Isn't it strange? How quickly time flies by when you are enjoying it the most.
Sonia slumped down on the living room couch besides James. It had been the shortest and the most thrilling three hours of her life so far. Dim had finally taught her how to ride the bike.
And it was a hell of a experience, she thought and winced as James put his hand around her shoulders.
"What is it?" He asked straightening up and removing his hand.
"Err, nothing," she smiled and tried to discourage any further questions by locking her eyes on the T.V screen.
"Sonia, don't act. Everyone knows you don't like baseball reviews," his voice turned stern and Sonia had to gulp down the sudden bulge in her throat, “What happened?" He asked again.
"Nothing Uncle. It's just that," she scrambled around in her head for a way to escape, "- I am so tired," she finished and mocked a yawn as she rose up from her seat.
"Sonia! Sit," it was a command and she sat back down instantly.
"Dimitri," he called out just as Dim entered the room.
"Here," he answered.
"What's wrong with her?"
"Fell from the bike," Dim answered bluntly and handed Sonia a couple of aspirins and a glass of water. She quickly gulped them down, her eyes not leaving the floor.
"And?" James pressed.
"And hurt her arm and shoulder. The skin's all scratched up pretty bad. Had it looked at by the doctor on the way back. But it will be better if Aunt takes a look too," he finished and Sonia felt as if he was giving a report to his superior.
James listened without a sound. After a few moments, he spoke, "Let me see."
Sonia looked up, ready to decline but the look in James' eyes spoke otherwise. Quickly she rolled up the sleeve of her left hand and winced when it stopped at the bandages.
James simply got up and walked to his room. She looked up at Dim. He gave her a casual shrug and smiled. It didn't assure her in any way though.
James came back and handed her a shirt, "Go change. Then back here," he said and took his place again on the couch. Sonia dragged her feet but did as he said.
When she got back the shirt making her look like a scarecrow, Dim and James were busy enjoying the game.
James saw her and smiled as he patted the seat next to him, "Come here child."
He turned to her as she sat and she hesitantly began rolling up the sleeve again, but James stopped her by putting his hand over her's.
"You are like my daughter. No, you are my daughter," he smiled as he squeezed her hand softly before removing his away, "So don't worry," he looked in her eyes with such love that she had to blink back tears.
Popping a button open, she moved one side of the shirt down her shoulder.
James quietly extended his hand, and like a doctor doing a surgery, Dim handed over a cutter to him. He snipped the bandages and unwound them carefully. Sonia bit the inside of her cheek to hold in the groan.
She heard James take in a sharp breath as the bandages finally came off. But she didn't dare look at him. However, she had to look at her arm. Her breath hitched at the sight of it.
The skin looked raw and angry. Scratches from where she had skid over the gravel, had spread all over the area.
It had not looked so bad through her shirt. But Dim had covered her eyes as if she was a child when the doctor had tore the sleeve away. And so, she hadn't got a chance to take a proper look at it.
"Dim, she was your responsibility," James spoke tightly.
Sonia's eyes widened with fear as she finally looked at him through her eyelashes. She had never seen him so angry.
"Yes," was all Dim said.
"Then why the hell did you not take care of her," he raged at Dim.
Dim kept quiet, not uttering a word but she could not bear it.
"It's none of his fault," she said and James head whipped in her direction.
Sonia cringed back in fear. His eyes were black. She blinked but they were still black.
"Uncle your eyes," she scooted forward, worried for him.
He shut his eyes quickly and looked away. Sonia touched his arm.
"Are you alright Uncle?" When he did not reply, she bit her lip and looked at Dim for help. He merely kept looking at her.
"Uncle I'm so sorry. It was not Dim's fault. I was so excited that I increased the speed all of a sudden and..." She trailed off when she still did not get any response. Tears welled up in her eyes as her Uncle still kept his face turned away from her.
She placed her palm on his face and made him turn to her, "He saved me, Uncle," she said quietly and his eyes flew open, they were still black, but she didn't pay any mind to it, "If he hadn't pulled me to him, I would have cracked my head on the boulder. He saved me," she repeated again, "And he's more hurt than me," she looked over at Dim.
