"Daniel!" Father called out.
I started walking even faster, turning and running up the stairs. I passed my room and went straight into Michael's and hid under the bed. I knew it wouldn't be long before Father came up here and tried to find me.
I cloaked my presence, thankful Michael had shown me the simple skill for emergencies in case Claire went into one of her manic modes.
"Where's your brother?!" Father yelled.
"Don't know. You should be able to sense him," Michael grumbled and I heard his footsteps approach the bed, followed by a loud squeak from the bed which told me he was sitting down.
"Michael," Father warned, but Michael remained silent.
I knew at this stage, Michael didn't give 'a shit,’ as he would say.
"Both of you are lucky I'm going to be late and don’t have time to deal with this!" Father yelled.
"Why? You easily break promises. Don't see why you can't break another one," Michael grumbled.
I heard more loud footsteps and shivered at the sudden thick energy in the air.
"Michael Moore, do not upset me right now!" Father warned.
"If I disappeared, would you even care?" Michael questioned.
The room was silent and my stomach dropped as fear drummed through me. What?
"That has nothing to do with this conversation," Father retorted.
"So you wouldn't care, right? Okay. Safe travels," Michael said and his voice was so cold.
I felt a chill run through me.
"Michael..." Father groaned. "What’s going on?"
"Why? You don't care. No one cares. You're going to be late. Don't break another promise. It's not very 'angel-like' of you," Michael scoffed.
Father sighed and his footsteps faded.
I was about to leave my hiding place, but the back of Michael's foot poked beneath the bed, a cue that told me 'not yet.’
"Honey? Is everything okay? I can talk to Michael and Daniel. I wish they would open up to me," Claire sobbed and I had to roll my eyes.
"Leave them alone. They'll calm down. It's not good to bother either of them when they're upset like that. Let's go downstairs and enjoy a shot or two before I leave," Father offered.
I didn't need to be a genius to hear the compassion in his voice that had been missing when he’d spoken to his own children.
"Okay, honey. I'd love that," Claire cheered, dropping her fake sadness act.
Their footsteps faded and Michael stood up and went to the door, slamming it shut. I poked my head out to see his hand on the door as a large gold magic circle formed and the door locked.
"Michael?"
He turned to face me after finishing the spell. "No one can bother us for a while. I learned it in class." He came back to the bed and lifted up the blanket hiding me. I crawled out and got up to sit on his bed.
He sank into the black sheets which were new, much different than his usual mustard color sheets.
"Michael...are you suicidal?" I asked plainly, unsure how else to bring it up.
Michael blinked in shock and slowly turned to meet my gaze. "Where did you learn about things like that?" he questioned.
"In the medical books. They talk about mental health. If I learned what Claire has maybe...we could fix her? Then she wouldn't hurt us anymore," I revealed, looking away.
Michael was silent and sank into the black sheets. He rolled to his side and turned away from me, leaving my question unanswered.
"Michael?"
"I'm tired. I'm taking a nap. There are books on the table if you want to read," he suggested.
"Will we have ice cream later?" I asked.
He was silent for a few seconds. "Yes."
I rose and walked over to get one of the books on the table that had caught my interest. I returned to sit on Michael's bed, but noticed how still he was.
"Michael?" I whispered, but he didn't reply. I waited for a response for a minute before I gave up and sat on the floor, opened the book and began to read.
All I could do was pray that Marissa would come retrieve us later that evening.
ONE ROTATION LATER...
"UNBELIEVABLE! I'm cursed. I must be to get stuck having to deal with you. You gay bastard!"
I pondered what I should do, observing the loud argument happening in the kitchen between Claire and Michael. Father was due to return tomorrow and Claire was doing everything in her power to push Michael to the edge. He was now officially over said edge and was full on shouting at her.
One part of me wanted to go find Marissa, while another part was scared to take my eyes off Michael who was shaking with rage as he glared at Claire.
"You and your fucked up brother. I'll burn those fucking eyes out!" Claire screamed at him.
