Chapter Two

Utter silence met Adam's announcement. All gazes flew between us, surveying our similarities. Once you knew to look, it became pretty clear that we were related. The most obvious was of course our eyes, both the same blue-gray color that often shone silver. The next was our hair, both auburn, though mine was a touch lighter. I'd definitely inherited the color from mine and Adam's father, though, since my mother was blonde.

I watched as they all took us in, shock making way for surprise on their faces. It was even more awkward than I'd anticipated, sitting there while everyone sized me up, compared me to Adam. Peeking his way, I saw that he was more calm about this than I was, appearing more concerned with what their reactions were going to be once this news sunk in.

Finally - finally - someone broke the silence. Melanie asked, mystified, "How?"

Faye had a ferocious smile on her face, clearly already thinking up ways to spin this to her advantage. "Oh, this is rich, Adam."

Though he'd opened his mouth to answer Melanie, Faye's comment had him turning toward her. "What?"

"You're such a dirty liar." She laughed. "Your parents are dead. There was no time for them to have another child after you, and if you were a twin, I am positive we'd know. You're faking this somehow to cover something up. You have to be."

Deborah scoffed. "Use your eyes, Faye. They're related."

"Yeah," Sean piped up. "She's a pretty version of Adam. Very pretty." He smiled at me. I didn't smile back, unsure if I should encourage him. I wanted to be nice, but there were limits. Was he going to be creepy?

Melanie brought the conversation back on track. "Faye has a point that there wasn't time, and I highly doubt you're twins. But Deborah and Sean are right that they're clearly related." She paused, her brow furrowing in thought. "But how?"

I lifted a hand, placing my fist in front of my mouth. While I'd been willing to break the news about our sibling status, I was so not explaining the how.

Adam looked to me, nodding when he saw that I wasn't going to say a thing. He stood taller, back erect. He was taking responsibility for answering. Yeah, maybe he wasn't too bad. "My dad…" he trailed off for a second. "Our dad. He took a trip to Boston at some point when my mom was pregnant with me, met Elena's mom, and then Elena was born several months later."

At that revelation, jaws literally dropped. Laurel and Suzan were like gaping fish. Melanie's eyes widened. Cassie paled. Diana gasped. The twins shifted, wicked expressions gone and uncertainty taking its place. Sean looked down at his hands in his lap. Faye's brows were raised, but she stayed blessedly quiet. Deborah was frowning. I refused to even peek Nick's way to gauge his reaction, but I could feel his eyes still on me.

"When is her birthday?" Melanie asked, back to piecing together this puzzle.

Adam looked to me. We hadn't had the birthday conversation yet. All I knew was that he was eighteen - a few months older than me. I answered, "February."

She winced. "So I'm guessing it was around the morning sickness portion of Adam's mom's pregnancy."

Neither I nor Adam responded to that. I didn't know about him, but I had no plans to weigh the decision making on our father's part. I knew all I needed to know - he knocked up my mother and then proceeded to not spare us a single thought. He abandoned us. I understood that he had a wife at home and another baby on the way, but that did not make him any less responsible for me. He made a baby, he was supposed to help. It would have been a sticky, difficult situation, but he gave no effort. He didn't care.

If that was where this conversation was headed - to analyzing our father's reasoning - I was out. Reaching over, I poked Adam's hand lightly to get his attention. Melanie and a few of the others were talking, speculating, but I tuned them out. Adam turned his gaze to me, leaning down. "Yeah?" he whispered.

"I've got to pee," I said, which was not a lie. I hadn't taken a potty break since before we got here.

Adam's expression showed that he knew there was more to it than that, but he didn't question it. "That's fine, we can keep going. Maybe by the time you get back we'll be back to the point." And there it was. He totally saw right through me. "You can use the downstairs bathroom. It's that way," he pointed to the hall leading to the kitchen, "on the right."

Eager to get out of here until this part of the talk was over, I hopped right out of my seat and booked it to the bathroom. It was small and warm and had no windows but felt a million times more free than that living room. I did my business, then took my time washing my hands, breathing slowly to keep calm. No way would I allow myself to freak out. Not here, not now. Maybe later, in my own room once I knew no one would come try to talk to me. When I was alone.

I'd been gone a couple of minutes. That was long enough to get back on track, right? I wanted to head back out there before someone came to see if I was okay, because that would be awkward. This entire situation was awkward enough by itself. Adding more on top of that was not necessary.

