"I...what?" I asked staring at the woman in confusion. She was glaring at me in a way that made me feel very uncomfortable. Octavia stood up and touched the woman's arm, but the woman ignored her so she looked to me.
"She's my aunt," she signaled. "I haven't seen her since my mom's funeral. She just showed up." I looked at her and then at her aunt and my head was full of fluff. This wasn't a great time. I shook my head and said, "You need to get out of my house."
"Two days ago I get a call from some private number telling me that my brother is dead. I show up to his house and find his daughter missing. I contact the landlord and hear some kid handed in his keys. His apartment is empty. Her clothes are gone. I immediately think the worst. So I ask around and find out she's living with the abomination that killed him!"
I stared at her for a long moment and then began laughing. Octavia's eyes widened and she began shaking her head frantically. The woman looked as if I had slapped her.
I flapped my hand through the air shaking my head and crying, "I'm sorry, I--" Laughter gripped me once more. I couldn't stop. It was terrible, but I could hardly see straight after that party. I covered my mouth with both hands and folded over nearly collapsing to the ground.
The woman scoffed and grabbed onto Octavia's hand dragging her towards the door yelling, "You'll be hearing from my lawyer! I'll sue you for emotional distress!"
"Emotional distress!" I cried straightening up and diving in front of the door to prevent them from leaving. Octavia looked bewildered and she was trying to tug her hand out of her aunt's grasp.
I pointed at the woman with a finger and snapped, "I saved Octavia's life! You're brother was a violent drunk who abused his daughter! The night we met I found him screaming at her about to shove a broken bottle into her face!"
I grabbed the woman's arm and wrenched it away from Octavia causing her to cry out. I pushed Octavia behind me and said, "And seeing as you come from the same stock I'm not letting you take Octavia anywhere."
The woman glared at me and retorted, "And seeing as you are nothing but a filthy Dark, I'll definitely not be letting her stay here!" I looked at Octavia and asked, "What did you tell her?" She smiled anxiously and replied, "I told her you saved my life. I tried to explain that you were good and I was happy here...but her sign language isn't very good."
I sighed and turned back to the woman and inquired, "What right do you have to tell her where she can and can't stay?" She crossed her thick arms over her large chest and replied, "I'm the only family she has left and according to my brother's will I am her legal guardian now that he's...he's..." She trailed off and her small greyish blue eyes glossed over with the threat of tears. I suddenly felt a pang of guilt.
She had lost someone. Maybe she didn't know what kind of man her brother was. Maybe he hadn't always been that way. Maybe the death of his wife had lead him to drink. I didn't know. I couldn't know.
I felt Octavia tap me on the shoulder and I looked at her. She held up her hands and said, "Tell her I plan on getting emancipated and I would like to stay here until I do." I nodded slowly and looked at the woman who was dabbing at the corner of her eyes with the sleeve of her light sweater.
"Octavia wants to get emancipated and she wants to stay here while she does," I said hoping that maybe if I were calm and reasonable this wouldn't end badly. The woman looked at Octavia and then at me and she shook her head.
"No. She comes home with me...tonight. I can't let her stay with a whatever you are," she said and I bit down on my tongue. Calm and reasonable. Calm and reasonable. It didn't help that I could still taste Barapha and the world was sparkling around the edges.
"Did you hear the part where I saved her life? She's not in any danger here, I sw--"
At that moment the door opened and Sissy and Taylor came dancing through the doorway. Their formal wear ripped and falling off, Sissy glowing with reddish light, Taylor pink with lust and halfway through shifting into the blonde hunk he had been for his latest gig.
"Oh, la, Chasey, did you find someone else to snack on?" Sissy trilled her voice ringing abnormally loud through the apartment and I cringed. Her glowing blue eyes focused slowly on Octavia's aunt and she giggled saying, "A bit old for my taste, brother, but completely stacked. Someplace I'd like to lay my head and take a nap!" She and Taylor laughed raucously and he took her by the waist twirling her unsteadily through the living room and collapsing on the pull-out couch. They began making out and I cleared my throat awkwardly looking down at the floor.