"I'm fine," he mumbled.
"Your safety is more important," James said making her look at him. He covered her hands on his cheeks and bringing them to his lips, kissed her palms, "I can't see you hurt," he whispered, wiping a tear from her face, "I can't see tears in your eyes."
Tears rolled down her cheeks as she couldn't hold back. Wrapping her arms around him, she buried her face in his chest as she cried.
No one, ever, had loved her so much. All her life, she longed for a father's love, questioning what it felt like when she saw other girls laughing with their fathers. And now, she understood what it was and how it felt, but from a completely unexpected source.
James wrapped her in his warmth, taking care not to touch her shoulder and gently kissed her head, "I love you, angel," he whispered over her.
"Hey! Can I get a hug too?" Dim asked making them both laugh.
Sonia pulled away from James and held open her arms for Dim. He grinned his cocky grin as he got up and sat next to her. She was pulled in his lap as his arms wrapped around her.
"I am so sorry sweetheart," he mumbled.
"It was not your fault," she whispered and pulled away.
"Uncle Jamey?" She called out.
"Yes."
"I'm hungry."
James laughed, "You go freshen up. I will make something," he got up and went out to the kitchen.
She lingered a moment more in Dim's embrace, then got up. He looked at her in confusion.
"I will just get fresh then," she said.
He smiled at her as he took the remote from beside him and was back to the game.
Sonia went upstairs and changes into soft pyjamas.
Thank goodness, Uncle does not know about these, she thought and gulped as she looked at the gauge around her leg.
Once she had done brushing her hair, she walked over to the bathroom and washed her face.
"Someone will have to put bandage," she mumbled as she tilted her head to look properly at her shoulder. Surely, it will scar, but she ignored that. Uncle Jamey and Dim had shown their affection due to this and she was okay with a scar. God knew, she had many invisible ones.
As she went down, the aroma of waffles drifted to her. Smacking her lips, she climbed down the rest of the stairs and went over to join Dim at the kitchen table, hot waffles topped with ice cream already waiting for her.
Dim left shortly after, kissing her on the forehead and promising another riding lesson once her wounds had healed enough.
"Where's Ian?" She asked James who was cleaning the dishes. She was not allowed to touch anything and thus was slumped on the chair, stuffed well with ice cream.
"Must be out with Gage," he wiped his hands on a towel, and turned around, "Now let's take care of that," he said pointing with his chin to her shoulder. Walking over to the kitchen phone, he dialled a number and waited it to be answered. Then he started speaking in hushed tones.
Sonia was unable to hear him properly and thought it rude to lean closer. So she just hummed to herself.
Soon enough, James hung up and turned to her, "Your aunt will be here in a little while," getting up, he held out his hand, "let's watch a movie till then."
Sonia smiled at him as she took his hand.
***
Ian opened the front door still laughing with Gage over Jake. He slapped Jake on the back, "It's alright," he managed to not laugh by biting his cheek but Gage burst off behind them.
"Go to hell," Jake hissed and stomped off towards the living room. Ian and Gage followed him. Abruptly, Jake came to a stop, causing them to bump into him.
"Hey-" Gage started.
"Oh my God," Jake whispered and hurried to where Sonia sat on the couch.
Caroline was clicking to her as she continued to apply a salve on her shoulder and arm while James had her head on his shoulder.
"What happened?" Jake asked kneeling in front of her.
Sonia smiled weakly at him but her eyes were puffy, "Hi," she whispered.
"Mom, you cleaned here wounds?" Ian asked in disbelief.
"Yes," Sonia replied for her, "But it doesn't hurts now," she smiled at Caroline, "Besides, Uncle Jamey held me throughout it."
"But how did this happen?" Gage asked joining Jake.
"I fell from the bike. Dim got me in time or else I would've been in the hospital," she joked and James' arm tightened around her waist, pulling her more into him.
