Chapter 27: XXIII

— RORI —

By the time Damiano dismisses me, it is around one o'clock in the morning.

His driver drops me off at my requested location and i walk home from there. Sneaking in isn't difficult to do, and, by the time i get changed out of my clothes from the party and carelessly throw on my pyjamas, i conclude that most of the boys are still out.

However, at around three o'clock in the morning, i am suddenly woken by a loud disruption directly outside of my bedroom.

"Just take him into his old room, please. Make sure he's lying in the recovery position, though. God knows how much he had tonight," i hear the voice of Yakov saying, his usually authoritative tone now replaced by a more tired one.

"On it," comes Vinnie's faint response.

There is a moment's silence, until i hear the sound of something smashing from further down the hallway, a string of curses following immediately afterwards.

My curiosity — and also my need to keep my sanity in check — then lead me to toss my comforter to the side and storm out of my bedroom in an instant.

"Mind telling me what's going on out here?" i hiss, absentmindedly rubbing the sleep away from my eyes as three blurry figures come into view.

"Great." i hear Vinnie sigh. "We've only gone and woken Ria."

It's at this moment i acknowledge the third presence, who's arm is carelessly slung around Vinnie's shoulder as he struggles to remain upright. A boyish grin creeps onto his face as he glances down at the shattered pieces of vase on the floor.

"Vincent!" my eldest brother mockingly exclaims. "How could you be so careless?"

My eyes involuntarily narrow as i take in his drunken form, the words Damiano had told me during part of our discussion now beginning to invade my thoughts.

"...partying and taking every drug he could get his hands on."

My glare only deepens when his eyes find mine, his grin widening.

"Ro-Ro..." he begins, using one of my childhood nicknames. "Don't you know it's past your bedtime?"

I sigh.

Some things never change.

"Will you please shut up before you wake the rest of the house?" Vinnie scolds him, smacking the back of his head for good measure.

Our brother stumbles as Vinnie shoves him further down the lengthy hallway, myself and Yakov diligently following behind.

The boys pay no mind to me as they usher him into the end room on the left-hand side. And while they're busy dealing with his royal highness, i take in the surroundings of his room. Only then do i realise just how long has passed since i last set foot inside.

Everything is still in the exact same state he left it in. From his neatly made bed, to the drawn curtains, the only thing missing is the more personal objects which he took with him.

"Jesus Christ! Keep your clothes on, Zephaniah!" Vinnie scolds him, grimacing as our brother begins to remove his pants.

"Haven't heard that one before," Zephaniah snorts, causing me to roll my eyes.

"Have a little decency and at least wait until we've left the room," Vinnie reprimands him, though his amused smile betrays him.

"I'm hardly wearing my birthday suit," Zephaniah retorts, as he heads into his en suite.

As i go to leave the room, i bump into Yakov, who carries a glass of water in his hands.

"Zephaniah was right, Rori. It's way past your bedtime. Go back to bed. We'll handle this."

I snort, unamused.

"First of all, i don't have a bedtime. I'm fifteen." i flash him a bitter smile as he brushes past me. "Second of all, what happened to keeping a watchful eye on his drinking habits?"

Yakov places the glass onto Zephaniah's bedside table and not once does he acknowledge my concern.

"Yakov," i say his name like a curse.

"Keep your voice down, Rori," he reprimands me.

"For someone who is always the voice of reason, you are not being so reasonable right now," i tell him.

"You should be sound asleep. I'm sorry that we woke you with all the ruckus but this isn't a conversation we can have right now," he insists, sending me a meaningful look that tells me this isn't up for debate.

I glance at Vinnie, who pretends not to hear our conversation, and then return my gaze to my second eldest brother, my arms folded across my torso in defiance.

"Fine." i sigh, defeatedly, heading towards the doorway. "Don't listen to me then. See what happens."

— SUCKER PUNCH —

I shoot up from my bed in a panicked state, as if i have been lying on hot coals. My breathing is rapid and out of control, my hair is dishevelled from all the tossing and turning i've been doing, and my heart feels as though it is about to leap right out of my chest.

