Tears came to my eyes and I knew they were either broken or going to be bruised very badly; no shorts for weeks!

He pulled me back and pinned me as he hovered over me, I moved my face away from his so he couldn't see me crying as badly. "That's what you get for kicking me."

"I hate you, go to Hell," I whispered.

He frowned, "I hate you too," he whispered and sat back. I sat up and used another standing tombstone to help me us. Instead Arubey hit me from behind me, I stumbled forward and turned too him. "I want to see what you can do," he explained.

I scowled at him, "fuck you Arubey- you came up behind me-."

"When you get attacked for real, do you really think someone will let you know first. Come on Kyra, think." He snapped, he had a point so I stood ignoring the bruises on both my knees. He came at me and when he was close enough I hit him with all my strength and he stumbled backward this time. We ran at each other suddenly and I grabbed him and threw him- the demon in me took over and kicked him hard in the back and his head hit the door of the mausoleum. He grunted and held his head as I began to bleed a little. "Want me?" he asked, "Come and get me." He growled and I followed him into the mausoleum and as soon as I entered he grabbed me around the waist and followed through as he threw me across the room.

"Can't you do better then that Karew," I asked getting up.

"Do want me to kill you?" he asked smiling.

It took me a moment to answer, "Do you want to kill me?"

He paused and stood comfortably, "What?"

"Why else would you ask that- you don't scare me Arubey!" told him.

"Don't say that." He snarled

"You don't scare me!" I yelled, he growled and came at me with such speed that I didn't have the time to react. He pinned me against the wall, his arm at my throat. If I had been one hundred percent human I would have been begging for air, I didn't do anything but wait. He stared at me and actually pushed harder into my throat; I put my hand to his chest and he back away.

"You're not human,"

"Of course I am, I can just hold my breathe for a long time." I whispered and stepped forward and took his hand and put it over my heart, he pushed me away. "Did I prove you wrong?" I asked grinning and I went past him and left. Leaving him to stand there for several minutes.

...

Eric was eating dinner when I got home at around eight-thirty, he stood up and met me at the door, his face was angry. I was surprised, "Where have you been, what's wrong- why are you limping?" I bit my lip, I had been thinking too much to realize I was limping. He waited and finally picked me up and carried me to the couch and set me and went to the fridge and got ice- I tried to talk him out of it but he was already pushing up my jeans to see my knees. "Goddamn him to hell, who did this?"

"No- no one, I fell Eric, I'm fine- just stings. I'm going to bed," I muttered and took his ice bag with me downstairs. Instead of going to my room I went to the laundry room and pulled on longue pants and a long sleeve shirt, both gray in colour. I dumped the ice into the flowerbeds and left the Ziplock in side the door of the house- right away I went to the lake and rolled up the leggings of the gray pants. I winced several times when I touched the skin of my knees. Finally I got them both rolled up and I went walked up past my knees getting the pants still a little wet- I cuped water in my hands and splashed it into my face. I sighed and gave up as I dove into the water- I swam a mile worth across the lake to the other side. I was soaked and actually cold, I pulled myself up onto the rotting deck and waited for the moon to come back out. I rolled down the leggings and let the cold water cool down the stinging knee-caps. I sighed with relief when I saw a car pull into Duane and Lynn's drive way, but then I saw Arubey get home at the same time. I frowned when he looked right at the door I exited from to come to the lake, he still looked unlike himself as he entered my house. I drove into the water and disappeared into the black water for several minutes. My lap top was describing his room to the last detail for Brett's room and the screen was running as it lay on my desk in my room.

It hurt to breath finally and I found that I missed having this feeling as I forced to forget to the pain I was experiencing and ran to my room. He wasn't there. But the description was still on the screen and the mouse had been moved, I scowled and went to see him just entering the back door. He turned to see me coming- right away I hit him.

He grunted and fell to his back, "What the hell!" he snapped in my face. "Are you interesting in this house to tell your little friends about it?" he mocked me in a way that I hated being teased about- I loved my stories.

"Shut the hell up, at least I do something with my life Karew- you had no right to go into my room and read my computer!" I snapped at him.

