The past few days was pretty much a blur. I couldn't even think clearly and the only thought that plagued my mind is the confrontation Aiden and I had with our parents — well, adoptive parents that is. Even when they tried to reach out and try to talk to the both of us, Aiden and I can still find a way to avoid or refuse their approach and they would eventually just stop.
The cycle just goes round and round.
The news reached to both Mom and Dad's siblings and to say that they were shell-shocked would be, well, not an understatement. It was exactly just that and the reason they were rendered speechless was not even the fact of how Aiden and I are just adopted and not a Lee; no, the reason they were shocked was of the way Aiden and I found out the truth. The sting of betrayal was once again renewed when they told me that they all knew from the start. I was merely calm throughout the whole ordeal but I can't really say the same for Aiden.
"What?" Aiden fumed. "You all knew too?"
Aunt Barbara stayed quiet in her place as Aiden narrowed his eyes at them. With a sigh and remorse filling his eyes, Uncle Thomas said, "We wanted to tell both of you, Aiden. Trust me, we really wanted to but James and Eliza asked us not to do such a thing." He sighed. "At first we really detested the fact that they accepted the both of you — a Calbie." Uncle Thomas scoffed just as Uncle Max snorted in his place. "But as time passed, we all grew to adore the both of you. How could we not? You were both so adorable."
"Especially when the both of you were already toddlers." Aunt Carrie said with a smile. "It's simply a beautiful sight to see."
Despite all the things they said, only one question remained in my mind the most. So with furrowed eyebrows and a questioning look on my place, I said, "I still don't understand one thing though." They all looked at me with raised eyebrows. "How did we end up on the Lees's arms?"
"Did the cruel bitch—"
"Aiden!" Aunt Barbara and Aunt Carrie chastised in unison, Uncle Max and Uncle Thomas chuckling as their eyes glinted with mirth.
Even I had to laugh at that.
But, Aiden being Aiden, ignored the reprimand Aunt Barbara and Aunt Carrie just did. "—not like us enough to keep us in her hellhole?"
"Aiden, seriously." Aunt Barbara glared at him. "Watch your language."
"I know what you're doing." Aiden replied, narrowing his eyes back at her. "Don't think I don't know what you're doing."
Aunt Barbara instantly looked at him with an ingenuous expression on her face. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Looking over at the both of them with amusement, I crossed my arms and leaned back on the couch as Aunt Carrie, Uncle Thomas and Uncle Max chuckled silently in their places. "I think we all know here what Aiden meant by his prior statement." I said, Aunt Barbara giving me a wink right after.
"So," Aiden started. "let's try again. How did Amber and I not end up being with the she-devil?"
Aunt Barbara and Aunt Carrie had to visibly control themselves from reprimanding Aiden — again. "I think it would be best if we let James and Eliza explain that part of the story." Aunt Carrie said, a tinge of stress lacing in her voice. "They are the ones who know the whole story after all."
"And as for Zyljan?" I asked. They all looked at me. "Did he know all this time?"
The four adults shared a look before Uncle Max said, "As far as we all know, he doesn't. I think he only knew recently."
"How he did though," Uncle Thomas chorused. "still remains a mystery. Zyljan refuses to share his story with us; says that he should be able to share it with the both of you first before anyone else."
Aiden and I shared a look before we looked back at the curious and questioning faces of the people sitting in front of us. It really isn't hard to see that they're scrutinizing us since their eyebrows are all furrowed together in deep thought and they all have that distinctive looks on their faces that shows they're thinking about something. After all, how could they help themselves from scrutinizing and analyzing every angle they can come across when everything is so out of proportion?
"Where does this leave all of us then?" I asked after a long moment of silence. Upon hearing the words that came out of my mouth, their faces instantly softened just as Aunt Carrie took my hand and gave me a smile.
"We're still family even after all of this." She squeezed my hand. "The both of you may not be part of this family through blood, but you are and always will be part of the Lee family. It's already part of who you are. Who are we to take it away from the both of you when we want you to stay with us just as much as James, Eliza, and Zyljan does?"
