chapter 38

This Will Be (An Ever Lasting Love) - Natalie Cole.

Hello! I am so so so sorry that I didn't update yesterday like I was supposed to. I do have a good (ish) excuse. Ready to hear it?

Well, I live in England. And as some of you might know, we have snow. We never get snow. At least we don't where I live. So, of course, I go out and have fun with my friends. And so we're having fun and then one of my friends suggests a sleepover. Once again, of course, I'm going to agree to a sleepover, especially since I don't see some of my friends as much anymore. And yeah, I couldn't update because I was too busy messing around with my friends.

I'm going to say it again, I'm so sorry. Now enjoy the chapter!

Dedicated to: Hellish_Kash

They all stared at me in utter shock. Ren had her mouth open in disbelief, Cora's eyes kept darting between the picture and me whilst Xavier had a blank expression on his face.

"B—Brother ?" Ren stutters. She shakes her head and starts to fidget around. "No, no. You don't have a brother. You're an only child, I know because I've known you for a very long time."

She's hurt. I can tell by her rambling. She's trying to convince herself that she knows me and that I didn't keep a secret like this from her. If only it was true. Ren runs a hand through her blonde hair and releases a breath.

"Ren—

"No!" She shouts, cutting me off. "I've known you for a long, long time now. You can't keep a secret. You're awful at it! So this means you're lying. This is a joke. Where's your mom and the camera? Is this going on you've been framed or something? Because you owe me at least one—fifth of the money." She hysterically yells, rubbing her cheeks.

I want to go over to her and comfort her so badly but it wouldn't be right. I'm the reason she's acting like this, its my fault. I'm such a horrible friend. Literally, I'm the worst.

"Hey Ren, calm down." Cora steps in, placing her hand on her shoulder. I give her a thankful look.

"I'm so sorry," I mumble, looking down at my lap. "I—I just couldn't tell you."

I feel so ashamed. Best friends tell each other things, I didn't. I keep telling myself its to keep them safe but what if its just to make me feel better?

Xavier grabs onto my hand. That's the first thing he's done since I announced it. The first time he initiated contact since my revelation. I gaze up at him to see him giving me an encouraging look. It looks like he understands why I lied. My heart hammers loudly in my chest at that. Those sparks are making me feel things that I didn't think I could feel again.

"Anna, please tell us this is a joke." Ren pleads. She's known me the longest so that betrayal must hurt more for her.

"I'm not," I truthfully tell her. "I have a brother called Chris. You never knew about it because my parents told me not to tell you. In fact, they made sure nobody knows about him. We've kept it a secret for a long time now."

"Why? Why would you do that?" Cora questions me. Her blue eyes are noting me. She probably doesn't trust me anymore.

I sigh and Xavier's grip on my hand tightens. He's giving me reassurance, telling me that he's here for me no matter what. I know he's curious, I know he's desperate to know all about Chris but he's refraining himself because of the state that I'm in.

My stomach leaps at that thought. He's doing it for me because he still cares.

"I wasn't allowed to. My parents said I had to keep him a secret to protect everyone." I tell them, recalling the numerous talks they gave me about keeping Chris a secret.

"Protect? What do you mean to protect everyone?" asks Cora.

"What I mean is that Chris is dangerous. We were all living together, mom, dad, Chris, me and May."

"Hold up, whose May?" Cora interrupts me.

"M—my sister." I sigh sadly and look down at the carpet. "She was my baby sister. She was very little when she passed. You see before I met you guys, I lived in New Jersey and had the perfect happy family. Chris was my older brother who would always look after me no matter what. I don't remember much about him because he was taken away from me when I was only three and a half. I do have some memories of us together though." I shiver at some that flash in my mind. "Chris was only two years older than me and he loved me very much. I loved him too, he made every moment fun.

"And then one day, everything changed. We were playing in the house, he was chasing me pretending to be an evil monster. Mom was cooking in the kitchen, humming to a song. And then she went upstairs, looking for my only two—week old sister, May. The next thing I know, I'm hearing a broken, terrified scream from upstairs. I rushed up the stairs and saw my baby sister dead. He had suffocated her in her own crib. It—it " I'm crying at this point for my own sister who was murdered by our crazy brother. I can still remember my mom's absolutely heartbroken expression, I was only three at the time but I knew she was distraught.