In case it isn't obvious, i had a nightmare. Not my usual meaningless nightmare in which someone drowns, but, rather, a nightmare in which Damiano murdered my eldest brother right before my eyes.

Of course, i know Damiano isn't planning on murdering Zephaniah, or physically harming him, for that matter. But he may as well be at this rate.

From the moment my eyes closed, morbid visions appeared. Visions of the pregnant lady lying on the cold ground; blood pooling around her belly. The same belly that was carrying my brother's child. Visions of Zephaniah telling me that it is all my fault that his child died before it truly entered the world. And lastly, visions of me screaming as i watched Damiano pull the trigger and shoot my brother right in his frigid heart.

Before i can begin to comprehend any of it, i abandon my beloved bed and rush into my en suite.

I throw up once. And then i throw up again. And then i throw up once more for good measure.

"Fuck!" i curse, as i take in my appearance in the mirror.

My eyes are bloodshot; tiny red speckles forming around them from where they have strained. My skin is as pale as Snow White on a cool Winter's morning, my whole body seems to shiver with uneasiness, and that damn hickey on my neck has only gotten bigger.

Thinking of the party, i can't even work out if my throwing up is because of the alcohol i drank or because of those gruesome nightmares.

"What did i do to deserve this?"

I direct the question to my reflection but she is of no use. She feels even weaker than she looks.

I dry my face with my fluffy,

cream, hand towel in a careless manner, before tossing it into my laundry basket.

Water, water, water.

I look to my bedside table in the hopes to find some — even just a sip will do — but alas, there is not a drop of water to be found. I suppose i could drink straight from the tap but i am not a complete animal, nor will it sustain me, and so, begrudgingly, i head to the kitchen, fill my reusable Starbucks cup to the brim, and then make my way back upstairs.

Only, instead of heading back to my room, i end up turning right at the top of the stair way, making my way to the end room on the left-hand side.

The door gently creaks as i open it. I don't bother to knock at such an early hour in the morning. I'm pretty sure Zephaniah will be sleeping. I mean, yes, i thought he was a Vampire when i was younger and, yes, i'm pretty sure he starts his day at around four am, but he is drunk right now. He should be sleeping...right?

I walk in, quickly closing the door behind me to block the light from getting in, and head towards his bedside. It's hard to see in here when he doesn't have a single light on but i can clearly see that he is asleep now.

I sigh to myself..

I don't know what i hoped to achieve by coming here. If i found him awake, he would no doubt kick me out in an instant. After all, Zephaniah doesn't appreciate his personal space being invaded. Not that i blame him.

But instead of leaving, i head to the other side of the bed and make myself comfortable. And then i glance at him once more to check that he is still asleep, relieved when i find that he is.

"It's rude to stare, you know?"

Wait a minute—

But...but...but he was just sleeping?

Maybe if i remain silent, he will go back to sleep and forget that i was ever here.

Yes, that's a good plan i think.

"Rori."

"..."

"Rori."

"..."

I hear a quiet scoff and then some shuffling as he reaches for his phone.

"...Do i have to call Yakov?"

I gulp.

"Heyyy..." i finally answer, trying and failing to sound nonchalant.

My brother reaches behind him and props his two pillows against the headrest, sitting up now rather than lying down on his side. He then turns to face me, a worn expression on his face. He looks just as dishevelled as me.

"What are you doing here?" he asks me, his tone of voice stern yet a lot more raspy than usual.

"I came to check on you...I thought you were asleep," i answer.

"I don't sleep," he says, with a shake of his head.

"I knew it. You are a Vampire," i joke.

He barely reacts.

His mouth forms a line. That is all. No snarky retort, either.

The joke wasn't that funny, after all.

And a moment later, i notice that his jaw clenches. A tell tale sign that he is pissed off.

That's when i finally see his eyes narrow at the sight of my bruised neck.

"Well, i may not be a Vampire but it appears you have been bitten by one," he states, using a dangerously calm voice.

I gulp once more.

How can he even see it with such darkness clouding his vision...unless he really is a Vampire?

