Magical

by Bria Berg

  The brothers went on talking about Dracul and Amplifiers while Tessa stood up and went back to the kitchen. It was already time for dinner, so she started making the chicken fajitas that she had planned for the night. While the chicken, peppers and onions were cooking, she diced up fresh vegetables and herbs to make salsa. When it was all finished, she set the food out on the table, complete with dishes of sour cream and guacamole. She hadn’t noticed that it had gone quiet, until she turned to face the brothers, and they were all staring at her as if mesmerized.

  “What?” she asked self-consciously smoothing back her hair.

  “I don’t think we’ve had a home cooked meal since our mom died,” Sam said softly. “It smells great.”

  Tessa wanted to go take all of the brothers in her arms and tell them she was so sorry for their loss. They had mentioned their parents casually a few times before, but she had no idea their mother had passed away. “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  “Don’t be,” Sam said. “We miss our parents like crazy, but they lived a good life, and they did everything they could for us. They wouldn’t want us to be sad.”

  Tessa bit her lip to stop from crying. “Your dad is gone too?”

  Milo scowled at Sam for causing Tessa any discomfort and stepped forward to put his arm around Tessa, when he realized what he was about to do however, he pulled his arm back. “Our parents were killed by the Elite, which is the main reason why we hate them,” he said simply.

  By no means did Tessa have ideal parents, but there was a time they had been. It wasn’t something she remembered, but it was in a picture she recently found, taken when she was around two years old. Her father was holding her, kissing her cheek while her mother looked on with an actual genuine smile. Although she might not know what it was like to have two parents who loved her, it was obvious Milo, Sam and Ethan did, and her heart broke for them.

  “Let’s eat! It smells delicious,” Ethan clapped trying to lighten the mood.

  Sam and Ethan moved to their seats before Tessa and Milo followed. Tessa could tell Milo was one of those guys who didn’t like to show any emotion. Sam appeared to be the most feeling out of the brothers, and even that was saying a lot, but he was the easiest to talk to. Ethan hid his emotions by laughter or even by flirting, while Milo simply turned to stone.

  Each brother thanked and complimented Tessa multiple times as they ate. She blushed each time, but every offer of gratitude or praise they gave her really made her feel better about herself. She was the only one who actually cooked at home. Hailey never once said thank you, and Sandra acted as if it was completely normal for her teenage daughter to cook every single meal they ate at home. She never realized how much a simple thank you meant.

  After every single fajita and tortilla chip had been eaten, the brothers cleaned up the mess, acknowledging it was the best dinner they’d had in years. Tessa tried to hide her smile while watching them clean up, opening every other cupboard before finally finding the one they were looking for. When Milo was finished filling the dishwasher, he stared at as if it was rocket science and Tessa couldn’t contain her laughter.

  “Do you not know how to use the dishwasher?” she asked between laughs.

  Milo caught Tessa’s contagious laughter as he rubbed the back of his neck with embarrassment. He loved seeing her smile; a girl like her should smile more often. “Yes I know how to use a dishwasher; it’s just been a while.”

  Tessa strolled over, and opened it back up before grabbing the soap cube and sticking it inside the proper slot. “It helps if you put the cleaner in first,” she teased then closed the door again. “You push this button, then this one,” she instructed as the washer burst into life.

  She straightened and turned to face him with a victorious smile on her face, only she didn’t realize how close he was standing and was knocked off balance. With an apology, he grabbed her around the waist to steady her, and their eyes locked. A torrent of emotions hit him all at once. He wanted to know everything about her, touch her… kiss her and love her, while at the same time he had to protect her and always keep her safe. Tessa began to tremble slightly as her body reacted to his. When Milo felt her shake, he mistook it for fear, or disgust. He stepped back and cleared his throat.

  “How are your burns?” he asked tucking all those emotions he had just felt away.

  “Fine,” she replied automatically.

