by G. Bailey
I nod and sit next to him, taking it all in. I have four brothers. I guess he is right about us moving when I think about it. My mother just liked to see new places, and I was taken along for the ride. Yesterday, I had no one, now I have a family, and I am moving away from my crazy, foster family. This shit seems unbelievable.
“All right, I’m going to be honest with you. I’ve done everything I can to leave my crazy, foster parents. So, this could work for me. I mean, moving to your place, and then we can see how things go. I guess I would like to meet the rest of you and learn about you. How old are my brothers now?” I ask, looking at Harley, who looks around twenty-three. So, they can’t be that old.
“The twins are seventeen, like you, and Luke is sixteen. I'm so glad you’ll come. I thought I'd have a massive fight on my hands with getting you to come with me,” he says with a grin, which makes me smile too.
He stands up, claps his hands together, getting the attention of my head teacher, and starts talking to him about sending my paperwork over for the switching of my school. I notice he makes a very a large payment to the school to help hurry up my paperwork. I look at him now, in his perfect suit, and frown. I glance down at my baggy hoodie and shabby jeans then finally to my worn trainers I have had for at least two years. I'm not going to fit into their world.
As we head to my house in his massive, black SUV–which is shinier than most of the cars in my small town–I sit wondering what Harley will think of my foster parents or their home. Let’s hope the place doesn’t still smell like vodka when we get there.
2
Izzy
“Izzy, we need to go soon. I understand if you want to wait until tomorrow to pack and say your goodbyes,” Harley comments while pulling the car into the parking space next to the house.
I sit back and glance around at the house I’ve spent part of my life living in. The front of the house has long grass, which is mostly weeds, covering the small, front lawn and cracked pavement leading to the door. The house, itself, hasn’t been worked on for years, and it’s clear from the outside. My lazy, and possibly crazy, foster parents wouldn't bother leaving the house to do any work on it. Well, they didn’t care enough to make me mow it or risk neighbours seeing me working my ass off for them. It’s a nice neighbourhood with decent people living here, and they need to keep up some kind of appearance. So many memories are bad here, but also, in some ways, this place made me stronger.
“No. I only have a bag of things. So it will only take me half an hour to pack. Do you want to wait?” I ask, hoping he will stay. I secretly don't want to be alone with them when they find out I'm leaving. They have never hurt me, but throwing things near me and screaming at me is normal for them. Frowning, I think of times when it had been worse when they’d been drinking, which I’m guessing they have been by now. It is midday.
“Yes. I need to tell them about you leaving with me,” he tells me and then frowns. “Well, your foster parents should have received a phone call or letter explaining anyway.” He hesitates as he stares at the house. “Why have you only got one bag? What about your clothes and, well, girl stuff?” he asks while pulling out the car keys.
I nearly sigh in relief that he's not leaving me here, and I reply quietly, “I don't have many clothes or other things.” I try to get out of the car, not wanting to discuss this anymore, but a large hand on my upper arm gently stops me. He huffs, bringing my attention back to him as he moves his hand.
“Seb is going to love spoiling you with my credit card. Money has never been a problem for us, and you might hate us for spoiling you, but we are going to,” he says with a cheeky grin, and then he laughs loudly as he gets out of the car.
I frown at his statement about spending so much money on me, but my nerves get the best of me and don’t let me think about it anymore. I straighten up and walk into the house, with Harley following me. We walk into the living room, where my foster dad is passed out, face-down on the sofa with a bottle of vodka in his hand. I’m guessing Vivian is at one of her friends’, as she is nowhere to be seen.
“I wouldn't wake him up if I was you. I’ll go and pack,” I say in a whisper, shrugging at Harley as he glares at Fred on the sofa. He looks around the room in disgust before smiling at me with a look of pity behind his gaze.
As I walk past him, he tells me to hurry up. I suppress a smile at that and run up to my room. I throw my three pairs of jeans, four tops, and my leggings into a bag. I get all of my underwear and the necklace my mother gave me. It’s the only thing my foster parents haven't sold of mine. The memory of my mother comes rushing at me as I hold the necklace.