"Would it help if i told you it was a girl Vampire?" i sheepishly ask.

"Was it?"

"Not exactly..."

"Then no," he says. "What did i say about fraternising with boys?"

"Not to do it" i mumble.

"So why do i see a hickey on your neck?" he snarls.

I remain silent.

Zephaniah's eyes bore into mine and i can't seem to look away.

Is he...compelling me right now?

Boy, i really shouldn't have binged watched The Vampire Diaries last night.

"Would it help if i told you i was drunk?"

Why on earth did i just say that?

"What do you think, Little Girl?" he asks, his tone of voice not at all amused.

"No," i guiltily mumble.

"Mhm. Yeah, that's right," he mocks. "What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't."

"Clearly." he nods his head in agreement.

"I could ask you the same thing," i say, finally finding my voice.

"I'm sorry?"

"He slept with my girlfriend of two years."

"She fell pregnant with his child."

"Zephaniah abandoned them when they needed him most."

"...embezzlement...no regard for anyone..."

"What were you thinking, getting drunk tonight, Zeph? After your recent trip to the hospital? What were you thinking?" i interrogate him.

"This conversation isn't about me, Rori. What i'm trying to figure out is—"

"This conversation is absolutely about you, Zephaniah. It's not even been a month yet and you're already back out there doing what you do best: drinking, partying, probably taking drugs too. Who do you think you are to question me like that?"

"An adult. Your eldest brother. That's who."

"Oh, well, what do you know? That means nothing now."

"Watch your tone."

"Didn't you forget? You can't order me around anymore. You walked out. You made that choice."

"For fuck sake, here we are again. Round and round in circles. You can't bring this up every time i say something you don't like, Rori. You can't keep shifting the narrative. That's not how it—"

"What? It's true! You're not my guardian. You never have been, even when you were."

"Don't you dare interrupt me when i'm speaking to you and keep your goddamn voice down before—"

"What? Before what? Before Yakov and his merry men come in to deal with me? That's right. Let your younger brother handle it. As usual."

"Rori."

"Or better yet, why don't you slap me across the face like you used to when we were kids? Push me down the stairs just like you did to Xavi?"

"Rori."

"That'll teach me a lesson, won't it? Don't mess with the big, bad, Zephy because he hurts his kid siblings. Just like his father did."

"Rori."

"After all, Teddy finally showed his true colours and strangled me. It's only a matter of time before—"

I hear the familiar sound of glass smashing but this time it is not the cause of a vase breaking in the hallway. This time, the noise occurs directly behind my head.

I don't bother to turn around. I know what is missing. I can tell just by glancing at my brother's bedside table, on which there is no longer a glass sitting.

Instead, i look at Zephaniah, who is already looking at me.

"Just like my father did," he says, as he shrugs in helplessness, a sombre smile on his face.

I wait a moment, half expecting one of our brothers to rush into the room.

But nothing happens.

After all, the walls in our home are not paper thin. I only heard the ruckus earlier because i was listening out for it.

As i stare at Zephaniah, i thank him in my head. I thank him for quickly putting a stop to whatever came over me. Only, i feel terrible for what i have said. And those words are something i cannot take back...

Suddenly, the feeling of bile creeping up my throat again startles me, as i realise that i am about to throw up for the fourth time in the past hour, and i rush into his bathroom, only just managing to lift the lid of the toilet in time for it to happen.

I throw up once. I begin to throw up again. I hear footsteps approaching. And then i feel Zephaniah take my hair into his hands, him tsking as i proceed to vomit once more.

Meanwhile, all i can think is, how the hell is he even standing right now when he was struggling to remain upright not even two hours ago?

Reason number three as to why my eldest brother is a Vampire.

"M'sorry," i force myself to say, before i have even caught my breath.

Not only do i feel terrible about throwing up in his pristine bathroom; i feel even worse about our short yet explosive exchange.

"Do not apologise to me," my brother orders, as he wipes the remnants of sick from my face with an antibacterial wipe. "Did you throw up earlier at all?"

I nod.