  Milo was already agitated from what had just happened, and her using that particular word angered him even more. He took another step back to lean against the opposite counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “You use that word a lot.”

  Tessa shook herself of the sensations still lingering in her head. Just moments ago, there was something more between them more than mere friendship, and it was intense. Now he was clearly angry about something, but what that was, she had no idea. “I guess,” she replied unsure.

  “Well you shouldn’t,” Milo scolded. “You don’t always have to be fine.”

  Tessa’s posture matched Milo’s closed off stance now. “What else am I supposed to be then?”

  “I don’t know, angry, hurt, happy… anything but fine.”

  “Milo,” Sam stepped in trying to calm the situation. He knew his brother better than anyone, and if this continued, he would say something he would regret. He also knew Tessa well enough by now to know that she was on the verge of tears. “Let her be.”

  “No Sam,” Tessa snapped with her eye still narrowed on the eldest brother. “What is your problem Milo?”

  Milo steeled himself. “Why do you always act like everything is okay, when clearly it isn’t?”

  “I know it isn’t okay! That’s the point! If I say I’m fine then everybody will leave me alone!”

  “Yeah how’s that been working out for you?” Milo questioned with a mocking edge.

  “Milo!” Ethan came and stood next to Sam ready to take Milo down if needed.

  Milo continued with his full attention on Tessa. “The only people leaving you alone are the ones who should care about you the most. What about all those guys at school, huh? They sure don’t leave you alone.”

  “That’s enough,” Sam said firmly. “Leave her—”

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Tessa interrupted while the first tear ran down her cheek.

  Milo hated himself for making her cry, but he was too riled up to stop now. Besides, he needed to know what was going on with her. “I think I do. Those idiots did something to you and for whatever your reasons, you haven’t corrected them or fought back. I know you didn’t make that picture.”

  The one good thing about Dracul attacking Tessa and Milo was that it was a distraction from the reason she ran out of school to begin with. The whole day she had been actively avoiding anything that had to do with the picture they saw at school, and the brothers had been on the same page until now. It was always in the back of her mind, threatening to pounce at any given moment, and she dreaded when that moment would come. It was here, and her flight defense was kicking in, until Milo’s last words. He was the first person to not believe the picture. Everyone else, even her sister who heard about or saw it, had automatically accepted that she was some kind of floosy sleeping around with a different guy every night for money.

  “You do?” Tessa asked in a shock.

  Milo’s expression softened and he took a deep breath before her spoke, “Of course I know you didn’t do it, because I know you.”

  “Yeah Tess,” Sam said nervously, hoping that the worst of the argument was finally over. “We know you’d never do anything like that.”

  Ethan quickly agreed.

  Milo continued, “A girl like you wouldn’t do that. You’re too innocent. You’re sweet and modest, and you blush at the simplest of things.”

  “I don’t,” Tessa muttered looking down suspecting she was already blushing from how hot her face was.

  Milo took a step forward and lifted her chin slowly until their eyes met. �
�You’re beautiful.”

  There was no controlling or trying to hide her blush now that stretched from her head to her toes.

  Milo was surprised that he had just done that, especially since he had been actively trying to shut his emotions off to her, but it was one hundred percent true. He grinned as he stepped back. “Thanks for proving my point.”

  Tessa breathed out a short laugh, and then said, “No one has ever even asked me about it, or believed me when I told them it wasn’t true. Too many people were saying it was.”

  “What happened Tess?” Milo asked. He didn’t mean to pry, but the deep need he had to protect her made him ask.

  “I’ve never told anyone,” she whispered. She never thought she’d want to either, but knowing that they didn’t believe a picture they had seen with their own eyes made her want to tell them everything, so at least someone else knew the truth.

  “You can trust us,” Ethan assured her. “Although, your protector here might kill a few people when this is over with.”

