Thievery is very common in this household. Not real thievery, where you go off abducting children or swindling money and food. This is the kind where toys disappear, food vanishes from your plate if you turn your head, blankets and pillows go missing from your bed during the night, or your mother's kitchen knives disperse into thin air. It's almost comical, really.
I remember watching my mother cook when I was five years old. Vegetables would plop into a pot of boiling water. Foam bubbled at the surface. Vapor surmounted the air, wreathing around me and tickling my nose with its foul scent. However, Mother was unaffected by it. She could put up with hours of the fetid smell. Ten minutes was hard enough for me, but somehow, Mother stayed in the kitchen for such long periods of time without even taking a break that I would begin to wonder if she was alright. And so I'd pay her a visit. Sometimes I would sneak over to her and pop up beside the oven. My little tricks never failed to frighten her.
Two loaves of bread are placed neatly on little Ardisia's plate, though mine has vanished. Beside her, Hawken nibbles guiltily on a slice of cheese; he knows fully well that Amber doesn't like him eating cheese (though none of us know why).
While Spade and Amber argue about who gets the last loaf of bread, I snatch some blueberries off Spade's plate and shove them in my mouth. He's still yelling and waving his arms around, so I grab a few more. Again, he's completely unaware as his spoon is taken from his bowl of soup and placed in front of Hawken, who doesn't even notice. I'm only doing this to see his result, and most likely laugh at it.
Just as I had hoped for, when Spade returns to his dinner to find half the blueberries gone, one strawberry bitten into, and his spoon missing, he starts shouting at the rest of us. His face has turned blood red in anger, his teeth clenched. And then, as he stands abruptly from his chair and it knocks against mine, he notices the extra spoon in Hawken's bowl and loses it. See, he has a short temper, and anything can set him off when he's in one of his moods like this.
Unfortunately, I didn't know that he would completely blow up. Grabbing his arm, I yank him towards me. "Stop it, Spade. Don't be stupid. I took your berries, not Hawken."
"Whatever," he mumbles, plopping back down and scooting his chair towards the table. "It's on his plate, so I figured it was him."
Breaking off our argument, Blaire, who has been silent the whole time, suddenly blurts out, "I'm getting married."
This takes everyone aback. Spade's spoon stops halfway to his mouth. My fork slips from my grasp, clattering onto my plate. Amber chokes a little on her water, her golden-brown eyes wide with shock. We all know that Blaire has been with her boyfriend, Savam, for almost three years now, but none of us were expecting her to get married. She's only seventeen!
Ardisia gasps dramatically, and somewhat disapprovingly. "Married?"
Blaire's frigid blue eyes flash. She doesn't look nervous, only slightly annoyed by our reactions. Apparently, it didn't go as expected. Savam's great and all, but I'm not sure she's ready for this. "What? Is there a problem with that?" she snaps.
"No," Spade says slowly. "We weren't expecting it, that's all. I mean, none of us has seen him lately, and you're only seventeen…"
"My age doesn't make a difference!" Blaire retorts, repeating Spade's chair action. "Why can't you just be happy for me?" And with that, she stalks off, her ash blonde tresses swaying back around forth around her shoulders. Anger is also a common thing around our house, especially with Blaire and Spade. They both have a bitter frame of mind in situations like this. Usually, though, Blaire has a placid aura, lightening everyone around her with a sweet, lulling voice. Her appearance and attitude resemble an angel.
For a whole minute, silence fills the room. I can almost hear the silence ringing in my ears, but I block out everything around me, my mind spinning. I'm trying to make sense of Blaire's outburst when Amber interrupts my thoughts, saying, "I'm going to bed. You two better go, also." She points to Hawken and Ardisia, yawning. "Say your good nights to Froxy and Spade."
"Good night Froxy and Spade," the twins chorus with high-pitched voices. They toddle over to us and squeeze our legs with chubby arms. Since they can't yet reach our arms, they've taken a liking to our other limbs.
Ardisia gives us both a quick hug and bounds up the steps, yawning again. She flips off the hallway lights and slips into her room. Moments later, every light upstairs has flickered off, leaving only the kitchen illuminated.
"I'm afraid to go to sleep," I admit. "With Samantha here and all. You never know what devious revenge she has in mind." She and Willow never showed up for dinner. I'm becoming a little suspicious. They aren't very clever, though, so I shouldn't worry.
Spade shrugs. "I don't care what she does to me, as long as I'm not murdered. But I'll stay up and keep you company if you'd like."
Lately, I've been longing for company. Loneliness has followed me like a lost puppy all my life. It's become a burden. I'm desperate for someone to talk to, someone that I can spill my story and emotions to. Locking them up is what I've learned to do; it keeps me safe. That way, I won't get too close to anyone and deal with the pain of losing them like I did my parents. I don't want to experience it again. Once is enough for me. Trust no longer comes easily to me. For a while now, I've had no one to confide in. No one would stay and listen to my rants or hold me while I cried. I've been on my own for so long, too long. I just need to loosen up.
I think I've finally found someone.
"Yes, I would like that. If you'll put up with me all night, that is," I add with a light laugh.
Spade grunts. "I'll try my best to listen." So he knows what's coming. Or he thinks he does, anyway.
Taking a quick glimpse at Spade, I realize that once again, his spiky, honey-colored hair is disordered. His face is still flushed from the flare at dinner. Drumming his fingers on the table, he says, "So, what's up?"
I sigh. "You know, you're the first person I've trusted since my parents died. Family is all I've ever had. But Willow and I don't get along, and Ivy is drifting away from me. Even Calanthe seems distant."
