by S J Crabb
Chapter Fifteen
As I ride home I think about everything that is going on. There are so many balls in the air and I know that it is up to me to keep them all in play until it all comes crashing down. One thing I do know is that I must try to keep my father from discovering what I am thinking of doing. That will be the most difficult part of this whole thing.
When I get inside the house I make myself go into the kitchen where I can hear voices. Usually I scoot off to my room but I am now on a mission and need to set things in place.
I have to stifle a giggle when I enter the room as I see Luna gyrating madly to some music that she has on that she is listening to with her headphones on. As she sees me she tears them off of her head and runs over and hugs me tightly. "Scarlett honey it's good to have you home for once. Come in and I'll make you a drink. I'm making my hot chocolate specials, loads of whipped cream and marshmallows."
I smile at her as she replaces the headphones and sets about making the drink. I wander over to where my brothers are watching the game. It is unusual to find them all here so I know that this could be my only opportunity.
They look at me with disdain as I sink down on to the couch. I don't say anything and just grab hold of the drink that Luna gives me and make myself watch the game whilst I think about how I am going to approach this.
After a while they start talking about the fight. Caleb says, "I can't wait for the fight bro. Make sure that you do your worst. I've got a bet on you flooring him in the third round." Ash laughs. "Make that two of us. I mean have you seen the guy, he would go down if you just looked at him in the wrong way."
They all laugh and I sit and listen intently. Marius shrugs. "I'm not gonna lie it's gonna be the easiest fight I've had in a long time. Depends how bored I get I suppose. I might just string it out for my own enjoyment."
Listening to them revelling in the thought of someone else's pain makes me feel sick. They're all disgusting and I am ashamed that they are my brothers. I still sit there with a bland expression and then Caleb notices that I am quiet and looks at me with a sneer.
"Careful guys we have a traitor in our midst. I'm guessing she's routing for the other guy, I mean word is she's tight with his baby brother. What do you say little sis, where are your loyalties in all this?"
I look at them all blankly and just take a sip of my drink before I reply. "I have no loyalties. I am out of here soon and just passing the time. It won't bother me who wins. I'm not so sure that Marius will escape cleanly though."
They all laugh loudly and Marius scowls at me. "What are you talking about? I could beat him with my hands tied behind my back." I pause for effect and then fix him with a steely gaze. "I'm not talking about beating Dylan. We all know that is inevitable. You may win the fight but you could lose your girlfriend in the bargain."
I watch Marius as my words register. A flash of alarm passes across his eyes which is instantly replaced by one of anger. "What do you mean?" He says in a low threatening voice. I shrug my shoulders and look indifferent.
"All I know is that she came to see Dylan today and tried to talk him out of the fight. She is scared that he will get hurt and she cares for him."
Marius snaps, "Don't be ridiculous of course she doesn't care for him. You don't know what you're talking about; you should stick to washing dishes instead of psychoanalysing my relationship."
I stand up slowly and stare at him with a hooded expression. "Listen I am just telling you what I saw. Also when she worked that night in the bar she didn't want paying. There is something between them that goes deep. It's only a matter of time before you mess things up with her and then guess who will be waiting to pick up the pieces? What is it our father says, oh yes, knowledge is power. Well I am providing you with the knowledge; it's up to you how you deal with it." Caleb snorts. "As if Marius cares about upsetting his girl's feelings. There's an endless supply waiting to take her place so who cares what she thinks?"
Marius stays silent and I turn to face them all and look as if I have just had a thought. "You know this could all work to your advantage." They look at me with animosity but I can tell that I have their attention. Moving back I sit on the edge of the couch and narrow my eyes.
"From what I understand if you knock out the first opponent another one takes his place, is that right?" Marius nods and he looks at me keenly. "Well if I were you, I would knock Dylan straight out with your first punch. That way Layla will think that you've done it for her out of the kindness of your heart. It would then show the next contestant and the audience that you are not to be messed with. The rest of you put bets on a first punch knock out and everybody's happy. Anyway like I said, it doesn't matter to me either way."
I jump up and move away. It's a gamble that will hopefully pay off. If I'm right and Marius does care more for his girlfriend than he's letting on then Dylan may just be spared a beating. His pride may suffer but that will soon be forgotten when the next stage of my plan comes into effect.