See? This is the reason why I try to avoid talking about things like these with them. Everything tends to get so emotional and it always ends up with me crying my eyes out, all red and blotchy on the face.
"And besides," Uncle Max said with a proud glint in his eyes. "The both of you have already more than proved that you belong to this family as much as we do. It's really quite a sight to see, if I'm being honest."
"So we can still see Austin, Dylan, and Paige?" The happy and excited twinkle clearly palpable in Aiden's eyes was really hard to miss. I'm pretty sure even the four adults have seen it, judging by the amused looks plastered on their faces.
"Of course you can. Don't be silly." replied Aunt Barbara.
"Well, I'm glad." Aiden gave us a grin. "Because we already planned on still hanging out and seeing each other even if you didn't allow it."
Does this guy really not know the meaning of secret? I thumped him on the back of his head. "It's called a secret for a reason, you dimwit."
"Amber! Do I have to repeat myself again?" Aunt Carrie glared at me. "Watch your—Oh who am I kidding? You still wouldn't listen even when I have to yell through a megaphone anyway."
"Have you talked to your parents yet?" I heard Chase ask from beside me, pulling me out of my reveries. His forest green eyes bore through my amber ones, a gaze filled with worry as his lips settled in a thin line.
I looked at him then, taking the time to really observe his features. Chase has been visiting quite frequently these past few days, always making sure that Aiden and I are still sane enough to be able to do the things we normally do to the point where Aiden would start feeling irritated and kick him out of the house.
I always get the role of being the neutral party, of course.
"No." I said. "I was planning to but I always manage to talk myself out of it. I don't even know what I should say in the first place. And besides," I looked over at my brother's sleeping form, Chase following my gaze. "Aiden gets all defensive and unruly whenever I mention talking to our parents about the whole thing."
A small chuckle escaped from his lips as he brought me closer to him. "Forget all about your brother's stupidity and tendency to cause ruckus. What do you want to do?"
I sighed. "To clear things up. I want to know everything."
"And given the chance to do that, would you still bring your brother along even though he's completely opposed to the idea?"
Would I? Thinking back to everything that's happened, I guess it would be best not to but he has the right to know the truth despite all the occurring circumstances. To be able to finally clear things up and hear the whole story would surely change things but for the better or for the worse, I'm not sure yet. What I am sure about though is that we would never really know if we don't try.
Besides, it's been a few days. I'm pretty sure that's enough to at least simmer down the feeling of hurt a bit.
With another sigh, I said, "I won't force him if he doesn't want to, but it would be nice to have him with me when we do talk to our parents. It would be easier to know the truth with someone who is in the same boat as you."
As I looked over at Chase again, a grin is slowly forming on his face as his eyes alighted with humor. "Oi, stupid." Chase kicked Aiden on the stomach, making a gasp to escape my lips.
"Chase! What the hell are you doing?" I screeched, earning a laugh from the guy beside me. I glared at him. "Stop that, you idiot! Are you trying to kill him?"
"Amber, honestly. If I wanted to kill Aiden, I would have done it a long time ago." The grin stayed on his face. "Besides, why would I dirty my hands in order to kill him when I could just hire someone to do it for me?"
I spanked him on the arm as a form of reply, eyes glaring as it glinted with malice. "If you so much as lay a finger on my brother, I will personally make your life a living hell."
A carefree laugh escaped his lips then, planting another kick at my brother's stomach. "Chase, seriously! Stop it, you fool!"
"There's no need to be worried. He's actually awake." He sent me a wink before focusing his amused gaze back to Aiden. "Hey, wake up. You heard what she said, didn't you?"
With a grumble, Aiden sat up as he sent a piercing glare to Chase, who seems to be unaffected by it. "Was the kick really necessary?"
Chase shrugged. "It was better than the punch I originally planned."
"Fuck you, seriously." Aiden said, clutching his stomach as he continued to grumble under his breath. His free hand punched Chase on the arm. "That hurt, bastard."
"That was the plan." Chase replied.
I sighed. "Honestly, why do I even bother trying to understand how your friendship works? It's completely impossible to keep up."
