Phenomenally capturing everything about our little Acacia, DreamySnowflake8008 has created a beautiful cover that will become the official one as of now.

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Acacia/Ciarán - Age 12

I wanted to ignore Lars, the way he'd used the letter...I don't understand what he's trying to tell me, though I know I can't say anything more to him as I'd promised my daddy. It kept eating at me though, wondering what he wants to show me, but I'd told him I wasn't interested. He had offered me a friendly smile while informing me that if I ever needed someone to talk to, that he was always there.

Autumn is here, homeschooling having already begun and Ciarán's behind on his reading. Dante and mama confined him to his room until he finishes the chapters he needs to. He doesn't want to though, getting bored while sneaking out to play with Mercury, Cypher and the rest of their friends. Ciarán was caught sneaking out last week...

...Dante threatened him that he'd make him soon understand what it means to be grounded and perhaps weak truly.

I don't understand what he means by that, but Ciarán wasn't worried at all. In fact, Dante and Ciarán had gone at one another with their wolves when he told my brother that he needed to finish his work. It ended with Dante besting Ciarán, though it's scary the strength he has and I think that Dante had to do everything to beat his son...

Ciarán was angry after losing and retorted back saying, "I don't need to know about freaking Oliver Twist!"

When Dante had lashed back at him with, "You need your education..."

Ciarán was quick to point the finger at mama and growl, "Mother didn't have one and look, she's queen of the freaking world! I don't need this crap! It's not going to make or break me as king!"

There was a long conversation after that behind closed doors...

...in fact, that's where mama and daddies are.

Ciarán is in his room while I'm sitting in the living room next to the fireplace with Marcus. He tries to climb closer to the flames, and I pull him back saying, "If you do that, you're going to get hurt."

"No, the flames are nice!" Marcus tries to crawl all over and around me to get to the open flames. I'm going to tell mama and daddies that we need to get something so if Marcus is by himself, he can't just jump in the open fireplace.

"Yes, they are, but not nice to touch," I pick him up and walk to the couch before we both sit on it. He looks up at me with sad eyes, and I can't help but giggle at his adorable face.

After a few moments, he asks, "Can we play lava monster, Cacia?"

"Of course," I smile at him while moving off the couch and onto the marble floor. Taking a quick step toward him, I say, "Rawr!" Marcus screams and stands to his feet, running across the couch before reaching the end and jumping to the next chair. I laugh as he keeps looking back over his shoulder to see if I'm following him, but then he gets even louder when I get closer. We play awhile, mama walking into the living room after their talk and bringing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

"Marcus, let's go eat in the kitchen and then it's naptime for you," mama tells him, and he throws a tantrum about how he wants to be the lava monster now, crying, kicking and screaming until mama has to calm him down.

She's good at that, watching quietly as I sit next to the fireplace. I understand why she wants to pull him aside because daddies come into the living room after she leaves with Marcus. When daddy's eyes lock onto mine, I can't understand what he's thinking. He's guarding himself from me while Dante comes to sit on one of the chairs, daddy moves to the couch closest to the fireplace.

Averting my eyes from daddy, I already have a terrible feeling that he's going to try and get something from me...

...I'm not wrong when he says, "Acacia, come sit with me."

"No thank you...I'm cold, and I want to stay by the fire," I keep my eyes from catching Dante's as I see him just out of the corner of my eyes.

"I just need to ask you a few questions little love," his voice alters, and I feel the difference as it surrounds me. When the silence goes on long enough, he then asks, "Can you at least turn around so we can talk?"

Slowly, I turn around while crossing my legs on the floor. Dante's eyes remain on me though I see it's not just him, his wolf is present also. When my gaze lifts away from him, my eyes lock with daddy's, seeing the way he's already analyzing me, setting up his playing field with tactics he's about to use.

"What is it, daddy?" I ask while keeping my voice even.

Daddy nods and says, "I want to talk to you about Ciarán."

"What about him?" I ask as my gaze never falters, seeing the way his features shift slightly.

"Has he been acting any differently toward you?" Daddy starts off with a very open-ended question, allowing it to be interpreted however I like.

