• AMALIA •
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• MASON •
Amalia doesn't let go of me all day. She clings onto me like a koala, but I don't mind.
I really need a piss though.
I think she's asleep, so I slowly peel her off of me and set her to the side. I pause for a moment, making sure she doesn't wake up, before walking into my bathroom and using the toilet. When I get back, Amalia's gone.
I walk out of the room quickly, stopping when I see her open door. I look inside her bedroom. She's ripping everything off her bed—the duvet, the sheets, the pillowcases. I watch her for a moment, unsure of what to do, until Xander comes up beside me.
"What's she doing?" He asks.
I shrug as she begins to pull the stripped mattress off after throwing all her blankets onto the floor. When it's on the ground, she turns around and stiffens.
"Amalia," Xander says softly. "Are you okay?"
Five seconds pass before she nods.
"What're you doing?" He asks.
She looks back at what she's done, then returns her worried gaze to him. I've never really realised it before, but she's so small. So fragile—and right now she looks tiny.
"Do you wanna go back into my room?" I ask her softly. She slides her eyes to me and shakes her head.
"How about you water your plants?" Xander suggests. She thinks for a moment before nodding. I smile. She walks over to us, then latches onto my hand before pulling me out of the room. I follow her downstairs, into the kitchen—which is empty—and out into the back garden. She shivers when we get outside, but continues walking to her little greenhouse.
She opens the door, walking inside, and I step in after her, closing it over again. She grabs her water sprayer, which still has some inside, and begins spraying different plants. I look around at the cosy space, which reflects her perfectly.
There are small drawings of flowers pinned to the glass behind a work table, as well as stickers and post-it notes all around them. I catch a glimpse of myself in the reflection of the glass—my face is all swollen, my lip is cut (as is my cheek) and my jaw, eyes and cheekbones are all bruised.
It's worth it though.
After ten minutes, she begins to measure her plants, but she looks tired. Still, I stay silent as she jots results down in her little notebook.
When she puts it away in a little drawer, she walks back over to me and grasps onto my hand again wordlessly. She begins to pull me back into the house, but pauses when she sees Elijah sitting at the counter, Petal on his lap.
He looks up, and something like relief and pity bursts onto his face when he sees our baby sister. She lets go of my hand, steps forward, and Elijah's face fills with hope, but it dissipates when she takes Petal.
He smiles lightly at her. "Hi, angel. Are you feeling alright?"
She stares at him blankly, as though she didn't quite hear what he said. Then, she grabs a small slip of paper from a notebook that's already open and the pen next to it. She writes:
I WANNA GO TO DANCE.
His eyebrows raise in surprise. I don't think that's what either of us expected her to write. I didn't think she'd even be up to it, with her kidney and what happened yesterday.
"I don't think that's a good idea." He says.
"Yeah, not for right now, Amalia." I add.
She begins to write something else.
I DON'T WANT TO BE HERE.
My heart crumbles.
"Okay." Elijah says immediately. "I'll go talk to dad."
I watch him as he walks out of the kitchen. I look at Amalia, who's avoiding my eyes. A few minutes of silence as my little sister plays with Petal pass before Elijah walks back in, smiling.
"Dad says you can go, but you need someone to stay there with you." Elijah says. She immediately holds my hand. "You want Mason to?" He questions softly, to which she nods. His eyebrows raise in surprise, but he sends me a look of pride. "Alright. Dad wants to talk to you, too, so go to his study before you get changed, okay."
Amalia nods and let's Petal jump into my arms before walking out of the kitchen.
• AMALIA •
My dads stern expression morphs into one of happiness when he sees me walk into his office, but I notice the pity furrowing his brows and creasing the corners of his eyes. I don't want anyone to look like that; it happened, but it's over now, and I don't want to be reminded about it every time someone looks at me.
"Hi, baby." He says quietly. "How are you feeling?"
I give him a thumbs up, but it's a lie. He knows it. I know it. The fly on his wall would probably know it—if there was one.
His stapler probably knows it too. It looks quite smug.
"Do you wanna talk to me about anything?" He asks softly.
I stiffen and shake my head.
He hesitates before he speaks. "I know what happened was scary. But you can talk to any of us about it, okay? You're safe here, Amalia."
No I'm not.
I hate that I'm not, because I wanted to be. So, so badly. I wanted this to be a place I could walk around freely, a place for a fresh start. But now every time I walk into my room, look at my bed, I'm reminded of what happened. Memories of my head being stuffed into a pillow as unspeakable pain retched my body flood into my head like a dam has just been opened each time I even look at my bedroom door. I don't want to go in there again. I can't go in there again. And if people like him come into my house, who's to say it won't happen again?
"I'm so sorry it happened, sweetheart." He whispers, the sadness in his voice thick. "I'm sorry I wasn't more careful on who came into the house."
