p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanA hopeless feeling buried itself deep in me, swirling around with the bitter sting from the replaying image of Lila completely turning her back on me. Tonight had been, quite possibly, the most disappointing night of my life, which said ema lot/em./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;""You know, I'm starting to get the feeling Dad's avoiding us," Five quipped, tapping his foot. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;""Gee, I wonder why," I deadpanned, leaning down slightly to meet eyes with my brother. He shook his head, clearly not wanting to focus on the fact there was a chance Dad had no earthly idea who we were./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hate to be the boring one, guys," Lila piped up, "but, uh, it's time we get the hell out of here." Without waiting, Lila simply turned around and started to run back the way we'd snuck in./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAll of a sudden, she just wanted to run away./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"When you say 'we,' who exactly are you referring to?" Five seethed, venom dripping from his words. I released my hands from him and moved to cross my arms against my stomach, unsure of what exactly to feel right now. Before I could really sort things out, an intense chill washed over me, causing me to shudder violently. My spasm caught Diego's attention, who promptly removed his suit jacket and set it around my shoulders./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Here, sis," he whispered as he secured it, making sure it wouldn't slip off my frame. I nodded at him in thanks, focused primarily on Lila. She had suddenly gone silent, completely devoid of a snappy comeback or well-timed insult, her jaw hanging open slightly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Not a lot of ambiguity in that sentence." Her words had been sucked dry of any confidence. Was Five onto something here…?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Listen, I don't know who you are, or where you came from, but whatever it is, I'd advise you to return posthaste." Diego stepped forward carefully, his eyes on the guards outside the entrance to the consulate. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"She's right, Five. We gotta get out of here."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I just saved your life, you kinder-shit." Lila's sudden harshness caught me off-guard. Where the hell had this side of her come from… and how long would she have kept pushing it down if Five hadn't hit the right buttons? "If I hadn't stepped in, all that would be left of you is a blazer and some bloody socks."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"And that's the problem," Five observed. "You're too good. You ask too many questions. You know too much. And you fight like you know what you're doing."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSlowly, the reality Five was presenting started to dawn on me. She'd taken down a man twice her size without any sort of issue just a few moments ago, something an average person certainly wasn't capable of. Not to mention, she'd taken such a sudden and vested interest in my brother, a person who'd done quite a bit of wrong across several points in time. Her interest couldn't be a mere coincidence…/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanYet, when I met with her lost, afraid brown eyes, I felt my insides melt again. I hadn't just stopped liking her—I wasn't sure that would ever happen. I didn't want this to be the end of us, but the realizations that had dawned on me tonight certainly threw a rock into our relationship. I'd already dealt with a liar of a father my entire life; I didn't want that from my girlfriend. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"He's got a point," Diego muttered, now looking to Lila with caution./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"So I know how to handle myself, and that makes me the bad guy?" I didn't like the way she phrased that. Not that she was going to make Five backtrack, but that was clearly her intention./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Whoever you are, you're in my way." Five's eyes flashed back to me momentarily, shivering as I pulled Diego's jacket closer against me. Stupid November… "I hope you understand my sister's protectiveness goes both ways. If I see you again, I emwill /emkill you."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanLeaving his threat hanging in the air, Five brushed past Lila's shoulder and headed toward the bridge, Diego following not far behind. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe two of us were left staring, neither daring to be the first to speak. My brain fought a war against itself, torn between the genuinely good points my brother had brought up, and the love I felt for her. It had come on so fast, but that didn't make it any less real. I felt so alive and happy around her, like she was meant to be in my life…/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span…but the scene from earlier came swimming back to the surface, reminding me she'd completely abandoned me when I needed her./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Mina, we need to go." Her voice broke slightly, and I had to fight down the overwhelming urge in me to hold her and try to assure her things were going to work out./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I was getting my ass handed to me back there. You helped Five, not me." She shrank back slightly as I approached. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful he's safe, but… why did you look right at me, and then just up and run away?