  Tessa took a deep breath as she quickly glanced at Milo, thinking that maybe telling them her secrets would ease the horrible burden she had been carrying completely alone. “Almost four months ago, I was at this party where practically everyone from school was there. My best friend Brigette was so excited that night because she and her boyfriend Dean were finally going to do it. She hauled me around before the party, helping her choose the right lingerie and everything.”

  “When we were at the party, not surprisingly, there was alcohol there. I’m not even a fan of drinking so I barely touched any of it. I actually don’t even love going to those kinds of parties. There is nothing appealing about a large group of drunken teenagers groping each other while picking fights over nothing, but I was there for Brigette. She said she needed me there in case anything went wrong and she had to make a quick exit. She was really nervous about it because the last boyfriend she slept with was over a year ago.

  “I was standing there, being a wallflower like usual when Austin, one of Dean’s really good friends came up to me. He told me that Brigette was crying and would only talk to me. He pointed out the bedroom she was in so I ran to her. Dean was sitting on the bed when I went in there, but I couldn’t find Brigette anywhere. I asked him where she was, but he wouldn’t answer me so I looked for myself in the adjoining bathroom. When I came back still not finding her, Dean was standing, and he had closed the bedroom door.” She could still remember every detail of the room. The deep red silk covers on the bed, the wood floor covered in a white shaggy rug, and the ornately wood carved nightstands and dresser. “I asked again about Brigette, but he only came closer to me, asking why I didn’t have a boyfriend. He was a little drunk, so I figured he was just talking nonsense. Still, he was too close to me and that made me uncomfortable, so kept backing up with every step forward he took. I continued asking about Brigette, trying to get him to tell me where she was and then he started flirting with me. He said lots of guys talked about what it would be like to bang me, but no one ever had. Then he said he thought that needed to change. I tried to step away from him, but he caught me and smashed his face into mine.” She shivered replaying the memory in her mind, the feeling of his hands on her making her stomach clench. “Of course, that’s when Brigette came in, and to her it looked like we were making out and that I had betrayed her. The look on her face was pure hurt and hatred, and she took off crying.

  “Dean finally let me go, and I ran after her trying to explain. I didn’t know Dean had followed to do the same. I looked for her for almost two hours; she was the best friend I ever had, and the closest I had ever felt to someone. She was more of a sister to me than my actual sister, which maybe I guess isn’t that difficult a feat to achieve.”

  Tessa paused a moment reminiscing about the fun times she and Brigette had together. Brigette was with her when she turned sixteen and got her first car, when they both made the varsity dance team only as sophomores, and she was there for her when she broke down and cried about her mother’s never-ending flings and total lack of parenting. They had been close, and for Tessa, that was a big deal.

  “Anyway, eventually I found Brigette, she was with Dean, and the two of them had already made up which I thought was really weird. She said Dean told her everything, and she wanted to talk to me about it privately. Somehow, we ended up in the same bedroom that started the whole mess, and Dean brought three shot glasses full of some kind of liquor with him. They wanted to drink to ‘misunderstandings’ as they called it. I was so confused by the whole thing, but I was just grateful that Brigette was talking to me. Besides that, I hate confrontation and wanted it to be over, so I took the drink.

  “It only took about ten seconds for me to realize something was wrong. Everything began spinning and moving in slow motion at the same time. I collapsed onto the bed not sure which way was up or down. Brigette started yelling at me, calling me a ‘whore’ and ‘traitor’. I remember her saying, ‘I can’t believe you tried to steal Dean from me after everything we’ve been through. You deserve everything that will happen to you.’ The next thing I knew, my clothes were being taken off. I tried to stop them, but my arms and legs wouldn’t move. I was aware of everything that was going on although it was much slower because of whatever it was they gave me, but the worst part was that I couldn’t do anything about it. Brigette put makeup all over my face, and then arranged my body while Dean took pictures.