I stare blankly at him for a few beats, then shrug. He furrows his eyebrows. "Amalia." He begins. "You can tell me anything, you know that, don't you?"
I nod.
"Okay." He says. His eyes soften. "Can I have a hug?" He asks.
I nod again and tentatively walk over to him. I see him smile sadly before he wraps his arms around me and pulls me onto his lap. He kisses my forehead, my cheek, my nose, my temple over and over again. "I love you so much." He says after a couple seconds.
I hold onto his waist tightly. He kisses my cheek again. "I know you wanna dance, baby, but you need to take it easy, okay?"
I nod.
"I'll make you some snacks to take with you." He tells me. "You go get changed for when one of your brothers take you."
I nod again and climb off his lap. I leave his study without another word.
•
Mason holds onto my hand as we walk into the dance studio. Kiera—at the front desk like always—looks up, pausing when she sees Masons scarred face. I fight the urge to make my eyes narrow into a glare. What's she looking at?
She slides her gaze to me and smiles. I send her a small, uncertain one back.
"Elijah told me you're gonna stay with Amalia." Kiera says, looking at Mason again. "There's a spot outside one of the rooms. You guys are early, so you can both sit there until everyone else arrives if you'd like."
I nod, then tug on Masons hand. He looks down at me, then nods to the hall. I begin walking towards the lounge she's talking about, then sit down on one of the sofa chairs. Mason sits beside me.
"Why don't you eat some of your food now? Energise yourself." He tells me.
I shake my head. He arches an eyebrow, and after a second I sigh and grab the box my dad puts my food in. He sets his hand on my shoulder—a comforting touch—and begins to rub the pad of his thumb in circles when I eat a quarter of a sandwich.
"Good girl." He says idly as he pulls his phone out of his pocket, keeping his other hand on my shoulder.
After about ten minutes, I recognise people as they walk into the dance studio, sending me smiles. Holly and Edie are making their way inside when the latter calls out: "Amalia? Are you coming?"
I nod and smile politely at them. Mason kisses my temple before I grab my water bottle and walk over to Holly and Edie. They say hi to me, and then we all walk into the studio, where James and Jess are already sitting on the other side. They glare at me when I walk in. I glare right back.
Beyatches.
•
We're on our third and final break when Jess and James walk over to Ollie, Edie and I. Holly went the toilet, but I think she'll be back soon. Kiera sits in the corner of the studio, scrolling through her phone. Mason is still in the lounge, but when I tried to sit with him he told me to go back in with my friends.
"Who's that guy out there?" Jess asks, even though I'm positive she already knows he's my brother. "Why's he just sitting there? And what's wrong with his face?"
"What's wrong with yours?" I ask.
Ollie snaps his head to me. Edie's eyebrows raise in surprise. Even James and Jess look shocked.
"Wow, the little freaky mute spoke." Jess says after a few moments.
"Never thought I'd see the day." James commentates.
"Shut up." Ollie says.
"Or what?" Jess asks.
"Why are you so rude?" I ask. "I've done nothing to you. Is it because I'm a better dancer? Because that sounds like it's your problem, not mine. You should go sort that out." I say, standing up. Jess glares at me.
"You wish you were better than me."
"Sorry to say it, but I am, and that's clearly what's gotten you so bitter. I can teach you stuff if you want."
She slaps me.
I'm about to hit her back when Kiera quickly interjects. My eyes widen as I look at her. She tries to lunge for me, but Kiera blocks her. "What the hell is going on?"
"She just slapped Amalia!" Edie exclaims.
Kiera arches an eyebrow toward her. "Outside. Now."
Jess swallows the lump in her throat before she follows Kiera outside the room. James tags along behind them, like always.
When they leave, I inhale a breath.
"Amalia. Are you okay?" Ollie asks.
I nod.
•
"Hang on, someone slapped my baby sister and you didn't think to tell me until now?" Mason exclaims.
"I—" Kiera cuts herself off. "There was a lot to handle. We needed to explain it to Jess and James parents—"
"I was right outside the room!" He shouts. I frown. "A little, 'oh, by the way, your sisters being harassed by people in her little dance team and one of the little brats just slapped her' would have been easy!"
I look at him, try to convey with my expression for him to stop shouting, but his narrowed gaze remains on Kiera.
I inhale. He looks down at me, and his eyes soften a fraction. "Come, Amalia, let's go." He says. He sighs pointedly and grabs my hand, walking me out of the studio. I send an apologetic glance to Kiera, who has a regretful look on her face.
When we get to the car, Mason directs me to the backseat. He opens the door for me and waits for me to fasten my seatbelt before getting into the drivers seat and pulling out of the car park.
"I get you wanna do your dances, Amalia, but next time something like that happens, you tell someone. Not your dance teacher, one of us. Okay? Took her a fucking hour to decide it was something I'd need to know."
I nod, the frown now etched into my face. He continues to rant about it on the whole drive home.