After taking a few more deep breaths, I went back to the living room. There seemed to be quiet arguing going on, and I tiptoed, hoping to catch some of their words.

"-hard time." That was Adam.

"She seemed just fine to me," Faye hissed.

Diana's placating tone broke in. "Faye, show some compassion. And Adam, calm down. She's sure to be back any minute and it can't be good for her to walk into this."

At the reminder that I was coming back, I knew they'd glance over at the doorway, so I resumed walking naturally as if I had caught none of their discussion. As I sat down, I asked, "What?"

"Nothing," Adam said immediately.

"Right," Faye said slowly. "Nothing." Her nothing obviously equated to something.

Again, Diana broke in. "It is lovely to meet you, Elena."

While her attempt at steering me away from the current topic was not subtle, I let her do it anyway. "You, too."

"So wait," one of the twins, Chris, said. "How did we not know about you before?"

"Yeah," his brother agreed. "If you've been living over in Boston all this time, why haven't you come visit? Didn't you want to get to know your brother?"

I shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant while in reality the weight of their judgement was pressing. "I only found out recently that I even have a brother."

Deborah sighed. "This is stupid. Why don't you just start from the beginning?"

Blowing out a breath, I glanced over at Adam. He was watching me. Our eyes met. He silently offered to tell the story. I silently portrayed my indecision. He waited patiently. Finally, I shifted in my seat and looked away. We were already having silent conversations. Such a sibling thing to do.

"So," I started, "whatever happened with our parents years ago. Then I was born, and… well, I my mom didn't tell me about any family on my father's side until recently."

Melanie's gaze centered on me warily. "That fills in exactly zero gaps."

"Yeah, well…" I trailed off.

"Maybe we should ask whatever we want to know," Suzan suggested.

Both Melanie and Deborah appeared pleased with this, but Deborah was the first to speak up. "Okay, let's do that. Where is your mother? I'm thinking she'll have more answers for us."

I opened my mouth, then shut it right away. I blinked. I'd almost offered to call her. As if she could be reached on the phone. My chest clenched with a pain that had been becoming all too familiar, frowning down at my hands in my lap.

"Deb," someone barked. I had an idea at who it was, but it wasn't important enough to lift my eyes. Not until I regained my control. Great first impression I was making, near tears at the mere mention of Mom.

I sensed someone moving toward me, and I felt entirely too vulnerable in that moment. I couldn't sit there and not see who was heading my way, even though I had a hunch.

A hunch which was confirmed when I lifted my gaze to see Nick standing in front of me. His eyes were boring into me, into my soul. Then he turned around and faced the rest of the group, arms crossed over his chest. He said nothing aloud, but his stance spoke volumes-he was being protective. Kind of like a human shield, as if those worked for whatever words could be thrown at me.

"What?" Deb asked, sounding more annoyed by the second. "It's a logical suggestion."

Adam's tone was cold as he said, "Why do you think she's here, Deb? Her mom is...gone."

I croaked something akin to a laugh, though there was exactly zero humor in it. "She's dead, Adam. Dead. No reason to tiptoe around it."

Instead of getting angry or any other multitude of emotions that would have been logical in response to my snap, Adam just nodded. "Okay, Elena." Damn him and his brotherly understanding. That hatred I was so sure about in the car was fading. Why did he have to act so darn nice all of a sudden?

"So she died," Melanie said slowly, working through her thoughts out loud. "But why is she here? Mrs. Franklin is from Adam's mom's side, right? I mean, obviously. Since you're both Conants and she's a Franklin. Are you here to meet and spend time with your brother? How long are you here for?"

And with that, the reminder that I truly had no place here in what was going to be my new home, I shut down. Locked my emotions away to maybe deal with later if I felt like going through them and the surefire pain that'd tag along. "I don't actually have any other family," I told her, my voice monotone. "It was just me and my mom. When she got sicker, and it became clear she wasn't going to make it, she told me about Adam and our father. I guess she also talked to Grandma Franklin at some point and arranged for me to come here instead of being put into foster care or something. Since things were kind of crazy, I didn't get to meet Adam until...well, now." Pausing, I pulled in a breath. It blew my mind how everything that had happened in the past couple of months could be boiled down to those few sentences. "And I live here. As of today."

A couple of moments passed as they all took this in, and then heads turned to Adam for confirmation. Not surprising, since they had met me no more than an hour ago. For all they knew, I could be a compulsive liar with a dramatic streak mixed with a solid dose of self-pity.