"I'll have Xavi inform the school first thing tomorrow morning that you will be taking the day off," he insists.

"But...but i have a test on Monday. And you all have work."

"That's the advantage of being your own boss," he points out, "work starts where and when you want it to."

He pauses to throw the wipe in the bin and then instructs me to wash my hands, him following suit.

"As for the test, i'm sure you can sit it another day. You'll hardly pass if you're unable to focus, anyway."

Well, he makes a convincing argument...

"Now, come on," he says, taking a hold of my shoulders and guiding me out of the room. "Let's get you back to bed."

"I won't be able to sleep," i insist, panicked. "Not now."

"Well, you can sure try," he reasons.

I realise i don't have a choice in this when he begins propping my pillows up, moving the quilt aside so i can get into my bed. He then places the back of his hand against my forehead and winces.

"Do you have any blankets in here?" he asks me, his tone of voice surprisingly gentle. Well, as gentle as Zephaniah can be.

"Check the shelf in my closet," i tell him, clambering onto my bed.

I hastily move the comforter to the side, much too warm to wrap myself up, despite the fact i was shivering not that long ago, only i panic slightly when i am unable to find my stuffed-toy.

I lift up all of the pillows, as well as the comforter, and then i do the same again, but, still, he is nowhere to be found.

I can't sleep without him.

"Looking for this?"

Amused eyes meet mine when i turn around, and there, in my eldest brother's hand, is Simba. The very same one who's ear he chopped off around eight years ago.

"I wasn't looking for that. Where did that come from?" i blurt out, defensively.

He does that soft laugh that he sometimes does when he is amused, one that is designed to not completely ridicule the other person.

"This has just about made my night." he beams. "You're wearing the pyjamas i saw you in during our reunion and now you've got your precious stuffie to complete the look," he mockingly coos, placing Simba next to me. "Oh, and this."

He then drapes the blanket over me, which, surprise, surprise, is of the same theme, and, at the sight of the childish print, i almost die from humiliation.

Okay, i take back what i said about him trying to spare me any embarrassment. He is loving this.

Also, how have i only now realised, due to him pointing it out, that i'm wearing those goddamn pyjamas?

I could have spared myself the embarrassment!

"You weren't supposed to find him..." i grumble. "No one was."

He laughs once more — a lot less kind this time.

"You're kidding yourself on if you think that me and your brothers don't know that you still sleep with your teddies."

"I don't!" i exclaim. "I don't need them!"

"Sure you don't, Ro-Ro." he smiles, giving me a condescending pat on the head.

"You're supposed to be nice to me,"  i whine, sniffling for good measure. "I'm sick."

"Well, but where's the fun in that?" he asks. "That's all the more reason to make fun of you, actually. If i act all sweet while you're feeling like this, you'll think you can use it against me."

"I won't," i argue, though fail to hide the mischievous grin on my face.

"I see that smile on your face," he tells me. "I'm serious. Don't let this get to your head. I could easily take a picture of you and send it to the boys. I'm sure they'd have a laugh."

"Do that and i'll bring my old Nintendo to the next family dinner," i threaten him. "I have a picture of teenage you on there from when i drew on your face. You look like such a dork."

He narrows his eyes at me.

"You don't have your Nintendo anymore. You gave it to the neighbour's kid before we left Russia," he points out.

"How the hell do you remember that?" i ask, my tone that of sheer disbelief.

"I have impeccable memory," he answers.

"Huh," i muse. "Well, i never deleted any of the pictures. At least i know someone else got to witness your embarrassing past. Back when you were just Zephy."

"I was never Zephy." he rolls his eyes. "You made that up."

"It sure caught on." i flash him a cheeky grin. "I might even edit your Wikipedia biography; change it to Zephaniah "Zephy" Łabanowski."

"Ha. You've been stalking me," he retorts.

"Yeah, for research," i argue. "So that i can take you down."

Only, i don't feel amused after i have made the joke. For i realise that Damiano has indeed blackmailed me into doing so.

"Are you feeling okay?" Zephaniah asks, clearly thinking the fearful expression on my face is due to something else. "You're not feeling like you're going to throw up?"

