Thanksgiving

Tori's POV

Suzie hopped towards her bed while using my arm for support. According to dad the doctor had said it wasn't that bad of a sprain and she only needed to wear a brace on her ankle but to be safe it would be better not to put pressure on her foot. So Suzie had laid her crutches on the ground beside her bed and I helped her get under the covers placing the fluffy blanket over her. "Better?" I asked.

She nodded, "Yeah. I'm sorry for scaring you."

I smiled a little and sat next to her. She had tripped when she was running down the stairs, lost her balance and landed on her foot in an awkward position. "I think you gave Macy a heart attack." I said with a small laugh.

Suzie smiled, "Not as bad as Trent. He thought it was Macy that scremed."

"It's ironic," I told her, "Dad usually wants me to stay with you so you don't hurt yourself. Guess I failed, huh?"

Suzie giggled before snuggling into the pillow below her head. She yawned pulling her blanket closer, "Nah it was my fault."

"Did it hurt a lot?" I had once sprained my wrist, I knew moving it at a certain position would hurt more than just keeping it still. But if it started swelling I'd literally have to keep it as still as the water. If I just moved slightly and it caused a ripple, it'd feel like a sharp pain to my head.

Sue shrugged, "Only if I moved my foot."

I nodded and kissed the top of her head. "Go to sleep. You had a fun day."

She fell asleep shorty afterwards so I walked out of her room and headed towards mine. The lights were turned on in the hall since there was no sun outside. It had gotten dark about two hours ago and everyone was in their rooms, relaxing I assume.  When I came into my room I headed to my closet and grabbed some sweat pants with a sweat shirt. I didn't feel the need to turn the lights on so I changed in the dark and threw my dirty clothes to a corner in the closet. I crawled under the covers of my bed and tried falling asleep but failing to do so.

If they had just let me explain what had happened withTrent. I thought to myself. At the same time though, I didn't feel like it was the right thing to tell them. Maybe if I told Cole first, he'd understand. He'd help me. I knew in couldn't tell Blake, there was no way I could tell him. And Shawn? He'd probably kill me if I told him I had a conversation with Trent. I had wanted to tell them but I had no chance before Blake had dragged them away leaving me in the room unsure what to do.

It felt like hours of thinking but when I turned to my clock I realized only one, slow, dreadful hour had passed. I still couldn't find myself to sleep. The whole house was quiet, a mouse would be heard if it walked by in the hall. The silence was suffocating though. There was no wind outside, no shaking trees or falling leaves. It felt like the world stood still.

I turned to my side and watched the digital clock on my desk next to my bed. The colon between the numbers kept blinking red. At every minute the number would change. But I kept my eyes on the colon until I felt myself slowly drifting to sleep. My eyelids seemed to weigh a thousand pounds, and my eyes felt like they were stinging from exhaustion. So I shut my eyes and felt myself drifting off.

It wasn't a deep sleep. If it had been I wouldn't have been awoken so easily. In the silence of the night I heard a small creak of a door outside in the hallway. Then someone trying to stay quiet as they tip-toed in the hall. I checked my clock and it read: 3:09 a.m. It was too early for someone to be up, so I placed my head back on my pillow and tried falling asleep again.

There was a knock on my door. A light tap before someone opened it. "Tori." The person whispered. Even their whisper sounded like a shout. I looked up but only saw a figure, a shadow who's face I couldn't make out. "It's Shawn."

"Shawn?" I croaked before sitting up and rubbing my eyes. "What's wrong? It's three in the morning." I yawned my last words.

"I know." His arm went up like he was scratching the back of his neck. "I had a bad dream. Can I stay with you?"

Even in my haze I was shocked he'd have such a request. I closed my eyes trying to fall back asleep but I nodded my head and said, "Sure." Then I scooted over to once side of my bed so he could slide in. I felt the bed dip and sudden chill reach my legs from the air outside. It quickly went away when Shawn closed the small opening he had formed with the covers. "I'm surprised you came here." I mumbled my back turned to him.

He wrapped his arms around my waist and buried his head between my shoulders. "I've never had a sister to comfort me. Blake and Cole wouldn't cuddle with me if their lives depended on it."

I laughed softly trying not to sound to loud. "So what was your bad dream about?"

He sighed, "It started like all my other dreams."

"Meaning?"

I could feel him smile. "Me and FooFoo strolling through Chocolate Landia on Planet F.U.N."

"Um..." I knitted my eyebrows, "Could you please explain that?"

He nodded, "F.U.N is my world. I dream about it all the time. It stands for Fun Unicorn Nations. It's where my unicorn obsession started, right after watching Despicable Me and the girl had that giant unicorn. FooFoo is my companion. I have three. They're all part of the Senate. But theres a king of the all the Landias. A Landia is like a continent. There's Chocolate, Candy Cane, Gumdrop, Sports, Forbidden, and our recent Landia is Emily Landia." I turned to face him my mouth wide open about to say just how crazy he was but he cupped my mouth with his hand and kept going, "FooFoo is my rainbow farting unicorn. He's my favorite of all, super happy and spunky. Love him. He has a twin sister named FeeFee who farts candy. And a cousin LaLa who just farts."

I pulled his hand away, "Why does LaLa just fart?" Was all I could ask because Shawn seemed to have such a wild imagination it was scaring me at this point.

"She lost it when she swam in the Forbidden Lake." Shawn replied with a casual shrug. Even though it was dark and I couldn't make out most of his figure, I stared at him wondering if he had truly lost his sanity. "You think I'm crazy, don't you?" He asked, almost as if he were sad.

I wasn't sure what to answer. Of course I thought he was crazy, but it was a funny crazy that made me smile. Truth be told, I was just thankful he was serial killer crazy. "I think it's weird..." I answered.

He nodded before placing the weight of his head onto the pillow. I did the same and felt him shift around so his chin was over my head. "Well...FooFoo and I were summoned to go see the king. We call him Sir LanceVicTovan."

I yawned and cuddled into his neck, "What was the bad dream Shawn?"

He stiffened slightly and sighed, "I hurt someone." He whispered even quieter. "I hurt someone that I cared about."

"Who?" I asked. "Was it FeeFee?"

He shook his head, "FeeFee was in the land of the butterflies at the time. She was on a quest to find the Glitter Blue butterfly. Thought to be extinct."

I let that one slide and asked again, "Who'd you hurt?"

He waited a full minute to answer. I was slowly starting to slip back into sleep, but remained awake trying to keep myself from closing my eyes. "I hurt them Tori..." He said again. "I don't want to hurt someone like that."

I frowned. "What did you do?"

He took a deep breath. "I crushed them..."

"Why?"

His words were grave and he started to tremble like he was cold. "I don't know...King LanceVicTovan told us too. He said we had too, that it was mandatory because they were a traitor to the kingdom. And I did what he told me to do...and I hurt them. Now I feel awful."

He tightened his grip around me like he was scared I'd somehow escape. "I'm sure what you did wasn't so bad Shawn."

He shook his head, "You don't know that..." I wasn't sure how to respond. So we lay there in silence just waiting for sleep to overtake us. Shawn stopped trembling soon and his grip slightly loosened. His breathing slowed down but not to the point of sleep. My eyes were closed and I was at the verge of slumber. "Tori..." Shawn breathed out at the brick of passing out, "Would you forgive me? If I ever did something to you?"

"Maybe..." I said against his shirt. "It depends what you do. But why would you do something to me?"

"I wouldn't..." Shawn muttered before falling asleep. "You're my sister." We both fell asleep after that, and for once I felt nice knowing my brother was here with me.

When morning seeped in through the shades in my windows I tried moving myself to a position where my eyes were covered by some sort of shadow. At first I had completely forgotten that Shawn was sleeping beside me, and was at a point of screaming before I realized it was him. He was snoring loudly with some drool at the corner of his mouth. His hair was spiked in all sorts of directions and he kept muttering things about not wanting to taste a dog.

"Well this is awkward." I heard someone say from the end of my bed. I looked up to see Cole who was standing at my feet yawning loudly with the same zombie hair as Shawn. "I just," He yawned more and even stretched a bit, "Needed to talk to you Tori."

I shook my head and pointed at Shawn, "Wake him up first and we can all talk."

Cole nodded and lazily walked to Shawn's side. He rocked his brother back and forth until Shawn snorted and woke up. He started rubbing his eyes and making his way into sitting position, "I swear Mr. Police Officer I didn't hide the crocodile in my toilet." Shawn said before opening his eyes. He smacked on his lips for a couple seconds while Cole and I watched him. He looked completely hollow before he came to his senses and sat up, "Oh...good morning."

