Short stories

Nights

I wanna make this into an actual book so just give me some time but here's this for now.
Chapter one
She looked around, meeting eyes with each person that had taken a seat at the table before her. With a weary look, she finally spoke.
"I did it." Audible gasps could be heard as the air in the room finally shifted. The tension finally left. A smile slowly spread across her father's face, followed by a cheer of approval from her four brothers. But her pride fell upon looking at her mother. She could see the tears that pricked at the woman's eyes.
This life they lived was not an easy one. Murder wasn't supposed to be easy. But for them it was. It was a game. A life in one hand and a weapon in the other. It was like dancing on the edge of a cliff. Only the dance partner didn't know the plan was to push them off. She regained her smile as her father stood, moving around the table and embracing her.
"Her first kill, boys." His smile emanated the pride he felt. Each and every person that sat at the table, aside from their mother, had been in this position once before. Their first kill. The way it felt. The approval of the family was finally able to be felt. It was a joyous moment. Little did they know, she hadn't killed anyone at all. The boy she was supposed to have killed was very much alive and breathing.
But they could never know that. They'd kill her. Kill or be killed. The family motto passed down for generations. Murder was this family's legacy. Although, standing in front of them all, she wasn't so sure she was supposed to be there. She didn't belong among these killers. Murder just wasn't in her blood.
The night was full of cheers and praise as the extended family was called over and a fire was lit behind the grand home that housed these wicked people. Sounds of friendly chatter could be heard as the night went on. Each newcomer gifted the girl with praise and approval, showing just how sick and twisted this bloodline was.
"Ash?" She turned at the sound of her name, looking in the direction of the voice. She found her cousin, Fin standing a little ways away from where she was. She smiled and waved him towards her direction.
"Fin, it's been too long." the much smaller girl whined, embracing her cousin.
"It's only been three months, Spark." The boy smiled and he wrapped his arms around her. She smelled like lilac and gooseberries, an intoxicating scent to his very keen nose.
"You're wearing your scent? Really, Ash? Here out of all places?" Fin whispered worriedly as the girl pulled away shrugging.
"It's not a big deal, Fin. The boys are wearing theirs." She commented as she made her way to the picnic table. A buffet of goodies sat out in appraisal to her.
Picking up a plate, she passed it off to Fin before grabbing her own.
"Yeah, Spark. But they're guys." Ash only rolled her eyes, continuing to add to her ever-growing plate. After she'd piled a satisfying amount of food onto her plate, she turned to look at Fin.
"And I can take care of myself. As I so beautifully proved tonight." If there was one person in this world that knew Ash didn't belong in this family, it was Fin. He'd always been able to sense the resentment that Ash had towards the family ways. Hell, he'd felt the same way as her age. And Ash, being one of only three girls born into the bloodline, was no exception. She was treated like a boy. Even now, she had no time for girlish things like makeup and pretty things like dresses. She was up at dawn training with the boys and at all hours of the night practicing herself. Fin felt bad that she'd been trapped in such a life, but was helpless to act on that feeling.
"I just... I don't think it's wise of you to wear your scent at an event like this." He sighed sitting down at the first open, empty table they came across. "You know damn well you're fair mating game now that you've killed your first." The way Fin spoke sent a chill down Ash's spine. A cruel reminder of what being a girl meant in this family. She sat down beside him, pouting at his words before taking a bite of food.
"Finn, you don't need you to remind me." She said through a mouth full of food. Fin only shook his head, laughing at her childish response. He ruffled her hair, earning a whine of frustration and she pushed him away.
"Stop it, Fin!" She laughed as she fought to keep his hands out of her newly fixed hair. He finally gave up, letting her fix it once more. A calming silence fell over the table as the two sat eating. Thought running through their heads. Ash wondering about the boy she was supposed to have killed and Fin worrying about his cousin.
"Spark? Can I ask you something?" He questioned, rubbing the back of his neck out of anxiousness. The girl nodded, turning her attention on Fin.
"Did you... did you really do it?" Ash''s heart stopped, her eyes meeting his. Panic and fear are quite clearly set in his gaze. She let out a nervous laugh, nudging his shoulder as she tried to brush over her reaction to his question.
"Of course I did. Otherwise, father wouldn't be throwing me a huge party." Her laughter seemed all too forced and fake to believe her words, but Fin knew better than to press her for the truth. She didn't need to say it, he'd already known the answer when asking.
She tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear before clearing her throat.
