Twenty-two

Auriella Everleigh Soleil

Did I know what caused the hostility from my brothers toward our guests?

No

But was I going to dislike these strangers because my brothers didn't like them?

Absolutely.

I had learnt a thing or two about family grudges since being here and I was just happy to be included.

There was an older couple, obviously Lilliana's parents, and then there was another version of Liliana, just with brunette hair.

"Everleigh." Lilliana started the introductions. "These are my parents, Abel and Judith, and my sister Lauren and her kids and husband couldn't make it tonight."

"Nice to meet you." I offer, neither warm nor cold. Just because I disliked them doesn't mean I'm going to be rude. My grandmother might fly down and beat me with her slipper for that.

We were ushered to the dining room where a place was set for each of us and I luckily managed to snag a seat in between Eli and Ezra and opposite Gray.

We hadn't been bothered too much, we were all at one end of the table while the others were on the other, Emmeline and Gabriel being the middle barriers.

I take a sip of my drink and then almost choke at what Ezra said, the two of us spark a debate against each other about a very popular murder mystery from a show we had been forced by the others to watch the other day. The others don't try and stop us as we each give crazier and crazier explanations for why we were right.

"But Ez," I interject. "If the father had done it he would have shown any sort of emotion, he was blank but the grandfather was overselling his emotion. I can just imagine what that father was feeling and honestly going numb is a defence tactic the brain uses after going through trauma."

"But it was his kid, he should have shown something. The grandfather was showing he loved her."

"Emotion is easy to fake." I point out. "Once you learn the technique it's like a superpower, you can show what you want to show and to the normal human being then their brain will just accept it, only professionals who know what to see will see it, but numbness isn't easy to pretend, if he was faking it then you would see a glimpse of something, a slip up somewhere but he hadn't. His brain was trying to protect him from all the hurt he was going through."

I look up and realise everyone's eyes were on the two of us, some looked kind but most didn't. Instead of sinking into my seat like I noticed Ezra doing from the corner of my eye, instead, I raised an eyebrow in question.

"Got another loud one on your hands, don't you darling." Judith, my grandmother said to my mother. Then she looked at me, dark brown eyes drilling into me. "You know sweetheart, it's unladylike to be loud and outspoken, you won't find a boyfriend like that."

I frown, glancing around the room to see if she was being serious, and all I saw was mirrored angry faces on all of my brothers minus Gabriel.

"Well it's a good thing I already have a boyfriend and he loves me just the way I am."

"And she talks back?" Lauren asks my mother, looking at me judgementally.

"It's called having an opinion or defending myself. Both things I'm very entitled to do." I wasn't rude, as much as I was itching to get into it with these people I know it will be more effective if I can get through this as gracefully as possible.

The only issue is I have to keep repeating that mantra in my head for it to sink in. This is all my father's fault for raising me to not take anybody's nonsense.

"And if you make one more comment about my sister and how she is I can promise you we can go around airing everybody's dirt here," Grayson murmurs from next to me, a dark look on his face as he looks straight at Lauren. She knows straight away what he knows and backs down, he looks at his grandmother and she backs down straight away. "You guys are disgusting, we sit back and let you bully each of us year after year. It only happens a few times a year so we sit back and take it because as gross as it is we're used to it, but Everleigh has done nothing to you guys. You should be ecstatic she is here and not dead like all of us assumed for so many years."

"He's right," Ezra adds I had never seen my sunshine brother look as angry as he did right now. The look was mirrored across his twin's face. Grayson, Elijah and Ezra. They all looked murderous. "You're vile human beings."

"And you." Elijah, my quiet brother how is normally too awkward to get involved with any sort of altercations. He was glaring at his parents, Lilliana and Nicholas didn't look like they knew how to handle this. "You are disgusting parents for letting people come into your home and insult your children and instead of doing anything you just sit back and agree? You're sick."

Crew and Nolan looked at their little brothers with shock before smirks cross their faces, proud of their little brothers. "You know what mom, I think these four should come and stay and mine and Olivia's for the moment."

<><><>

So it turns out Lilliana was more than happy to get rid of us, her face was so red I was wondering if she would combust on the spot. So half an hour later we piled into my and Grayson's cars and heads the ten minutes to where Crew and Olivia had lived.

