Irish Lullaby (Book One of A Violent Melody Duet)

Chapter Fifteen

The only voices during lunch are her brothers and occasionally Maria. Ava whispered to Edward whenever she felt a need to say something but Heidi and Fallon stayed silent. Heidi hadn't responded to her when she asked how she was, had only glanced up with those sorrowful eyes before returning to stare at the pink nail polish on her fingers. Soon after the men joined and lunch was served.
It looked delicious, a meal of chicken with sauteed vegetables. The maid who served them had given her the smallest portions, knowing she wouldn't be eating it. She pushed the food around, cut the chicken as if she would actually take a bite but never even lifted the fork to her lips. She could see Ava watching her but she said nothing. Fallon had been eating a lot more in the last few days, she would be fine skipping this meal.

"Are you not hungry, sister?" Tomas asked, interrupting the middle of the conversation the brothers had been having on new trade agreements.

This is what she had wanted to avoid. He had no care if she ate or not but the promise of this being something he could taunt her with was too much for her older brother to pass up. She met his eyes, the cold murky brown that haunted her dreams. All her brothers had the same color eyes, the color of their fathers. It was just another thing that separated them from one another.

"I had a big breakfast." That was a lie, she ate a banana and a bag of pretzels.

"It's rude not to eat the food our host so graciously gave us. You haven't taken a single bite." She looked around the room, everyone was watching them. Each person had a different look on their face, the only one that worried her was Henry's.

"I don't mean to bring offense, I just can not eat a single bite." She spoke to Edward and Ava.

Ava placed a hand on her leg under the table, trying to reassure her but it did nothing to help the growing anxiety in her chest. Nothing would help but being out of this room and away from her tormentors. Henry still watched her, she wondered if he ever reminisced on all the pain he caused. Was he thinking about it right now, about all the screams and tears he ripped from her, how her body looked crumbled on that cliff stoop.

Edward said nothing but nodded at her at the apology he knew was just for show. He fit so well into the role that had always been carved out for him, Ava was looking at him though as if the man before her was someone new all together. She had never seen this side of him, the one who ignored such obvious mistreatment.
She'd seen nothing yet.

"Why not at least eat a bite?" Henry asked, joining in on whatever it was Tomas had planned.

"I really can't, I worry anymore it will make me sick." Henry set his own fork down and the two stared at each other, neither breaking eye contact.

"Eat the food Fallon." Tomas spoke. She didn't turn to look at him, not trusting Henry enough to take her eyes from his.

This felt premeditated, like they knew she would be like this and they both wanted to agitate the subject. How would they know she hadn't been eating, how would they know anything about her time spent here? Had Edward told them? It felt highly unlikely, he wouldn't see a need to share this information. Ronan had spies in Nicholas house, she wondered if her brothers had spies in each other.

"Do you not trust it or is it us? Do you believe we would tamper with our own sister's food?" Henry asked and a glint in his eye, one he always got before he did something violent, flashed.

He knew, he and Tomas both knew what their mother had done. Of course she would share it with her cruel boys she loved oh so much. Did she brag about it to them, did they laugh as she recounted how she drugged her child and left her in the arms of a rapist?

"I am just not hungry." Henry pushed his chair away from the table with such force the dishes shook and their glasses swayed.

He stepped around and came to stand beside her, bending down till their faces were level with each other. His large hand grabbed her jaw tight, digging his fingers into her cheek until her mouth was forced open and stayed that way. His other hand fisted the portion of veggies she had pushed around the plate and shoved them into her mouth. He forced it closed and pinched her nose as he spoke in a low voice.

"Imagine that, your own family messing with your meal. Why would someone ever do that to their own blood?" Her mouth felt on fire, the seasoning on her vegetables must have been peppers hotter than the others. Tears trickled down her cheek from the pain the heat was causing.

"What could someone do to incur such a wrath from family? Maybe lying, or keeping secrets? Maybe they are a traitor to those who clothed and fed them for their entire life, or maybe they are just a dirty little whore who can't keep their legs closed even at their cousins' wake." Her nose was running and she could feel the growing need to vomit form in her throat.

He let go of her nose and shoved her face to the side where she ungracefully dropped the contents from her mouth onto the floor. Her saliva had built up while her mouth was closed and caused a puddle to form around the vegetables. She was trying to breathe but the pain from the peppers, the lack of air, the need to throw up, and the fear, the freezing cold fear that stabbed at her chest like an ice pick chipping away was too much.

Her body couldn't handle anymore, her mind couldn't process all the feelings it was experiencing and so as Ava reached out to steady her shaky form she fell against her and fainted.