I wordlessly shake my head, unable to speak, even though there is so much that i have to say.

"Get some rest then," he orders. "You have your water on your bedside table. Drink plenty of it. I'll be in my room."

Zephaniah gives my room a once over, before turning on his heels and heading towards the door.

I find my voice this time, however, and he only makes it a few steps before he has to stop in his tracks.

"Are you going to sleep?" i mumble.

He halts, but doesn't once turn around.

"I told you i don't sleep, Rori."

I pause.

"Then can you stay?"

Silence engulfs us and i am sure he is going to refuse. After all, why would he want to stay and look after me after the way i treated him earlier on?

"I'll stay as long as you promise to stop blabbering and go straight to sleep," hypocrite, "but i'll need to go fetch my laptop. I have some paper work to get finished."

For the first time since leaving the party, a genuine smile is put on my face at the sound of my brother's words.

And i think to myself, Zephaniah is not heartless. Nor does he have no regard for others. Perhaps Damiano was right to assume that i have a special place in his heart, but those facts do not change.

Because he was never heartless. And he was never the villain.

He was simply painted as one.

— SUCKER PUNCH —

On Monday morning i am no longer throwing up but my brothers insist that i stay off school anyway, as not to infect anyone else. The downside of this is that i had to avoid my twins on Sunday.

When i woke up yesterday, it was around midday. Zephaniah was no longer there. I'm guessing he must have waited until i fell asleep and then left.

Unluckily for him, he wound up sick too. Though, luckily for him, he doesn't have all of the symptoms i did, with just a bad fever instead.

Regardless, he has not complained. Or even lay in bed. And, in fact, as i suspected, at four am this morning, he was already making his way to the gym.

Reason number four as to why my eldest brother is a Vampire.

All my brothers were surprised by just how well Zephaniah had taken care of me the other night. Well, i was too, of course.

I don't recall that he had ever looked after me before while i was sick. It was always Wyatt who was good at tending to us kids' needs, being that he is of such a caring nature, or Yakov when we were really young. But never Zephaniah.

Perhaps i just can't recall such a time because so much of my childhood has been blocked out. I'm sure if i asked the man himself, however, he would have the answer. After all, he has impeccable memory.

I was also shocked this morning when Xavi told me that he would be spending the day at home. Well, i wasn't so shocked at first because i know that he sometimes handles business on the third floor but i suppose i assumed he would just stay there and let me be.

From time to time, he does venture back upstairs but, other than that, he has remained nearby to wherever i am throughout the whole day. And it has just been us in the house so far, since the other boys are busy doing whatever it is they normally do, so it has been quite a change, considering i never normally spend time with just my guardian.

"Here." Xavi approaches me with a soup bowl in his hand and places it onto a nearby table.

I glance at its contents and my eyes immediately light up.

"You made Pomidorowa?"

"Indeed." he offers me an indulgent smile.

Most Russians do not believe in the use of pills when we can regain our health from natural ingredients. My family included.

Sometimes, of course, we have to take pills. But there's nothing a simple soup can't fix.

It's little traditions like this that make me sentimental of my childhood. After all, i may have lived in Russia for most of my short life but the US is where i spent most of my formative years. And it's safe to say my brothers and i have definitely been swayed by the Western culture.

"Thank you," i tell him, gratefully.

"No worries. Make sure you eat it all," he advises.

"I will," i say, before adding, "You know, you don't have to be here if you don't want to."

"I do want to," he claims.

"No you don't," i argue.

"And how would you know that?" he points out, with a raised eyebrow.

"Well..." i pause, unsure if i will offend him. "We never spend time together. You're always working, or out with friends."

My brother sighs.

"I know," he responds, somewhat guiltily. "I'm sorry, Ria. But you know what i'm like. It's nothing personal...I'll make more time for you, okay?"

I nod and offer him the tiniest of smiles, and he returns the gesture with one of his own.

"How are you then?" i ask. "What have you been up to, besides work and...whatever it is you do in your spare time?"

