Her Heroes

Chapter Six

Slowly, I lifted my head and looked at the room. Five men who resembled me closely were sat at the table. I blinked. Looking at the person next to me, I found a sixth. I blinked again before stumbling back a step. All of us seemed in a trance. I could easily depict who was the most important, he was sitting at the head of the opposite side of the table, a pair of glasses perched on his nose and a glass of brandy in his hand. My fingers started to tap my elbows. This couldn't be happening, I couldn't be in a room with them all.

No, I would be fine, I could make it through one meal without a panic attack.

"Nadine, come sit down" I looked at the person who spoke. He had short-cut hair that matched my own and was sitting next to a mirror image of himself. I had to blink twice as they both squinted at me at the same time.

"Espèce d'idiot, elle s'appelle Nadia, Nadine est morte." (You idiot, her name is Nadia, Nadine is dead)

Their eyes all suddenly showed sadness before it was replaced by six blank masks. "My apologies, Nadia, please come sit down." He gestured to a seat across from him and I gulped. Unwillingly, my feet carried me to the seat and I slid down, my fingers tapping.

Our awkward silence was broken as Gabriel flounced into the room. "Sorry I'm late guys, you know how thin- Hey Nadia, how are you? You settling in okay?" His thick accent coated every word and I gave him a slight nod before gluing my eyes to my tapping hands in my lap.

"Mes chéris, le dîner est servi" an older lady waddled in with the man from earlier, both carrying steaming hot plates. "Bon appétit"

(My dears, dinner is served)
(Enjoy your food)

"Merci Maman ça sent délicieux" the men all smiled adoringly at the lady as she tottled to a seat before stopping when she noticed me.
(Thank you, momma, it smells delicious)

"Nadine, est-ce que c'est toi ?" She quickly rounded the table and forced my chair back, taking my hands in her own. My breathing began to rise as the unwanted contact flooded my system.
(Nadine, is that you?)

"Non mon amour, c'est Nadia, Nadine est morte." The man came up and guided the lady away, her eyes immediately glistening with unshed tears.
(No my love, it is Nadia, Nadine is dead.)

"Excuse-moi" she left the man's embrace and quickly fled the room, the sound of her tear-filled breaths filling the silent dining room.
(Excuse me)

The man at the head of the table watched the woman leave longingly before Gabriel elbowed him in the side. The two glared at each other menacingly and I struggled not to flinch from the weight of their stare-off. Eventually, they chuckled and nodded.

"Right, let's eat, shall we?" A murmur of approvals sounded and the boys began reaching for the steaming dishes piled with food. A boy sitting next to me, his eyes matching mine, grasped a bowl and began to spoon some of the food onto my plate. I stared at the thinly sliced vegetables coated in a red sauce.

Noting my confusion he explained it to me, "it's called Ratatouille, and it's a stew made with vegetables of all types. This has to be my favorite meal." The guy winked at me and quickly began to eat his meal. As I watched everyone else dig into their food, I caught the gaze of the elderly man. He nodded his head and motioned for me to eat. Nodding quickly, I picked up my fork and began to take small bites of the food.

***

I had only finished a third of my plate by the time the men had all eaten two full plates fulls, well besides the elderly man that is, he had disappeared halfway through the meal and had yet to return.

"Nadia, aren't you going to finish your food?" I bent my head and shook it, using my curls to cover my face.

"Elle a à peine mangé quelque chose Hercule ! Ce n'est pas sain pour un adolescent !" The man shouted in anger, causing me to jump. His one comment lead to more being shouted, yet the man at the head of the table continued to stay quiet, only observing and swirling the liquor in his glass.
(She barely ate anything, Hercule! This is not healthy for a teenager!)

"Silence!" Everyone froze as the man who sat at the head of the table banged his hand down. "Nadia, why are you not eating?" All eyes turned from him to me and I gulped, lifting my head slightly so I could see better through my veil of hair. Even though he had asked me a question nicely, the calmness of his voice scared me.

I stayed still as everyone watched me, waiting for a response that they would never get.

"Nadia!" The harsh tone of voice caused me to immediately lift my head, "Hercule asked you a question, why aren't you eating?" I shrugged at his tone and tapped my fingers against my thighs.

So the eldest one's name was Hercule, fitting for a man who seemed to have the demeanor of a god. "That's it!" I heard a chair screech and heavy footsteps approached me. A rough hand forced my chair to turn out and a finger hooked my chin, pulling my head to meet his gaze. Unlike my black lifeless eyes, his were alight with fire. "When we ask a question, we demand a response" his tight grip on my chin was burning against the bruise from Neil's hand. "Understand Nadia?" I continued to stare at him as he fumed. If I wasn't a mute, I would've been scared speechless now. His grip began to tighten as seconds ticked by.

"Enough!" All eyes snapped back to Hercule as he stood, his tall stature and muscular build taking the remaining air out of me. "Léon, let go of your sister."

The man, Léon, holding my jaw opened his mouth to protest but was quickly cut off by a stern look from his brother. Bowing his head to mask his anger, he let go of my chin and got up slowly, heading for the door.

"Elle a besoin de manger plus Her-" he was cut off by another glance from his brother.
"(She needs to eat more Her-)

"Je suis bien conscient Léo mais, c'était probablement une longue journée pour la fille." Léon nodded his head before exiting the room, most of the men following behind until only Hercule, Gabriel, and myself remained.
(I am well aware Léo but, it was probably a long day for the girl)

I got up from my chair and was almost at the door before Hercule's cold words hit my ears.

"Not so fast Nadia; we need to talk."