Cole took a seat at our feet and leaned onto the board. His feet lay like a wall between Shawn and I as he kept yawning when he tried to talk. "I just wanted to talk to Tori."

"Well I'll go back to sleep then." Shawn tried pulling the covers over his head but failed due to Cole's position on the bed.

"You can stay if you want. I don't care." Cole added. "I just find it weird I found you here."

Shawn shrugged, "I had a bad dream." At the moment I was sort of in a daze, trying to regroup my thoughts before speaking. It was a process I usually went through in the mornings. Wake up, stay in bed, leave when I need to pee. "So talk about what?" Shawn asked.

Cole sighed and looked at me, "Have you ever been stuck between a decision you can't get out of? Or an action you don't know how to handle?"

I frowned and thought for a second. Both Shawn and Cole were looking at me with intense eyes, like my answer would solve all the problems in the world. "Um...well I don't know what you really mean."

Cole took a deep breath, "Ever wish you could go back in time?"

I nodded and looked at my hands. "All the time."

"Well..." Cole said, "What do you do when you wish that but you can't go back? How do you deal with it?"

"Yeah," Shawn butted in, "Like my bad dream. What do I do if I hurt someone and want to go back in time but can't? What do I say to them? To make it better. What can I do?"

Cole frowned at Shawn but then looked back at me. "Yeah that's a good scenario. What would you do?"

******************************

"Dad." I called into his bedroom the next morning. I heard him groan but he didn't move a muscle away from mom. "Daddy?" I called again and this time he looked up. I waved my hands frantically for him to come out, he frowned at first but finally gave in. He walked towards me before making a quick pit stop at his closet.

"Here," He handed me a large bag when he had reached me. Then a handful of coins and spare dollars. "That's all that's left. I hope you realize that was part of your earnings Tori."

I nodded and looked inside the bag. It had all the latest issue of USA team shirts. I had made dad go shopping for them, telling everyone an excuse of having to go to work so he could sneak out. It was true though, most of my babysitting or housesitting earnings were put into these shirts. But I had messed them up for the boys, it had been a complete accident. At least they'll forgive me.

"Oh." Dad said grabbing the bag again. "There's something in the bottom I want you to see." He dug his arm in trying to make the least amount of noise possible so he wouldn't wake mom up. Dad pulled out four rectangular pieces of paper and I realized what they were.

I nearly shrieked and took the four tickets in my hand. "Did we win that godforsaken contest?" I asked him. When I had heard that my favorite radio station was having a contest online to win the tickets, I couldn't help but tell dad to enter. It would be amazing for the guys if they could go.

He shook his head, "No."

I looked at him confused, "Then how did you..."

Dad smiled softly and kissed the top of my head, "I talked with Lilly. And we agreed because you're trying hard to get along with your brothers, that we'd earn the money for the tickets. So you have fun at the game, we'll be watching on the screen in the living room."

I hugged my dad tightly, "Oh my god thank you!" He shushed me so I wouldn't shout so loudly. Instead I just whispered, "Thank you thank you thank you."

He laughed softly and hugged me back. "You earned it. Plus that deal we made, who knows you'll be Zombie Apocalypse 2 soon. And a daddy daughter day with me."

I honestly had forgotten about my deal with dad. At first I only wanted to get to know them because of the deal I made. But now that I do know them, I can't deny I don't feel anything for them. They're like the brothers I never had, and maybe that's why I love them. At least I have Cole and Shawn taken care of, Blake might be cruel but I still felt bad when I ruined his shirt. He may hate me and I may hate him, but even he can hurt me when he says bad things about me. This bet, turned real to me and I now I love everyone of my brothers. I just hope they forgive me for my mistake the other day.

Dad kissed my head again, "Go hide it in your room. Give it to them Thanksgiving."

I nodded and quietly ran back to my room.

******************************

Cole's POV

I woke up Thanksgiving morning with bad breath and hair spiking in all sorts of directions. I yawned but realized how gross my mouth felt, so I grabbed the box of mints beside my bed and chewed on three. The minty feeling stung my mouth for a minute until I exhaled deeply and felt better. I got my phone that was charging on my desk and rubbed my eyes before looking at the bright screen. I had a couple text messages from the night before but only one specific person interested me at the moment.

I opened the messages with Jodee and typed quickly,  Happy Thanksgiving Jojo.

After sending the message I got up and headed to the bathroom to take a shower and get dressed. When I was done I headed to Shawn's room and knocked softly. When he didn't answer I pushed the door open and headed inside his room. He was sleeping on his back, snoring softly with his arms sprawled out like he was an eagle. "Shawn," I shook his arm taking a seat beside him. "Wake up. I need to talk to you."

He frowned suddenly and whined, "What? I'm trying to dance with the queen. Leave me alone Joker, no one cares your dad was an alcoholic. You've been mean to everyone, go pick on Batman." He yawned and flipped onto his side, his back facing me.

I rubbed the bridge of my nose before shaking his arm again. "It's Cole. Come on man we need to talk."

"What?" Shawn snapped turning back to face me. His eyes were open now and he looked slightly mad. "I was dreaming."

"I know. I wonder what will happen when your girlfriend hears you'd prefer dancing with the queen than her."

Shawn rolled his eyes, "She was the queen smart one."

I chuckled and let the subject drop. "So anyways I needed to talk to you it's about-"

"Tori." Shawn said for me before sitting up. "I know. I wanted to talk to you about it too."

I sighed, "Blake is wrong Shawn."

He nodded, "I know. That's why we can't let him hurt her. It was an accident."

"Shawn..." I looked at my brother sadly. "Blake already did it."

His eyes went wide. "What?! He couldn't have."

"He showed me yesterday...it's just..." I sighed and ran my hands through my hair.

"It wasn't us!" Shawn shouted before I shushed him. "We weren't around. He did it. Not us. Tori will forgive us. She said she would."

The guilt was eating inside me now. Tori had trusted us, she told us the morning when I found her and Shawn. It was a surprise finding Shawn and Tori in the same bed but they looked peaceful and tired and for once...they looked like siblings. She told us that if we ever did hurt her, she'd try to forgive us. She'd try her best but it would be more disappointment than anger or sorrow. It didn't matter now, it was too late. After the deep conversation with Tori, we started laughing and talking. Apparently Blake had woken up and heard us. The next thing I know, he calls me into his room and tells me it's done. I wanted to scream and throw a rampage at him for hurting my sister. Now I was more scared instead of angry. What would Tori say?

Shawn buried his face in his hands. "I feel like throwing up. It's not fair. He had me convinced that Tori was the bad one. But she's not." He looked up at me with guiltful eyes. "Why is he doing this? I trust him, but now? I don't know if I should. At least not until he comes out and into the light to see that Tori isn't the bad guy."

I nodded and didn't say anything else. It was unfair Blake wasn't giving Tori a chance. There were moments when he was fine with Tori, where she didn't bother him and was just someone that was there. Then there were moments when she was a pest to him, a pest he wanted to get rid of. "Should we tell her?" I asked.

Shawn shook his head and scooted to one side so I lay down beside him. "She'd wonder how we know. She'd be broken hearted that we were involved for a short time. We didn't do it."

"Right...if we don't tell her she won't suspect we knew. We could say we didn't know."

"I told him not to..."

"I know..." I put my arm behind my head and stared up at Shawn's ceiling. It had the pencil drawing of the solar system that Shawn had drawn when he was a kid. Of course it was a modified so the center wasn't the sun but the name Shawn. I remember when mom saw it she wanted to paint over it but Shawn had a rant about how it would ruin his imagination and way of feeling better. Dad, our real dad, had finally agreed to keep it. But he'd have to paint it first. Dad never got the chance, soon afterwards he fell sick and never got around to painting Shawn's solar system. "Do you miss him?" I asked.

Shawn looked up at the drawing before slumping down and laying his head on the pillow beside mine. "All the time." He sighed. "He's probably disappointed in us."

I flinched and sighed, "Honestly...I'd be too."

There was silence between us now. We both just looked up at the drawing in our own thoughts. Shawn then talked softly, like he was afraid someone might hear. "Do you ever hate yourself?"

I turned my head to look at my brother, talking in the same tone. "What do you mean?"