The honest truth...?

No...I'm the one who's been acting differently which would in turn perhaps make Ciarán believe that I no longer want to be as close with him...especially when Mercury is around.

I shake my head and reply, "No, not to me."

They are worried about his behavior, though I don't know what daddy wants me to say to confirm whatever it is they are suspecting. Even so...if it has anything to do with Mercury; I can't answer anyway, so they're out of luck.

I believe daddy sees what I'm playing at and in turn asks me differently, "How is he when Mercury and his friends are around?"

You can't outsmart me daddy...I'm slowly drifting away from the little girl you've known.

"He respects me and wants me to join in with whatever it is they have planned," again, this is honest though I can decide whether or not I want to disclose the full truth behind why I never accept those offers. I wonder how he changes when I'm not around though...I might be the one inadvertently causing him to alter his behavior to fit in with those around him.

I'm guilty there if that's the point daddy is attempting to get to.

Daddy analyzes my features, and I believe I'm doing an outstanding job...though he suddenly takes this conversation down a different path when he asks, "Why don't you take his offers?"

Normally...I would have responded something similar to, 'how would you know that?' though, it's easy for parents to be observant...when they want to be that is...

"Ciarán should be allowed to spend time with his friends without his sister always tagging along," I shrug my shoulders while feeling the warmth from the flames through my shirt. I want to sit here all day and play with Marcus, but I have a feeling I'm not getting out of this so easily. A fake smile makes its way onto my face when I say, "Besides, I don't want Marcus to feel neglected either by his older siblings and I enjoy spending time with him."

Daddy looks me once over before he turns to Dante and says, "Well then, it appears that Mercury and their friends are the ones for his change in behavior as he loves and wouldn't hurt his sister."

What's going on?

Dante nods and says, "If he sneaks out again, his consequences for his actions will be harsher." He takes a moment before saying, "Thank you for telling us the truth, Acacia," those words hit me hard, and I have to keep the fake smile remaining on my face while I nod back. Dante rises to his feet and releases a sigh before heading out and saying, "I need to make a phone call."

Turning away from daddy's gaze I let my smile drop, waiting for him to leave me alone too. It surprises me though when he asks, "Is everything okay?"

No.

I can't count how many times I've been bitten because I haven't done what Mercury has asked of me...

I hardly know the number of times I've been hurt where bruises don't show...

...each time I think about saying anything, Marcus' and my own life flash through my mind, and I remind myself to bite my tongue. I stay far away from Mercury and his friends when they are around, feeling bad when dodging Ciarán at the same time.

"I'm fine," I reply quietly, wondering how long he's going to continue to probe at me for answers. Instead of being on the defensive, I ask him in return, "Daddy...what's going to happen to Ciarán?"

He's silent for a moment, and I can't help but turn around to see him staring off into the fire as I once was. Daddy's eyes eventually meet with my own, and he says, "Unfortunately if he can't change this attitude of his, he'll be grounded from seeing his friends for a long time."

Did he see?

No?

Okay...good.

I swear I went pale the second he said that, though I immediately looked away and back to the fire as if his punishment wasn't in anyway linked to me...sadly, even Ciarán doesn't know this. My heart rate remains even as I have to get to Ciarán and tell him that if he sneaks out again, Dante is going to do something to him as he'd just said moments ago...

...perhaps that will be enough for him to finish out his school assignments without any more trouble.

"Am I allowed to talk to him?" I ask as I don't want to overstep my boundaries.

Daddy chuckles while standing to his feet, "I'd encourage it. You might be able to help him if anything he should be thankful you want to talk to him."

Slowly, I gather myself to my feet and walk right past daddy...I'm not quick enough though and I feel his arms around me just as he says, "Where are you going without saying goodbye?"

"Umm..." I lift my arms and hug daddy back; his arms wrap around my back. He pulls me close to him, and I feel the protectiveness...

"Please tell me," his lips are near my ear as he whispers out.

I shake my head while remaining calm and keeping myself out of check when I say, "I don't have anything to tell you, but I might go back next summer if that's what you're getting at."