"Stop using my brother as your fucking ashtray!" Michael shouted back. He'd made the same demand on countless occasions, but this time he lost control and his gift hit her at full blast. She blinked in shocked and her cigarette fell to the floor.
"You did not just use your controlling shit on me!” she snarled.
"What are you gonna do about it? You're lucky I don't make you cut your hands off," Michael roared and Claire went ballistic, stomping her foot and breaking the first piece of furniture she could get her hands on. Michael didn't look like he cared as he stood his ground.
"Just you wait." Claire rushed out of the room and I made to go in, but Michael looked at me with a stern glare.
"Don't move," he ordered and I froze where I stood. I gawked at him, in complete shock that he used his gift on me, something he hadn't done in cycles.
"I can't afford you getting hurt," Michael announced and waited stoically for whatever punishment awaited.
I have to help him! Azriel, what can I do?
"We need to get Marissa," Azriel instructed but neither of us knew where she was. It was still early in the morning and she could have been anywhere in the castle. I clenched my jaw out of frustration, using my gift to fight off Michael’s initial hold and began running in order to check if I could find Marissa in the living room or near the stairs.
I was just about to rush up the stairs toward the sleep corridors, when I heard a loud crash. I sprinted back and slid to a stop in time to see Michael pinned to the table with Claire’s hand around his throat and a large jug of something in her other hand. I saw the label read ‘BLEACH’ in large blue letters.
Michael was struggling to move and I knew something must have been preventing him from escaping her grasp. I jolted forward without thinking and before I knew what I was doing, I pushed Claire off of Michael with all my might.
Michael gasped as if he was out of breath, falling to the ground and coughing. I turned to glare at Claire who stared at me in shock. I opened my mouth to speak but Claire aimed the jug at me and before I knew it, burning liquid hit my eyes with a force that must have been boosted by magic.
I screamed and tried to stop the onslaught of fluid that continued to strike me. "Fuck! Daniel!" Michael screamed, but the force of the stream coming at me doubled and I lost my balance. I felt something grab onto me but the powerful spray of burning liquid launched my body into the air and I crashed against the wall.
Arms wrapped around me, but the rush of liquid wouldn't stop and I struggled to breathe. I could hear someone's coughs and sputters and I knew Michael was the one holding me. Stop, stop, stop.
I couldn't take it anymore. The liquid was scorching hot and my eyes burned so badly I wanted to scream and cry.
"STOP!" I commanded and let my gift loose at full blast. The intense stream of fiery liquid stopped and Michael and I were left coughing and spitting up the foul stuff. I heard rapid footsteps and then a gasp.
"CLAIRE! What did you do?!" Marissa’s loud voice echoed in the room, but I couldn't concentrate on what was happening. Everywhere hurt and I couldn't open my eyes.
"Daniel!" Michael coughed, placing a hand on my shoulder.
I tensed up at the touch. "LEAVE ME ALONE!" I commanded.
&
nbsp; I heard Michael curse. "Daniel. I won't hurt you. We need to check your eyes!"
I heard a hint of his concern but all I could focus on was the pounding in my head and how my eyes stung and my ears rang.
"Serves the little shit right!" Claire snarled and I was on the verge of snapping. It was the first time I truly wanted to hurt her. I wanted to make this woman suffer for my current pain. She deserved the suffering she was putting me through.
"WHAT'S GOING ON?!” Father's loud voice boomed.
"Your Highness! It’s Daniel! We need to check on him, now!" Marissa ordered but I ignored them and curled into a ball, terrified of anything touching me.
"Don't touch him right now!" Michael yelled.
I sobbed and whimpered; my whole body felt numb. Mommy. Help me. Why aren't you here? I'm sorry, please come back. Everything hurts. Make it better.
"Daniel. Please. I won't hurt you. Tell me what's wrong," Michael soothed and I only cried harder.
"Everywhere hurts! My eyes…they won't stop burning. Michael… help!" I begged, pulling back my gift.
"I'm right here. I'm gonna touch you, okay? We'll fix it," Michael whispered reassuringly.
