twisted | summary

twisted | chapter 1

⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀And I was right.

Bursting through the undergrowth, a large, vibrant and neon creature pinned me down, it's multiple eyes fixing on me, drool and saliva seeping from its open jaws. I couldn't scream, I couldn't move a muscle in my body. I laid there in shock, like the fool I was. Why can't I move? I thought frantically, producing a sweat just trying to move my pinky. Time seemed to slow down, and I squeezed my eyes shut as I felt it's hot breath coming closer.

Closer.

Closer.

⠀⠀And suddenly, my Father was next to me, swinging his shovel as he struck down on the beast, yelling and hollering. The beast snarled in outrage, turning it's attention onto my father. " No! " I screamed, finally finding my voice. Without hesitating, I summoned all the strength I could, and smacked the beast right on its nose. The mutant creature howled in pain, giving my father a quick swipe of its curved and long claws, before fleeing, snarling and huffing as it left.
⠀⠀Immediately, my Father yanked me towards him, " Look at what happened. Don't you dare head near the forest ever again, you hear me? " He said sternly, his chest rising and falling slowly, as the deep cuts of the creature blossomed in dark crimson. The only response he got from me were my tears. I bawled as he took me straight to Mother, and she too, scolded me.

And I haven't approached the forest since.

⠀⠀Jolting out of my memories, I quickly scrambled to finish my chores, knowing I would get scolded if I showed up late for breakfast.
⠀⠀Thankfully, I finished just in time, and I managed to slip into my seat at the table before anyone could notice. Our table was long, yet was in a L formation, so that everyone could fit. My seat was in between Layla and Shino, two messy five year-olds, yet I was grateful that I didn't sit next to Alec and Xavien, whom stole from others plates and stuck food up their nose. Mother glided into the kitchen, holding a large plate full of bread, " Okay everyone, dig in! " She exclaimed, taking her seat at the head of the table, while Father took the end of the table.
⠀⠀Almost immediately, chaos broke lose, kids screaming and snatching whatever fit in their small hands. I jumped right in as well, because if you waited until they settled down, you'd be left with nothing to eat. They were like black holes, consuming everything and anything. Once I was satisfied with my portions, I happily ate along with everyone else, trying not to look at my sisters, who were covered in God-knows what.
⠀⠀After dinner, and after cleaning up, we were charmed by my older brother's visit, along with his wife and infant child. It honestly never felt like he was my brother, our relationship was nonexistent, him being twice my age, and us never having anything to talk about. He was more like a familiar relative, only sharing a polite, " How are you? " with me, before moving on to more important things. Which I didn't mind, it was always painful to be in a conversation with him; we just couldn't relate.
⠀⠀After we greeted them, I took the children outside so they could let out all their bottled up energy. Sitting down on the steps of our house, I placed my elbows on my knees, casting a curious look over towards the city, wondering if it was worth it to travel over there.

" What are you thinking about? " A voice jolted me out of my thoughts.

Looking to my left, I realized it was Marco, and I shrugged at his question, not really sure if I should bring it up. He remained quiet for a few moments, as if he too, was contemplating whether or not to bring something up. Glancing up at me, his eyes searched my face for an answer, and I guarded my expression, turning away from him to look off into the forest.

" You're thinking about the city, aren't you? " He finally spoke up, his guess eerily correct. I only nodded, unsure of how he'd take it. To my surprise, he simply mimicked my actions, nodding slightly as he tugged on the edges of his socks. " I don't blame you, " Marco said after awhile, his vibrant eyes sympathizing. " I can never shake the feeling that, just maybe, there's something more to it than living a life like this. " He sighed, and I slung my arm around his shoulders, " You've read my mind, " I gave him a smile, always thankful for him. Marco had always been my favorite sibling, he always did what he was told, yet spoke out if he thought something wasn't fair. I ruffled his hair, " We'll just have to see, " I added, standing up as I saw Kai and Mira waving goodbye to our parents, heading to their truck.

Marco stood up as well, narrowing his eyes slightly as he leaned closer to me, as if he were about to spill out a secret. " Just promise me that when you go to the city, you won't forget your big ol' family. " He said quietly, his eyes holding nothing but sincerity, and for a minute, I was startled by just how older he seemed, wiser, more mature.

I nodded silently, placing a reassuring hand on his shoulder, " I promise. " I vowed, and it didn't even cross my mind how quickly he figured out that I was leaving for the city soon. He closed his eyes for a few heartbeats, his long lashes fluttering against the slight breeze, the faint freckles sprinkled across the bridge of his nose more prominent than ever. " Okay, " He replied, opening his eyes as we started to head inside.

Just promise me you won't forget us

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a/n ;; kinda boring chapter but I just wanted to introduce Celia and her life tbh
also yes, she has a HUGE family - there's a reason for that.