I know I shouldn’t be looking in Mum’s jewellery box, but everything is so pretty. I’m only seven, so Mum won’t be too mad. I open the worn, wooden box, and inside are pretty, little earrings I’ve seen my mom wear, and, in the middle, is a very pretty, purple necklace I’ve never seen. I pull it out, holding it up in the air as it sparkles in the light from the window, making me giggle.
“Elizabeth,” the angry voice of my mother makes me jump and turn, and I see her standing in the doorway. Her white-blond hair is up in a messy bun from cleaning, and she is wearing a pretty, red dress.
Her face softens slightly before she lets out a long breath and comes over to me. She kneels in front of the stool I’m sitting on and takes the necklace out of my hand gently.
“It’s real pretty, Mummy,” I say, frowning at my mummy’s sad face.
“It is, isn’t it? I haven’t looked at this in years. It’s called a sapphire,” she tells me.
“Who gave you it, Mummy?” I ask as she stares at the necklace in her hand. The sapphire is about the size of her thumb and shines like my mummy’s blue eyes.
“The man who still holds my heart, baby. I just can’t let this go,” she whispers the end part to herself, then she stands up, putting the necklace back into her box and holding her hand out to me.
“Do you want to go and get ice cream? Mummy could use some chocolate ice cream,” she smiles, making me laugh.
“Yes, Mummy,” I squeal, jumping up and down.
The memory of her fades, leaving only the sadness that she is gone. I kept it hidden well enough because of that memory. I guess I had always hoped it was my dad who gave it to her, but who knows? It looks expensive, but my mum never dated anyone, that I saw when growing up, so it could be. I could ask Harley. I put it into my bag and then go into the bathroom to collect my shampoos, soap, razors, and hairbrush. I chuck those into the bag and look at myself in the full-length mirror.
My long, almost white-blond hair is nearly at my waist. Even in a plait like it is now. I have those bright-green eyes, like my brother, and a layer of freckles, of which I’m not a fan. I’m quite pale, as I don’t get out much, but I have a good body. As my best friend would tell me anyway. I’m looking at my eyes, wondering about my father, when I hear a thump and a man cry out. I race down the stairs, finding Harley holding Fred by his neck up against a wall, and Harley’s face is close to Fred’s.
“Don't speak about my sister like that ever again, or I’ll end you. Do you understand me?” he asks.
Fred mumbles a shaken, “Yes.”
Harley lets him drop to the floor. He looks back at me with a smile and starts brushing down his suit before asking, “You ready?” I nod, and he turns back to Fred with a scary amount of hate on his face.
“We’re going now, and don't contact my sister or I’ll find you.”
With that, he gestures for me to walk out, and I do so with my head held high. I say goodbye to my old life and head out into the new.
3
Izzy
We drive for nearly seven hours toward the Lake District, away from my old life. Harley tells me that we’ll be living in a small village called Kendean, where they are all from. Harley continues, telling me I will be joining the twins in their last year at the local grammar school. The school does the same courses that I am doing now, and I can continue them for the few r
emaining months I have left. We talk about what I study, and I tell him about my love of art and history. I also tell Harley I want to work with my art when I'm older. I’m surprised when he thinks this is a great idea and can't wait to see my work.
“So, what work do you do?” I ask.
“I own the local gym in the village. It’s the only one for miles so we do good business. Plus, it helps that we all had a very good inheritance.” He glances at me before looking back at the road.
“That’s why you’re so buff then,” I joke, and he grins at me.
“Yes, and so are your brothers. You can come any time to build some muscles if you want,” he smiles.
“No, I don’t do exercise.” I laugh at his shocked face. “I’m serious. I can run if I want to, but I get all red and sweaty. Well, I’m lazy.”
“You’re joking, right? Don’t you eat? Because you’re quite thin and small,” his tone is now serious.