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Because he's a kid and you're a grown woman." The answer came too fast. Something inside of me felt like it had shattered, and I started to tear up, the bitter heat of the water fueling the hurt. "Bloody act like one." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI tried my best to muster up a response, but nothing wanted to come out. Overwhelmed with anger, I just moved past her, unwilling to stand here for another moment./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Mina, I—I—we shouldn't—" I whipped around, the sleeves of the jacket rustling against my side./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You know what? I'm used to dealing with liars, Lila." The tears completely caught up with me as I shook my head, openly flowing down my cheeks. "But I like it better when I know what they're lying about."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanGoing completely against my nature, I simply walked away, not wanting to hear her attempt to dig herself out of the hole. I hoped this would pass, and she could be honest with me because… I really did love her, but I just couldn't deal with any of this right now./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Oh, come on, Mina. Really? You're just gonna walk away? Mina."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI refused to stop as I met up with Five and Diego, throwing myself into the back seat of the car we'd parked in the bushes. I had intended to sit there by myself, trying to hide my crying from my brothers the best I could, but the door on the driver's side opened, and in slid Five, staring at me with what appeared to be an apologetic look on his face. This wasn't his fault, and I hoped he didn't think that; he was just doing what he did best./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanNot long after Diego started the car and pulled away, I felt a weight on my arm, drawing my attention downward. To the best of his ability, Five had leaned over, clearly intending to go for the shoulder. But, he couldn't quite make it, so instead, his head was pushing against my arm. For a moment, I felt warmth again. When I looked at him here, his eyes fighting to remain open, he just looked like an innocent kid, his guard completely lowered; he was just a little brother trying to make his big sister feel better. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAs a smile helplessly inched across my lips, I scooted down in my seat, allowing Five's head to rest more comfortably. Once he'd adjusted appropriately, I rested my own head against the top of his for a second, silently assuring him I was going to be okay. At one point, I noticed Diego glance back at the two of us in the rearview mirror, smirking. He'd emdefinitely /emuse this against Five at some point, which would be a terrible mistake on his part. But who was I to stop an ass-whooping, especially when it was against Diego?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanLooming outlines of trees against the starry sky and occasional streetlights slowly faded into sidewalks and buildings, bringing us back onto the bustling street the three of us had become so accustomed to. Even now, close to midnight, men roamed the streets—a few with women on their arms, but most strode with clusters of their coworkers or companions, all dressed nearly the same. Every now and then, a head would tilt back with laughter, or a large cloud of cigarette smoke would escape from within, but even with our broken window, their conversations remained a complete mystery./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIt had always been odd to me, watching people just go on with their lives, completely clueless as to what was incoming—the second time around didn't make it any easier. Part of me wished I hadn't been burdened with the knowledge, and I could just go about my life as freely as the passersby on the streets. Maybe by now, I could have found a new job, so long as the word hadn't been completely spread through such small neighborhoods (a thing that unfortunately seemed too likely); perhaps I could have moved, gone to some other state, and completely started over. Four days was a pretty significant amount of time; a lot could get done by then./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"Then again, the end of the world always brought my family back together, something I always looked forward to. I'd spent too long fretting over whether any of them were alive or not, and this lifted that tiny bit of the burden off my shoulders. At this rate, it was clear to me I couldn't have both a normal life and be with my family, which wasn't exactly ideal. But when had any of our lives been anything short of disappointing?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanNot to mention, had Five never found me, there was a chance I never would have met Lila. There was always the possibility we would have passed each other briefly on the street, maybe accidentally bumped shoulders before muttering brief apologies and rushing away out of embarrassment, but I wouldn't have gotten the chance to know her. She was still beautiful, and compassionate, and lively and fun, and deep down, I could tell she gave a shit…/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span… but I couldn't keep going if she was going to hide something important from me. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hey, Mina." I snapped my head up from its position against my hand, looking to Diego with wide eyes. "We're back."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI started to move my arms up to stretch out my back, which had been hunched over far longer than I would have liked, when Five's head suddenly thudded down onto my lap, dead asleep. I couldn't help but laugh, though I tried to keep it quiet./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"He always says he doesn't have time to rest, and yet…" I gestured my hand down toward my brother. "…he's always the first of us to fall asleep."