Before I can make my escape Luna grabs me. "Scarlett wait up. I keep on forgetting I've got those clothes that I bought you in my room. Come on and I'll show you."
I can hear my brothers laughing as we head off towards her room.
She chatters on incessantly but I tune out as I follow her. I haven't been in their room for many years and dread that he may be in there.
We reach it and as she pushes the door open I notice with considerable relief that it is empty. I look around me with interest. It is immaculately tidy and an interior designers dream. It is mainly white but has a huge bed that dominates the room that is covered in white satin sheets with luxurious silver fur throws scattered around. The furniture is modern and tasteful and there is some interesting art on the walls. Huge mirrors are everywhere and deep pile rugs litter the floor. The lighting is modern and I notice that it individually lights up sections of the room with varying shades of lights. The drapes look like silk and are heavy and full, trailing on the floor. The whole room reeks of indulgence and it mesmerises me.
Luna pulls me over to the other side of the room and opens a door that is almost invisible. I gasp as it leads to another huge room which is obviously her walk in closet. Never before have I seen a room such as this. It is every girls dream. All around are rails and rails of beautiful clothes. Shelves house every manner of apparel and I can see that one whole wall alone is taken up just with her shoes. There are places for scarves and accessories and there is another wall just for handbags. There is another door that is open which I can see houses her make up and beauty products. Everything is arranged immaculately and I just want to lose myself in here forever.
She smiles as she sees my face and gestures around her. "Impressive isn't it? Your father has an identical one next door. The bathroom separates them. We are so lucky to have him in our lives. He is so generous and loving; I couldn't love him any more than I do."
I bite back a retort. Loving is certainly one word that I would never use to describe him. However I realise that she sees a different side of him to us and I am just glad that he is obviously treating her right. Despite her intellectual capacity even I can see that she is good for him. She brings the light into an otherwise extremely dark house.
I watch as she grabs hold of several designer bags that are stacked in the corner of her closet room. She thrusts some at me and grabs the rest herself and gestures for me to follow her into their bedroom. Throwing them in a heap on the bed she grins at me and I try to quell the feeling of unease that is rising in me as I contemplate their contents.
One by one she pulls various garments from the bags. As she holds each one up tears threaten to spill down my cheeks because in every single bag is the most perfect item of clothing for me than I could ever wish to choose. She has understood my style and needs totally and I could not have chosen better myself.
There appears to be a whole new wardrobe here comprising of jeans, leggings, tops, jackets, nightwear, T shirts, in fact you nam
e it she's bought it.
As she looks at me triumphantly her face suddenly falls and she slumps down on to the bed. "Don't you like them Scarlett? I tried to put myself in your shoes when I was choosing them. They can all go back if you'd rather, I won't be offended."
The tears are now coming thick and fast and I hug her tightly to me. Nobody has ever taken the time to understand me before let alone go to all this trouble just to make me happy. Choking on my tears I look at her gratefully. "Thank you Luna, they are all perfect, in fact better than perfect. I just can't thank you enough. Nobody has ever done anything like this for me before and I am overwhelmed."
Tears run down Luna's face and she looks at me softly. "You're a loner Scarlett, I recognise that in you. It may be hard for you to understand now but I was once a lot like you. We never had anything when I was growing up. My mom had many boyfriends, some of who used to come after me when she was asleep."
I look at her horrified and she sighs. "It's ok, I learned how to fight them off, and they were mainly drunk anyway so it was quite easy to do. As soon as I could I left home with nothing but what I could fit into a bag. I bummed around for a while and luckily met someone who offered me work as a model. It was through that work I met your father and the rest as they say is history. He treats me so well and loves me when nobody else ever did. I just want to give him something back so I try to play the mom to you all when you are here as well as giving him my full attention when he is. I'm sorry if it annoys you all but I can tell that you all need a little bit of love in your lives like I did. All of this is the only way I know how."
I sit next to her on the bed and hold her hand tightly. "Thank you Luna, I really mean that. Not just for the clothes but for everything. If you weren't here the house would not be as alive as it is. I'm glad that my father treats you well. You deserve it." We both look at each other and laugh at the sight of our tear streaked faces. Luna pulls me up. "Come on Scarlett, I'll help you carry it all to your room."