"I know how you feel. Before Hawken and Ardisia came along, and when my parents were alive, Amber was like a best friend to me. Now, she spends so much time with the twins. It's like she's forgotten about me. And Blaire's moving on, getting married."
"Promise you'll never leave me like that?" I ask desperately.
"I promise," says Spade matter-of-factly. "We'll always be close. I swear it."
Throughout the night, Spade holds me in his arms as I cry. Soft whimpers escape my lips, causing him to squeeze me tighter. I'm sitting on his legs with my head buried in his shoulder, my arms wrapped around his waist and clasped together behind his back. A sense of security fills me to the brim. I've never had anyone hold me like this.
When he sings to me, it's like the world just disappears and I'm lost in the sweet sound of his voice. He's so gentle, so loving… I could stay here forever.
I stare up at him with doused amber eyes. Still stroking my hair, he returns my gaze. "You're the most wonderful person I've ever met."
Stop right here. Take a deep breath, close your eyes... open! And continuee(: Thanks, loves.
Crack. It severs the wall. Thump. A vacant picture frame falls to the floor beside my dresser. Then another, this one occupied by a photo of my dead friend, Fluore. Shattering on the smooth surface of my wardrobe, scraping the wall. Crack. Again, the acuate blade of my knife buries itself in my bedside table. Bang. The impact of my club and the wall rattles the room. Teacups smash on the floor. The door slams open.
"What are you doing?" shrieks Amber, rushing towards me. After slapping my shoulder a few times, she disappears into the bathroom and emerges a few seconds later, scurrying over to the pile of broken glass. With several infuriated swipes, the disorder of crystal shards has been wiped away and tossed into a trashcan. Amber, still affronted and somewhat terrified by my actions, then straightens the empty picture frame and moves on to my table. Muttering under her breath, she leans it back against the wall and pulls out her broom again. I close my eyes and listen to the high-pitched bedlam of glass being shoved against wood and her broom making contact with the wall and my bed.
Finally, Amber is satisfied with the new situation of my room, and lets out a contented huff. Smoothing down her clothes, she puts one hand on her hip and surveys the area. The remains of the frame and mirror have been swept away, the table thrust nicely against the wall, the trashcan emptied, the picture straightened, and the disarray of rags and clothes tidied. Only the wall remains untouched by Amber's nimble fingers. The hole is still visible, and though she claims it will be left alone as a punishment, I find myself believing she just can't fix it. Inexorably, she exits the room.
Turning my thoughts and ears to outside my bedroom, I hear Ardisia and Hawken thundering down the hallway. I crawl over to my door and peak underneath, watching them through the crack. Smirking, Hawken waves a doll over the rail, while Ardisia wails and begs him not to drop it. With tears trickling down her flushed cheeks, she struggles to reach her toy, but it remains just out of her grasp.
"Don't!" Ardisia cries pitifully. "Give it back, Hawken!" Her arms flail around over the edge of the banister as she glares at her brother.
"Alright," he replies coolly. His grip on the toy looses, and he sneers at the sobbing girl as her doll cascades to the floor below. There's a soft thump, indicating that the stuffed figurine has found its way to the hardwood, which sends Ardisia into another frenzy. "Go get it!" says Hawken.
I go back to the center of my room and press one ear to the floor. Faintly, I hear muffled voices coming from the kitchen. Spade and Amber, I think. Their words reverberate on my face as I listen. Both tones have an urgent ring, as if they are frantically trying to piece something together. No, they're arguing. About what, though? I can't detect their exact words, but I hear my name pop up several times. I picture Spade waving his hands around and throwing in some distressed gestures like he always does when he's angry. Amber is probably fighting to say calm, her arms twitching the way they do when she argues with someone. Of course, she thinks she's the only one that's ever correct on matters that involve her.
The fighting outside my bedroom has ceased, so I tiptoe out the room and down the stairs. Once I reach the kitchen, Spade and Amber immediately stop talking. Spade shoots me a sympathetic glance while Amber glares at me. If looks could kill, I'd be dead in a second.
"What are you doing?" I ask, narrowing my eyes in suspicion. "I heard you talking. I was listening upstairs. What were you saying?"
Spade opens his mouth to reply, but Amber cuts him off. "It's nothing, Froxen. Go back to your nap." I want to inform her that I wasn't taking a nap, but I can tell by the glint in her amber eyes that she's already angry enough without my loutish remarks. Probably because of the mess I made, I think.
"Sorry," I mutter indifferently. "Thanks for cleaning it up." Amber gives me a curt nod and marches past, her strawberry blonde hair swaying from side to side rhythmically. Once she reaches the top of the stairs, I turn back to Spade. "So, what was that all about? She seems even more upset than she was earlier."
His face flushes. "Nothing, Frox; don't worry about it. Someone broke a couple pots and threw the leftovers in our yard. Another thing to clean up…"
He's lying. But I don't say anything. I'll ask about it some other time, when Amber isn't in such an awful mood. Getting anything out of her is impossible when she's like this. So I only sigh and bound outside. After an hour of aimless wandering, I find myself atop of the tallest hill in our district.
Okay, I'm gonna stop right here. So, did you like it? I'm thinking of making the next chapter Christmasy. It'll be happier, I promise. And there'll be some romance c; Hopefully, chapter, um, four I think will be up today. Either today or tomorrow, but I'm trying to speed up my writing and get some stuff done before the holidays. I'm on Christmas break, so it won't be too hard(: I hope you're all enjoying your break, too. When you review *nudgenudge* let me know how it's going and what your plans are.