Xavi laughs, softly, and he sounds almost exactly like his teenage brothers.

"And why are you suddenly taking an interest in my life?" he asks, with a hint of suspicion.

I shrug.

"You've turned all sensible in recent years. It doesn't seem right," i answer.

"Well i'm anything but sensible, Ria. Your older brothers can vouch for that. But i have to act sensible around you kids. Set a good example. You know?"

"I wish you would let loose every once in a while," i tell him. "You used to be so fun...no offence."

He rolls his eyes.

"None taken."

"And you do realise, it doesn't matter if you're our guardian now, we all remember what it was like when you were just our brother...Like the time you got thrown in jail on your eighteenth birthday. Remember? Yakov had to bail you out."

"Yakov didn't bail me out," he says, with a knowing grin. "Yakov was with me. He was the reason we were in there."

"What?"

"Yeah."

"You can't be serious," i say. "Yakov?"

"I know," he agrees, smiling at the memory.

"I don't remember that...Surely not...Yakov...our Yakov?" i continue, baffled at the thought of my most mature brother landing himself in jail. "What did he even do?"

"We were drunk and we decided to go to Baskin Robbins but it was closed, and i think Yakov just...broke in and served himself some ice cream."

I laugh in bemusement.

There's no way my second eldest brother did that!

"I don't think i've ever witnessed Yakov drunk," i say. "Now i have to. You have to get him drunk on your birthday this year."

"You'd be terrified." he grins.

"Wait a minute, did you guys lie to me then? I've never heard this story."

"We didn't lie to you, Yakov did. To protect his image," he explains. "He's ashamed of his alter ego."

Xavi and i continue talking for a while longer. He once again has to remind me to eat my soup — as i had forgotten it was there due to the excitement of discovering my second eldest brother's surprisingly rebellious past — and then he heads back upstairs for the afternoon, promising to check on me later on.

At around four o'clock, the boys come home from school and — still keeping their distance — join me in the living room, where we play a game of GTA on the Xbox. Though a feeling of sadness washes over me when i realise that Teddy is not here to play with us.

Yes, Teddy and i are forever fighting. And even now, our relationship is potentially the worst it has ever been. But our time apart has made me realise that most of my memories do involve him. Including the good ones.

I can only hope that he has evaluated our relationship similarly during his isolation.

Surprisingly, all eight boys gather for dinner tonight. Yakov cooks for us a simple meal of baked potatoes and Greek salad on the side and i eat my entire plate with a huge smile on my face, glad to finally be eating a proper meal.

What i am even more surprised by, however, is when we all end up in the living room instead of going our separate ways.

Zephaniah clearly feels the same, seeing as he is the first to say something.

"I agreed to eat with you all once i heard Yakov had offered to cook. I don't remember agreeing to anything beyond that."

Xavi is the last to join us and sits on the only remaining seat, which is the one next to myself. He is pretty much the only one who doesn't seem to care about catching this bug. Well, he and Zephaniah who, of course, is already infected.

The latter has been forced to sit with me also, by the love seat i have inhabited, and the other six boys are sprawled out on the large couches, glancing at the three of us every so often as if we have brought the plague into our home.

It is quite comical, as per usual with this family.

That's not the only comical thing, however, as, after dinner, Yakov suggested that we all eat ice cream as a dessert.

I was of course eager, as were the other boys, but the look that Xavi and i had shared in that moment was priceless. It seems that this will become an inside joke of ours, at least for the rest of the night.

"Yes, well, i realised today just how important it is that we spend time together. Besides, you and Rori are ill, it's probable that the rest of us are going to catch the bug. If we haven't already done so, that is. And so we may as well enjoy our ice cream and put on a film," he reasons.

"Fine," Zephaniah says, shocking me with his obedience. "We'll watch Harry Potter."

"I don't like Harry Potter," Seamus instantly complains.

"What are you talking about?" Zephaniah glares at him. "Everybody likes Harry Potter. It's a classic. You can't not like Harry Potter."

"I don't particularly like Harry Potter," Uvaldo gives his two cents.