"Mom had called dad and they had questioned the both of us about what happened. Dad was so sad as well but he was putting on a strong face for the rest of us. I told them I would never, ever hurt May and that Chris was acting a bit strange. Chris denied everything at first. After we mourned for her, we tried to go back to normal. But then my parents started to notice how he changed. Chris was more...evil. He would torment other children who were mean to me and hell, who even looked at me. He would beat kids up and would come home all bruised and scratched, with a creepy smile on his face.

"Then he started bringing home dead animals like birds, bugs and then eventually, cats. He would have their blood on him and would smile so manically. That's when mom and dad realized he had killed our May. Me and mom started acting wary of Chris, trying to stay away from him. Dad tried to talk some sense into him, tried to pry him for answers." I laughed humorously at that. "Like that would work.

"Eventually, mom and dad decided he needed a psychological test. So, they went and the results were not what they wanted. Apparently, Chris was mentally unstable and would need to take several tablets to make him feel better and less...well, crazy.

"For the first month, it worked. He was back to normal again, he didn't get into fights for pointless reasons or bring home dead animals. He was my brother again. But then, one day, he didn't have any. And on that day, he ended up attacking another five year old because he said he would like to have a playdate with me. Chris flipped and attacked him."

I didn't realize I was crying until I felt Xavier's thumb wiping away a stray tear. I inhale and continue with my story.

"The poor boy was sent to a hospital with internal bleeding, four broken bones, five fractures and several cuts and scrapes. He was traumatized. That was the day my parents realized Chris had to be sent away. They didn't want to, they loved him a lot but they didn't want me or anyone else getting hurt. Chris was sent to a mental institute where psychiatrists told my parents they would help him.

"My parents thought he wouldn't be there for too long. We moved after hearing Chris had gone on a rampage and had killed a member of staff there. He was only six by then. Apparently, he was so angry with us for abandoning him.

"And then I came here and started a new life. Always looking over my shoulder just in case he came back. And now he has and he's angry. Very angry."

Everybody is frozen as I finish my story, trying to comprehend everything. Its a lot to take in. After all, stuff like this never happens. Its crazy, insane. I feel like I'm on a dramatic soap opera.

Cora's the first one to speak out of everyone. "I'm so sorry Anna."

Ren seems just as speechless as Cora too, whilst Xavier remains silent. He's still holding my hand and he's rubbing soothing circles. That small action makes me feel calm and safe like nothing will harm me.

"So you lied to protect us?" Ren finally asks me.

I nod my head. "Yes, I agreed with my parents in thinking it was for the best. I believed it would keep you safe. It was never my intention to hurt any of you though. I hate lying but I genuinely thought it was for the best."

"I forgive you." Cora blurts out, surprising me. "I mean, I understand now why you did it. So, I forgive you. Just...don't do it again. I can take care of myself. And I'm so sorry about May, I bet she would have been amazing."

She would have.

I give her a smile at that and she gets up and hugs me. We then both turn to look at Ren, who lifts her chin up in defiance. Me and Cora share a look, smiling.

The both of us lunge for Ren and tackle her with tickles. She bursts into fits of laughter, begging us to stop.

"Ok! Ok!" She hollers. "You can stop! I forgive you."

Me and Cora both get off of her with grins. Always works.

"Thank you," I whisper in her ear, hugging her tightly. We pull apart and I sit back on the bed with Xavier, who immediately embraces me with a side hug. Well, there's his answer.

He kisses the crown of my head and all I do is savor how good this feels. I'm so lucky to have him here. I'll have to tell him that one day.

"Right so, what are you going to do?" Cora asks me.

I shrug my shoulders. "Go to my grandparents for a while. Wait it out."

Xavier suddenly pulls away from me and he grabs both of my hands. "You are not running away from this. Not anymore. You are going to stand up and fight back. You're going to be that firey, stubborn girl who I first met."

I cock my head to the side, maintaining eye contact with him.

"Princess, you can't let him get to you. You're stronger than him. I believe in you to stay here and show him that you're not scared." Xavier tells me. I feel like my heart is about to break out of my rib cage at him. He has so much faith in me.

How the hell did I get so lucky with him? As long as Xavier is by my side, I feel unstoppable. I feel like I can do anything.

"I'm not scared," I whisper, leaning my forehead against his. "I'll stay."

Xavier's hands move to my cheeks and his gray eyes continue to keep contact with my green eyes. Everything else feels lost, it just feels like there's me and him. Forever.

"Good because I won't let you leave. I—I love you." He whispers, almost dazed.

What?

Word count: 2001

The L word!!! Wow, even I surprised myself with that one. Anyways, how do you feel about Chris? Do you think we'll ever meet him and how?

Comment below!

Next update: 8th March