"James! Let go. You'll hurt her," Caroline scolded and he loosened his hold. She finished off her work quickly.
"Thanks Aunt," Sonia smiled at her.
"My poor child," Caroline gave her a quick hug, "if you scare me like this ever again, you'll be grounded for good."
"Thank God you are okay," Jake said and kissed her forehead.
"Yeah," Gage too pecked her.
Ian swallowed, "I am grateful too," he came forward and pecked her other cheek.
She giggled making everyone smile.
"How about some horror movie?" Ian asked as he slumped on the loveseat, making a face at the current movie playing on TV.
"But what about the earlier plan?" Sonia asked.
All heads in the room whipped to her, the looks daring her to speak another word.
She gulped and shrugged her good shoulder, "I'm cool."
"Okay. I'll just text Emm and Dim too," James said taking out his phone.
Sonia excused herself and went up to her room. There she slipped up the loose leg of her pant up to her knee. A heavy breath escaped her lips and she looked at the soiled bandage on her leg.
Should have got it looked at by Aunt, she thought, then winced at the memory of the burn Caroline's antiseptic had caused.
She was not able to hold in her cries and as such Uncle Jamey had held her close to him all the while whispering soothing words and apologizing to her.
She didn't want him to see this. Limping to the bathroom, she got a pair of scissors and cut the bandages unwrapping them.
She sat down on the shut toilet seat and tilted her leg to examine the damage. It didn't hurt as nasty as it looked.
Getting back up, Sonia retrieved the bottle of antiseptic and salve from the counter beneath the sink before coming back to her seat. Caroline had instructed her to clean the wound on her shoulder and apply the salve before going to bed and as such had informed about its whereabouts.
"Have to stock up for boys. They don't tend to inform about their scratches and I don't wanna embarrass them so this works," she had rambled while cleaning her wounds earlier.
But even Caroline didn't knew about her leg. It was just Sonia, Dim and the doc.
Sonia hissed as the medicine caused it to burn. Tears filled her eyes. She gritted her teeth and dapped a bit more causing more pain to erupt.
Taking a breath, she stopped.
"I have to do this on my own", she mumbled, clutching the bottle hard, "or else Uncle Jamey will know and Dim will have to bear the scold."
She touched the gash again and whimpered. She was gripping the bottle so hard that her knuckles turned white. Unable to bear, she got up and went to the bathtub. Turning the tap on, she washed her leg, tears flowing freely now and emptied the tub. She braced her leg on the edge of the tub and lightly dabbed it with a towel to remove the excess water.
Once done, she turned around to get the salve form where she had placed it by the sink earlier when suddenly the door opened and Ian barged in. He yelped and she shrieked at the same time.
"I...I am really sorry," he turned around quickly and walked for the door but stopped after a couple of steps. Turning back to her, his eyes narrowed in confusion as he looked at her face.
"You are crying," he whispered.
His gaze moved to the bottle in her hand and slowly it moved down, searching, to her leg. It stayed there for a few seconds before flashing back to meet her eyes.
"Foolish girl!" he exclaimed as he strode to her, "you hurt your leg too?" His eyes were filled with concern as he looked at her body searching for any other injury. But still, it made her gulp with fear. Uncle Jamey would be so angry with her.
"Let me see," Ian said before he crouched down on one knee. He tried to touch her leg but she winced, making him pull his hand away. Not able to see properly, he got up with a huff.
"Let’s go to your room," he grabbed her hand and pulled her behind him.
She whimpered due to the jerky moment and he stopped.
"Shit," he mumbled and snatched the salve away from her hand and placed it by the sink.
Then he simply placed one hand behind her back and one beneath her knees. Before she knew, he swept her off her feet and carried her in his arms.
Reaching her room, he gently placed her on the edge of the bed and knelt down again.
"It’s worse than your shoulder," he whispered and got up.
Sonia quickly grabbed his hand, "Please don’t tell Uncle Jamey. It doesn't even hurt."
Ian frowned at her request, "I was about to get that salve."