Both guys just gave me a cheeky grin.
The kind of friendship Aiden and Chase has is something that you definitely don't see everyday. May it be because of the way they act or they way they regard each other, it doesn't really matter because you would still have a hard time trying to keep up with how fast paced the changes are. One second they're all buddy-buddy then the next it's like they're trying to kill each other.
My friends and I may also be like that, but theirs just surpasses all reason.
"Now, I think it would be nice to give in to Amber's wishes for once." Chase said, directing his statement to Aiden, who is in the process of popping a grape inside his mouth as his other hand reached out for more from the picnic basket.
Aiden chewed his food before saying, "You mean visiting the people who betrayed us?" He scoffed. "No way. Whenever I see them, all I see is red."
The happy-going demeanor Chase had completely vanished as he groaned and looked at his best friend in frustration. "Stop being selfish, pea brain. You're not the only one who's hurt by everything that's happened; Amber is too."
"That's exactly the reason why I don't want to see them." Aiden glared at the ground. "I don't want to see Amber hurting again when she sees them."
"We both know I'm already more than ready to see them again." I chorused, earning the attention of both Aiden and Chase. "It's been a few days, Aiden. We keep brushing them off but despite that, they never gave up and still kept on trying to contact us. Don't you think that's worth trying to give your attention to?"
"No." Aiden replied. "They may only be doing that so they could manipulate us again."
"That's only your opinion though." I said. "If you despise them that much that it reaches to the point where you don't even want to give them a chance to explain themselves, then fine. But I am going to talk to them and demand for an explanation whether you're coming with me or not."
The look my brother gave me was a mixture of irritation and adoration — I just don't know which one prevailed. However, that certain look was enough to make me stand my ground, knowing full well that I have a big chance of having my way since Aiden would literally do anything to make me happy — may it be both a stupid and idiotic one or a logical and reasonable one.
I'm insanely lucky to have this guy as my brother, I tell you.
Especially since he's easily threatened by the looks I give him alone.
A subtle grin appeared on my lips. The perks of having a brother fear you is a wondrous thing.
"Well?" I asked, raising my eyebrows in the process.
He only gave me a scoff in reply. "It's still a no."
As Chase looked at Aiden and I back and forth with an amused look on his face, I narrowed my eyes at my brother while he pointedly tried to ignore the look I was giving him. "Then I guess I'll be going on my own." I stood up, taking note of how my brother's pretentious annoyed look broke as his former expression is now replaced with disbelief. "Good luck getting the truth out of me because I sure as hell won't tell you all about it. Chase, let's go."
"What? You're taking him too?" Aiden asked, his face still contorted in disbelief.
Honestly, it's so amusing to see Aiden acting like this. It's at times like these that makes me want to pat myself at the back for having done a very good job of riling my brother up.
"Of course I am. Don't delude yourself into thinking that you can make Chase stay here. He'll probably die of boredom before he reaches tomorrow."
The scowl on his face was exactly the kind of reaction I was hoping to have. I know, I'm a horrible sister for thinking that.
"Are you seriously going to let her talk about you like that?" The look of disdain on Aiden's face was still present as he transferred his gaze to his shrugging best friend.
Chase stood up from his place with a bounce as he wrapped an arm around me after. "The things she said might possibly be true." He gave his best friend a cheery grin. "And besides, I also so want to know the truth about the whole ordeal. The curiosity is starting to kill me."
"So tagging along with that cunning monster—"
"Hey!" I protested, glaring at Aiden in the process.
"—was for your own betterment too? To aid your curiosity?"
"Yeah. Pretty much."
Aiden growled. "I really fucking hate you right now."
Chase laughed. "That's really nothing new. You tell me that almost everyday, I'm immune to it by now."
"As amusing as this whole thing is, Chase and I actually really do have to get going if we want to catch Mom and Dad at the flesh." I gave my brother a mocking smile.
After staring at me for the longest time, he stood up from the picnic blanket with a sigh as he gave me scowl. "Fine. I'll let you have your way this time and go with you."
