Unveiled (Torn #6)(7)
Then the flashback images shifted to him softly knocking on my door that night after our parents’ funeral.
“Linds, may I come in?” he gently asked. Without waiting for me to give him permission to join me, he pushed through the door before joining me in bed.
I was curled up in a ball, afraid; the very idea that we were alone now without our parents scared me. When one of the lawyers had explained to us that we were going to live with our aunt and uncle, it had only brought more fear in me since I didn’t want to live in a home that wasn’t ours. This was our home. My bedroom and my dolls were here, and this was also where I felt safe. If we moved, nothing would keep me safe anymore.
“I could hear you crying when I went downstairs to get some water …” he started saying as he got himself comfortable next to me.
He usually never came inside my room unless he had been asked by Mom or Dad to come get me on the rather odd occasions where we played pretend family and ate at the dinner table together. I would be hiding in my room, holding on to my blankie that my nanny Esmeralda had given me. I only came out when Brody, Carter’s best friend, was around. However, most of the time, I kept to myself, not wanting a lot of people in the small territory of mine.
My tears flowed freely, and I hated myself for the small hiccups I was making yet had no intention of talking with Carter. He was different than I was. He was more outgoing and had more friends, whereas I only had Amber and Trista.
Without school and our scheduled play dates, I had no one else since Mommy wasn’t that fond of me to begin with, and Daddy was always in and out of the house, going on business trips. When he had chosen to be home, he would rather spend his time focusing on Mom and making her happy, which always resulted in them fighting because my father never failed to set my mom off. She’d go on and on, screaming and shouting at him, threatening to leave him, which happened once a month.
Thinking about them and the thought that I would never see them again made me feel sad, because we would never get the chance to see if our family would ever be normal. Although, normal hadn’t been what I had grown up in. I knew that much.
“Are you crying because we’re moving into Uncle Gary’s home?”
Uncle Gary was my father’s brother and had been made the executor of the estate. Since Aunt Alice couldn’t bear any children, they were the perfect candidates to take care of us.
To be honest, I wasn’t sure what terrified me most: moving homes or the idea of living with Aunt Alice in their massive mansion. She was always so touchy and wanted hugs and kisses all the time, and I didn’t like it, because what adult liked being kissed by kids? My mom absolutely hated it when I tried to kiss her before. She always accused me of intentionally trying to ruin her make-up, so I ended up giving her small nods, instead. She taught me that adults, especially women, didn’t like to be touched or kissed, because children were dirty and women always needed to look their best.
It was confusing for me because, the day after she told me that, I found her letting Uncle Brandon, my father’s best friend, kiss her on the lips, which only ruined her red lipstick.
My thoughts reverted back to reality when I felt Carter starting to stroke the top of my head. “Don’t tell anyone, but I think we’re better off without them around. You might be too young to understand this, but Aunt Alice will take good care of us, more than Mom could. I’m sad, too, but big boys don’t cry. And, since Mom and Dad are gone, I’m all you have left. I won’t leave you like they did, baby sis. There’s no need to be scared, okay? I’m here. I’ll make sure you’re going to be fine.”
“You promised me once that you won’t ever leave me the way they did.” Tears fell down my face as I bent to kiss his cold forehead. Even up close, he looked as if life had left him. “I need you to keep that promise, Carter. You can’t leave me alone. It’s you and me together, and don’t you ever forget that!” Even though my voice came out shaky, there was a force behind it.
My heart constricted at the thought of life without him. For the life of me, I couldn’t imagine it. I just didn’t get why he had to go to such lengths. He must’ve known he was taking too much. We all knew our limits; therefore, I was having a hard time accepting he would simply coward out and drink himself to stupor.
“Lindsey,” Dimitris spoke behind me before I felt his strong arms around my body, pulling me aside. “You’re shaking. Maybe you need to sit down for a while and gather your bearings.” He guided me towards the nearest chair that was across from Carter’s bed. I barely made a nod, suddenly feeling weak.
I was in a haze, deeply affected by the sight of Carter to the point that the strings of medical personnel that came in and out of the room felt like a movie being played out before me, even as the doctor asked me questions about Carter’s lifestyle and habits. I could barely respond. While I was submerged in this shellshock, Brody came in to join us. I supposed it was his presence, along with Dimitris and knowing what might happen with them in the same room, that took some of the haziness out of me.
“Hey,” Brody greeted me, not bothering with Dimitris as he simply walked past him to stride towards me. Before giving me a chance to say a word, he continued, “I was downstairs getting some coffee to sober up a little. I heard Carter will recover. I know you must’ve been worried, but you know your brother’s not leaving this world without a fight.”