Adam nodded in agreement, though, because I was really telling the truth. The extremely depressing truth.

"So, Faye," the small girl named Laurel nearly sneered. "He has to be lying to cover something up? Did you have any real proof of anything, or were you only trying to stir up trouble again?"

Diana nodded. "Honestly, Faye. This ambush was terrible. We didn't need to pull them into a meeting now. Elena's still in mourning, for goodness' sake."

Cassie shadowed Diana with a nod. "And I'm sure they're both in shock that they even have a sibling."

While I was sure the ladies were aiming to make Faye feel chagrined, she instead appeared to be lost in thought. Plotting something else that would be full of fun for everyone, surely. Because this little meeting was so lovely. A slow smile began to creep across her face. "We actually need to chat." She looked between Cassie and Diana, indicating she was talking about just them and not the entire group.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," Cassie said, eyeing Faye cautiously.

Faye's smile grew. "Oh, trust me, it's a marvelous idea."

Diana sighed. "I am not up for another arguement. Let's just go see what she wants." Moving to leave, she took a moment to walk in my direction. She eased around Nick, who was still acting as my human shield for whatever reason, and leaned down to give me a light hug. "I am so sorry about your mother, Elena. But it was great to meet you."

Since I was still stuck in my shell of no emotion, my tone was bland as I said, "You, too."

Cassie followed Diana, giving me a quick hug and kind words. Faye simply waved on her way out the door, calling, "See you soon, neighbor." Hopefully she was wrong and I would not see her soon. She was already my least favorite of Adam's friends.

"I guess the rest of us should head on out," Melanie said, rising to her feet. The rest of the group followed suit, and they left much in the ways of Diana and Cassie. I got several hugs and condolences, and they all seemed to very glad to meet me. It was kind of odd, considering the circumstances. Finally, the room was clear - mostly.

Nick still stood there, and Adam shifted his eyes between the two of us. "Should I give you two a minute?" He asked, apparently trying for humor, but it fell flat. Both Nick and I turned to look at him with unamused faces. Adam shrugged in a what? gesture.

Nick blew out a heavy breath, his nostrils flaring. He gazed down at me, his dark eyes studying me intently. I had no idea what was happening, but I'd be damned if I could look away for even a single moment. There was something about him that was undeniable. That drew me in.

Suddenly, Nick's eyes widened the barest amount. Dropping his arms to his sides, he blinked once. "Bye," he said, and then he was moving fast out the door.

I sat in my seat, stunned. What had just happened? Glancing over at Adam, I tried to gauge his expression to see if he had a clue, but he appeared as confused as I felt. Neither of us were given the chance to say anything about it, though, because Grandma Franklin tittered into the room.

"Oh, dears!" She exclaimed. "Your friends left?"

Looking around at the vacated room, I answered slowly, "Yep."

She smiled at me, not catching on to my weak dose of sarcasm, which was probably for the best. This woman did not deserve me picking on her. "Alright, then I'll get dinner going. It's just a simple chicken noodle soup, so it won't take long at all. Adam, can you set the table, please? Elena, you can sit and relax until the food is ready. Don't you worry about a thing." And with that, she was off to the kitchen, the sound of pots clanging filling the air moments later.

Adam raised his brows at me. "Well, relax."

Rolling my eyes, I did as told, flopping back in my comfy chair in exaggerated relaxation.

"Perfect," he approved before heading to do as he'd been told.

Alone in the parlor, I had nothing to do really except twiddle my thumbs and think. I glanced around at the shabby but obviously cozy furniture occupying the snug room. Minutes before a dozen others had been here. People who I'd probably end up friends with by association. At least most of them seemed friendly. The twins appeared rambunctious, and Sean a wee bit eager, but overall, I didn't doubt being friends with them could work. If Faye stopped acting irritating. And Deborah stopped treating me like an inconvenience. And then there was Nick.

Dark eyes came to the forefront of my mind, demanding my attention. What was it about him?

"Elena, darling!" Grandma called from the kitchen, breaking off my thoughts. "The food is ready. Come eat!"

Grateful for the interruption, because I had zero answers about him and trying to come up with some would surely prove frustrating, I joined Grandma and Adam. We sat around the small table, quietly eating and making casual conversation. General pleasantries for the most part, though Grandma also asked more pointed questions my way in a clear effort to get to know me. I answered them without any issues. She wasn't digging deep or anything, so I saw no reason to put up a fuss. The woman was taking in a seventeen year old girl she barely knew. It was the most I could do to answer her queries about what I liked to do and eat and whatever else she questioned me about.

