Matéo Santiago's POV

Ade and I are at college.

She has been avoiding me all day like the plague and I decide to give her some space.

She shuts me down, as soon as I start to ask about her dream last night.

I have been thinking about it all day and it kills me inside to know that she is hiding it from me.

***

The school day has gone by, extremely quickly and even through lunch, she only really talks to James and Isabelle.

She knows that I am going to address her about what happened last night.

I have to get it out of her one way or another...

                     ****

We are at the Golden Phoenix Headquarters.

We arrived a good hour ago and I can't find Ade anywhere!

She walked off as soon as we got here, not even looking at her brother.

I look through the tavern, my office and everywhere else in the building.

I climb up a flight of steps and hear a small thud coming from the training room.

I hear it again and again.

I slowly open the door.

Adeline has her back is turned to me.

She is throwing something at the targets on the opposite end of the room.

Knives?

The targets are shaped like the bodies of grown men with signs showing the specific places to hit.

I watch, as each time she throws a knife, it sinks into the chest of the target.

Her teeth are gritted and her hair is tied up into a puff. She has removed her jacket and is now wearing only a sports bra and a pair of leggings.

She looks so good. But that's besides the point.

I shake my head and snap out of it.

She senses presence behind her and spins around still holding a knife.

She jumps, when she sees me.

I try not to chuckle, as I hear her say the words "dickhead" under her breath.

"We need to talk" I say firmly.

She drops the knives with a clatter and walks up to a punching bag and starts to hit it.

It swings back and forth, her hits echoing through the room.

I walk up behind her.

"I said we need to talk, baby" I plead with her.

I can't let her continue to shut me out.

"I heard you, Matéo, I'm not deaf" she snaps.

I suddenly feel upset.

I grab her wrist before she can hit the bag again, and I spin her around to face me.

She looks away and tries to writhe out of my grasp, her dark brown, near black eyes blazing with pain and rage.

"Let go!" She grits out.

I grab her jaw, forcing her to face me and my heart softens.

She has been crying...

"Baby, stop that we have to speak about this" I tell her.

She shakes her head.

"No, we don't" she whispered and she tries to pull away again.

I pull her into my chest.

She looks like she wants to pull away again, but she gives up and collapses into me, crying uncontrollably.

I stroke her hair and hug her close to me.

"Tell me what's going on" I goad, into her ear.

She nods, clearly emotionally exhausted.

                       ***

Adeline Santiago's POV

*Flashback to 15 years ago*

"Dad, when is Jerome coming home?" I ask my father, tugging at his sleeve, referring to my older brother Jerome.

I am 4 or 5 years old, gap in between my teeth from where a baby tooth has fallen out.

I can't wait for my big brother to come home so that I can show him my new treasure!

I look up expectantly at my dad.

He looks down at me.

"I'm working, Adeline" he says coldly.

I nod.

When dad is working I don't like to get in the way.

He might hit me....

Again.

I skip off to the 11 year old Elijah's room.

"Ellie, look at my baby tooth!" I lisp.

He looks up from his homework, turns to me and chuckles.

"You shown it to me twice already, Ade " he says with a broad grin on his face.

"Can you come out and play now?" I ask hopefully.

He shrugs and takes his glasses off of his face, setting them next to his work.

He puts his pen down and stands up.

"I guess I could spend a bit of time with you" he says and he takes my hand.

"Let's go to the gardens!" I squeal excitedly.

Ever since my brothers went to their new schools, they barely had any time to play now.

We go downstairs and my brother tells me to wait at the entrance of the kitchen.

I gives me a wink and puts a finger to his lips.

He walks into the kitchen.

I peer from behind the wall and he pretends to make conversation with Rita, the head chef of the kitchen.

He suddenly grabs the cookie jar and runs with it, laughing and dodging a well aimed slap from her.

"Get back here!" She shrieks.

"You will ruin your dinner!" I  giggle and run along with my brother.

We spend the rest of the afternoon playing about in the grass running around and eating the cookies straight out of the jar.

It's nearly night time.

I babble on about my day cheerfully.

But then Elijah suddenly sits up.

His body is alert and he looks around.

I stop talking immediately, sensing that something is very wrong.

Faint shouts are coming from the house.