"Why do you think we do it, Fin?" Looking at her hands, she asked the question that had forever been haunting her. Ever since she'd learned of her family's ways, the question of why had eaten away at her. What gave them the right to take in their hands the decision of who could live and who could die. They weren't god, hell they were the farthest things from it.
"Because this family is full of crazy bloodthirsty men, who think they have the right to play god." The way Fin's words came out, sounded angry and pointed, telling Ash that she wasn't the only one who thought about this more times than not. She only nodded, turning back to the table. Fin and Ash continued to talk and laugh, forgetting the earlier comments and tension, enjoying seeing each other after so long.
Ash felt strong arms wrap around her shoulders. A warm breath against her neck sent goosebumps to her arms. She could visibly see Fin's eyes grow dark even with just the bonfire light. She heard a low growl emanating from Fin as the arms around her squeezed.
"Hey, Princess." A honey voice cooed, a warm kiss fluttering against her neck. Damien. The voice belonged to her supposed fiance. It had been arranged by her father, much to her dismay. Her mother didn't approve of Damien either. From his bad mouth to his persistence, neither her mother nor she had feelings that fell in favor of Damien.
She caught Fin's eyes, watching as they turned from their normal hazel color to glowing amber gold. She inhaled sharply, reaching for Fin's hand only to be pulled back by Damien's arms.
"Princess, you're ignoring me." She could hear the pout in his voice along with a hint of anger. She didn't like it when Damien was angry with her. He tended to get very loud and sometimes physical. The only person who knew about this was sitting beside Ash, fuming.
"Damien, Fin and I were just catching up. Why don't you go talk to my brothers and I'll come over when I'm done." She turned to face him, give her best fake smile. And from the reaction she got from Damien, she could assume it looked believable.
"Then you'll give me attention?" He smiled like a child as she nodded in response. He leaned in for a kiss, only to catch Ash's cheek as she turned her head.
Once Damien had walked away and was out of her line of sight she reached for Fin's hands.
"Fin... Fin..." his eyes still stayed glued to the table, his breathing quit visibly uneven.
"FishFin?" She teased, trying to pull him back into reality. She watched as his shoulders drooped, finally gaining his attention.
"I. Don't. Like. Him" he growled, squeezing the girl's small hands. She shook her head, wanting to protest. "Spark, don't you dare try and defend him." He looked into her eyes, his almost back to normal. Only the rims glowed an amber gold, the rest were their normal hazel.
"I'm not going to. I just... you can't act like that." She bit the inside of her lip, trying to figure out how to word what she was about to say.
"My father, he planned this. And I have to make it work. It doesn't matter how he treats me. I have to smile and look pretty." She sighed, continuing. "Just try and act civil." Fin pulled his hand out of hers, standing up without saying a word and walking away, leaving Ash alone with her own thoughts.
Resting her head on the table, she just wished the party would be over already. She didn't want to see most of these people. Hell, she didn't even know half their names. To her, they were complete and total strangers with one thing in common. They were cold-blooded killers. She groaned, sitting up and making her way over to her brother, remembering that she'd promised to give Damien her attention when she was done with Fin. And by the looks of it, Fin wouldn't be talking to her anymore tonight.
"Hey, beautiful." Damien cooed once he caught sight of Ash. He pulled her into a hug, kissing her head as she smiled. She turned her attention to her brothers, each one giving words of approval and appraisal. She then listened to the boys talk about hunting. Each giving very detailed descriptions of their latest ones. Ash felt her stomach slowly turn as the conversation continued. She finally excused herself, not wanting to hear anymore. Damien once again pouted like a child but Ash was too tired to care at this point.
Making her way into the house, she was greeted with much needed silence. She forced herself up the stairs, turning the corner of the hall only to find Fin once again. Though this time she was in no mood to talk. Fin looked up, noticing Ash's presence. He averted his gaze as she walked past, though wanting to reach out to grab her hand. Ash found herself stopping in front of Fin, turning to face him.
"I'm sorry." She spoke first after a moment of silence.
"For?" He quizzed, raising an eyebrow in a questioning manner.
"For being a bitch. You were just looking out for me and I should have found a nicer way to say what I was trying to say." A smile formed on Fin's lips as he shook his head and rested his hands on the small girl's shoulders. 