  “When they finally left, all I wanted to do was fall asleep and never wake up. A while later, my hands and feet began to tingle and then I could lift my arms and legs, just as some of Dean’s buddies came in. They saw me lying there unclothed before I was able to pull the sheet on to cover myself and I yelled at them to get out, which luckily they did. Dean and Brigette took my clothes and left a wad of cash on the bed next to me. I wrapped the sheet around me, and ran for my car as fast as I could, grabbing my purse on the way.” The sheet had sat wadded up in the corner of her room for a month before she burned it.

  “I was hoping that everyone who saw me would have forgotten about it by the next Monday. I’ve seen plenty of worse things happen at parties, but when I got to school, everyone stared and laughed. I didn’t get it, and as if on cue, I got a text. It was the picture that you all saw, and it had pretty much reached the entire student body, plus some.

  “Brigette is very manipulative, and she has a very domineering personality so all the girls I thought were my friends on the dance team deserted me and sided with Brigette. They complained to our coach the next day, making things up about me and I was kicked off the team. Several of Dean’s friends went along with it, saying they paid good money for me. I was left completely alone with no friends and basically no family either, and it’s been that way ever since. I found out a few days later that Dean had told Brigette I cornered him and threw myself at him, even when he kept telling me to think of her. Austin confirmed the whole story saying he had been there and heard the whole thing. Brigette believed them over me... Oh well, they deserve each other,” Tessa finished wiping away a few tears running down her cheeks.

  She was too nervous to make eye contact with any of the brothers after the tale she had just told, so she kept her eyes trained on the floor waiting for one of them to say something. After the incident, she deleted all of her social media accounts. Too many people were calling her a whore or saying incredibly vile, disgusting things to her that she didn’t want to read. Once something goes on social media however, it can never be truly deleted.

  Finally, Ethan said, “I take it back, it’s not just Milo who might kill someone.”

  Tessa looked up then, more tears forming in her eyes. “You believe me?” she sniffled.

  “Of course we believe you!” Sam said pulling her into his arms. “You don’t deserve any of this and you will never have to feel alone again.”

  Tessa laughed out a sob. “I can’t believe you guys are here.”

  “We’re not going anywhere,” Ethan said hugg
ing her from behind.

  Ethan’s words had more comfort in them than she could have ever imagined. She would have never thought she would find her sanctuary in the form of three brothers. She was safe with them, secure with them, and she was home. Rumors and pictures had ruined her life, and now with these three brothers, she felt as if she was getting it back.

  Milo had been silent the entire time, and when Tessa’s eyes found him, her heart sank a little. He stood with his arms still crossed tightly around his chest with the veins in his arms more noticeable than ever. His lips were pressed together in a firm line while his eyes were narrowed in a scowl. Tessa thought he must be disgusted with her; she was disgusted with herself every single day since the incident. What happened wasn’t her fault, but that didn’t stop her from blaming herself for it.

  Milo’s eyes flicked to Tessa’s. “Did he hurt you?” he asked in a poor attempt at trying to keep his voice calm and even.

  Tessa’s eyes widened a bit at his dangerous tone. “Just mentally and emotionally.”

  “Are you sure? He or his friends could have done things to you and you were too drugged up to remember.”

  Tessa nodded. “I remembered it all, but to be safe I went to the doctor about a month ago to make sure.”

  “A month ago?” Milo accused. “Why did you wait so long? If he raped you, the doctor probably wouldn’t have been able to tell you one way or the other!”

  Tessa wiggled out of Sam and Ethan’s arms to face Milo. “I was too scared to go! What if the doctor told me that I was raped? What then? Nobody would believe me, not after the hooker ad being passed around!”

  Milo’s expression softened a little, but he was still clearly on edge. “Now you’ll never know either way.”

  “I know okay.”

  “How would you—” Milo began.

  “I’m still a virgin!” Tessa cried before turning around and hastily stomping out the front door. She threw herself down onto the wooden porch swing while fuming over Milo. Why did he have to make her feel worse than she already did? What gave him the right to tell her what she should have or shouldn’t have done? She was alone and terrified, facing something she never dreamt she would have to face, and she did the best she could.