I laughed at him then, highly amused by the things coming out of his mouth. Does he really think I don't think things through when I deal with him? "I always have my way, especially when it comes to both you and Zyljan." I sneaked a glance at the grinning Chase beside me. "And occasionally, Chase too."
"Well, that's really the one thing I can't deny."
Aiden smacked Chase at the back of his head. "You're supposed to disagree with the thing she just said, you shithead."
"Who are you calling shithead, shithead?" Chase retaliated as he rubbed the spot Aiden just possibly injured.
I sighed.
I'm stuck with idiots for the rest of my life.
— = — = —
I breathed in a huge breath before releasing it all in one sigh as Chase, Aiden and I stood in front of the door the three of us are so used to seeing until a few days ago.
Being here for probably the first time since the truth was out is kind of nerve-wracking and comforting all at once. Of course it is, considering how this is the place where we spend most of our time in, no matter the occasion or the circumstance. And so, being here today for another reason is, once again, nerve-wracking and comforting all at once.
A nudge came from my side. I looked at my equally nervous-looking brother. "Ring the damn doorbell already."
I gave him a scowl. "Just wait, you idiot."
Chase tried to cover up his laughter with a cough, making both Aiden and I to give him a glare. He immediately straightened out after that. "Right. I'll just stay silent here."
"Alright, enough with the chatter. Just ring the doorbell so we can get this over and done with." Aiden said as he heaved in a breath and crossed his arms.
Sending him an annoyed look, I said, "If you're so impatient, why don't you ring the doorbell yourself?"
He scoffed. "As if I would touch that thing. I haven't touched that before, I'm not planning to touch that now."
"Damn you and your fear for doorbells."
"I don't fear doorbells!" Although the conviction in his words is very convincing, the blush on his cheeks is enough of a dead giveaway that what I'm saying is absolutely true.
Seriously, Aiden and doorbells just don't end well. The last time I tried to make him touch that thing, he ended up giving me a few bruise here and there for pushing me out of the way too hard as he tried to escape the deathly grip I had on him. It was quite an amusing sight and a memorable experience — just except for the part where I ended up groaning on the floor in pain as he rushed over to me and looked at me with both concern and mirth.
I would have really liked to punch him on the face during that incidence, honestly.
Unfortunately though, Zyljan arrived before I could even land a blow on Aiden's face.
Dang.
This time, Chase was not able to hold in his laughter. "You have a weird fear of doorbells?" The mirth swirling in his eyes is incredibly hard to miss. "What kind of normal being fears a doorbell?"
"That's because Aiden isn't normal at all." I answered, transferring my gaze back to the door in front of me.
All of a sudden, Chase left my side and stride towards Aiden, who had a mortified look on his face, making me gaze at the pair with a curious look on my face. Chase immediately grabbed Aiden's hand and guided it towards the doorbell. As soon as Aiden noticed his best friend's intention, his eyes widened as he tried to move away.
"Fuck." He cursed, writhing in Chase's grip. "Let go of me, moron."
Chase being Chase, paid no heed to Aiden's words as he cackled and continued guiding Aiden's hand towards the doorbell. "Is that any way to talk to the person holding you hostage?"
"I swear. If you don't let go of me this fucking instant, I will—"
Before Aiden could continue his sentence, the door suddenly flung open, making the three of us freeze in our place.
"I thought I heard voices here."
"Shit." I mentally punched myself. Did I really say that out loud? In front of this person too?
Familiar hazel eyes stared back at me, slight disapproval swirling in them but said nothing to reprimand me from my previous word. Instead, she merely pressed her lips in a thin line and released a sigh before sending me a small smile.
Well I'll be damned.
Why can't she look like someone I can hate so I can act like a total bitch without feeling guilty about it? Seeing her again after all this time only reopened old wounds and made my heart hurt even more it already has.
"Hello, Amber." Mom smiled. "What a surprise seeing you here." She looked at the two boys beside me, eyes alighting with unvoiced mirth. "And you brought along Aiden and Chase too."
"I can't say it was easy convincing Aiden to be here though." I replied, making a laugh to escape her lips.
"Oh I'm sure. Aiden is quite a stubborn child."