I felt myself get pulled into his arms. I felt dizzy from the lack of oxygen and from the continuous pain that wouldn’t let up.
"Call the healer for Claire," Father ordered and Michael growled.
"Call a healer for THAT BITCH? SHE’S THE ONE WHO HURT DANIEL!"
"ENOUGH!' Marissa’s loud voice practically shook the room. "Attend to your sons, King Moore! Or I swear I'll ensure everyone knows about this incident!" Marissa threatened.
"You dare threaten your King?" Father warned.
I wanted to find out what happened, to hear what Marissa had to say, but the spinning darkness was too much for me and I fell into its depths.
"DANIEL!"
"Daniel, you have to bathe."
I was silent as I cuddled under the blanket. I heard the door open, but remained absolutely still, waiting for them to give up and leave. I didn’t want to be near anything that reminded me of that scorching hot liquid, ruling water out.
"He still won't go near the water?" Father’s low voice asked.
"Can you blame him?" Marissa countered.
"Marissa. You can't be upset with me when I wasn't there. Claire's suffering too, you know," Father complained.
"Claire's a grown adult who needs...she needs help, your Highness. Daniel turns six tomorrow and here he is, huddled beneath a blanket and won't even let me tend to his burns. He won't let anyone touch him and Michael is even worse and isn't responding to anything. You're lucky Daniel's eyes weren't damaged!" Marissa pointed out.
"But you weren't there either," Father mumbled.
"Are you actually hearing yourself, your Highness? You don't have even one speck of worry for your sons?" Marissa exclaimed.
"Enough, Marissa," Father warned.
Marissa huffed. "I'll say this once, King Moore. You should pray to the Starlight gods that your sons stay in your life because, at this point, I really doubt they will want to. Maybe to you, their apparent ‘acceptance’ of having a new mother in their lives made you assume everything was okay. But a real mother would never blast scorching hot bleach at her eight and not even six cycle children," she declared disapprovingly.
The room was silent and I wondered if Marissa had left. Then I heard her voice, "Daniel, tomorrow you have to shower. No excuses. You want to be clean for your birthday, okay?"
"Okay," I whispered in response. I heard her soft footsteps and poked out of my blanket to see her walking to the doorway.
"Marissa?" I whispered.
She paused mid-stride and turned to look at me. I noticed her shock; she gave a sidelong glance at Father who looked just as taken aback. I'd been giving everyone the silent treatment since the incident and Michael had barely said anything to anyone other than me, and even that was only occasionally.
"I love you."
Her eyes grew wide and she hurried back to where I was huddled, kneeling down. She reached out to brush my face with her hand and I tensed up, afraid her touch would cause pain, but it was gentle and made me relax.
"I love you too, Daniel. You'll have a nice cool bath and then I'll change those bandages of yours. Then you and Michael can have a relaxing day with me and you can do my hair," Marissa hummed.
"That would be nice," I replied quietly. I didn't feel like smiling, but the idea did make me a little happier.
She nodded and rose, giving Father a slight nod before walking out of my room. She would be sleeping just down the hall in the spare bedroom, at least until Michael and I both recovered from our injuries.
It wasn't like anyone couldn’t heal us. We just wouldn't let them touch us long enough to try. The pain we felt was a reminder of what Claire had done and would hopefully make Father realize the traumatic agony we were experiencing. Not like he cared, though.
The room was silent and I returned to huddling beneath the blanket. "Daniel." Father's voice was soft and piqued my interest. I poked out from the blanket again and met his sad gaze.
"You're aware Claire is dealing with a lot," Father pointed out.
"Michael's dealing with a lot. No one besides me cares about that," I countered.
Father looked confused by my words. "Michael isn't stressed."
"Michael gets bullied at training for liking both boys and girls. He comes home and Claire always yells at him and beats him up. Why do you keep acting like you don’t see anything that’s happening? Is Claire more important than us? Is she better than Mommy?" I demanded.
I couldn't get why he ignored our pain. Was it not enough?
"How long has this been happening?" Father asked, looking upset.
"For six rotations, Father."