Shawn kept his eyes on the ceiling his jaw moving slightly. He would open his mouth sometimes as he were about to say something but then close it. He finally licked his lips and answered, "Just regret what we used to do? You just look at yourself and hate what you see in front of you. Maybe not physically, but just your personality." He took a deep breath, "I do. I look at myself and regret everything. The girls, the sex, the bad grades, the drinking. All of that? It's nothing but bad memories now."

I looked back up at Shawn's solar system. "I used to get drunk a lot remember?"

He nodded. "I thought you'd be an alcoholic." Shawn admitted before keeping quiet for a second. "What made you stop?"

I shrugged, "New family. New life. Might as well start over. I haven't drank a beer since our party at the beginning of the year. I even restrained myself on Halloween."

Shawn sighed. "Doesn't matter. You were drunk when you got the girls-"

"But I'd flirt a lot when I was sober." I wasn't going to lie now that Shawn and I were having this conversation.

He ignored me. "You and Blake are going to head to college." I flinched at his words. "But I'm going to have to go somewhere different. There's no way I'll be accepted to be a professional player if my grades are crappy."

"So what are you going to do?"

Shawn sighed, "I don't know...just get by I guess."

"What about Emily?" I asked turning back to look at him.

He glanced at me. "What about her? I'm not going to depend on her our whole lives."

I laughed softly, "I find it funny how you automatically think you're going to marry her."

Shawn rolled his eyes like I were stupid and stated something that was completely obvious. "I'm not going to lose her again. That hurt way to much."

"It's funny seeing you in love." I smirked.

He flicked the side of my forehead causing me to bring my hand up and rub the spot softly. "What about you? Any girls?" I shook my head and Shawn flicked me again. "Liar. You were with one at Starbucks. She's the cause of my melted frap."

"Next time you go get it then." I rolled my eyes at him and he grinned before pointing his finger at my face. "What?" I asked him.

"You like her." He sang before sitting up. "Come on. What's her name? I gotta make sure she's not a Parris digger."

"Parris digger?" I asked avoiding the question.

"Yeah it's like gold digger but instead of money and boogers they want a Parris."

"So we're an official term now? That's how famous we are?" I whistled, "Wow."

Shawn pushed on my shoulder trying to make me fall off his bed. "Stop avoiding the question or I'll go T-Rex in a ninja suit on you!"

"I'm not avoiding you're question." I answered pushing him back. Well of course I was. I just didn't want to admit it or Shawn would start making such a big deal I'd be embarrassed. And there was no one around, it just tells everyone the things Shawn will say that can be so embarrassing, you react when no one is around.

"Is she pretty?" He asked. "What's her name? Does she go to our school? What's your status with her right now? Does she have a motorcycle? If so is it zebra pattern? I've always wanted to get a motorcycle and ride it though the savanna with a herd of zebras." He took a breath. "Oh my god I just realized the word bra is in zebra. But if you say is like some surfer guy it sounds like bro but braw. And ze can stand for see. So you're literally saying see-braw." He grinned at me, "See-braw?"

I faced palmed and started sitting up. "She's my friend. So chill." Over the course of the last days I have gotten to know Jodee better. She was funny and sarcastic was the best way to describe her. She was witty too, joking around a lot and saying random things that popped into her head. But not as bad as Shawn. Shawn was at a complete different level of blurting things out.

He pouted like a five year old. "You're a serious mood killer."

I chuckled. "Sorry."

He fake glared at me. "Why are you a mood killer?"

I laughed again and stood up this time walking towards his door. My stomach was rumbling and calling for a breakfast of cookies and milk. "I don't know. I'm just logical and smart. Plus, I don't think like a kindergartener." I turned to face him as I was about to close the door behind me. I grinned, "See-braw?"

******************************

Tori's POV

I trudged along the floor as I headed to the kitchen for breakfast. "Happy Thanksgiving." I looked up and saw Cole sitting at the table alone with a large pack of cookies and a carton of cold milk. "You look like you just finished hibernating." He laughed and pointed at my hair.

I scowled at him. "That's just what everyone wants to hear when they wake up."

He smirked. "Bet you have morning breath too. Aren't I right?"

I raised my eyebrows at him and to mess with him I walked over and sat beside him. "I don't know," I said to him, "You tell me." I leaned close to his face and blew my breath at him. He coughed and stood up walking away with his fingers pinching his nose.

"Oh my god." His voice squeaked from his enclosed nostrils. "That was the nastiest thing I smelled. And I thought my morning breath was bad." He coughed one more time when he let got of his nose. "I think I swallowed some."

I laughed and took a cookie. "Don't mess with me in the mornings. I hate waking up." Cole nodded and took a seat far away from me after he dragged all his food towards his new seat.

Sooner or later everyone slowly started to come downstairs taking seats around the table as we all ate breakfast. Suzie was the last one to come downstairs and she looked slightly worried. Her crutches helped her get around the house and she waved to us when we all greeted her then headed towards the living room where she started lifting pillows and cushions. She'd hobble around from one side of the living room to the other, leaving her crutches leaning against a wall.

"I dropped the remote under the couch," Shawn said, "If that's what you're looking for."

Suzie shook her head. "No...I'm looking for something else." She sighed, giving up. "It's probably in the wash."

"Which reminds me," Cole looked up so quickly that some milk slipped off of his lips falling to his chin. He wiped it off with his hand and mom looked at him with disapproval. He ignored the look and kept his eyes on Sue. "My soccer shirt is too small to fit me. Do you want it?"

Suzie nodded and came back to us where she sat down beside dad. "Yeah I'd love them." Dad grabbed her crutches and placed them behind him against the counter.

"You can have mine also." Shawn added and Blake muttered an agreement to it.

When dad and mom had found out that the shirts had shrunk, dad had yelled at me for not being responsible. But mom defended me and had said it was all an accident. I had felt so bad, that I couldn't resist the chance of buying them the new edition when I saw it in a magazine. Sure it was most of my savings, but their faces when they see it might just be worth it. Not to mention dad had saved up some money to get us the tickets. They weren't the only ones excited to go, I wanted to see the US win. Even if we lost, it would be awesome just being the in same stadium as them.

"Well," Mom said, "We need to go Thanksgiving shopping. What does everyone want for dinner tonight?"

"Turkey." Suzie and I said.

Dad chuckled, "We'll definitely get the turkey." In past years, dad couldn't always buy as much food for Thanksgiving, but he'd always at least buy the turkey and we'd have ice cream for desert.

"I want the cranberry sauce with mashed potatoes." Cole said looking towards mom.

"I want you're corn on the cob." Blake added in.

Shawn raised his hand until dad pointed at him. "I want the marshmallow pudding thing and the chocolate syrup at the side. Then the lava fudge cake with extra powered sugar. Also the cinnamon cupcakes with the swirly red velvet cake inside, topped with the sprinkled frosting. Finally, I'd like a giant plate so I could fit all that for myself."

Dad laughed, "I love how he only picked deserts."

Mom rolled her eyes, "Let him be. I'll make one or two of those deserts."

Shawn groaned, "No mom! You gotta make all of them!"

"This isn't Christmas Shawn." Cole said taking a bite from his cookie. He was looking down at his phone, reading across his screen. His face broke out into a smirk before he started typing on his phone.

"It's rude to be texting at the table." Shawn said.

"I'm not texting." Cole defended himself, still typing. "I'm checking the weather."

"Bull!" Shawn hollered before his lips turned into a creepy grin. "Oh I see. It's that girl again isn't it."

Cole looked up at Shawn and smiled. "Yeah you're right Shawn it is. And guess what? Emily and I are getting along great." Shawn threw himself at Cole reaching out for the phone. "Calm down!" Cole stretched his arm up so Shawn couldn't reach.

"Gimme! I need to see!" Shawn kept trying to climb over Cole. "Just let me see!"

"Who's Emily?" Mom asked.

"Shawn's girlfriend." I answered watching Cole and Shawn wrestle for the phone.

"Just give it!" Shawn shouted again.

"Calm down! I was kidding!" Cole answered.

Dad chuckled in the midst of the fight. "Man I love boys. They're so much better than watching these two," He pointed at Suzie and me, "Cat fight for the remote."

Blake kept his eyes low as he ate silently, picking things off the table. It was strange seeing him so quiet. Almost like he was calm and relaxed. He wouldn't look up at his brothers, as if he knew what was going on and was used to seeing them fight like little kids. Every second or two he'd grab a cookie from the middle of the table, or take a piece of bread and calmly spread butter on it.

I looked back to the two fighting boys and saw they were still struggling for the phone. When Cole shifted his arm towards me I snatched the phone away and looked at the screen. Shockingly I saw the weather. I looked up at Cole and frowned, "You cheated."