I had been here a couple of times, it was smaller than the Taylor farmhouse but it was so much nicer. There were flowers in vases and pretty artwork and framed pictures on the walls. There was so much of a nicer feel to this house than there was at their parents' house.

Crew had worked so hard to build a home, nothing like the house he had grown up in. A while ago he had let it slip he had tried so hard to get custody of his younger brothers. He had got the house, made the rooms for them and done everything he could have. But his parents were important to the small town he had lived in, Nicholas ran the only construction company in town and often did important buildings such as schools and hospitals for a massive discount. Lilliana was always going around and offering help around to where people needed it. They donated money to places around town. They had an image and had succeeded in making it one people relied on so they never wanted to disappoint in fear that their contribution to the community would be taken away.

It was a messed up system, and the people I had been working with, Cody and his team, the people who cared about justice in this small place were working the bigger cases and issues and these problems didn't even cross their desks so they couldn't do anything. They didn't even know about any of this.

But I knew some things, my speciality was learning information no one was supposed to know. I had warned Crew not to ask questions about how I had come across this information as I had dropped it on his desk. I hadn't waited to see how he would use it but he hadn't disappointed me.

"You have custody of us?" Ezra asks, a mix of emotions displayed on his face, confusion, excitement and hope. "Bu-but how. Mom has never wanted to give up custody because she knows people in town will ask questions."

Grayson's eyes find mine, a knowing look in his eyes. None of my other siblings understood me how he did. He just knew, he doesn't know about my involvement in this, or how I did it but he knows I played a part in getting him and his brothers out of that home. He slings an arm around my shoulders as I lean into him.

Nothing was going to happen to these boys, not on my watch. Not when I had the power to change the trajectory of their life, not when I was able to help.

"It doesn't matter kiddo, I'm just glad I'm able to have you guys here now. You all know how hard I've tried to get you here, even if it's just for a year or two." Crew smiles at his brother, ruffling his soft blond curls.

<><><>

"That's my side of the room." I groan. "Stay on your side."

The only bad part about moving into Crew's house is that it has fewer rooms. Meaning I'm sharing with my older brother. I glare at Grayson who glares right back. We got along great, mainly because we were very similar but who knew we would clash when sharing the same space?

"Why do you have so many clothes and electronics?" he asks taking in what I had unpacked and I look at him incredulously.

"It's work." I try to justify, in all honesty, I didn't need as much as I had but I loved having them once again we end up in a staredown. "Okay, I'll get rid of some of the clothes, but all the electronics are staying."

"You have like three laptops, multiple phones and laptops as well as a desk..." He stops himself throwing his hands up in the air. "You know what, I'll take what I can get. Are you throwing them away?"

"No," I exclaimed, appalled at the mere thought. "I'll take them elsewhere but at a place, I can easily access them."

"Like where?" he raises an eyebrow at me looking for answers. "And while we are interrogating you maybe we should get into how you managed to pull off getting us here and maybe get into the fact that there was a trafficking ring bust not far from here, or why there even was one in the first place."

"Not here." I stand up from my bed, brush down my outfit and point at the two suitcases in the corner of the room. "And since you have so much energy, be a darling and take those down to my car for me please."

I walk around the house looking for Crew or Olivia, I knock on their bedroom door and open it slowly when they let me in. Olivia was sitting upright at the edge of their bed, Crew I could tell had been pacing around the room but tried to look as casual as possible. He was stressed, I could tell. But I couldn't think of one person who wouldn't be in his position, sure he had wanted custody for years and years but now he had it there were a lot of things he had to do like financially providing for dour more people and sometimes five if Nolan was over.

Crew was only twenty-two.

"Umm, I have something for you." I pass him the envelope and he takes it cautiously.

"The last time you handed me papers Everleigh they contained details of all the shady deals my father has been dabbling in." My cheeks flush but I stay silent. I watch as his eye widen when he reads what was on the paper and he looks at me for answers. "Um, that is from my father. A kind of child support as you will. He knew the possibility of him not being around before I was eighteen was high so he wanted to make sure I was set even before I received my trust fund and inheritance."