Immediately, she let go of his hand and closing her eyes, hung her head down.
Ian quickly retrieved the salve and applied it gently, blowing softly when she winced. When it was done he wiped his hands on a towel she had brought with her.
"It will be better by morning," he said and she nodded. Sighing he sat beside her and draped his arm around her shoulders careful not to touch her wound.
"Why didn't you tell Dad about it?"
Sonia hesitated before speaking, "It was not Dim's fault, but Un - Uncle Jamey shouted at him. If - If he knows about this then no doubt Dim will-"
"Are you afraid of Dad?" Ian interrupted.
"Err yes. I mean no. I mean-" she let out a frustrated breath and threw up her hands, "He looked kinda scary. I had never seen him so angry. On second thought, I hadn't even seen him angry before today."
Ian scooted closer, if that was even possible. He turned her face to him with his finger, "Don't worry. If it assures you, we five have gone through a lot of such outbursts. It's not that bad if you don't ponder over it. And Dim? Hah," he waved it off with his hand and roll of eyes, "He's the one who never gets bothered by such things. Don’t worry," he repeated.
Sonia looked away and her shoulders slumped. Something in Ian tugged at seeing her so sad. He pulled her more into his side, "Come on sugar, cheer up," he smiled as she stiffened. He just had to rule her up a bit.
"Will you stop calling me that?" She asked looking at him.
Ian leaned in until there were mere inches between their faces, "Nope. Sugar."
Her eyes flared but before she could retort, Ian was up, "Let's go. Don’t wanna keep others waiting now, do we my sugar?"
Sonia got up and stomped out of the room - that is as much as her leg would allow- muttering, "I am surely gonna kill you someday."
Ian grinned and followed her.
***
When she returned, they had all settled in the living room quite comfortably.
Dim - as was his habit- was on the floor with a blanket and heaps of pillows. Gage was on the love seat while Ian was slouching in a bean - bag - he had brought from his room. Emm was on the couch on one side of Sonia while Jake on the other.
The boys had prepared well for the night in such a short notice. There were boxes of pizza, pastries, doughnuts, chips and cokes and most importantly popcorn. Sonia grabbed a bowl as soon as she settled down.
Gage started the movie and turned off the lights. Sonia smiled into the dark but it lasted a few minutes. Her smile faded the moment she learnt it was a horror movie. She gulped and moved closer to Emm. Instinctively, his arm came around her and she felt safe.
As the movie progressed, so did Sonia's anxiety. She was so snuggled into Emm that she might as well be a part of him. Not that he seemed to mind though.
Dim, who was sitting, resting his back against the sofa had gently placed her injured leg on a huge pillow so that the ever enthusiastic fellas didn't kick it.
The idiot woman in the movie went in the direction of the eerie sound. Sonia repeatedly whispered, "No, no. Don't go there. It will kill you, stupid." And as expected, after a few scrambles in the dark, and roaming around in the basement, a ghost floated in and attacked her. Sonia let out a loud scream and buried her head in Emm's shoulder.
"Gage, stop this at once," Emm ordered, his voice hard.
Gage snickered, "Just admit it you are scared too," but complied when Emm let out a quiet growl.
"Hey," Emm ran his hand over her hair, "It’s alright. Just a dumb movie."
She pulled away from him and looked up at his face, then she turned to look at others watching her.
"Can we not watch some other movie?" She asked biting her lower lip, "An action movie?" They all continued to watch her warily, "G.I Joes?" She suggested and instantly their faces lit up.
"I'll put that up," Gage rushed over to plug in the CD.
They all settled back. Sonia smiled as Emm pulled her back, snuggling her in his side, making her comfortable.
***
She was warm. But it felt nice. Sonia snuggled more into the warm blanket. A sigh left her lips as she felt it engulf her. But something felt wrong. She rubbed her face on the warm pillow. Yes. Something was definitely wrong.
The pillow, her eyes shot open as she realised what or rather who was the pillow. She moved back a bit. Emm was sleeping, his head resting against the back of the couch, she being completely snuggled into him and his arm wrapped around her waist.