He grinned and Shawn looked at me confused. "Told you I was looking at the weather."

"No you weren't." Shawn lost his balance when he started heading my way and fell face first onto the ground. "Ow..." He muttered and we all laughed. When he got up he came behind me and looked over my shoulder. Sure enough it was showing the weather and how there was a ninety percent chance it would rain tonight. "Well that sucks." Shawn said pointing at the gray cloud with the rain droplets coming out of it.

I nodded, "It does. But we were going to eat inside anyways so I guess it doesn't matter."

The phone vibrated a second later indicating an incoming text. Before I could open it Cole took it from my hands. "Thank you," He said slipping it into his pocket.

Shawn was about to shout something else but then just shut his mouth and rolled his eyes. "Forget it. I don't want to fall on the ground again.

******************************

It was around noon when mom and dad decided to leave for the store. They wanted to go to one of the more major stores that was about thirty minutes away from the house. With Suzie in crutches, dad decided taking her with them. He was still slightly mad at me for letting my little sister get hurt. It hadn't been my fault, but I was responsible of her and I failed to make sure she didn't break anything. I guess that's the problem with being the oldest, you get blamed on everything. Including things that weren't your fault to begin with.

Just as dad was helping Suzie into the car he pulled me over and whispered in my ear, "Give them the presents now. They'll love it." He smiled at me before sliding into the drivers seat. I took a few steps back as he pulled out the driveway and turned onto the street.

I headed back inside and saw all the guys in the living room. Before going upstairs I took a seat on the arm of one of the chairs and faced them. Now that everyone was more calmed down I could finally explain why I how I knew about Blake assigning me to Trent, and why I had gone to his house. I was waiting for a moment like this when all three of them were together and Blake wasn't fuming at me. I had wanted to tell them sooner but I felt the need to tell them all at once.

"I need to tell you guys something." Cole and Shawn looked towards me but Blake raised the volume on the T.V. "It's important." I added, Blake just raised the volume higher. I sighed and quickly headed upstairs to my room. Inside I went to my closet and opened it up where I pulled out the large brown bag.

Downstairs I heard the boys arguing but didn't pay attention to what they were saying. They didn't notice me walk into the living room where I placed the bag beside the sofa. I cleared my throat and Cole grabbed the remote turning the T.V. off. "Please continue Tori."

I leaned back on the same arm of the couch and sighed, "I did talk to Trent the other day but be-"

"I told you." Blake interrupted looking at Shawn. "Told you she's a traitor."

Shawn looked at Blake before giving me a sad smile. "Why though?"

I clenched my jaw and glared at Blake. A traitor? After all the lies he's told his brothers. He has the guts to call me a traitor. "If you had let me finish I could explain."

"There's nothing to explain." Blake snapped. "You helped Shawn to gain his trust just so you can go stab him in the back."

"Now hang on-" Cole started to say before I stood up and faced Blake.

"Trent has a little sister." I started to say. "Who so happens to be the same age as Suzie. They so happen to go to the same school. And it just so happens that they are friends! So when I took Sue to her friend's house guess who opened the door?"

Blake sat silent. His face turned pale. Was he speechless? He seemed slightly...afraid. When I looked at Shawn I noticed how it looked like some weight came off of his shoulders. Like he was happy now because he understood the truth. It was obvious to me now that Blake had told them some sort of lie on what I did. On how I was a traitor. When I looked at Cole I knew something was wrong. He wouldn't meet my eye and even though he now knew the truth, there was some emotion written on his face that I didn't understand. Regret?

"Well," Blake said rubbing the back of his neck, "Fuck."

"I told you!" Cole suddenly shouted and stood up facing Blake. "I told you and you just went along with it!"

Shawn glanced at his brothers, "Shut up Cole."

"No." Cole snapped. I'd never seen him angry like this. I'd seen him angry at me before, but never at Blake or Shawn. He was always the nice one that held everyone in place. Like the glue between two pieces. "It's your fault!" He directed towards Blake.

"What are you guys talking about?" This conversation was confusing me now.

Blake looked at me before standing up. "Just...wait right here." He walked away from us and I heard him head upstairs. I looked back at Shawn but he kept his eyes glued to a piece of string attached to his shirt. Cole sat back down and started rubbing his eyes. It took Blake two minutes before he came back downstairs. He held a red box in his hands. It wasn't large but it wasn't small either, it looked about the size of a shoe box but a little larger. "I'll get you another one," He handed it to me, "I promise."

Cole and Shawn huddled around Blake and I as if they wanted to see what was inside also. I cautiously opened the box and nearly dropped it with what was inside. There was stuffing everywhere, with a piece of cloth here and there. I felt tears stinging my eyes, my hands started to shake and I sucked in a breath that turned into a sob. "What did you do?" I asked slowly and whispered softly.

Blake ran his fingers through his hair, "I promise I'll get you a new one."

I wasn't sure what I wanted to do. Cry. Scream. Hit him. So many different emotions were running through me at once I wasn't sure if I could contain them. "You killed Mr. Cuddles..." I put my hand slowly into the box and felt a small lump. When I pulled it out I noticed it was Mr. Cuddles head. He was missing a chunk of his ear and one eye was missing. Tears started pouring out of my eyes without control.

How could he do this? It was the last thing my mother gave to me. My real mother. The last thing before she crashed in the wreck. I thought even Blake would know where to draw the line. I thought he'd at least respect it. Leave anything of my mom's alone. But he didn't. And Cole and Shawn knew, yet they didn't say anything. All this time, I thought Mr. Cuddles was with Suzie or in the washer. Instead he was destroyed in tiny pieces in fragments, stored in a box like it was his personal coffin.

"We'll get you a new one...?" Blake repeated but this time he seemed unsure of himself. "It's a stuffed toy. We'll get you a new one. A better one."

The shock finally subsided and was filled with rage. My hands started to tremble harder and I looked up at Blake through watery eyes. "Buy a new one?" I slammed the box to the ground and everyone jumped back slightly. I pushed Blake's shoulders and he stumbled back, "Do you have any idea what you just did to me?!"

"Tori I'm sorry," He stuttered, "I just thoug-"

"Thought what?" I yelled again. A sob escaped my lips and I had to look up at Blake to see him clearly. I became irritated with his height and started pounding on his chest. "You self centered jerk! Yo-you asshole! You have no idea how much that toy meant to me!"

I felt two arms go around my waist and pull me back. I tried to get out of Cole's grasp but it was a useless fight. Blake looked at me, for the first time, without hate. Every little inch of hate I knew he felt for me was replaced with guilt and regret. Cole spoke first, "Tori we're sorry. Please calm down."

I didn't mean to hit him so hard, but at this point I didn't care. I elbowed Cole in the gut and he bent over holding his stomach. Shawn didn't come near me. He wouldn't crack a joke, or try to do something funny. He just stood there looking at me. "Tori..." He said so gently I barely heard him.

"How could you?" I asked him. He didn't reply. Cole stood up but I walked past him to the brown bag I had with all their gifts. I grabbed the random shirt that was inside and threw it at Blake my eyesight getting worse. "There," I said to him, "New edition club shirts to repay you for shrinking your other ones." Blake stood once again speechless so I took the opportunity and took the tickets out as well. I threw them at his feet and he sucked in a breath. "Some brothers you are."

"Dammit Tori!" Blake said looking up at me with sincerity in his eyes. "I'm sorry!"

"You're sorry?!" I looked down at my old stuffed dog. Bending over I picked up the head and held it to my chest closing my eyes so the tears would be held in. I couldn't even talk straight anymore. Everything was cracked, or rough. "You don't know what this little dog meant to me."

"I just thought it was something from your childhood." Blake said. "Like my first football or something."

"This was the last thing my mother gave to me," I looked back up at him, "My real mother." His face faltered as he realized Mr. Cuddles was irreplaceable.

"I-I didn't know." He stuttered again looking at his brothers for help. But they also stood there with their heads hung low.

"No you didn't." My anger returned. "How could you have possibly known?" I yelled at him. "You don't know when to stop Blake! You crushed the last thing my mother ever gave to me. If it was some stupid stuffed toy it wouldn't have meant so much to me in the first place." I turned to Cole and Shawn who stood side by side. "And you two knew?" They said nothing so all I could do was shake my head at them.

I had trusted them. I did everything for them and I even started loving them like my own blood. But that didn't matter to them. They were always going to be Blake's brothers first, so no matter what I did they would always side with Blake. Follow his orders and do what he does.

