Chapter 2: Harsh Words Spoken

"What are you gonna call her mum?" I looked forlornly at the empty tray of cookies.

My mother smiled at me, and handed me the cookie in her hand, "Who?"

I smiled at my mom as I took the cookie and started to nibble on the corner, "The little girl inside your tummy."

"Oh," there was a silence.

"You haven't got a name yet mum?"

Mother shrugged, "I was hoping you could name her Derek."

I sat there thinking very hard. I tugged on an imaginary beard. Mum giggled.

"This is serious stuff mum. The name I give her has gotta make her special like me, I'm Derek. I want her to be happy about the name her big brother pickeded for her."

I sighed biting into my cookie, "She's gotta be smart and funny and cool like me."

Mom giggled again I smirked in realization of the perfect name, completely ignoring mothers giggle, "Martine so I can call her Smarti," I said triumphantly, stuffing the remainder of the cookie in my mouth, "Just like you call me Smerek."

My mom smiled, "I like that name." She ruffled a hand through my hair, "My little Smerek."

"Dad," I let out. I quickly recovered, and wiped the shock from my face. "You're home."

I shrugged and walked past him. Casey was sitting in the kitchen with Nora deep in conversation; apparently George had already talked to her. She glanced in my direction but quickly turned back to Nora.

"Derek…" I hadn't heard him the first time and apparently my father was growing impatient. I smirked and turned my attention to his angry eyes. "Where were you Derek?"

I sat on my recliner, "I was… out." I stated it bluntly.

"Why?" He crossed his arms and looked at me quizzically.

"I needed some air."

My father uncrossed his arms, "Derek, you left Casey and Marti alone."

I shrugged, "They can take care of themselves." He gave me a look of astonishment like he couldn't imagine I had said that.

"Derek you were in charge of them. What if something… … someone could have… what if something had happened. They are your sisters."

"Hey!" I shot out, "Casey isn't my sister!" I stepped forward at my father; he stepped back, "And why do you care to protect them so much?"

My father stepped forward again, "Derek, I care about them and I left you in charge! And you went around being your normal irresponsible, self centered self and thought of no one but Derek."

I smirked, "What do you care? They aren't your daughters anyways."

His eyes grew furious. "How dare you say that? You have no right! You…You never do anything right. Derek you… Sometimes I wonder if it would have been better if you were never born at all."

"George!!!" I heard Casey and Nora yell out at the same time. Casey got up and ran out of the kitchen followed by her mother.

"Mum? I'm home."

Edwin walked up to me in his diapers. I patted his head and smiled, "Hey Ed, where's mum?"

I dropped my backpack by the coat rack and skipped into the kitchen. "Mom? Where are you?"

Odd.

She wasn't in the kitchen. I walked back into the living room. It looked so big, but I kept calm, "You're a big kid Derek." I stood at the landing at the bottom of the stairs looking up into the empty hallway.

"Mum!" I started to feel a bit afraid. Then I heard it. I was my mum and she was crying. I walked up the stairs holding onto the railing. I peeked into mum and dads room.

"Mum, why are you crying." I saw her sitting on the bed, her head in her hands. Dad was sitting by her rubbing her shoulder mumbling sorry. "Mum? What are you doing crying? Dad what's wrong with momma?" I looked up at my parents.

"Why are you saying sorry dad?" My father looked down at me as though he had only just realized I was there. His eyes were red and could barely conceal the anger he was feeling. I was afraid.

I swallowed, "Dad? Mum?" I was met with a blank expression. "Was it because of Eric?"

Dad raised his voice turning to my mother, "He knew?" He turned to me now, "You knew, and you didn't tell me?" I was afraid. I didn't know. I didn't know about Eric. I didn't know about my mum's secret.

"I don't know!"

"You little liar. I bring you up. I love you. I buy you toys. I take you to hockey. I'm your father and you lied to me. I hate you Derek! Leave! Leave NOW!"

"George!"

"George?!"

Casey walked over to my father. I turned trying to distract myself from the present situation. Casey was dumbfounded and I smiled at how funny she looked with the confusion and fear in her eyes, and something I didn't like. Pity.

"You better shut that mouth Klutzilla, your breath is poisoning the atmosphere. And I need air, don't go stinking it up."

I snickered and turned my attention to Nora and my father, "Good night you two. It's getting late."

I looked into my fathers eyes. They were full of guilt. I put my hand on his shoulder and gave him a quick smile and a nod.

Turning and standing on the landing I took the steps two at a time and closed the door quietly behind me as I entered my room.