She gave me her devoted attention, too, obviously committing my answers to memory. She wasn't asking just to ask - she was genuinely interested in me.

I caught Adam giving me his attention, as well, and guessed he was doing the same. That baffled me. He had no obligation to learn these things or care. Lots of siblings didn't give a crap. Why would Adam, my half-brother I'd only just met, already be showing such interest?

My conclusion that Adam was actually a good person simply dealing with a difficult realization gained strength.

After we finished eating, I offered to help with the dishes, but Grandma assured me that she and Adam had it covered. Again, she sent me away to relax. I wondered on my way up the stairs to my room how long it'd take her to stop treating me like a piece of glass. I appreciated her concern, but I'd be okay. Washing a few dishes wouldn't kill me.

Alone with nothing but my thoughts once again, I decided now was the time to sort through those emotions I boxed away earlier. I walked over to my bags and unzipped them, preparing to make myself useful while fighting tears.

My mother was dead. Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead.

This was my home now. I would never go back to the apartment my mother and I shared in Boston. No, I was here, with Adam and Grandma and all of Adam's friends until I finished school and went away to college.

Sniffling, I recalled my idea of running away. Ridiculous. That plan had changed so quick once I got here. Once I actually met Grandma and Adam stopped acting like a douche. Once I met a group of teenagers I'd maybe, possibly, probably end up hanging out with, too.

And even though I tried to deny it to myself, once I stared into Nick's eyes.

It was stupid. I'd met the guy like two hours ago. Three, tops. And now here I was, letting him and his attractiveness influence my decisions. Pathetic.

But it was more than that, on both accounts. More than Nick went into my choice to stick around here - a huge portion of that was the people living in this house with me. And there was more to the factor of Nick than just his attractiveness. I couldn't pinpoint what, though.

Unlike earlier, I welcomed this frustration. I huffed out a couple of breaths as I allowed the weak tinge of anger to trickle through my body, pushing away the lingering ache thoughts of my mother left. It'd creep back up later, for sure, but I'd take whatever I could in the meantime.

After I finished putting my stuff away, I figured I might as well go to bed. I'd been denying it whenever Grandma (or Adam) suggested the travel was wearing on me, but in reality, they were right. I needed to be unconscious so badly. I didn't peek at the clock, but it was dark outside, so I figured going to bed for the night as opposed to a nap was acceptable. I went into the bathroom and got ready, brushing my teeth and then taking a quick shower because I'd caught a whiff of my armpits and decided that task could not wait until morning.

I didn't pass Adam or Grandma in the hallway, and I didn't hear either of them shuffling around, so I thought I should leave them be. I didn't know whether they were the "goodnight" type of people. If they were, I'd learn some other time. Tonight, I needed my head to hit a pillow - a fact proven true when I fell asleep the moment I rested my head.

I was awoken by footsteps sometime later. A slight murmuring accompanied the sound. My eyes snapped open, because there was obviously someone in my room. But before I could catch a glimpse of the intruder, a sheet fell over my face and I was being wrapped in it. The motions happened so fast, I didn't have time to give much of a fight. Before I knew it, I was wrapped tight and being lifted. All I could do was focus on breathing as the unknown people - since there was definitely more than one pair of hands involved in encasing me in that sheet, though it seemed only one person carried me now - carted me off wherever they wanted to take me.

In hindsight, I probably should have shouted. Called for help. For Grandma or Adam. But I was still groggy, and being woken up like I had, it was an effort to keep my breaths anywhere near resembling steady.

So I let the people take me away while I did my best to take in air.

Finally, after what felt like forever but was probably no more than ten minutes, the swaying stopped. The person set me on my feet. I was turned and positioned specifically, a pair of slender hands on my shoulders to guide me. Whoever it was pushed me forward a few steps, firmly grasping me when I needed to stop. I had no idea what was going on, but I hoped whoever was leading me wasn't taking me to the edge of a cliff or something.

Faint shuffling could be heard behind me, and then the sheet was removed and my face and body were free. I could see.

And what I saw was startling.

Faye, directly in front of me.

Holding a knife.

Thank you so much for reading! (If there is anyone reading this, that is. I'm not sure. I think I'm probably the only one right now, which is okay. I love this story.) I hope you enjoyed! :)