"Don't blame them. It's my fault." Blake walked towards me until he stood directly in front of me. I had grown so used to seeing hatred in his eyes it was shocking not seeing it. I knew he was sorry, but there was no way I could forgive him for this.

"I made a deal with my dad a couple months ago to get along with you." I told them. "If I got you guys to like me as at least a stepsister then he'd give me a videogame I wanted and some other things. But you know what I just realized?"

"What?" Shawn finally spoke up.

"That you'll never be my brothers." It hurt me to say the words but it hurt them too. Blake reached out for my arm but I took a step back and kept my eyes glued to him. "Especially you. You hate me. You hate me more than anyone, but you just crossed over two worlds Blake. So do me a favor and go get some STD from a girl. And just die...painfully and slowly. Because I'm done with you. I'm tired of you hating me all the time. Of destroying everything I care about."

"Tori I'm sorr-"

"Stop saying you're sorry!" I snapped at him. "You're not sorry. You're happy! You like seeing me in pain. You always have. Just leave me alone ok. Enjoy you're shirts and tickets." I ran my hand under my eye and wiped a tear. "Happy Thanksgiving."

I dropped Mr. Cuddles head on the counter as I ran out to the garage and grabbed my bike. I just needed to get away. Far away from this place. The cold air stung my eyes and I peddled as fast as I could. I heard my name being shouted out to me but I drowned the noise out and focused on everything ahead of me.

The sky looked gray but I ignored it and kept going. All the streets were empty, everyone was inside with their families enjoying the holidays. I considered going to Mark's house, but I just wanted to be alone.

******************************

Blake's POV

"Will it hurt?" I asked holding his hand as we waited for mom.

"Nah." He answered squeezing my hand lightly. I looked up at my dad and barely recognized him. He looked so weak and tired, skin a pale green that make him look like a ghost. He was dying. These machines linked up to him were doing nothing to help him. Why couldn't they help him?

"How do you know?" I asked. "You don't know if it hurts to die."

Dad smiled at me and raised his hand to grab my head and bring it to him. He kissed my head and I felt his breath get shaky. "I love you so much Blake."

All I could do was hug him. "If you could stay would you?"

He nodded. "Of course. I would give anything to see you and your brothers grow up." I couldn't move. Time was frozen and all I wanted was to hug my dad. I pressed myself close to his chest and felt his slowly beating heart. The machine fitting the rhythm perfectly. Dad sniffled and pulled back after a minute trying to push a smile. "Here," He started to slip a ring off his finger. Before it would have taken soap and butter for him to slide it off, but now he's lost so much weight his finger was like bone and the ring was too big for him. It was a ring his mother gave to him for his high school graduation. "If I give you this," He said to me, "Will you promise to take care of your brothers?"

I nodded my head slowly not sure what I was really suppose to say. Dad smiled and slipped the ring around my middle finger because it was the thickest. It still hung lose and I was afraid it'd fall off. "I'll just wear it when I get older and it fits," I said slipping it into my pocket, "For now I'll carry it around in my pocket."

Dad smiled again but this time he didn't say anything. He lay right back against the pillow and tried to get some rest. Shortly afterwards mom, Cole, and Shawn walked in. "Look dad," Cole said. Dad opened his eyes slowly as if they weighed a ton. Cole held a piece of paper in front of our father, "It's my first 100 in math. The teacher explained it to me a lot better. I understand it now."

"That's great Cole!" Dad tried to shout with enthusiasm but he started to cough instead. When it subsided he still had a small wheeze every time he breathed in. "How about you Shawn?"

Shawn smiled, "I got a new idea for the tree house. Maybe make an elevator that goes inside the tree trunk, you know? That would be so cool!"

Dad laughed softly and ruffled his fingers through Shawn's hair. "You guys have to go catch some more waves. You're so pale, where's the tan?" Dad turned his head looking at each of us as if expecting us to sprout out darker skin at this very second.

We were there about another twenty minutes before dad grew even weaker and needed to rest for the night. "Come on boys. We should start going home. Steph will be waiting for you." Mom tried maneuvering us out the hospital room. Stephanie was our babysitter who stayed with us most of the nights dad was in the hospital. We'd be left at home with Steph so mom could come and stay with dad most of the night.

"Wait I forgot something." I ran back inside dads room before mom could stop me. I wasn't tall enough to reach my dad's head, so I used the bed to prop myself up as I kissed dad's head.

He smiled and I felt him take my hand. "Be brave Blake. Don't cry when the time comes."

I shook my head, "I'm going to cry dad."

Dad only looked my way. "You need to be strong for your brothers. Achieve your dreams."

"Professional soccer player." I said to him through a forced smile.

He nodded his smile widening. "And your brothers will be there every step of the way."

I bit my lip and looked down at our hands. "When are you leaving?"

He sighed, "Very soon Blake."

"Are you hurting?"

"No son. The medicine doesn't let me hurt."

The back of my throat ached with unshed tears. "Will I ever see you again?"

"I would like to hope so." Dad shed a tear. I realized why he wanted me to be strong, because he wasn't. He was weak and wanted someone to be strong for everyone else. He tried reaching out for his glass of water but couldn't pick it up. I helped him take a few sips before he laid back on his propped pillow. "Promise me something Blake."

"Anything dad."

"Take care of your mother." He said to me. "And your brothers. I love them all so much." I nodded and he kept going. "Take care of our family. Be strong for them, and hold your brothers tight."

"And don't let them see me cry." I added for him.

"They look up to you Blake. Just like you need them, they need you." He rubbed his finger against my hand. "Whenever you don't know who to trust, just remember you can always trust your family."

"Blake honey," Mom said as she opened the door, "Come on sweetie we have to go."

I waved one last time to my dad as he smiled back at me. The only thing that made him look alive were his eyes, a bright green that resembled Cole's. The drive home was silent like any other. Outside everything was dark except the street lamps and head lights of the cars. When we reached home Steph was already waiting for us. Mom had driven back to the hospital to stay with dad.

The next morning when we went to go take dad some fresh flowers from the backyard, we entered his room but found nothing but an empty bed.

******************************

It's been hours since Tori disappeared. In the beginning we weren't worried at all. We just thought she needed to let out some steam and she'll be back later. But when it started to rain we all started to worry.

I sat on my couch, leaning over my legs while I held Mr. Cuddles head in my hands. I had really messed up, all I wanted was to get my brothers back. To stop her from taking away my family. Ever since she came into our lives everything has changed. Cole and Shawn were against me, mom was too busy with Bill, sports don't seem to matter as much as they used too. No more parties, no more inviting the guys for chili dogs and soccer. My whole life had gone down the drain the day Bill proposed.

It's embarrassing if people knew our mother remarried. Everyone knew she was a strong person, capable of raising three boys. At first it was the embarrassment. The worry that if everyone knew, their image of this family would also go down the drain and join my life at the bottom of the sewer. Now though, I know that Cole and Shawn care about her. It made me jealous. There was no point in denying it.

First, she took my life away. Then, my mother. Finally, my brothers. Cole and Shawn were the only things that kept me sane. My anchor that hoisted me to reality. Ever since dad died I tried to be there for them, but mostly they were there for me. We helped each other. No one got left out, we did everything together and in my head it was one of the best sibling relationships I could think of. Never have I heard of three siblings getting along. Apparently they fight constantly and only share a couple moments where they truly mean something. It's the other way around with us. Or at least it was...

I knew they were going to crack. Especially Cole. I knew he was going to warm up to Tori and Suzie before anyone else. What shocked me though, was how fast Shawn warmed up to Tori. They both treat her like a sister now, they go to her when they need help. They go to her when they want advice. They go to her when they just want comfort or someone to talk to. I didn't want to warm up to Tori. But if I didn't warm up to her, I would lose my brothers completely.

"What are we going to do?" Cole asked for the thousandth time. He was pacing in the living room, looking out the window every few seconds only to be greeted by the tapping of raindrops falling. The sun was barely visable anymore and it didn't help that it was going to set in an hour or two.

"I don't know man." I answered.

"You don't know?" Shawn asked me standing up from the sofa. He had been sitting across from me this whole time. Looking down at his and Cole's cellphone in case Tori called for a ride. We had tried to call her several times, but it'd go directly to voicemail. Then we had tried Bill and mom but they either didn't have service or wouldn't pick up. "Do you realize what Bill will say?" Shawn bursted out, "He's a freaking cop!"