I can understand why, seeing where I came from, but I’m just lucky I have a good body despite not doing much exercise. My friend, Tilly, always used to moan about that.
“I just have good genes, I guess. I have a bad addiction to Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.”
I laugh with Harley when he answers, “It’s good that Luke likes that stuff and it’s always in the freezer, then.”
“I may like Luke already,” I say.
“Do you drive? We live in the middle of nowhere and, without a car, it will be difficult to get around,” he says, and I sigh, thinking back to Tilly’s father who bought me a crash course for my seventeenth birthday from all of them. It was the sweetest thing, even if I could never afford a car and insurance. I passed straight away out of pure luck, I believe, and a few late nights practising in my foster parents’ car.
“Yeah, I have a licence,” I answer.
“That’s great, all the boys have cars, so one of us will be able to drive you anywhere until Sebastian or I can buy you a new car,” he tells me.
“That’s too much money,” I frown.
Harley laughs at that and we carry on the drive in a comfortable silence. As we pull into the village, we cross over a beautiful, old bridge with a large river running through the town. As we drive farther, I notice the small mountains in the background. The town is beautiful, even at night. Glancing at the clock on the dash, I realize it’s now close to midnight, and I hope to go straight to bed when we get there. I’m glad we stopped off for some food on the road.
We pass more country roads and eventually pull onto a small road with heavy, black gates, which are open. I can see a long road behind them with massive trees on both sides, and it’s lit up with large, street lamps.
Harley mutters something about the gates being open when they weren’t meant to be and drives up the path. Slowly, the biggest house I’ve ever seen comes into view. It's beautiful, grey stone, even in dim lighting, but all the cars parked in front and the loud music blasting from inside distracts me it.
I wonder if this is normal. I briefly think I have no chance of sleeping until morning as I look at the garage built on the side of the house and then the people flittering around outside. I can’t see much in the dark, but big windows seem to line the front of the house.
“For fuck’s sake, I leave them for three days and come back to a massive party,” Harley shouts in frustration as he jumps out of the car and slams the door.
I go to follow, and he gestures for me to stay behind him. I really wouldn’t want to be my brothers right now. Harley looks scary as hell. He slams the massive, wooden doors open and pushes drunken people out of the way as I follow him. I can't see or hear much over the amount of people and noise from the loudspeakers, which make my ears feel like they are bleeding. I haven’t been to many parties because I just didn’t have the clothes or the time to go to them.
We pass through a dark kitchen, which has three couples making out on the counters. I keep my head down and try not to look around. I do spot the booze everywhere when we pass through a dining room, where there were teenagers dancing on the impressive, wooden table. We eventually make our way into a living area, with two massive speakers, one on either side of the largest TV I’ve ever seen. A music channel, with nearly naked girls dancing, is flashing across the screen. There are three black-leather sofas spread around the TV, with a couple on each of them. The room is dark, so I can't see much more.
Harley leans into me to shout. “I'm going to turn the electric off in the basement. Stay here, if anyone bothers you, tell them you’re with me, all right?” He sighs. “I'm so sorry about this, Izzy.” He tells me with a frown, taking off his jacket and throwing it onto a sofa next to a couple who don’t even notice.
I nod. “No problem, go.”
I lean against a wall next to the window in the lounge, looking out into the massive garden with a huge tree in the middle. There are lights all up the tree, highlighting a big tree house. The tree house currently has drunken people in it, and I watch as two bottles fall off and smash when they hit the ground.
Harley's going to kill our brothers.
It’s strange saying ‘our brothers’ when I’m used to having no one. My thoughts stop when large hands circle around my waist and pull me up against a hard chest. I look up, turn around, and push my hands into the chest of a massive man. He’s maybe a little shorter than Harley, but he is still impressive, with wavy, dirty-blond hair and a handsome face. He is gorgeous, even my ex, Devon, wasn’t this attractive. The man is wearing a tight, grey shirt and blue jeans, with a surfer-guy kind of look going on, and, holy crap, he has amazing muscles.
