Brotherly Love

14. Old memories

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Third Person

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As Iris got home she ran upstairs and did her homework, how she had already got so much homework on the second week of school she just didn't understand.

Once she had finished her equations for chemistry she got changed and slid down the bannister to get downstairs. As she skipped into the kitchen she saw Arthur, knowing what would irritate him she went and stood in the kitchen hovering around him as he started to get ready. Apart from Lorenzo, Arthur really was her best friend whether he wanted to believe it or not.

Iris walked out of the kitchen and came back in with a red apron with white snowflakes on it, so what are we cooking.

Spinning around he pointed his wooden spoon at her, "I'm cooking lasagna." Iris placed her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrow at him.

Breathing out a long dramatic sigh he gave in, "Fine we're cooking lasagna," Iris clapped her hands together before running to wash them, slightly bouncing in anticipation.

Arthur could pretend all he wanted that he was annoyed by Iris presence but he secretly loved that she was their cooking with him, she was like the daughter he never had. He hadn't cooked with someone since his late wife who passed away along with the child she was bearing.

Despite his efforts, cooking was just not Emiliano's speciality and none of the other boys took an interest.

While Arthur moved around the kitchen gracefully, clearly in his element, Iris watched him and mimicked his movements. As she sprinkled the cheese over it she looked down at the dish as if it were the best creation the world has ever seen.

Gordon Ramsay had nothing on her.

They placed the dishes of lasagna in the oven before washing what they used and leaving the counter. Blowing a hair that fell in front of her face Iris went and dried her hands before going to set up the table.

She heard the timer ring in the kitchen and ran in to check on the lasagna, putting in the oven gloves she pulled them out of the oven, the flavoursome smell greeting her nose.

Arthur came and started plating up while Iris went to call everyone for dinner, it was times like this which made her question living in a big house.

She found Nario first and gave him a piggyback as the two of them went around looking for the others after she'd found Valentino she got tired of looking and just texted Lorenzo that food was ready and asked him to tell Valerius and Dante.

Taking Nario to go and wash his hands, Iris lifted him to the sink as he washed his hands, as she set him down her hurried out ready to eat. Iris followed after him making sure that he didn't trip whilst running over. Not looking where she was going she crashed into another body causing a phone tumble onto the floor.

As Iris looked down all she could think was, 'Please don't be cracked, please don't be cracked, please don't be cracked,'

Dante lifted up his phone, his angry eyed stared back at him as he saw his reflection through the cracks of his now broken phone that was refusing to turn on.

"You've got to be fucking joking," he fumed and Iris took a step back scared by his tone.

"I'm sorry I didn't see you, " she spoke apologetically eager to avoid conflict.

Dante's grip on the phone tightened, he wanted to shout at her but he remembered her red-rimmed eyes the morning after she had caught him and Valerius speaking about her. Assuming she was crying because of that and decided that instead of shouting at her he would just hurt her instead.

"You know I thought maybe having a little sister could be fun but then you showed up and proved me wrong, you were nothing more than a disappointment," he sneered.

Though she believed the words to be true she didn't want him to think that she thought so little of herself so she tried to defend herself.

"That's not true,"

"No, then why are you here and not with your biological family?" he interrogated before continuing, "because your worthless always have been and probably always will be,"

Iris just stood there, she could hear the words he was saying each word more painful than the last but she couldn't respond because apart of her believed it was true, and that part was the stronger side inside her.

Dante stormed into the kitchen but Iris never moved. Without realising Dante had taken her back, back to a memory she had wished she never remembered, a time that was better forgotten.

She's not normal.

She's too damaged and it's not our job to fix her so we're sending her back.

She's a spoilt brat and a rude one at that, no wonder she's in the system.

Those were conversations she had overheard when she was first adopted, she had got to the point where she didn't even like the idea of a family, she'd grown up thinking that it was a mere myth something that you could only read about, dream about in your head. She had this idea that families were all toxic and broken.

Simply because she had never been taught any different.

Iris walked into the kitchen but the excitement she once had was now gone, as she walked in everyone could sense the change in her mood.

As Dante glanced at her he thought, for a split second, that maybe he had taken it to far.

Iris just stared at her plate, she didn't even want to eat, her appetite had gone and had been replaced with a feeling she couldn't label and that just made it so much worse.

Pushing her chair back she excused herself from the table, she slipped into her converse and left the house.

She wanted to know what she was feeling, she wanted to not be confused, she wanted this to be over. But what she needed was to clear her head, she needed peace of mind.

Because whenever she allowed the thoughts to play in her head it became crowded and suddenly she didn't know which voice to listen too because they all sounded the same.

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author's note: Dante go hug a cactus 🙂