"Yeah," Cole said running his fingers through his hair, "Dad is going to be pissed."

I found it unfair Cole had grown so accustomed to the word dad. We used to barely even speak the word because it brought to many memories of our father. Now though, he hears the word and instantly thinks of Bill. Bill isn't our dad. He tried to replace my real dad, it's unfair. I wanted to treasure my father, to remember him for being my dad. Everyone seemed to move on so quickly. Mom, Cole, Shawn. They all loved the changes we were having, it was almost like they had forgotten. Our real dad, and I didn't want to let him go.

"She's still not back." Cole started chewing on his nail, a bad habit of his whenever he's nervous or feeling anxiety. "It's really pouring out there," He added, "I'm going to go look for her. This is getting out of hand."

"We should wait until Bill comes back." I said as he grabbed his car keys from the hooks at the entrance of the door. "He'll know what to do. You're just going to be driving around and you probably won't even find her."

"Just think you guys." Shawn said looking back at the phones. "Where would have Tori gone? Come on we know her well, we should try to figure it out before we go on a search party."

I didn't know her well enough to guess where she went. So I stepped out of this one while Cole and Shawn tried to figure everything out. I looked back down at the stuffed dogs head. It was missing an eye and some stuffing was coming out of it. It's ear was missing a piece where I had probably cut it off with my knife. If I had known it was her mothers I wouldn't have destroyed it. I knew where I would have to stop with my threats and insults. I knew mentioning her mom was off limits. If Tori had destroyed something that had belonged to my dad I would have killed her then and there.

"Call Mark!" Cole suggested.

Shawn snapped his finger like Cole gave a brilliant idea. "Yes! And I know Mark. We have history together. He's pretty cool." Shawn unlocked his phone and went to his contacts looking under the M. He clicked on Mark's contact and dialed. "Everyone just shut up," Shawn said, "Let me do the talking."

The phone rang once, then twice, by the third ring Cole opened his mouth to say something before he was cut off. "Hello?"

"Sup Mark," Shawn said, "It's Shawn."

"Shawn Parris?" Mark asked like he was bewildered.

"Yeah. Anyways, happy turkey day." Shawn said.

"Happy Thanksgiving." There was some noise on the other line, it sound like a large explosion then metal scraping concrete. "Conlan turn the volume down!" Mark shouted over the phone. The noise subsided. "So don't take this the wrong way," Mark said, "But why are you calling?"

"I'm wishing all my friends a happy turkey day." Shawn lied. "But I can't get hold of Tori. I was wondering if she was there with you?"

"No..." He said. "She usually spends Thanksgiving with her dad and sister."

"K. Thanks." Shawn hung up before anyone could say anything else. Maybe it was a little rude for Shawn to hang up like that, but then again it's Shawn. Everyone understands.

"Well that was straight forward." I muttered.

"She's not there." Cole ignored me and started pacing again. "Where the hell is she?"

"You're really worried aren't you?" I asked him.

He glared my way. "And you aren't?!"

I shook my head and ran my finger between Mr. Cuddles eyes. "I'm too busy thinking about how much I messed up."

"Yeah no dip." Shawn stood up and took the red box with all the contents of stuffing and fabrics. I knew some of the legs were in there but most of the body was to destroyed to even repair. It'd take someone skilled with the needle but also someone that was good with putting puzzles together. "You dismantled the poor thing."

"I didn't know it was her mo-"

I was cut off when we heard the garage opening. All of us jumped up and ran towards the door. We heard the whirling of an engine and realized it was Bill instead of Tori. "Boys come help us get the bags." Mom shouted to us.

We ran down the steps and I put my arms behind my body. It was only a matter of minutes before they found out. "Tori's missing." Shawn blurted out. Maybe seconds since Shawn can't keep his trap shut.

"Yeah," Bill said looking back at the door for a second, "Go get her. She should help too."

"No." Cole said, "Like she's missing."

"What are you talking about?" Suzie asked. Cole picked her up and held her in his arms letting the crutches fall to the ground.

"We tried calling you," I said looking at mom, "You wouldn't pick up."

"What happened?" Bill asked leaving all the bags in the trunk of the car. Outside we could hear the running water as it fell out of the gutter and the rain pounded against the ground.

I had been hiding Mr. Cuddles head behind my back making sure they couldn't see it. Now I slowly pulled it out and everyone's eyes fell on it. When Bill realized what it was he turned his back on us and pulled at his hair. "Why'd you do that?" Suzie screamed jumping out of Cole's arms. She hopped her way towards me and snatched the head out of my hands. "Why would you do this?"

"It's a long story..." I muttered softly. More guilt started clawing itself inside me. Suzie looked devastated, but not nearly as much as Tori looked. Bill looked worried while mom looked at me with so much disappointment I wanted to crawl into a cave and never come out.

"This is what you give her?" Mom held a narrow gaze at me. There was so much disappointment. "Did you not see what she got you?"

I nodded looking down at Suzie. She wasn't crying or sobbing like I had expected, she just seemed in shock. I knew what mom had meant, how Tori had gotten us the new shirts and even the tickets we had wanted. If I had just known it was so important to her I wouldn't have even touched it!

That was a lie. It was important to Tori and that's exactly why I did touch it. Why I felt the need to hurt it just to hurt her. But I had gone over two worlds, words weren't going to help me now. There was no getting out of this, I just wish I could talk to Tori.

"How long has she been gone?" Bill asked.

"Pretty much since you left the house." Shawn answered him.

"That's more than four hours." Mom said worriedly. "And it started raining about three hours ago."

"Did she take her bike?" Suzie asked gently. The three of us nodded. "Did you check with Mark?"

"She wasn't there we just called." Cole said.

Shawn looked Bill. "Can't you call in back up or something? I don't know. Search party for missing person."

Bill shook his head, "Tori's seventeen. She doesn't classify as a minor. She won't be considered missing unless it's been twenty-four hours."

"Instead of standing around talking about it, why don't we go look for her!" Cole said angrily. "I mean it's pouring rain. She's probably freezing her butt off while we're all here waiting for her to appear."

We planned everything out in a matter of minutes. Bill was going to drive to the station and get his police car there. Suzie was going to drive with Cole while Shawn and I drove in our separate cars. Mom was going to stay home in case Tori decided to come back. Everyone took there phones and we all drove away from home towards different directions.

When it became pitch black outside, mom had called and asked us to come home. That Tori might be back later in the night. Cole was the first to cave in saying that Suzie had fallen asleep. Shawn went home a couple minutes later leaving Bill and I searching around town. "You should head home," Bill said to me over the phone. "It's getting late. Don't worry I'll keep looking."

I couldn't find myself to head home. This was all my fault, the least I could do was keep looking for her. "No it's fine. I'll keep looking." Before Bill could protest I hung up and kept driving. The raining had subsided and now it was simply drizzling. I stopped by a gas station to refuel my tank and to get an energy drink to keep me awake.

Around sunrise I stopped on the side of a road I had been going through for the last thirty minutes. I rubbed my face and looked in the rearview mirror. There were bags underneath my eyes, two energy drinks were empty and I had a third one just in case. The weather outside hadn't gotten any better. There was still the light rain that would get heavy every time a cloud went by, it was freezing though and I was scared Tori might have hypothermia. I hit my steering wheel with the palm of my hand. I hit it again and this time jerked into the back of my seat. The car slightly swayed as I took my anger out on it. When I was done I gripped the steering wheel and breathed heavily as I lay my head on the top.

If someone hurt me like that, I thought to myself, where would I go?

******************************

I pulled up into the circle that formed outside the gates. It was the one place no one had looked at yet. It was also the place that I least loved of this town. It was at the very back so no one could see it, but it was also thirty minutes away from home.

I got out of my car and realized the cemetery was completely empty. There wasn't a single noise of anyone. Not even the janitors who usually start work in the mornings were here. Every time I would visit there was at least someone who was giving their loved one some flowers or something. The gates were already opened, so I knew someone had come earlier, or maybe they hadn't closed them at all.

I walked in, the creeps already starting to settle in my bones. My jacket clung to me keeping me warm while some droplets fell on cheeks and hair. I walked the path that was woven between sections of the cemetery. There were the small hills and curves but it was all filled with the gravestones of the once living. Deliberately, I walked past where my dad was buried and didn't look towards that direction.

I was just about to head back to the car when I saw a small figure hunched over beside a gravestone. I jogged closer until I saw the figure more clearly. Arms, legs, a head with brown hair. I started running towards Tori until I got closer and slowed down. "Tori..." I said to her softly.