He looks at me worry, etched all over his face.

He grabs my hand and walks quickly towards the house, me in full tow.

He bursts through the kitchen door and we hear shouting coming from  the front of the house.

My brother tells me to stay where I am and he walks out of the kitchen towards the source of the noise.

I wait for a good 10 minutes and the shouting gets louder. I hear something smash.

I can't take it anymore!

I run towards the source of the noise.

It grew louder as I get to the living room.

I slip open the door and walk inside.

I nearly gasp.

My oldest brother, 20 year old Jerome, looks absolutely awful!

His lip is swollen and his nose is dripping with blood.

A couple of men stand behind him, holding his hands behind wrists behind his back.

My dad glares down at him, towering over him.

"You are a fucking disgrace!" He yells at him.

I wince.

My dad never swears, which means he's angry.

"I regret letting your mother even keep you in this world, you... You thief!" He continued.

My heart sinks down to my stomach.

Even I know what happens to thieves....

My father raises his hand back and slapped Jerome harshly across the face for what seems the hundredth time.

Jerome groans and kneels over. One of the men drag him to stand up by holding his jaw.

He yells out in pain and I see that his nose is bleeding, non stop.

"Dad, please stop!" Elijah begs, holding our dad's wrist. He sounds so desperate and near to tears, looking at Jerome frantically.

My dad backhands Elijah straight across the face sending him flying into the ground.

He sits up, dazed and rubs the side of his neck, wincing in pain.

My dad paces up and down the room.

"Dad, I told you I didn't do it..." Jerome says. His voice sounds weak and strained.

"Liar!" My dad screams in response.

He grabs Jerome's throat and raises his fist to punch him.

"Dad, no!" I scream.

My dad freezes and quickly drops my brother to the ground with a thud.

"Ade, princess, dad is working..." He starts.

His voice is gentle but quivers with rage still aimed at my brother.

I run to my brother and kneel down in front of him.

He looks down at me and gives me a lazy grin.

"Hey, baby sis..." He whispered.

I wrap my arms around his neck. He looks torn up.

His shirt is ripped at the shoulder and he looks as if he has been slapped, beaten and scratched.

"I gotta go, he says, unable to hug me back, his hands, still in vice at his back.

"Wh-where are you going?" I ask.

"I'm goin' away for a while, so you gotta be good for me, okay?" He asks.

"Why do you have to go?" I ask.
He grins at me again.

"Don't worry, I'll be fine" he says.

He nudges my cheek with his nose, like he always does to annoy me.

"Look after momma and your brother"  he says.

I'm about to tell him not to leave when my dad cuts in.

"Adeline, baby girl, go to bed, I'll come see you in a bit" he says.

I walk up to my dad and look up at him.

"Don't make Jerome go" I say to him.

My dad shakes his head.

"I'm going to tell you one time only" he says, suddenly angry at the mention of Jerome.

"Go to your room and I will come and see you later" he says.

He turns away from me and advances to the bottle of dark golden brown liquor in the corner of the room.

"No!"  I say. I even manage to shock myself.

I never talk back to my father...

Ever!

Elijah looks at me as if I am crazy.

My father turns around to me, eyes blazing.

He holds the bottle of liquor in his hand, gripping it tightly.

"What did you just say to me?" He asks.

"No" I whisper.

"Don't take him away from us. Whatever he took I'll work hard to replace it. I'll take funn responsibility" I plead.

He takes a large gulp of the drink, wiping his hand that is stained with Jerome's blood, leaving a trail of smeared blood across his shirt.

In two steps and by the time I realise, I am knocked to the floor, dazed.

My cheek stings and my eyes start to run. I don't care.

I get up and try to run to Jerome again.

Elijah grabs me before I can do so and scoops me up.

"No!" I scream.

"Dad, please, I'll do anything, just leave him!" I say.

Elijah grabs my wrists and pulls me into him.

"Shh, stop, Ade, you'll kill yourself!" He warns.

I cry harder.

"Elijah, they'll kill him!" I scream.

He says nothing.

I suddenly hear two gunshots and I freeze.

My brother stares in space, still hugging me close to him, silent tears streaming down his face.

I cry bitterly into my brother's chest.

*Flashback over*

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