"I didn't read your computer and why would I want too- you probably spell everything wrong." I made a fist, ready to hit him, he looked me up and down. "I see you went swimming again or did you fall into the shower?" he mocked. I went to kick him but he grabbed my ankle and twisted it, I yelled back a scream and he pushed my leg and I fell to the ground. He put his foot on my stomach, "I mean seriously Kyra- you're what sixteen?"

"So are you, junior this year dumbass," I snarled through clenched teeth. He frowned remembering I was right, he was probably already seventeen. I grabbed his foot and he did a backwards flip in the air when I brought it up to quick for him to control, I gasped at what I had done. He jumped up using his hands to push him; I wished I could do that and I actually would have asked if we weren't in the middle of a fight.

He grabbed me and threw me so far I was back in the water of the lake, I looked up to see that he had thrown me nearly fifty feet. I grabbed sand and threw it in his face when he was close enough, he cried out as it hit his eyes and he blinked, forcing tears into his eyes to get the sane out. I tackled him as we fell into the shallower water, we rolled as he hit me and I hit back.

"You know- it's bad luck to hit a girl," I growled.

He snorted, his eyes were red and murderous. "You hit like a girl, so I guess that makes us even doesn't it? Rich girl." I hit him this time and I knew it hurt by how long he was down… nearly thirty seconds to recover from it. He stared at me, I stood up and kicked him. His face was under water and he was under for nearly a minute before I went forward. In the time I reached him to bring him above water I prayed he was still alright- I didn't want to kill him, just to be nicer to me… I was so damn tired of men being so damn mean to me when I've been nothing but nice.

"Arubey," I cried going to his side, I screamed silently when he surprised me and tackled me. He pinned me to the beach sand and held my wrists into the sand, I could get out from under him.

He glared at me, "You hit me and it takes you sixty-seven seconds to feel bad?"

I whispered, "I have a conscious- you can kill me all you want, I can't take your life. You have your brothers to take care of."

"So do you," I was surprised by how calm his voice was. He sighed but didn't let me go, "Why did you pretend to feel bad a moment ago?"

Arubey glared when I laughed, "I wasn't pretending. I thought you were going to drown, CPR isn't exactly my strongest point here. Either way, are you alright?" i sigh.

"No. you accused me of something I didn't do."

I groaned, "I saw you go into my house, the screen of my computer told me you had moved the mouse to read the screen-."

"Your grandmother was in your room, I hid in the bathroom; she passed me and the screen was lit. Why does it matter- you write books?" he asked.

I turned my head away from him exposing my neck, "I do for fun." I lied, I felt bad that I had done this for nothing. I could… should tell him the truth about it I didn't know if I could trust him or not- he did attack me in the cemetery. The waves reached my chin, but I didn't care. I turned my head face up to look him in the eyes, "I'm sorry I accused you of invading my room." I said finally.

He got off of my wrists, "apology accepted." He said and got up to go back to his house, he paused as he stepped up onto the grassy shore. "I can kill you with one blow to the temple Kyra- don't make me do such a thing, your life depends on it."

"I don't kind to threats."

"It's a warning for you to stay away from us- Nickolas, Christopher, Hardy, even Edam- we all can kill you, Duane, Lynn, Eric, as well as Eddy or Travis with one blow to the head. By the way," he glanced back at me. "You hit just fine," I smiled and he turned to leave.

Once he was gone from sight I groaned and fell back into the water and let the waves wash the anger off my skin. I closed my eyes and waited- when Duane called my name I sat up and looked back to see that a couple trees blocked me from view. I winced when I finally stood and went to my house, Duane saw me wet and limping and came down to meet me. He demanded to know what happened… from the corner of my eye I saw Arubey and Wesley.

I held up my hand, "Grandpa, it's nothing." I gave him all my attention, "I'm perfectly fine- never better." I said and went through the backdoor that led right into the basement and went to the bathroom to shower and clean off. I expected a rampage as I left to go the three feet to my room, but none came. Eric was already in bed clearly unaware what happened and Duane and Lynn could be heard talking about the suitable possibilities. To prove them that I fine and I walked up and went to the blue rose my angel had given me. I smelled it and gave my grandparents an encouraging smile and wished them good night and went to bed to dream about my eternal life.