"Well...he shouldn't be open about the fact he likes the same sex. It's frowned upon here. We're angels and should be living a holy lifestyle," Father condemned.
"But it’s okay for Claire to hit us and break stuff?" I countered.
Father blinked and glared at me. "Claire doesn't break stuff."
"How would you know? You're never here when she's her true self. Father, I may be turning six tomorrow, but I'm not stupid," I mumbled, looking at the floor.
"When did you learn how to speak in such a manner?" Father grumbled.
"All I do is read all day. I don't have friends and only Michael plays with me. What do you expect?"
We were both silent; after a moment I sighed. My eyes were already beginning to bother me and I felt incredibly tired.
"I'll...talk with Claire. As for Michael, I’ll look into the bullying situation," Father whispered.
"Okay. That would make Michael hap—" I paused and my eyes grew wide at the sudden change of scenery.
I was in Michael's room at the end of his bed that was neatly made. The cleanliness and order in the room was normal for Michael but something felt off. Different? I tilted my head and turned around. My eyes widened and tears began to pool in them, blurring the image of my brother sitting slumped against the door in a pool of blood.
"Daniel? What's wrong?" Father's voice pulled me out of the short vision but I was too stunned to answer. I leapt up and raced down the hall to Michael's room. I slid to a stop and slammed my little hands against his door.
"Michael!" I shouted. There was no response and I trembled in fear, thinking I was already too late.
"Don't stop me, Daniel." I heard Michael's low voice through the thin white door.
I slammed my fists again and my heart banged against my chest. "Michael. Don't! You can't. Please? You promised. You said you wouldn't leave me! Take me with you! Don't do this!" I begged, slamming my fists into the door again and again.
Marissa walked out of her room in a rush, coming to my side.
"Daniel. What's wrong?"
"Michael! STOP! Don't kill yourself! You can't leave me! I won't let you abandon me!" I cried out, using my gift to force him. I didn't care if he h
ated me for stopping him, I wouldn't let him go. He was all I had. If he died, where would that leave me?
"What? Michael! Open the door!" Marissa ordered, banging on the door. She ran down the hall, passing Father as she raced down the stairs. I knew she was going to get the spare key.
I stared at Father who stood frozen at the end of the hall, looking shocked.
"Michael! Please. I'll be good. I won't cause any problems and I'll listen to you. Please," I sobbed and fell to my knees against the door. "Brother...please."
The click of the door made me open my tear-filled eyes in hope and I lifted my hands off the door just as it opened; Michael's dull eyes met mine and filled with tears.
"You're annoying, Daniel," he muttered, but I brushed aside his insult.
I knew from the tears that rolled down his cheeks that he didn't want to die. I pushed off the ground and crashed into him, giving him a tight hug. He hugged me back and began to cry in earnest, both of us falling to our knees and holding each other like it was the last time we’d ever see each other.
Marissa's loud panting reached my ears and she sighed in relief when she saw us. In seconds, her arms were around us and we cried in her embrace. Her sobs were just as loud as ours and I felt even worse for hurting her feelings.
She was a better person than Claire ever could be. I cried until Marissa picked me up in her arms and rubbed my back to calm me down. I was scared if I went back to my room or left Michael alone, my vision would come true.
"Daniel, shh. Michael's right here. He's not going to hurt himself," Marissa soothed.
"Why does no one else care? I don't want to live here anymore. I don't want to see Michael sad anymore. Why doesn't Father care? Why does Claire hate us? I hate it. I hate everything," I declared.
I continued to sob into Marissa's arms until I had no tears left to shed. I just wanted to be happy. Was it that hard to achieve happiness? I wanted back the brother who always spent time with me. He didn't deserve to be dealing with everything he was going through.
None of us deserved it.
"I care, Daniel. Your father just struggles with showing his affection for you and Michael. Please, don't hate him. We'll work on Claire and I'll have a talk with your father. Both of you come stay in my room for tonight. We’ll have some ice cream and do a fun sleepover? Does that sound a little better?” Marissa offered.
DANIEL (The Starlight Gods Series Book 6) Page 4