"Did my mother get this?" he asks, he knew if Lilliana was receiving the amount a month in that letter then there was no way she would have let me go. I shake my head.

"There are very strict guidelines on who would be able to get my money, otherwise it would go through a financial advisor straight to me which it has been for years. But I don't need the money. I have a well-paying job and all sorts of other incomes, it might be able to help to have more people under your roof."

He looks at me in shock and then he pulls me into a hug. "Everleigh, you and the boys are not a burden in this house nor will you ever be. But that said I would be stupid not to take this, especially with yours and Gray's trip coming up."

"That's already covered," I tell him. "It came out of the last check I received."

"And you don't need this money?" He looks at me funny, I shake my head quickly, but he still looks unconvinced, I mean who wouldn't want an extra couple thousand dollars a month, but I truly didn't need it.

"Even if you don't want it, it's still going into your bank account until I turn eighteen, and you can't put it back into my account." The day I turn eighteen is the same day that Ezra and Elijah turn eighteen. It will help him as he is doing for the boys. "Now Grayson is waiting for me, I have to go drop something off if that's okay?"

"Of course, darling." Olivia, who had been silent until now, assures me. "Will you two be back in time for dinner?"

"We won't be long," I promise, skipping out of their room. "See you later."

"You took ages," Gray complains, waiting in the passenger seat of my car.

"Sorry, sorry." I reverse out of the driveway and head down the road, just slightly further down.

"This is private property, Leigh," Gray warns me as I enter the forest, driving down a well-hidden road.

"I know." I park in front of the house and jump out grabbing my bags from the back.

"Don't tell me you bought this place?" Gray sighs, I think he's starting to notice how much money I spend.

"Okay, then I won't." He comes with me to open the door, following me inside.

"It smells like your boyfriend in here."

"How do you know what my boyfriend smells like?" I refute before relenting and answering. "Because male fragrances are so much stronger and long-lasting than ladies for some reason. And we come here quite often."

I dump the bags in the first bedroom and turn around. "Okay, we can head back now."

"I want to look around." Even though he hadn't asked he still looked at me for confirmation and when I gave it to him he started wandering around. "What do you guys even do here?"

"Mainly work." I show him around. "This is our lab."

There was a large metal bench in the middle of the room holding a ton of small parts and things we use in our electronics, this room was organised chaos.

"Don't touch that." I warn, "Sorry, that took a lot of work and I single thing shifting can ruin it. Let's continue with the tour, shall we? Gym, lounge, kitchen, upstairs are the bedrooms, bathroom, movie room and doors to go out to the back. Can we go now?"

"Um, sure." He sighs and I frown.

"You don't want to go back just yet?" I ask gently, the realisation hitting me. He was overwhelmed.

He doesn't answer me. I pull out my phone and text Crew letting him know we'll be out a little bit later but will still be back in time for dinner. Then I head to the kitchen pulling out the tub of ice cream I had forced Xander to buy for me a week earlier and pulling out two bowls. Maybe it wasn't the best idea since we would be having dinner in an hour and a half but ice cream always made me feel better, hopefully, that was a family trait.

"We can watch a movie or something before we go back. He follows me to the couch and just as he was about to sit down I stop him. "Um, you might not want to sit on that couch."

He looks at the couch and then at me, realisation washing over him. "Gross Leigh."

All I do is laugh and sit down on the couch. "You can't come into my house and complain about what I do here, but I mean there's blood on the couch. You know about the trafficking ring, that was yesterday we haven't had someone come in and clean it yet. Dirty mind."

He scoffs at me but focuses on the screen. I had a feeling that things were going to start looking up for us.

Or maybe they were my famous last words.

So did you see that coming? If not neither did I, I had the idea mid chapter and I ran with it because honestly I was getting tired of everyone's nonsense my babies deserve better.

I have quite a couple ideas for this book but I have been so busy I haven't had much time to write so I'm sad.

Good news is I published another book(: it's a mafia one this time and I have tried not to make it cliché so if you would check it out that would be amazing. But the sad news it might slow down updates on here for a little until I can organize my life.

Well let me know what you think, please vote and comment and I will see you next chapter

Happy reading

Ara <3