She was sitting in front of a grave. Her knees pulled to her chest and her arms hugging them close to her. Her hair was wet clinging to her like a second skin. The clothing that was suppose to keep her warm were soaking. I wasn't sure if she had heard me, so I took a seat beside her and slid my jacket off putting it on her shoulders. Tori kept her eyes on the gravestone. "She was just getting us dinner one night." She said.

I followed her gaze and read the name. Melody Linean. Beloved wife and mother. It showed the dates of birth and death but I couldn't keep my eyes off the name. Tori kept going, "She left me home that night and said she'd be back soon that she just needed to get some groceries. Well...when more than an hour passed by I knew something was up."

"Tori you don-"

I wanted to tell her she didn't have to tell me the story. But now that she started, she wouldn't be able to stop. "Dad called me later. He told me to grab Suzie and get a backpack. He said for me to put a spare change, clothes, and some granola bars or some sort of snack. I was so scared," Her voice faltered, "I had never heard my dad that scared in his life. It terrified me because I knew something was wrong."

I stood frozen in place. The wind was picking up and the rain was still hitting softly. The grass I had sat on was wet and slowly seeping into my jeans, making a chill run across my whole body. "When dad picked us up," She said, "He wouldn't even look at me or Suzie. All he could say was, 'There was a car accident. Mommy's in the hospital.' I can't even describe the shock I felt. It felt like-"

"The whole world had just stopped." I turned my gaze from Tori back to the ground and tugged at a blade of wet grass. "You feel numb inside. Lights are a blur and noises are faded. Everything around you is sketchy and all you can hear is the pounding of you're heart in your chest." Tori nodded without looking at me. "What happened?" I asked gently.

She hugged herself inside my jacket. "Drunk driver. She got hit and was pushed into a different lane. There was a car coming and didn't have time to stop, so my mom's car got rammed."

I couldn't find myself to look at her. We might have been through similar experiences but Melody's death was out of the blue. At least we had known my father was going to die, if he had just died without any warning I wouldn't have been able to emotionally prepare myself. I wouldn't have been able to go all these years without shedding a single tear.

"So at the hospital," Tori continued, "They told my dad it was severe. That they would try to do anything to help. I was ten." She started to cry silently. Tears would fall onto the grass and suddenly become camouflaged with the rain so it was unable to determine which was which. "I hate crying." Tori admitted biting her lip to try and stop the tears.

I still wasn't sure what to say or do. It was feeling of me wanting to respect her as she talked. I had already hurt her bad enough to be disrespectful and interrupt her. "I was ten years old," Tori repeated putting her chin on her knees, "That night, dad got called for work."

"He left you?" I asked trying not to sound so harsh. But I was shocked. He had left to go to work when his wife was in the hospital dying.

She nodded. "Chief called and said he needed to work. Dad had to leave. I had to 'be strong' for Suzie while doctors poked my mom with different medical instruments. They took her blood and tried to fix everything that could be wrong. The point is...when the line went flat I was alone."

That was something else that was different. When dad died I had been at home in my room playing around with the ring he had given me. Part of me had known that was the night he would die, but the other part was still hoping for a miracle that never happened. "What about your dad?" I asked.

Tori shook her head. "He still doesn't forgive himself. He says now, he would have rather been fired. But there's no going back." She sighed, "Suzie and I stayed at our grandparent's house for a week while dad tried to regain his composure. They tried taking us away from him, thinking he was unstable to take care of two girls. We proved them wrong and dad kept custody of us."

There was a silence that fell between us. All we could hear was the small droplets of rain hitting the ground. I looked around for a second and noticed Tori's bike was leaning against one of the trees and some of the graves had fresh flowers while others were wilting or dried up. "Blake..." Tori whispered so faintly I barely heard her.

"Yeah?" I turned my attention back to her.

"I'm really-y cold." She chattered through her teeth.

Even though my jacket was dry, it wasn't helping keeping her warm. I scooted closer to her and pulled her into my side as I tried rubbing her back to cause friction. She was ice cold and no part of her seemed warm at all. Her lips were chapped and her entire body was trembling. "We should head to the car." I said to her.

She didn't respond at first. "Why do you hate me?" That was the question of the century wasn't it?

I sighed. "I don't hate you." She looked up at me like she didn't believe me, so I started to explain. "Ever since I was little, I was close to my dad. I loved him so much. He was role model. And even when he was mad at me, he was always gentle and caring. Cole and Shawn never understood my relationship with dad. Cole has always been a momma's boy. And Shawn...I honestly don't know about him."

Tori smiled a bit and it made me feel good that I had been able to get her to smile. "You're just upset then?" She asked me. "That my dad married your mom?"

"It's a little big more complicated." I admitted, "At first, I just hated your family in general. I didn't like how mom put dad aside so easily. I thought she would have at least waited until I was out of the house so I can hate my stepdad from afar. And since I couldn't take my anger out on your dad I took it out on you."

Tori kept quiet so I kept going. "Cole, Shawn and I formed a pact over the summer. We agreed not to tell anyone because we thought it was embarrassing. Not only that, but they agreed mom was stabbing dad in the back. So we vowed not to get attached to you three. That we'd remain loyal to each other and only each other.

"But that didn't happen. Sooner than I would think Cole started warming up to Suzie. Shawn started warming up to you. So Cole took the chance and warmed up to you as well. Before I knew it they stopped trusting me. I knew they wouldn't have been able to stay hateful for you the whole year, that's why I lied. I still hated you and I wanted to see you get hurt, so I lied to them so they wouldn't tell you.

"It didn't matter though. In the beginning what bothered me was you came into my family. You just waltzed in and there was nothing I could say. But then everything started changing. I didn't like the change, it went against everything, against the memories of as long as I could remember. But lastly...you took my brothers from me Tori. Ever since dad died, they've all I got. My dad made me promise him one last thing before he died and that was to take care of our family. So...having you guys come in...bothered me."

Tori didn't say anything for what felt like an eternity. "What do you hate about me at this very second?"

"I hardly feel hate," I told her, "I feel regret. Guilt. My conscious is eating me alive, but what I'm really feeling? Disappointment in myself for doing that to you. I know your mom's things are off limits. You never even mess with my stuff."

"I don't think I've ever been in your room." Tori said getting me to chuckle softly.

"I know Mr. Cuddles is irreplaceable." She went rigid in my arms. I couldn't believe I was doing this, but I slipped off my fathers graduation ring. "I know what it's like to have a possession like that," I held the ring I front of both of us so she could see it. The name Parris was written in the inside.

"You're dad gave that to you?"

I nodded and took her hand. Her fingers were pale and it felt like I was touching ice. I tried not to hesitate but it was nearly impossible. I was about to give her something that meant the world to me, but I took away the thing she cared for the most. It only made sense. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. "And I'm giving it to you." I slipped the ring onto her middle finger, it fit fine. Maybe a little big, but only large enough that it sprung around her finger.

"Is this a proposal or something?" She asked with a small laugh.

I shook my head and pulled her onto my lap. "Think about it as a peace offering." There was a small smile on her face as she put her forehead on the crook of my neck and closed her eyes. I took it as a cue and carefully stood up so I was carrying her bridal style.

"Does that mean our sibling feud is over?" Tori muttered with her eyes shut. She looked exhausted and her complexion looked sickly white. She must have been in the rain all night. How she survived without getting hyperthermia is what I didn't understand. Maybe she had stopped at a gas station or McDonald's until the rain stopped pouring so hard.

I smiled at her and started heading to the car. "That's what a peace offering means right?" She smiled again and nestled closer. "You had us worrying sick you know?" She nodded before sniffling, I carefully situated her so I could pull my jacket around her. The car wasn't far off, but it wasn't a short distance either. It had taken me about fifteen minutes to walk around just to find Tori. I'd have to come back for the bike though, and I wasn't sure where I would put it.

When we reached my car I opened the passenger door and slipped Tori inside. She was already falling asleep and it looked like she was barely taking in her surroundings. I reached over and turned on the car making sure to blast hot air out of the system and turn on the seat warmers. In the backseat I had a spare blanket Bill had told me to bring just in case I found her.

Remembering about Bill, I grabbed my phone and noticed three missed calls. All from home. I had texts from Cole and Shawn asking where I was. Before answering I wrapped the blankets around Tori and put her seatbelt on. "I'll be right back." I told her earning a small groan. I pushed her seat back so she was lying down.