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanTrying my best to keep my movements small, I got Five up into my arms—yet again—and managed to get him all the way upstairs and laid down on the one bed in the place. This time, thankfully, he didn't wake up, clearly completely exhausted. Letting out a sigh of relief, I turned and headed out into the kitchen, expecting to fall asleep on the couch. But, when I got into the living room, a familiar, large figure was already sitting there, staring at Diego as though he were a foreign object./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanDespite the years of resentment I'd harbored toward him, I rushed over and pulled him into a tight hug, losing my shoes at some point in the process. I'd caught him off-guard, but after a couple seconds, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Luther," I sighed, pushing away and taking a seat beside him on the couch. "How'd you find us?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"A lot of asking around." To my surprise, some of his words came out slurred, and once I got a closer look, I noticed his pupils were pretty dilated./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Uh… are you okay?" My eyes drifted past him a moment, spotting Elliott completely passed out on a dentist's chair. "What did you two do while we were gone?" Luther glanced back at the sleeping conspirator./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Oh, uh, nothing. Just… talked for a long time." I raised an eyebrow, still not completely believing him, but I chose to let it go. More than anything else, I just didn't have the energy to press him further. Tonight's events still weighed heavy on my mind./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBesides, there were more pressing issues at hand. Luther's appearance here meant we were that much closer to being able to get everyone else together. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hey, out of curiosity, have you seen any of the others? Aside from Vanya, of course." It took him a moment to answer, his eyes rolling back into his head slightly as he attempted to fish the memory out of the back of his mind./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Allison found me recently," he answered, his voice cracking slightly. "I actually found her first… got someone to look for her address."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWell, that provided at least a little bit of an answer as to what was going on with him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"And she knows where Klaus is, based on the way she was talking."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanemKlaus…/em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"Jesus Christ, I hadn't heard that name in what seemed like ages. Sure, I'd said it myself, but it was like I didn't register who it was until now. I hadn't realized emjust /emhow much I had missed my more eccentric brother up to this point, causing the already dull ache to grow into a full-on stabbing sensation. Although I wanted to be happy, knowing everyone was accounted for and attainable, I couldn't muster up the smile I'm sure Luther expected from me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Mina, are you okay?" He leaned over slightly, getting me to look at him. I shook my head, both as an answer, and out of slight shock. Luther had really changed…/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"It's been a long night," I sighed, my eyes drifting to Diego. He stared right back, catching on quickly, much to my relief./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"We got attacked while we were out," Diego explained. "These three bulky assholes. We got them down for a while, but I doubt that's the last we'll see of them." Luther nodded slowly, needing a little extra time to process./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAs he did, I bounced my eyes back and forth between my two brothers. A strange thought occurred to me right then, causing me to let out a singular chuckle. Both of them turned their attention to me, distracted from their small talk./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What's up with you now?" Diego questioned, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Do you remember those parties Dad used to throw when we were kids?" Luther and Diego both nodded. "And how we'd be able to talk to people for a little bit—if we were lucky—but after a while, Mom would send us to bed? And a group of people would always stick around after the other guests left, and they'd sit around and talk to Dad about… who knows what, after the kids had gone to bed?" I still had their attentions. "We're those people now."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSlowly, the realization dawned on them, varying degrees of amusement and confusion crossing their faces. In our youth, we'd so desperately hoped to maybe, one night, be allowed to stay up a little later and be let in on the forbidden world we'd been denied for so long—and now that we were in it… it was emwildly /emboring./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWe'd turned into a bunch of stuffy adults./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanRight as I opened my mouth to point that out, a large yawn escaped, and I felt the little bit of life that realization had brought me drain away, leaving me feeling limp. My brothers took notice, and almost immediately, Diego got up to turn out all the lights—save for a singular lamp—while Luther started to track down blankets and pillows for everyone. Before I even got the chance to stand up and try to help, they'd completely taken care of everything, leaving me to just curl up under a knitted blanket—still in my dress, but at that point, I really didn't give a shit—and close my eyes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;""You know, I'm starting to get the feeling Dad's avoiding us," Five quipped, tapping his foot. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;""Gee, I wonder why," I deadpanned, leaning down slightly to meet eyes with my brother. He shook his head, clearly not wanting to focus on the fact there was a chance Dad had no earthly idea who we were./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hate to be the boring one, guys," Lila piped up, "but, uh, it's time we get the hell out of here." Without waiting, Lila simply turned around and started to run back the way we'd snuck in./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAll of a sudden, she just wanted to run away./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"When you say 'we,' who exactly are you referring to?" Five seethed, venom dripping from his words. I released my hands from him and moved to cross my arms against my stomach, unsure of what exactly to feel right now. Before I could really sort things out, an intense chill washed over me, causing me to shudder violently. My spasm caught Diego's attention, who promptly removed his suit jacket and set it around my shoulders./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Here, sis," he whispered as he secured it, making sure it wouldn't slip off my frame. I nodded at him in thanks, focused primarily on Lila. She had suddenly gone silent, completely devoid of a snappy comeback or well-timed insult, her jaw hanging open slightly./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Not a lot of ambiguity in that sentence." Her words had been sucked dry of any confidence. Was Five onto something here…?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Listen, I don't know who you are, or where you came from, but whatever it is, I'd advise you to return posthaste." Diego stepped forward carefully, his eyes on the guards outside the entrance to the consulate. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"She's right, Five. We gotta get out of here."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I just saved your life, you kinder-shit." Lila's sudden harshness caught me off-guard. Where the hell had this side of her come from… and how long would she have kept pushing it down if Five hadn't hit the right buttons? "If I hadn't stepped in, all that would be left of you is a blazer and some bloody socks."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"And that's the problem," Five observed. "You're too good. You ask too many questions. You know too much. And you fight like you know what you're doing."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSlowly, the reality Five was presenting started to dawn on me. She'd taken down a man twice her size without any sort of issue just a few moments ago, something an average person certainly wasn't capable of. Not to mention, she'd taken such a sudden and vested interest in my brother, a person who'd done quite a bit of wrong across several points in time. Her interest couldn't be a mere coincidence…/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanYet, when I met with her lost, afraid brown eyes, I felt my insides melt again. I hadn't just stopped liking her—I wasn't sure that would ever happen. I didn't want this to be the end of us, but the realizations that had dawned on me tonight certainly threw a rock into our relationship. I'd already dealt with a liar of a father my entire life; I didn't want that from my girlfriend. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"He's got a point," Diego muttered, now looking to Lila with caution./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"So I know how to handle myself, and that makes me the bad guy?" I didn't like the way she phrased that. Not that she was going to make Five backtrack, but that was clearly her intention./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Whoever you are, you're in my way." Five's eyes flashed back to me momentarily, shivering as I pulled Diego's jacket closer against me. Stupid November… "I hope you understand my sister's protectiveness goes both ways. If I see you again, I emwill /emkill you."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanLeaving his threat hanging in the air, Five brushed past Lila's shoulder and headed toward the bridge, Diego following not far behind. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanThe two of us were left staring, neither daring to be the first to speak. My brain fought a war against itself, torn between the genuinely good points my brother had brought up, and the love I felt for her. It had come on so fast, but that didn't make it any less real. I felt so alive and happy around her, like she was meant to be in my life…/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span…but the scene from earlier came swimming back to the surface, reminding me she'd completely abandoned me when I needed her./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Mina, we need to go." Her voice broke slightly, and I had to fight down the overwhelming urge in me to hold her and try to assure her things were going to work out./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"I was getting my ass handed to me back there. You helped Five, not me." She shrank back slightly as I approached. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful he's safe, but… why did you look right at me, and then just up and run away?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Because he's a kid and you're a grown woman." The answer came too fast. Something inside of me felt like it had shattered, and I started to tear up, the bitter heat of the water fueling the hurt. "Bloody act like one." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI tried my best to muster up a response, but nothing wanted to come out. Overwhelmed with anger, I just moved past her, unwilling to stand here for another moment./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Mina, I—I—we shouldn't—" I whipped around, the sleeves of the jacket rustling against my side./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"You know what? I'm used to dealing with liars, Lila." The tears completely caught up with me as I shook my head, openly flowing down my cheeks. "But I like it better when I know what they're lying about."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanGoing completely against my nature, I simply walked away, not wanting to hear her attempt to dig herself out of the hole. I hoped this would pass, and she could be honest with me because… I really did love her, but I just couldn't deal with any of this right now./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Oh, come on, Mina. Really? You're just gonna walk away? Mina."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI refused to stop as I met up with Five and Diego, throwing myself into the back seat of the car we'd parked in the bushes. I had intended to sit there by myself, trying to hide my crying from my brothers the best I could, but the door on the driver's side opened, and in slid Five, staring at me with what appeared to be an apologetic look on his face. This wasn't his fault, and I hoped he didn't think that; he was just doing what he did best./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanNot long after Diego started the car and pulled away, I felt a weight on my arm, drawing my attention downward. To the best of his ability, Five had leaned over, clearly intending to go for the shoulder. But, he couldn't quite make it, so instead, his head was pushing against my arm. For a moment, I felt warmth again. When I looked at him here, his eyes fighting to remain open, he just looked like an innocent kid, his guard completely lowered; he was just a little brother trying to make his big sister feel better. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAs a smile helplessly inched across my lips, I scooted down in my seat, allowing Five's head to rest more comfortably. Once he'd adjusted appropriately, I rested my own head against the top of his for a second, silently assuring him I was going to be okay. At one point, I noticed Diego glance back at the two of us in the rearview mirror, smirking. He'd emdefinitely /emuse this against Five at some point, which would be a terrible mistake on his part. But who was I to stop an ass-whooping, especially when it was against Diego?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanLooming outlines of trees against the starry sky and occasional streetlights slowly faded into sidewalks and buildings, bringing us back onto the bustling street the three of us had become so accustomed to. Even now, close to midnight, men roamed the streets—a few with women on their arms, but most strode with clusters of their coworkers or companions, all dressed nearly the same. Every now and then, a head would tilt back with laughter, or a large cloud of cigarette smoke would escape from within, but even with our broken window, their conversations remained a complete mystery./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanIt had always been odd to me, watching people just go on with their lives, completely clueless as to what was incoming—the second time around didn't make it any easier. Part of me wished I hadn't been burdened with the knowledge, and I could just go about my life as freely as the passersby on the streets. Maybe by now, I could have found a new job, so long as the word hadn't been completely spread through such small neighborhoods (a thing that unfortunately seemed too likely); perhaps I could have moved, gone to some other state, and completely started over. Four days was a pretty significant amount of time; a lot could get done by then./span/p
p class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"Then again, the end of the world always brought my family back together, something I always looked forward to. I'd spent too long fretting over whether any of them were alive or not, and this lifted that tiny bit of the burden off my shoulders. At this rate, it was clear to me I couldn't have both a normal life and be with my family, which wasn't exactly ideal. But when had any of our lives been anything short of disappointing?/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanNot to mention, had Five never found me, there was a chance I never would have met Lila. There was always the possibility we would have passed each other briefly on the street, maybe accidentally bumped shoulders before muttering brief apologies and rushing away out of embarrassment, but I wouldn't have gotten the chance to know her. She was still beautiful, and compassionate, and lively and fun, and deep down, I could tell she gave a shit…/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span… but I couldn't keep going if she was going to hide something important from me. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hey, Mina." I snapped my head up from its position against my hand, looking to Diego with wide eyes. "We're back."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanI started to move my arms up to stretch out my back, which had been hunched over far longer than I would have liked, when Five's head suddenly thudded down onto my lap, dead asleep. I couldn't help but laugh, though I tried to keep it quiet./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"He always says he doesn't have time to rest, and yet…" I gestured my hand down toward my brother. "…he's always the first of us to fall asleep."