"There is some kind of a sweet innocence in being human - in not having to be just happy or just sad - in the nature of being able to be both broken and whole, at the same time."  

- C. Joybell C. -

My eyes flew open to the sounds of shouting. It was faint, but it was definitely coming from downstairs. The clock on my bedside table told me it was four in the morning. A sleepy groan escaped through my lips, and I sat up, contemplating whether I should go downstairs and find out what was going on. My exhausted body told me to go back to sleep, but my mind, alert and intrigued, told me to go.

I swung my legs over the bed, stood up, and walked over to my bedroom door, opening it slowly and carefully, not wanting to make a noise. The shouting was more clear, more defined, as I tiptoed down the corridor.

"...and I just think it's unfair for Lili to have to live in the dark like this." I suddenly became more attentive as I heard my name.

"She's not ready," my dad argued, his voice a hiss.

"We can't keep it from her forever," I heard my mom say. She sounded less angry than my dad, and rather like she was pleading.

My heart thudded rapidly as I listened to their words. They made no sense to me, and that's what terrified me. What were they keeping from me this time? Did Seth know about this? I listened to any sounds that might have been coming from his bedroom, but it was silent, so he must be sleeping. Or listening silently, as I was doing.

"I don't think she will be as willing as Seth is," my mom sighed. "She's...different."  So Seth did know about this. There would be no point in asking him, though; he wouldn't tell me. I always thought we were close and we told each other everything, but now I wasn't so sure. He was the one I could always trust, the one I could always count on to keep secrets of my own. Could I even trust him anymore? The thought made my throat close up with emotion.

I heard the sounds of chairs scraping across tiles; they were obviously coming back to bed. I scrambled to my feet, and, as quietly as I could, ran back to my bedroom, closing the door softly behind me.

The next morning, I didn't acknowledge the fact that I heard some of my parents' conversation last night. Moreover, I couldn't even look Seth in the eye, knowing he knew a secret - a big one, no doubt - and I didn't. For the first time, there was an excitement to get to school, to escape the tenebrosity of this reticent house.

Sage was waiting for me by the bicycle rack when I arrived at school. I wondered if she went back to the party after she dropped me at home.

"Didn't get much sleep last night?" Sage laughed, touching the area under my left eye.

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You've got bruises under your eyes."

"Oh," I said, still frowning.

"Dreaming of Elijah, were we?" she winked. I felt the blush seep into my cheeks.

"Maybe," I said, my mouth pulling up at the sides.

We walked into school together, chatting about the party. She told me she only arrived back home two hours ago. I was shocked that she was at school; I would still be in bed, sleeping, if that was me. The first thing I noticed when we walked down the main corridor was Elijah, standing by his locker, surrounded by a group of his friends. He turned around and looked up, our eyes locking. My heartbeat increased significantly as his gaze bore into mine. Here comes the blush again. His lips pulled up into a smile. I wasn't all for the gooey, lovey-dovey romance movies, but it felt like one; we were the only people in the room, and everyone else around us was irrelevant in that current moment.

Then, I was snapped out of my engrossment by Sage coughing beside me. I realized I was already late for class, and I really didn't feel like getting chastised by a teacher today. I peeled my eyes away from Elijah and followed Sage to our lockers, pulling my books out for the first few lessons. School felt silly today, considering what was going on at home. There was a part of me that wanted to confront my parents, to ask them what the hell was going on. As my mom said, they can't keep it from me forever. The question was, is when exactly were they planning to tell me? Tomorrow? Weeks from now, or possibly months? I don't think I would be able to be kept in the dark for that long. Seth knew. So why couldn't I know?

After AP Philosophy, it was lunch break. Sage and I ran to the cafeteria, determined to get a good place in the food line. Luckily, we were one of the first ones there, and we managed to be close to the front. I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Hey there," he whispered softly in my ear, goosebumps forming up and down my arms. I turned around, smiling, trying to keep my pulse down. Elijah's hair was messy, like he hadn't brushed it this morning. Somehow, this made him even more irresistible (if that was even possible). My eyes traced his perfect features, from his flawlessly shaped cheekbones, to his hazel eyes; there was a fleck of caramel in his left iris. I suddenly felt self-conscious standing so close to him; my features were nowhere near as beautiful as his. I probably looked like a silly, immature girl, blushing whenever he looked at me, but that was because a boy had never looked at me the way he does.

"You left the party so early last night. I wish you could've stayed longer," he smiled.

"Me too," I sighed. "But my parents are really strict. They wanted me home early."

He shrugged. "Fair enough. You missed the part where I tried to do a backflip into the pool. I failed terribly."

"I wish I could have been there to see that," I laughed.

The cafeteria doors suddenly swung open with a bang. The whole room felt silent as we watched the scene unfold. Three guys, all tall and brawny, pushed my brother onto the cafeteria floor. The biggest one picked him up by the scruff of his t-shirt and held him close to his face.

"You don't deserve to live," he spat in Seth's face, shoving him down to the floor again.

"Stop it!" I screamed, running over to my brother. I stood between the three guys and Seth, protecting him. Elijah ran over, shoving the biggest guy.

"What's your problem?" he snarled. The guy shoved Elijah back, but Elijah was both bigger and more intimidating than him. I turned around and knelt beside my brother. Blood was smeared across his right cheek and trickled down from his nose onto his upper lip. His left eye was already bruised and swelling up. I lifted him up from the ground, putting his arm around my shoulder. My knees trembled under his weight but I led him out of the room, going straight to the office.

"No, no..." he mumbled when he realized where we were going.

"Seth, the nurse will help you," I argued with him, but my voice was soft. He moaned in pain. The receptionist gasped when we hobbled in. She ran down the corridor behind her, shouting for the nurse, who came running immediately. She didn't look surprised at Seth's appearance; she just took him from me and led him down the corridor into a room. I watched them, feeling helpless.

Seth was my brother; we shared blood and DNA. The pain he felt, mental or physical, I felt too. Every inch of my body wanted to run back into the cafeteria and kill every single one of those guys who hurt my brother, but I knew Seth wouldn't want that. He was too humble, too kind-hearted. But I knew with confidence that Elijah would sort them out, and I was grateful that he stood up to them like that. I sat on one of the armchairs in the office, waiting for my brother.

There was a part of me, just a small part, that knew that this wasn't the first time this had happened.

A/N

What did you guys think of this chapter? Any ideas why Seth was beaten up?

Do you have any new theories on what big secret the Ayres family is holding from Lili?

Don't forget to like and comment if you enjoyed!

- Olivia Clarke -

GIF: Lili (Lilith) Ayres - Crystal Reed

© Olivia Clarke 2017

The Devil's Daughter