"Spark, you don't need to apologize. I know you, you're doing the best you can given the situation. I'm sorry if I made you upset. It's not my place to lecture you." Ash felt tears pricking at her eyes as Finn spoke. Out of the nearing hundred people that currently occupied her back yard at that very moment, including her father and four brothers, Finn was the one person that actually understood how she felt and what she was thinking.
Sighing, he pulled her into a hug. He inhaled, letting the scent of lilac and gooseberries overtake his senses. Ash melted into the embrace, feeling calm and at peace in his hold.
"I wish I weren't a girl." She mumbled into his chest. He only chuckled, shaking his head before commenting.
"Sorry to break it to you Spark, but you wouldn't be a very attractive guy." Ash pulled back, punching Finn's arm before crossing her arms over her chest in a pouting manner.
"For your information, I would be one sexy ass dude." She stated, turning her back to walk away.
"Keep lying to yourself, Spark. Keep lying." He laughed, falling into step beside her. She made her way to her bedroom, the attic, opening the door and letting Finn enter before closing the door behind her. She fell onto the bed with a satisfied moan when her body made contact with the soft sheets. Her room was her safe haven. No boys; not including Finn, no bodies, no problems.
Finn followed her manor, flopping down on the bed with a satisfied groan.
"Long day?" He questioned, turning his head so that she was in his sights. She nodded, curling into a ball.
"Come here." He smiled, motioning for the girl to come closer. Without hesitation, she sat up and scooted herself closer to him. She rested her head on his chest, letting her eyes flutter closed as his cold fingers ran through her hair. She listened to his heartbeat for a while, calmed by its steady rhythm and the rise and fall of his chest.
They had done this many times before, sometimes the roles being reversed. They had always been there for each other when life got hard. They always reminded each other that they weren't alone in this twisted place. But ever since Finn had gone off to study Chemistry at some big fancy school, Ash had been left to herself. Left to deal with her own problems.
A memory of a younger Finn made its way into her head. A reminder of when they were younger, when Finn would swear he was going to marry the small green-eyed girl who had become his best friend. He didn't understand how he was related to her, but she could remember dozens of times where he'd told her that she was going to be his wife one day. And her being the naive child that she was, would happily agree.
She smiled thinking about it. "Hey, Finn."
"Mhm?" He hummed, eyes closed and hands still running through her hair.
"Do you still wanna marry me?" She giggled at the question, expecting the same from Finn. But the reaction she was expecting and the one she got was quite different.
"Yes." He said, the word falling through the air and landing between them. With her ear to his chest, she could hear the way his heartbeat had sped up just slightly, telling her that he wasn't joking.
"R-really?" She stuttered, sitting up slightly to look at him. He smiled and nodded, looking anywhere but her.
"You're silly." She punched his chest before lying back down. His hand automatically went back to their place, massaging a path through her scalp.
"I remember when I spent all day at your house. Then at night, when I got home, the first thing I would do is run to my dad and I'd say, 'Dad, I am going to marry that girl. She's just so pretty.' He'd always laugh at me, telling me I was crazy. But me being my determined little self, was so sure that I would be able to marry you." He smiled down at her, continuing. "And now look where we are. You're Engaged and I'm off at college being all brainy."
She let out a dry laugh, being so cruelly reminded of her engagement to Damien. She sighed, sitting up and looking down at Finn.
"I really, really don't want to marry him, Finn. How the hell am I supposed to marry someone like him? He's a monster." She whispered the last part, wrapping her arms around herself. Finn reached out to hold her hand, only to be interrupted by a light knock on the door. His hand fell in between them as Ash's little brother, Beck slowly opened the door.
"Ashy, can I hide in here? I don't really want to be a part of the party?" His green doe eyes stared up at Ash, begging her to let him stay.
"Of course Beck." She smiled, reaching out a hand and gesturing to him to come closer. "I didn't want to be part of the party either. People are too loud." Beck only nodded, sitting between Finn and Ash.
Ash gave Finn a quick glance before turning to Beck, running her hands through the little boy's hair. He smiled, leaning into his older sister's gesture. Finn bit his lip, knowing that the earlier conversation was over for the time being. The mood of the room once again became calm and relaxed as the small group sat quietly.
Things running through each person's mind. Beck thought of his older brothers. Ash thinking of her future and Finn remembering the past. Each person's thoughts flowed into the next. A silence that was to be expected in a room full of hushed words and tightly kept secrets.
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I only have three chapters of this story written but I'm working on the rest😓😓😓 i really liked this story when I was writing it. I don't know why I stopped. Please let me know what you think.💜💜