^Moon^
"Let's all have a sleepover. My house, two p.m."
I wrinkled my nose. Glory Bright had just invited me of all people to a sleepover. Now, if there's one thing I know, it's that Deathbringer had something to do with this.
"What did Deathbringer say to you?" I asked. "What's he trying to do?"
"You mean win a bet against me?" Glory asked.
"What bet?"
She laughed nervously. "Nothing. Anyway, I'll go invite the others. Um, also, have you been okay recently?" I narrowed my eyes at her.
"Yeah," I said cautiously. "Never been better."
She pursed her lips. "Alright," and walked away.
"*"
"Guys, I called you here. Do you know why?"
Deathbringer and I both shook our heads. We both are going to the sleepover since we're both invited, but he looked a bit uncomfortable any time I mentioned it, so I didn't.
Secretkeeper took a shaky breath. "I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"
Deathbringer and I glanced nervously at each other. Hadn't enough bad things happened to us already?
"Good news?" Deathbringer tried.
Secretkeeper gave us a happy smile. "You know my job as a doctor's assistant?"
We nodded.
"Well, the doctor I'm assisting asked me out two days ago. We're going on a date today at six."
A huge grin creased my face. My mom finally found someone who actually made her happy. She looks much happier now, too. "Really? When do we get to meet him?"
"Are you sure this isn't the bad news?" Deathbringer suddenly asked. "What if he's like you-know-who? And then what? He get's full custody of us and then controls us the rest of our lives?"
I sent him a glare. "Mom's finally happy? Why can't you support her?"
Deathbringer sent me a sad glance. "Because... it's not that I don't support her! I do, I really do. But... I don't think I'm ready for another dad, after the last one. I don't want to meet him yet."
"Of course," Mom said. "Take as much time as you need. We're all here for you, remember that. You don't have to meet him if you don't want to."
Deathbringer gave her a weak smile before asking, "How do you all heal so fast? You have a new boyfriend already and Moon... I don't even know what's going on in there. Either way, neither of you even seem bothered at all."
My smile slowly faded. "Bothered? I'm traumatized. This is my way of coping, you know?"
"To change completely?" Mom asked. I slowly nodded. I guess.
"Want to hear the bad news?"
I held my breath and felt Deathbringer do the same thing.
"I—uh—you're... I'm not..." Secretkeeper held her breath. She was avoiding all sorts of eye contact. "Back when I first met Morrowseer, he was so sweet and kind. Always made me laugh and always took me to my favorite restaurants. I fell for his trap completely. And we got married, and after that, he took all devices and locked me in our basement. I... he shortly got me pregnant."
"With us," Deathbringer finished confidently. "We know. Why are you telling us this? He's dead now so what's the point?"
"Let me finish," Secretkeeper hushed. "My first six months of pregnancy was such a struggle, I almost gave up. I never really ate much so It wasn't good for me nor the baby."
"Babies," I corrected.
Secretkeeper slowly shook her head. "My seventh month, the baby died. And since everything I've been through, that prevented me from ever having children again."
I froze.
"W-what are you saying?" I said in barely a whisper.
"I'm saying I'm not your real mother. I... I found you abandoned in the middle of a cornfield during my first attempt of escaping. I..." She took a shaky breath. "I hid you in a small cabinet any time Morrowseer would come into the basement. I..."
Secretkeeper could barely speak. "But I did do a DNA test, and you're both very much siblings." Still struggling, she reached over onto the coffee table and held up a folder. "This has all information about you two. Including your real parents."
I had no words. Stop.
Deathbringer looked furious. I let out a cry, standing up.
"Why didn't you tell us?" he cried. Before Mom could even say anything, he began talking again. "So out whole lives you've been lying to us? What is wrong with this stupid family? Or should I even call us that anymore?"
"Please," Secretkeeper gently said. "I was going to tell you on your seventeenth birthday, but so many things had happened that I knew if I told you you would just break completely. I just... it's my fault we're all her struggling like this. I didn't want you guys to leave me."
Deathbringer covered his ears and closed his eyes. "So it's your fault we have to suffer like this? You said you loved us and—"
"I DO," Secretkeeper insisted. I was now covering my ears as tears streamed down my face.
"How could you?" I kept mumbling. I couldn't stop myself. Pain was an understatement. This was pure torture.
"You guys would be dead if I hadn't found you," Secretkeeper defended.
"That would have been better!" I suddenly blurted, my mask of a pretty face slowly sliding off to show the broken, cruel one. "You idiot! How dare you keep that a secret? This whole time neither you nor Morrowseer had custody of us! I hate you. You ruined our lives and for what? You're the worst thing that happened to me. I honestly wish you were dead!"
Deathbringer's eyes were wide, surprised at my ferocity. This was as bad as the taste of hand sanitizer.
I stood up to march out this house but Secretkeeper stood up to and grabbed my arm. "Please. Please, I only wanted to protect you. I still love you the same! Please, don't make this divide us. Please..."