If he believes me...that's great; however, I feel he's just allowing me whatever I want to believe when he states, "I was wondering..." though his voice trails off and he releases a sigh. A moment later, he releases me from his arms and nods at me while I show a genuine smile. I do love my daddy, but he makes it hard for me to say anything as I wanted to talk more about Keveon and Lars...when he said that Keveon 'was' his brother...but I saw him.

I also want to understand why daddy believes I was being influenced by a warlock or witch...no one is controlling me...but more so giving me an ear when I need someone to listen. I don't want to keep fighting with myself behind his back about whether or not he's safe to talk to...after all; he is on the council.

That'll be a conversation for another day...

...now I need to get to my brother.

After saying goodbye to daddy, I make my way up the staircase and down the hallway toward his room. Moving close to his door I knock, but the response I get is, "Go away."

"Ciarán, it's m-"

"I know it's you Acacia..." his voice trails off as he then reiterates, "...go away."

Okay...

After a few moments of silence, I try again and ask, "Why won't you talk to me?"

"I don't have anything to say to you," his words hurt me and I breathe in deeply while reaching for the doorknob. He's quicker though because in the next second I'm staring into his eyes when he pulls the door inward very quickly. Ciarán says, "You don't want to do anything with me, why bother talking to me now?"

I shake my head and furrow my brows while saying, "Ciarán, no...that's not fair. I don't want to play with your friends...not you," I see his features hardly change when I try to correct him, but he doesn't see it that way.

"Why? You never give them a chance and always turn down every offer that I've given you," he retorts with anger in his eyes. When I am about to say something, he cuts me off and snaps, "They're like me...they've come a long way too grown up. They know how to pull their strength and speed...so why don't you care to give them a chance?"

I don't even know how to begin to respond to this...

...but I can tell he's ready to shut down and not listen, so I have to be quick with what he needs to know.

"Ciarán...if you try and sneak out again...Dante is going to do something to you to ground you from your friends for a while," I get quieter with every word because he continues to deepen his glare.

"Why do you care? You don't like them anyways," he turns his back on me and ready to shut his door when I quickly move forward and push it open.

He turns back around just as I state, "I care because I don't want to see you upset because you can't leave this room!"

"No one can keep me in this room! I'll become stronger than them all very soon!" Ciarán's voice resonates through the room and into the hallway, my heart beating fast at the way I don't even see him move.

Something...

...it just snaps. For a split second, I don't understand what's happening because my back hits the wall, my head snapping back as I see black spots cloud my vision. I can barely catch my breath as I slide down to the floor, hardly able to feel my cheek as it's gone numb. Tears gather rather quickly in my eyes, lifting them to see Ciarán towering in front of me. The once angry spark in his eyes is replaced promptly with deep regret as his eyes widen at what he'd just done. I lift my hand to touch my cheek...I feel nothing still...but I know something's wrong.

I shake my head at him while the tears fall down my cheeks, crying when all the pain comes flooding through me. My head throbs, the dark spots still lingering when I blink my eyelids open quickly while feeling complete hurt and disbelief at what my brother had just done.

"A-Acacia...I-I-I oh god...I'm so sorry," Ciarán quickly kneels down in front of me, attempting to get a better look at my face, but I push him off.

"Leave me alone!" I cry out at him, trying to push my hands against the marble floor to lift myself up and away from him.

Ciarán doesn't let me though, taking my face into his hands as he tries to look at me while he says, "I...I broke...your cheekbone. I-I'm sorry Acacia, let me help and let me fix it please..." he begs me as I see his pleading eyes through my teary ones.

I'm just so hurt, angry and betrayed that he'd do anything like this to me...

...I can't stop myself from lashing out with all the pent-up frustration, and angry I have when I yell, "What?! Just like when I was pushed around when we were eight and cut my arm?! So that you can cover up something else that has happened to me?!"

"N-No, I-"

"Excuse me..." daddy's voice sounds from the open door frame, Ciarán and I glancing and seeing daddies with their arms crossed in front of their chests...

💫--To Be Continued--💫

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JustaNobody28 picked this song out as it reminds her of Acacia! She by Zayn is the song of her choice.