My hands tremble as I push them into his chest to push him away, but I’m only fooling myself as my hands want to stay there. The pretty guy grins at me and leans down even as I feel the hard muscles under my hands.
As his warm hands go to my hips, he says, “I haven't seen you before, and, trust me, I would remember. What’s your name, beauty?” he asks in a deep, seductive voice that makes my body shiver, and not because it’s cold.
I haven't been attracted to anyone since Devon, and, well, he was great. This guy has my stomach and nipples tightening from just one sentence. I bet he knows it because my boobs are pushed against his chest, a downside of being big chested.
"None of your business,” I sigh and clear my throat. “Look, I'm here with Harley, and I’m just waiting for him. So, you should let go,” I say as calmly as I can. I hope not to show my husky tone as my hands are still on his chest, and his hands are still on my hips running circles with his thumbs. This is turning me on, and I need to control myself.
“Harley is out of town, or this party wouldn't be happening. So, try again, beauty. What’s your name? Or will I just have to keep calling you ‘beauty’?” He grins and two beautiful dimples appear. How did I not notice these before?
“He is here,” I say strongly, getting angry now. I ignore his request and try to back out of his grip.
Sighing, he lets me go enough to gently grab my hand, and then he starts pulling me into another living room. This one has three desks and two sofas, so I’m guessing an office. The asshole that’s dragged me here shouts to a familiar-looking, dark-haired man making out with a pretty blonde, who’s grinding on his lap.
“Seb, come here a sec.” I frown at him as he winks at me.
Asshole, I have decided his name is Asshole, pulls me in front of him by grabbing my hips gently, but it's clear I can't move if I wanted to. I kind of don’t want to. What is wrong with me? This man is a stranger, and I’m in my brothers’ house and meant to be worrying about meeting them all for the first time.
The guy, Seb, kisses the girl gently then whispers something. She giggles and moves off of him. She slowly glares at me, looking me up and down before moving out of the room. I look back to see this ‘Seb’ now in front of me, and he is scowling as he looks me over.
Seb? Maybe that’s short for Sebastian. I remember that’s one of my brothers’ names. I look at him closely; I can see it th
e minute I look at his eyes. Just like mine. Sebastian looks nearly as tall as Harley but slightly shorter, I think. His hair’s cut short and looks perfect, done in a messy ‘I just got out of bed’ way. Sebastian is just as muscular as Harley, like he said they all are. My brothers must all go to the gym Harley owns, but as I look further, I see can Sebastian has a black eye and a cut lip. The asshole behind me is just as muscular, making me wonder if he goes to the gym a lot, too. I wonder if I can go just to see him take his top off.
“Who's this?” he asks Asshole behind me, maybe Hot-as-fuck Asshole is more appropriate for a nickname. Sebastian looks down at me with mild curiosity. “I’ve not seen you before, and I know everyone who’s invited here. You are not,” he says in a matter of fact way, and its pisses me off a little. But, with one smell, I know he has had a lot of alcohol tonight. So, I’m going to guess he might be nicer when he isn’t drunk.
“She won't tell me her name, just that she is waiting for Harley. Which is crazy, but she is beautiful, so I think we should let her stay,” Asshole says from behind me, like I’m not right in front of him.
At that moment, the music stops, and the house is suddenly silent and dark. The guys ignore me as they talk about the electricity going off and who is going to fix it. A few minutes later, as Sebastian tells some guy to go to check the electric, Harley stomps into the room. When he meets my eyes, I see pure anger in them, which is directed at the guy holding me. Before I know it, the Asshole is on the floor, while I'm pushed behind my brother’s back.
“Blake! What the fuck? Don’t touch her again,” he growls at the asshole on the floor, who looks shocked. He turns to me, asking gently, “You did tell him that you were waiting for me, right?”
I nod, smirking a little, and reply, “Yes, but the asshole wouldn't listen.”
Harley laughs lightly then turns back to Asshole, aka Blake, and Sebastian, who is still frowning at me. Harley exhales before looking at his brother.