Secretkeeper suddenly awry and crashed to the floor, fainting in an instant.
Deathbringer and I took a quick glance at each other before running over to Secretkeeper's side. I shook her.
"Mom..?"
"*"
"What movie do you guys want to watch?" Sunny asked.
"Let's watch a horror movie," Qibli offered. "I vote for It."
"No thanks," Turtle quickly said. "Let's watch comedy instead."
"Shut it," Tsunami snapped.
Glory snorted.
"Let's watch something having to do with food."
"Classic Clay," Starflight said, rolling his eyes at him.
"What do you want to watch?"
They all turned to me.
I shrugged. "Whatever."
"Okay, cut it out," Winter ordered. "What happened to the old Moon? I want her back."
"And who's that?" I asked, genuinely curious at what his response would be.
"The Moon who loved to mess with me?" Winter tried.
"The Moon who could insult me and seven different languages?" Qibli added.
"The Moon who didn't give a damn about what people say?" Glory pointed out.
"The Moon who'll still eat a hairy sausage off of the floor?" Deathbringer said.
I sent him a glare but couldn't help but laugh.
"Alright," I said, a grin creasing my face. "I'll return back to my old self."
Qibli grinned. "I'm now relieved that you're-"
"Haha, sike."
"*"
We ended up watching Saw, in which Turtle closed his eyes throughout the whole thing. During the movie, Deathbringer got a call from the hospital for update on mom's condition. Deathbringer dragged me into the bathroom and locked the door. He put it on speaker and turns out she had fainted from an anxiety attack.
Even though I was still mad at her, I tried not to show it throughout the sleepover.
But now, we had a bigger problem.
We're playing Spin The Bottle.
So I sat next to Deathbringer because I wanted to stay close to him since he's practically the only family I actually have now.
"Who goes first?" Glory asked.
"ME," Tsunami cried and before anyone could protest, the bottle was spinning.
Spinning... spinning... spinning... stop.
I burst out laughing as it actually landed on Deathbringer. How does that even happen?
"Actually maybe we should all go watch another movie instead," Tsunami muttered.
"Nope," Clay said as Glory was practically wheezing.
"Couldn't it have been Glory?" Deathbringer whined. "Please?"
"YES," Tsunami said. "Let's do that!"
"Nope!" Sunny said happily as she grabbed Deathbringer and hauled him up.
"You're just lucky Riptide isn't here to beat the crap out of you," I observed.
"He could certainly try," Deathbringer grumbled as he got up to his feet.
"Come on," Clay cried. "Hurry up and kiss."
There was a brutal sigh that came out of Tsunami as they both got closer. I saw Glory whip out her phone and start recording.
Deathbringer's lips pressed against Tsunami's for the briefest second before he pulled away, gagging. I couldn't help but burst out laughing again.
When everyone got under control, it was Starflight's turn.
Spinning... spinning... spinning... stop.
"Ain't no way," Winter mused as it landed on Qibli.
"I'm straight," Qibli publicly announced. "I—I can't—"
This time Winter and I were both recording, ready for something juicy to happen.
"Just make it quick," I cried. "I'm going to use this video against you forever."
Qibli looked like the world was going to end. I laughed. He crawled forward and barely brushed his lips against Starflight's before rubbing hand sanitizer all over his mouth.
Sunny was dying with laughter along with Glory. We needed to play this more often.
It was Clay's turn.
Spinning... spinning... spinning... stop.
"Huh?" Winter cried. "This game is so stupid."
I was now joining the wheezing group, trying not to die like the others. Even Deathbringer was uncontrollably laughing.
"Oh, how the turns have tabled," Qibli said, smirking his face off. Now he was laughing his ass off, along with me and everyone else except for Clay and Winter.
Clay leaned forward and Winter leaned backwards, trying to keep his dignified lips dignified. I laughed at him.
Finally, Winter couldn't back up anymore and the second their lips touch, Clay accidentally burst out laughing in that horrifying kiss. Winter shoved him off and spat out, gagging his head off.
"Aaaaand now I'm gay," Clay said. I died.
It was now my turn. God.
Spinning... spinning... spinning... stop.
God.
My eyes met Qibli's as the bottle landed on him.
God.
Winter looked furious.
God.
Everyone started whispering at how we were "perfect" for each other and how I was probably going to end up pregnant, but I ignored them.
And as he kissed me, it lasted way longer than the others. It's not like it's my first time kissing him, but it was the first time it felt real. I felt myself starting to pull away but he gently rejoined our lips.
In an instant, I felt hands on my shoulders and my brother dragged me backwards. There was an awkward silence before I realized Winter was gone and Glory and Tsunami were toppled on top of each other, laughing their asses off.
Ugh, they were recording, too.
My eyes met Qibli's and I felt myself smiling the most perfect smile ever.
It was the taste of hand sanitizer for me.
<3