I started heading back inside the cemetery after Tori's bike. Along the way I pulled my phone out and dialed home. After the first ring I heard it pick up. "Where have you been?" Mom shouted, "We've been so worr-"

"I found her," I said cutting my mom off, "Just tell everyone she's safe. She's really cold though so get a lot of blankets out ok?" On the other side I heard mom shouting to everyone about the news that I brought her. After another minute of talking I hung up and jogged the rest of the way to the tree where Tori's bike was at.

When I got back to my car I opened up the trunk and was only able to slide half of the bike inside. So I pulled out the cords I had and tied the bike back leaving the trunk open. My hair was soaked by now and my jeans were clinging to my legs, sending jolts of cold through my body. Now that the sun was up I thought maybe it would be warmer, but instead a light breeze commenced and it seemed like it was going right through me.

I opened the driver's door and slid into the car placing my hands over the vents where the hot air was being exhaled from. I noticed Tori watching me from the small slits here eyes were making. "What?"

"Is this a dream?" She asked me. "Or are you seriously being nice to me?"

I chuckled and started pulling out of the cemetery. "Don't get used to it Tori."

She smiled and looked out the window. "I won't." She sneezed before slumping back down. "You didn't tell me how your dad died..." I tensed and kept looking ahead. It was only fair if I told her, I just couldn't find myself to do it. I felt her hand on my arm and I looked down to see her give me a sad smile. "It's ok you don't have to. I completely understand."

I sighed in relief. It would be hard for me to adjust to the everything new. I know I would have to act nicer towards Tori, she wasn't what I made her out to be. When I first thought of her being my stepsister all I felt was disgust. Now I felt somewhat prideful. Maybe she wasn't exactly my sister, I couldn't find myself to consider her a sister yet. But she wasn't like any sister I would have imagined. I had been so hateful towards her, hiding the fact that deep down I do care about her. It comes with knowing the person. Deep down, I felt like a brother to Tori, even if I didn't consider her a sister.

"You know," I said to her after a while. Her eyes were shut and she seemed to be trying to fall asleep. "I remember in second grade, when you'd wear those pigtails to school everyday."

I quickly glanced over and saw her smile. "You remember that?"

I nodded and tapped my fingers on the steering wheels. "Do you remember much about me when we were little?"

She knitted her eyebrows. "You and your brothers weren't very close at the time."

"That's true," I stopped at a stop sign before I kept driving, "So you don't remember at all? Nothing?"

She shook her head and I sighed. "Why?"

"Before you and Mark became best friends. Do you remember who you're best friend was before that?" Her eyes shot open and I chuckled watching her reaction. I started singing, "Tori, Tori. I told her a story. It made her cry and got it me worried. I was born in a frying pan, just to see how old I am..."

Tori smiled and started to count like when we used to jump rope. "One...two...three...four."

"Then I got her a big red bear," I finished, "And told her I'd always be right here."

"How do you remember that?" Tori asked a smile playing at her lips. "I didn't even remember we used to be friends." It was a long time ago when Tori and I had been best friends. It was why is still couldn't find myself to completely hate her, yet at the same time I did because we drifted apart.

"You were the best friend I had," I admitted to her, "We grew apart though. We were only friends in kindergarten and first. Second grade you got distant, and by third you had replaced me."

Tori's face fell and she looked out the window. "I can't believe you remember that."

I shrugged it off, "We were tiny. I just remember because we used to jump rope. And I made that song about you. Then you got mad an made a stupid song about me."

She looked out the window for a second, as if trying to remember. Then it seemed like it clicked because she lit up. "Oh my god! I remember." She laughed and started to sing, "Blake. The cake. Had nothing to bake. So he cried. And cried 'till he formed a lake. Blake. The snake. Wanted some steak but cried and cried when he got a rake."

I couldn't help the grin that formed on my face. "God I hated that song. You'd jump to all the time."

She laughed again before she sneezed. "Now I remember..." Tori started to drift off, but this time I let her. She started breathing through her mouth when her nose became stuffy. It was hard to believe Tori and I had been friends when we were younger, the only reason I remember was because she loved calling me Cake instead of Blake. But like I had said, we had drifted apart until we were two completely separate people. Two completely separate continents that were suddenly forced back together over the summer.

It's not that I don't want her to tell her friends about us, but what if it erupted into a wild fire at the school? What if everyone started treating her a complete different than who she really is. I know for a fact some guys would want to get in her pants, and some girls would use her to get to us. It wasn't worth putting her through that.

The sun was now completely up but I was still exhausted from the whole night. I'd have to drive slowly or the wind from the opened trunk in the back would make to much noise and wake Tori up. When we reached home I noticed everyone was staring out the window like they had been waiting for me this entire time. I pulled into the opened garage and got out moving myself around to Tori's side. Everyone bursted out of the door filing out like ants from their hill.

"Tori!"

"We were so worried!"

"Don't ever do that again!"

"Next time pick up your phone or I'll take it away." They all shouted at once. Tori sneezed and groaned while I took her seatbelt off and carried her inside. "Did you place all the blankets?" I asked mom as I headed upstairs to Tori's room.

Mom nodded as everyone followed after me. "Yeah and I'll get the cold medicine since it looks like she has one." Before heading back downstairs she said, "I put the heater blanket too in case you want to use it."

"Tori are you ok?" Suzie asked and took her hand.

"Just cold Sue." She replied smiling at her sister.

"Don't ever do that again," Bill said to her, "I almost had every cop in this region go look for you."

Tori laughed softly and I opened the door into her room. Just like mom had said, there were towels and blankets on her bed with a fresh pair of clothes so she could dry off. I set her down, "I'll be outside your door. Just tell me if you need something."

She walked towards her dry clothes and we all got out and waited in the hall. "Where did you find her?" Cole asked.

"In the cemetery."

"Really?" Shawn asked, "We forgot to check there?"

Bill sighed and rubbed his eyes, "Yeah it makes sense she went there. Thank you for finding her Blake."

I only nodded and placed my hands in my pants. Some water started dripping at the very end so I decided to head to my room and quickly change. The dry clothes felt nice against my frozen skin. Pulling a new shirt down I went back in the hallway and noticed Tori's door was open. I stood in the doorway I watched everyone inside.

They were all bombarding her with questions on why she ran off. And why she didn't call. All of he answers involved wanting to get away from home for a while to clear her head. Bill finally made her promise to never do it again, or to at least call so he can go to pick her up. Cole and Shawn sat on either side of her and I watched them, remembering how we'd always sit like that when one of us was sick. Watch movies together until the other got better, but then finally we'd all becoming sick from being around each other. All of us got phenomena once for that stupidity.

I noticed how Tori kept playing around with the ring I had given her. No one seemed to have noticed it was there, they were all focused on asking her questions that consisted of her being alright. Mom excused her way past me and knelt on the ground beside Tori giving her a large spoonful of medicine.

"You should get some rest," Cole told her. Everyone agreed kissing Tori on the head before exiting the room.

I was closing the door behind me when Tori stopped me. "Blake?" I turned back to look at her with raised eyebrows. "Don't think I forgive you." She said.

I smiled and walked inside her room. I went towards her and patted her hair down before kissing the top of her head. "Sleep Miss Drama Queen."

She yawned and held my hand, "Are you going to sleep too?"

I nodded. "Been up all night looking for you."

"Good." She said tugging my arm. "I need a Mr. Cuddles."

"I'm not going to be you're dog."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not."

"You destroyed Mr. Cuddles. You're going to be my dog."

I sighed and gave up lying right beside her. She grabbed my arm and snuggled into it as I felt my eyes get heavy. I was thankful mom had shut the blinds so that the room was dim. "Don't expect me to be nice all the time." I said.

She smirked, "Hate you too."

I yawned. "Just sleep."

Tori smiled. Her eyes closed and breathing slowing down. "Night Cake."

I groaned in annoyance. "Don't call me that."

"Whatever you say Cake."

I smirked at my old nickname. It's been years since I was Cake. Maybe I had my best friend back.

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I sort of liked this chapter. I don't have much to say really. I have exams coming up so I'll have to be studying for those. So...well I honestly don't know much about this chapter. It's kinda what everyone's been waiting for right xD Blake and Tori bonding. Minor twist at the end where Blake says they were best friends before Mark.

So yeah that's pretty much all I have to say, I'll post next chapter as soon as I can. I hope none of you cried, I just feel it got sentimental. Especially with Blake's POV and flashback right?

Anyways, love you all. Please give me feed back :) I'd love it

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