With those words, Aiden and Chase straightened out in their places and stared right at Mom's amused eyes. Chase scratched the back of his head as he gave her a sheepish smile while Aiden tried his hardest to plaster a blank and stoic look on his face, as if she didn't just see him squirming and shouting obscenities at Chase for the thing he is about to do.
"No I'm not." Aiden said as he regarded Mom with a look of wariness.
Mom laughed again. "See?"
I merely gave her a tentative smile.
Upon seeing the lack of reaction from both Aiden and I, she sighed in her place and dropped all attempts of easing the atmosphere. It's clear with the way her shoulders sagged and how her eyes now turned dull, making her look older than she is, along with the black bags under her eyes. Mom is usually so kept and clean but right now, as I took in her appearance, she looks like she went through hell and back and could really care less about how she looks.
Seeing her like this makes me feel even more guilty for worrying her so much and making her go through so much pain during the whole time Aiden and I went on the run.
I just hope my brother feels the same way I'm feeling right now.
"I assume the both of you finally heeded our pleas about hearing your father and I's explanation?" She asked. "The truth about what really happened?"
Aiden and I shared a look before we both looked back at the woman standing before us and nodded our heads at her question.
"I'm still not keen about going through this whole ordeal, just so you know." Aiden stated, a tinge of annoyance lacing in his tone of voice.
Gritting my teeth, I growled lowly and faced Aiden to give him a glare. "Stop being difficult and stay quiet. If you can't at least do that much then leave."
"And then you'll come home, relaying the story Mom and Dad has said while I comfort you once more and listen to you talk?"
At times like these, I wish I don't have such an annoying brother. I don't know he really manages to do it but he gets under my skin, sometimes not even having a clue that he's already done just that.
"I will not be relaying anything to you, stupid. If you want to hear the whole story, then stay, listen and shut the hell up." He fidgeted under my glare.
As he probably noticed that he's now treading on thin ice, he merely grunted in response and mumbled a few things under his breath while Chase listened intently to his best friend's silent rant, laughing and cackling at appropriate times.
Chase can sympathize with Aiden for as long as possible, but he's absolutely shit when it comes to empathizing about certain things e.g. the current situation he is currently on with Aiden.
I heard Mom sigh in front of me. "I guess it can't be helped." She muttered. "Aiden will always be his stubborn self no matter what."
"Can we just go inside now?" Aiden asked in an irate manner, mouth curling up in a scowl as Chase, Mom and I stared at him in vague amusement.
"Impatient as always." I said, ignoring his glare as I walked inside the house, taking in my surroundings, the warm feeling in my chest growing upon seeing the familiar and cozy atmosphere that has been in my sight for eighteen years.
Mom, Chase and Aiden followed suit, Mom standing beside me as she put a hand on my shoulder. The action was so sudden that it took me completely by surprise, making me look at her with a questioning look on my face but she just sent me a soft smile. "Come on. Let's all gather at the living room."
Following her movements, I walked behind her as she led us to the living room, Aiden and Chase walking behind me. As we arrived at the part of the house we're supposed to be, I was expecting it to be empty and completely untouched, incredibly clean and not a single thing out of place since Mom and Dad rarely ever spend their time in here, preferring to be cooped up in their respective studies while they do some unfinished work. However, that was not the sight that greeted me upon entering the room.
There, lo and behold, sat Dad reading something probably business related while he sipped his coffee leisurely and Zyljan tapping away on his phone as his eyebrows furrowed together in frustration. But the thing that amazed me the most was all the papers scattered on the coffee table as Mom's, Dad's and Zyljan's laptop all perched in front of their seats.
"Um," I said, gaining all of their attention. "is this a bad time to come over and take all of you up on your offer of explaining things?"
The happy glint in their eyes was seriously hard to miss. I barely even had the time to gather my thoughts or take in their different expressions when Zyljan suddenly engulfed me in a bone crushing hug, making me feel like all air is whizzed out of my system.
"I never thought I would ever see you here again." He mumbled, burying his head in my hair as my arms stayed limply by my side.
"Uh, yeah." I replied.