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanTrying my best to keep my movements small, I got Five up into my arms—yet again—and managed to get him all the way upstairs and laid down on the one bed in the place. This time, thankfully, he didn't wake up, clearly completely exhausted. Letting out a sigh of relief, I turned and headed out into the kitchen, expecting to fall asleep on the couch. But, when I got into the living room, a familiar, large figure was already sitting there, staring at Diego as though he were a foreign object./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanDespite the years of resentment I'd harbored toward him, I rushed over and pulled him into a tight hug, losing my shoes at some point in the process. I'd caught him off-guard, but after a couple seconds, he wrapped his arms around me, pulling me closer to him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Luther," I sighed, pushing away and taking a seat beside him on the couch. "How'd you find us?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"A lot of asking around." To my surprise, some of his words came out slurred, and once I got a closer look, I noticed his pupils were pretty dilated./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Uh… are you okay?" My eyes drifted past him a moment, spotting Elliott completely passed out on a dentist's chair. "What did you two do while we were gone?" Luther glanced back at the sleeping conspirator./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Oh, uh, nothing. Just… talked for a long time." I raised an eyebrow, still not completely believing him, but I chose to let it go. More than anything else, I just didn't have the energy to press him further. Tonight's events still weighed heavy on my mind./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanBesides, there were more pressing issues at hand. Luther's appearance here meant we were that much closer to being able to get everyone else together. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Hey, out of curiosity, have you seen any of the others? Aside from Vanya, of course." It took him a moment to answer, his eyes rolling back into his head slightly as he attempted to fish the memory out of the back of his mind./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Allison found me recently," he answered, his voice cracking slightly. "I actually found her first… got someone to look for her address."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWell, that provided at least a little bit of an answer as to what was going on with him./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"And she knows where Klaus is, based on the way she was talking."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanemKlaus…/em/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span/span/emspan style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"Jesus Christ, I hadn't heard that name in what seemed like ages. Sure, I'd said it myself, but it was like I didn't register who it was until now. I hadn't realized emjust /emhow much I had missed my more eccentric brother up to this point, causing the already dull ache to grow into a full-on stabbing sensation. Although I wanted to be happy, knowing everyone was accounted for and attainable, I couldn't muster up the smile I'm sure Luther expected from me./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Mina, are you okay?" He leaned over slightly, getting me to look at him. I shook my head, both as an answer, and out of slight shock. Luther had really changed…/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"It's been a long night," I sighed, my eyes drifting to Diego. He stared right back, catching on quickly, much to my relief./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"We got attacked while we were out," Diego explained. "These three bulky assholes. We got them down for a while, but I doubt that's the last we'll see of them." Luther nodded slowly, needing a little extra time to process./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanAs he did, I bounced my eyes back and forth between my two brothers. A strange thought occurred to me right then, causing me to let out a singular chuckle. Both of them turned their attention to me, distracted from their small talk./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"What's up with you now?" Diego questioned, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /span"Do you remember those parties Dad used to throw when we were kids?" Luther and Diego both nodded. "And how we'd be able to talk to people for a little bit—if we were lucky—but after a while, Mom would send us to bed? And a group of people would always stick around after the other guests left, and they'd sit around and talk to Dad about… who knows what, after the kids had gone to bed?" I still had their attentions. "We're those people now."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanSlowly, the realization dawned on them, varying degrees of amusement and confusion crossing their faces. In our youth, we'd so desperately hoped to maybe, one night, be allowed to stay up a little later and be let in on the forbidden world we'd been denied for so long—and now that we were in it… it was emwildly /emboring./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanWe'd turned into a bunch of stuffy adults./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; mso-bidi-font-weight: bold; mso-bidi-font-style: italic;"span style="mso-tab-count: 1;" /spanRight as I opened my mouth to point that out, a large yawn escaped, and I felt the little bit of life that realization had brought me drain away, leaving me feeling limp. My brothers took notice, and almost immediately, Diego got up to turn out all the lights—save for a singular lamp—while Luther started to track down blankets and pillows for everyone. Before I even got the chance to stand up and try to help, they'd completely taken care of everything, leaving me to just curl up under a knitted blanket—still in my dress, but at that point, I really didn't give a shit—and close my eyes./span/p