He didn't mean it. I know he didn't mean to say it again. Though, I had deserved it. I had said things that I didn't need to say, things we had silently agreed never to mention after it happened.

I pulled my shirt over my head and pulled my jeans off. The leg bottoms were damp. I pulled on a muscle shirt and some basketball shorts. There was a knock at my door as I threw myself onto my unmade bed.

"Come in dad," I sat up and watched my father as he entered my room. He looked around studying the babe rider poster on my wall. His eyes traveling over the dirty close, all over my floor, and then landing on me.

"Derek, I…"

I stood up. It was hard for him to say it. I knew it was and I understood.

"Dad, it's okay. Mom was unfaithful," I shrugged, "but you still love Marti all the same. I look up to you for that dad. Mom," I shook my head, "she had us all fooled. I love Marti and Edwin just like you do." I coughed and smirked, "I'm sore…sore…sorry."

He smiled at me and pulled me into a hug. I resisted at first, but he wouldn't let go. I patted his back. "Yeah okay pops."

Dad finally let go and walked towards the door. He smiled at me and I met it by raising an eyebrow, "Dad, you're starting to freak me out. There is too much emotion in this room."

Dad rolled his eyes and closed the door, "Goodnight, Smerek."

"You better shut that mouth Klutzilla your breath is poisoning the atmosphere. And I need air, don't go stinking it up." His voice was passive and the insult was childish, but after having been practically disowned by your father, how could he still pull off being a smart ass?

I looked over to my mother. Nora was near tears. I put a hand on my mother's shoulder. She looked at George with shock and disgust.

I had seen my mother disappointed before, afraid, sad, angry, but this? It was a new emotion I had never seen. It was a mix of horror, denial, sadness, anger, and fear. I knew my mother very well, she had gone through a lot as a child and her father used to hit her all the time. He would say hurtful words that cut scars, deeper than any knife could, straight into her heart. She was horrified that George would be the kind of person to be able to do that, not to mention in front of me. I was shocked.

He had no right to leave me and Marti here alone. George was right about that. It's not that I can't protect myself; I mean females are as agile as men and we can be just as strong. Still, the way George handled it. I was afraid. He had a look of guilt in his eyes so I knew he regretted it. Derek leaving us here alone was irresponsible, mom and I had been talking about it before Derek arrived.

"Casey? Derek?" I heard mom whisper as she walked into the living room.

She closed the door and I peeked into the living room from the kitchen and waved, "Hi mum." Nora walked over to me and set her things on the table and glanced at the digital reading on the stove, "Is George home yet?"

I didn't want to make her worry but I would never want to lie to my mother. "No."

She sighed and asked for him.

"Derek? Oh umm…" I didn't want to rat him out especially since it was kind of my fault he left. But he still had no right to leave Marti and me alone. "Derek left mum. He left about 2 hours ago."

George walked into the kitchen and questioned, "Who left?" Edwin's foot steps headed up the stairs quickly and his door could be heard closing. 'Derek, you're in for it now.'

And now I realized I was right.

"George!" Mom broke Derek from a sort of trance, "Good night you two. It's getting late."

He put a hand on my stepfather's shoulder, smiled, and gave him a nod. He turned and jogged up the stairs. I heard his door close quietly with no force at all.

"George?"

George turned to his wife and sighed, "I didn't mean to say it." He shook his head, "I didn't. It hasn't been this way since Abby left. I've never yelled at him since Nora, you have to believe me."

His eyes pleaded with her. I believed him. My mom shrugged and walked to the kitchen then to the basement the door shut.

I looked at George. His eyes were looking up the stairs, "Go talk to him George. Don't worry about my mom right now I think Derek is the most important thing right now."

I couldn't believe my words.

George looked at me, "Casey," his eyes were sincere, "I know," He placed his face in his hands. "No one deserves to be hurt in any way, even if they did something to 'deserve it'," dropped his hands and his eyes traveled up the stairs again, "I've only spoken like that to him once before Casey, and he didn't deserve it then either."

With that George walked up the stairs and headed for his sons room. I felt sorry for the Venturi's. "Derek was in wrong but he didn't deserve that."

I walked up the stairs and as I closed my door I heard Derek's open, "Goodnight Smerek." I locked the door and jumped into bed already in my pajamas and fell asleep. "He really does love you Derek."

Marti sat in her room. Tears of pain and undeserved guilt streamed down her face and into her pillow all that night. She had been standing on the landing hearing every word spoken by her beloved brother. He, Derek, her beloved Smerek, had said he was not her father's. She was not a Venturi and for this she cried. While everyone else slept not knowing how the little girl had been hurt and she had in deed been hurt.

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