Take Courage, My Heart

Chapter Forty-Two

Indistinct yelling woke me up hours later, with Fiona still tucked in my arms. I rubbed my eyes with one hand and lifted my head right as the door opened. The sound of it and the burst of sounds coming from around the cabin made me cringe, still too groggy to control my reflexes. Fiona let out a displeased grumble and burrowed her face further into the pillow and I pulled my arm underneath her free in order to sit up properly.

The yelling stopped as soon as the door was opened, Adam and our Mom coming into the room, looking distressed and on edge. Leander was following close behind them, his jaw clenched, and his arms crossed before his chest.

"What is–"

"Hey, Fi," Adam said, ignoring me and sitting on the edge of the mattress, gently shaking our younger sister awake. She made another grumbling sound and slowly turned around with a yawn splitting her face. Adam's eyes scanned her entire form, his hands both set firmly on either of her shoulders, and once he was done looking her over he set his gaze on me. "Did you hurt her?"

I jerked back in surprise, Leander immediately walked further into the room with a scowl on his face.

"I wouldn't–"

"You almost bit Caleb last night," Adam cut me off and I blinked at his sharp tone. "Did you hurt Fiona in your sleep?"

"I wouldn't have left them alone if I thought Jesse posed any danger to her," Leander told Adam.

"You say that as if I have any reason to trust that you care," Adam snapped back and my eyes went round, never having seen my brother like this.

"You are being mean," Fiona said, shaking Adam's hands off and scooting back until she was pressed against my thigh. The frown on her sleepy face was cute but pointed and defensive. "Jesse would never hurt me."

"Not intentionally," our Mom told her, standing off behind Adam and giving Fiona her characteristic caring look. "You really scared us by disappearing like this."

"I didn't disappear," Fiona replied, folding her arms before her chest. "I always cuddle with Jesse."

"Fiona–" Adam started with a sigh, and I cut him off with a click of my tongue.

I wrapped one arm around Fiona's frame and leaned over her shoulder with a smirk.

"I am pretty sure I hear someone making pancakes downstairs, why don't you go grab a bite?" I suggested, booping her on the nose. Her eyes went comically wide, not whining about the booping like she normally did.

"You can hear that?!" she exclaimed, and I chuckled.

"I can also hear your grumbling stomach. Go eat," I said and let go of her and straightened up.

With a bothered huff, she inched off the bed and walked out of the room, our Mom following her. I looked at Adam with a disproving frown, my arms folded before my chest.

"What's wrong?" I asked, hearing Leander shuffle his weight from one leg to the other.

"Nothing. We couldn't find her and freaked out," he replied, standing up and backing away from the bed. I raised an eyebrow at him. "We are leaving today."

"I figured. Adam, I wouldn't have let her come in last night if I thought I could hurt her," I told him.

"I know," he said with an exhausted sigh. He raised a hand to his short hair and ran through it, before shaking his head and looking back at me. "We'll leave after breakfast, so pack up your things..."

A mix of emotions passed through me, making my expression twitch and spasm with it. I had evidently missed quite a number of things including whatever the fuck Adam had been told by our parents. Because I couldn't imagine what exactly had caused this sudden snappiness and dismissal.