"Your opinion doesn't count," Zephaniah decides. "You don't have a real name."

I snort so hard that i begin to choke on my ice cream.

"If you were a character in Harry Potter, you'd be the troll," i hear Seamus tell Quentin, causing me to snort once more.

"We're not watching Harry Potter," Xavi concludes.

"We didn't even take it to a vote yet," Zephaniah says.

"We didn't have to," the former says. "I'm not watching some pretentious British kids cast spells."

My eldest brother huffs, shaking his head in disapproval.

"Then i'm out of ideas," he declares.

"We could watch Back to the Future," Quentin suggests. "Mikey says it's good."

"I hate Sci Fi," Uvaldo says, through a mouthful of ice cream.

"We could watch Baby Driver?" Wyatt offers.

"I watched that, like, last week," Vinnie says. "How about Ferris Bueller's Day Off?"

"How about a Jim Carrey film? You can't go wrong with Jim Carrey," Uvaldo insists.

"No," is all Yakov says.

From the corner of my eye, i see Zephaniah turn to look at me, and i meet his gaze, raising an eyebrow at him in question.

"How about The Lion King, Rori?" he teases. "Or have you grown out of that phase?"

I narrow my eyes at him and offer him a bitter smile, which he smirks at.

"Actually, i'm more in the mood for Cinderella. The recent one," i say.

All of my brothers stare at me with the same blank expression, as if the movie title i just spoke of was in a foreign language.

"Lily James is the lead," i muse.

Silence.

"Alright, Cinderella it is!" Vinnie jokes, causing everyone to laugh.

For some reason, we actually end up watching Cinderella. If not for Lily James, then for my brothers to make fun of me.

I feel a little saddened once more when i acknowledge that one of us is missing. Though Yakov had said that Teddy is spending the evening with his friends, so i suppose he will be okay.

Physically, i feel much better than earlier, though still quite unwell, so Xavi agrees that i can stay off for one more day, providing that i catch up with the work i have missed. Wyatt says he can stay home to be with me, which of course makes me very happy, especially since i know he will not bother to enforce any of Xavi's rules.

After watching Cinderella, Quentin asks if we can put Harry Potter on after all, which i think Zephaniah's inner child secretly appreciates. He watches the movie in silence, but every so often i will look over and catch a glimmer of amusement in his eyes, which is rather wholesome to me.

At the end, Seamus and Quentin bring their tarantulas downstairs while they clean out their tanks.

I don't even know if Xavi knew about them before today. Or if he did, he surely must have forgotten. Either way, he does not let on.

I think he is trying to act like a cool older brother rather than a parent, ever since i pointed out his behaviour.

We stay clear of the creatures entirely because, hello? They're tarantulas. But that doesn't stop Quentin from terrorising those of us who are scared of them.

Zephaniah, of course, isn't scared and even holds one. Yakov pretends not to be but warns the boys not to bring the 'grotesque creatures' anywhere near him. My eldest brother of course disregards this rule and tries to sneakily place Fluffy onto Yakov's head, but the latter caught him in the act and i swear he almost reacted with violence.

And so, with eight of my brothers, and this sudden sickness bug, it's safe to say my mind is kept distracted from Damiano and all that he had revealed to me on Saturday. But, of course, that doesn't mean that i completely block everything out.

Especially with me spending so much time with Zephaniah over the past two days.

I would be lying if i said i can't understand how he is the same man who supposedly abandoned the woman who was carrying his child. Or the same man who framed his brother for embezzlement.

The only thing that i am still sceptical of is the fact he knowingly slept with Damiano's girlfriend.

I just know there is more to the story...It simply does not add up.

(Edited)

A/N: I for sure thought this was going to be my new favourite chapter while i was writing it but whenever i'm proof reading i start thinking everything is so bad 😭. I hope you guys like it though. Let me know your thoughts! I feel like the beginning is quite full on, especially with the argument between Zeph and Rori, but i really wanted to emphasise just how much depth there is to the characters as individuals and that their relationship is so strong despite the things that make it toxic. Also to show just how overwhelmed Rori was feeling in that moment.