Well, that's definitely one way of showing your enthusiasm.
Probably noticing my discomfort, I noticed how his hug loosened slightly as his shoulders visibly sagged in utter defeat. I'm a bad person. Here he is, trying to make amends, but I continuously act like a spoiled brat. He let me go completely and gave me squeeze on the shoulder before sending me a tentative smile.
Before I could even come up with a smile of my own, he's already moving towards Aiden, an unfathomable look plastered on his face as he stood in front of the ever stubborn Aiden. Although Zyljan looks completely calm and collected on the outside, I doubt that's what he's actually feeling inside. Being in close proximity to someone who was mad at you the last time you met is weirdly unnerving. You can never really know what thoughts are plaguing both my brothers' minds, seeing as both of them are incredibly reserved when the circumstance presents itself, so right now, I have no idea whether they would beat the hell out of each other or tolerate the other with a tense aura surrounding both guys.
"Hey." Zyljan greeted, face void of any emotion as he looked at Aiden in the eye.
I expected Aiden to greet Zyljan with the same words. However, as most of you can see, this is Aiden we're talking about here and he has his own way of reacting to things. So just like any other way he would handle situations like these, he landed a hard blow on Zyljan's left cheek.
Violent junkie.
"You complete idiot!" I hissed, smacking him on the head before I instantly went to Zyljan to examine the punch he just received.
Mom and Dad were beside Zyljan in an instant. Mom's eyes glinted with unbridled concern over her first born as she examined his face, Dad mimicking Mom's actions.
"You've still got a mean right hook, my boy." Dad told Aiden after he had a look at the punch on Zyljan's face.
Even I noticed the smirk and the proud look Aiden is trying so hard to suppress. Chase probably noticed it too because he let out a silent laugh and inconspicuously patted his best friend on the back. I'm pretty sure Dad did too, judging by the satisfied smirk that made its way onto his face.
Looking over at my injured brother, I questioned, "Are you okay?"
Oddly enough, Zyljan just let out a chuckle as he composed himself and regarded Aiden with a look filled with mirth. "I guess I deserved that."
Aiden seemed slightly appalled by the mirth-ridden expression on Zyljan's face, considering how his eyebrows furrowed together in confusion before saying, "What the fuck is wrong with you?"
Mom huffed as she eyed Aiden with disapproval. "Aiden honestly. Filter your words, at least." She crossed her arms. "And don't say that word so casually."
"What word?" Aiden asked. "You mean fuck? Fuck, fuck, fuck, fu—"
"Do you really want your tongue to be sliced off?" I interrupted him, seeing through his plan of provoking Mom.
This time, Zyljan laughed loudly. "God, I've missed this."
"And you're still stupid as always, I see." Aiden retaliated, earning another round of laughter from Zyljan.
Okay honestly, I really think there's something wrong with Zyljan. He never really laughs this much, especially not during serious situations like this one. I guess what recently happened can change people in such short span of time.
"Hey Zyl." I said. "What are you doing here anyway? I thought you're supposed to be on your honeymoon with Alyssa right about now?"
He looked at Mom and Dad before giving me a sheepish smile. "Yeah well, there was a change of plans."
"What do you mean change of plans?" I questioned.
"I mean like Alyssa knew about what happened and thought that it would be best to postpone the honeymoon for a little while. After all, we have enough time to do that."
Furrowing my eyebrows at his words, I looked at Aiden, who merely gave me a shrug, before looking back at Zyljan. "So basically, Alyssa suggested postponing the honeymoon?"
"Yeah, pretty much."
"Well," Aiden said with a smirk. "looks like everything's not going smoothly in wonderland after all."
Zyljan gave him a scowl. "She was just telling me that I should sort everything out before going to the honeymoon, considering how my mind wouldn't even be there."
"In my opinion, I think she's just making up some excuse to avoid being intimate with you." Aiden with a smirk.
I sighed in my place. Aiden is so stupid for wanting to rile Zyljan up. Did he really not learn anything during the whole time we were with Aiden? A riled up Zyljan is not the best Zyljan; he can take you out with one shot and you won't even know what hit you.