Instead of feeling awkward or embarrassed, she rather felt safe and secured in his arms. Looking around, she noticed the others were knocked out, too. Gage in the love seat, while Ian was sprawled on the beanbag like a drunkard, Dim was still on the floor with his hand on her ankle, the warmth seeping through his hand felt like a cocoon. Sonia smiled as she found Jake on the other side of her. His head resting on the arm rest and his mouth a bit open.
Assuming it was too early, she decided not to wake anyone. Slowly, she unwrapped Emm's arm from around her, then leaning forward, moved Dim's hand away from her leg. Lovingly, she ran her hand over Dim's hair and got up as slowly as she could.
Getting up, she looked at the guys and smiled. She felt happy. Never in her life had she been this content.
Bending down, she kissed Dim lightly on the forehead, then all the others. When she came over to Ian, she felt somehow weird pecking him. Shrugging it off, she padded upstairs.
Sonia went through her morning ritual quite quickly as she decided to skip shower. It was Sunday after all, and who took shower so early? Sundays were for pyjamas.
She delighted in the serenity of being the only one up as she entered the kitchen. Rubbing her hands together, she decided to return the efforts the boys had put up for her and got into action.
Soon enough, just as she had expected, one by one, everyone started pouring into the kitchen and just like that, it turned into a hustling shuffling place. Greetings were grumbled, backs were thumped and places were all too soon secured.
Ian entered the kitchen still rubbing his eyes.
The first person he saw as he opened his eyes fully was Sonia. She had her hair tied up on the top of her head in a rather messy bun. A few tendrils danced on her cheek, lightly grazing them as she leaned forward to place something on the table.
The first voice he heard amongst the noise was her laughter as Gage did something foolish.
The first thing he noticed were her eyes, as they shone, the gold in them sparkling as she beamed at a compliment from his father.
The first thing he smelled as he took a deep breath to steady himself was her... COFFEE.
She's an angel, his inner voice whispered dreamily.
Since when did you start admiring angels? Ian questioned back.
Oh, shut up, the voice snapped
Stop being a droll, he smirked as the voice shut off and went ahead to enjoy the delicacies she had made.
***
Sonia smiled as she opened the door to the back garden. Finally, I get to admire these beauties, she thought and went over towards the blooms. Touching her fingers lightly over the petals of a flower, she smiled.
She spent a good time there. The boys were out with the Uncles. She was informed that they had some work to see to. Not that she bothered. She didn't want to interfere with their regular habits. The way they loved her and cared for her was more than enough to make her feel grateful. The girl who once felt like she had no one in her life was now surrounded by people who actually loved her.
She was about to turn and head back when she noticed a dead bush in the far corner of the garden. It was near the edge and right next to the fence. She tried to go near but the thorns from other bushes pricked her. Frowning, she noticed that the only way was from outside. The fence had space in it so she would be able to have a good look. She went over and crouched down.
The bush was brown but the roots were solid. That meant it can still be saved. Getting up, she got a watering tank and began to arrange the soil so fertilizer could be added.
Sonia did not mind getting her hands dirty but rather actually enjoyed the feeling. Once done, she got up and dusted off her hands. Wincing, she looked carefully at her hands. A little blood was coming out of where the thorns had pricked earlier. Shrugging, she let it go and patting the bush tentatively, she left.
***
The day passed by in a blur of activities and Sonia found herself standing in the balcony again. She felt strange today. As if there was something in the back of her mind but try as she might, she was not able to grasp it. Sighing, she leaned over the rail and looked up at the night sky.
The crest of the moon shone down through a few dark clouds. Sonia smiled as a breeze caressed her cheek and turned to go inside
Once inside, she changed her bandages not daring to look at the wounds though the pain was much less. Taking one last look at the night sky through the balcony doors, she retired to bed, the moon keeping a watch over her.
*****
Hello everyone!
As promised, here is another update. The next one will be up soon.
Keep voting, commenting and sharing.
Till we meet again:)