Yes, my brother is that cynical.
Hell, even Aiden and my parents are that cynical.
"Do you have a death wish or something?" I questioned Aiden, who in turn merely gave off a jubilant laughter.
"If you really want to die that much, you should have just said so. I can find an assassin who can kill you with one hit." Chase said, making Aiden to glare at him, Zyjan and I to laugh and Mom and Dad to cough vehemently in their place.
"Good to know you've got my back." Aiden said sarcastically. "Really, it's such an honor to be in your debt."
Chase wiped a fake tear off his eyes. "Such gratitude coming from you is touching."
"I absolutely have no idea why I bother with the both you. You're both still idiots no matter how long time has passed by." I said, exasperation clearly evident in my tone of voice.
They both merely gave me a frown in reply.
Mom let out a soft giggle as Dad let out a chuckle. "I guess some things never really do change." Mom said with a smile.
Ain't that right.
"Anyway," I turned to Zyljan. "where is Alyssa anyway?"
"She probably ran off and hid somewhere far away from you." Aiden chorused in a nonchalant tone before Zyljan could even form a reply.
The latter shot Aiden a glare. "Say one more word and I will wring your neck."
"Zyljan!" Mom chastised. "There will be no wringing of necks!"
"Mom, Zyljan was kidding." I said, giving Mom a blank look.
She shot me a stern look in return, making me flinch in my place. Even when it's been a few days and probably a long time of seeing that look on her face, it still manages to make me feel all nervous and fear for my life. Mom can be pretty intimidating when she wants to. "Threatening someone with violent measures is not a good thing at all. Didn't I teach you children all about that?"
Aiden moved closer to me and whispered in my ear, "She's onto us. We should probably run and hide."
I turned to look at him and gave him a smirk. "That's terribly cowardly of you, isn't it? Not to mention a very perfect example of hypocrisy."
He growled and sent me a scowl. "Shut up, wench." He pushed me to the side.
"Hey!" I gave him a glare.
Aiden merely stuck his tongue out at me.
How incredibly childish of him.
I rolled my eyes at him before looking at Zyljan with an expectant stare. "Well? Where is your wife?"
Zyljan immediately blushed after hearing those words from my mouth, making a smirk to form on my lips. "Looks like even after you're married, you still blush whenever someone addresses Alyssa that way."
Aiden laughed loudly. "God Zyljan, how stupid of you."
I smacked Aiden on the back of his head once again. "You stupid idiot."
"You're always so violent." Aiden mumbled as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Anyway," Zyljan said. "To answer your question, she's off somewhere attending some important meeting."
"See? I told you she ran off somewhere far away from you." Aiden said. "She probably doesn't want to see you anymore."
"I swear, if you don't shut up, I will personally make you shut up." I said in between gritted teeth.
"Yeah! Tell him, Amber!" Zyljan exclaimed.
"Zyljan!" Mom said in a stern voice. "Behave, all of you!"
He gave Mom a frown. "But Aiden started it!"
"No, you did!" Aiden protested with a glare.
"I say you two are even." The nonchalance in my voice was enough to make both my brothers glare at me.
"Alright. As pleasant as everything is right now, I think it would be much better if we deal with the problem at hand first." Dad said, immediately making all of us drop the smiles and laughs we just recently shared together.
Chase cleared his throat. "I think this is my cue to leave." He turned to me. "I'll be in the backyard if you need me."
Aiden turned to gape at his best friend. "I thought you said you came here so you can sate your own curiosity?"
"Well yeah, but this is a family matter. It would be wrong of me to intrude, especially when all of you are dealing with such pressing matters." He said, making me raise my eyebrow at him.
Who would have thought Chase could actually be this thoughtful?
"Surprisingly, that's extremely generous, considering this is you we're talking about." Zyljan commented, earning a scowl from the man in question.
"Thank you, Chase." Mom said, clearly preventing from making any more arguments to ensue.
Chase merely nodded his head before heading off to the backyard to leave the five us alone to talk.
The five us shared a look before Dad cleared his throat and said, "Well, let's get this over with, why don't we?"