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Because the questions she asks me?
I ask them every day when I look in the mirror.
Usually, Dad and Grandpa can handle her cruelty and shield me from it, muting the persistent voices in my head, but this time around, they aren’t here.
My cheeks burn from her blows, and I close my eyes as she lifts her palm again, only for them to snap open when I hear her gasp.
She lets me go, and that’s when I notice dirt on her dress, and someone throws dirt at her again. “You stay away from him, witch,” Santiago says as Octavius stands next to me, stepping forward a little bit as if hiding me from her while Remi stands on my other side. They create a protective circle around me, all of them holding shovels while Santiago continues to throw dirt at her. “Stay away!”
She dusts away the dirt, her face becoming all red with fury, and she takes a step toward me, but Octavius’s voice stops her. “You can’t hurt him.”
“He has us,” Remi shouts, puffing his chest out while she laughs.
“A gardener’s son won’t tell me what to do. Watch your mouth.” She lifts her hand, maybe wanting to slap him too, when Santiago sends dirt flying her way once again, only this time around, it hits her in the face, and she sputters out, “You little shit.”
“Just try to hurt me, witch! Just try,” he dares her, and she freezes, clearly not being stupid enough to touch him because Aunt Esme would bury her alive.
You just don’t mess with the Cortez family. They don’t react well to anyone hurting their own, and one of the reasons is that they never go against their own.
“You are all little brats who never accepted my Frederick.”
Remi didn’t even meet Frederick and, for whatever reason, assumed he died when he was three, and I didn’t correct him because this way, I wouldn’t have to answer a lot of questions.
“Hey!” a voice calls from behind her, and we all twist to see Calliope running toward us wearing her usual washed-out dress. “What are you doing?” The minute she reaches us, she studies us, and her warm and soft eyes settle on me, widening. She gets on her knees in front of me, not minding the dirt getting on her dress, and palms my head, gently running her thumbs over my burning cheeks, and I shift uncomfortably.
For the first time in a while, I’m about to cry, and I don’t even understand why.
“How many times did she hit you?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper, and I bite my lip, refusing to say anything.
Why does she care anyway? Mother might use her and make her switch sides. People do desperate stuff when they’re eager for money.
“Seven times,” Remi tells her. Of course he counted! He has a photographic memory, so he remembers everything, which sometimes is annoying.
Then the softness is gone, and anger along with a coldness replaces it. Inwardly, I prepare for the blow from her as well. Mother usually had such mood swings around Frederick and me, so I gasp in surprise when she gets up and slaps Mother so hard she stumbles back. “Have you lost your mind?”
“You don’t hit my kid. Ever.” Another slap and Mother lands on her ass, but she doesn’t stay there for long as Calliope gives her the third slap and then grabs her by the hair, dragging her up as Mother twists in her hold.
We all blink in surprise at how strong Calliope seems to be, and she pulls at Mother’s hair, slapping her four more times before walking her to the gates where security guards are already running to us. “I’m going to sue you. Prepare to pay me for life, bitch.” Mother seethes, but Calliope laughs.
Just freaking laughs!
“You do that, Elizabeth. You do that and find out what will happen.”
That’s the last thing we hear since they disappear from our view, and Santiago whistles. “I really like her.”
I open my mouth to say something, but to my horror, tears fall down my bruised skin, and a whimper escapes me because her words were like a thousand knives piercing into my soul and tearing the remaining intact pieces apart, reminding me once again I’m tainted by monsters and darkness.
“Shhh, Florian.” Octavius wraps his arms around me, and I hug him as he pats my back while Remi and Santiago do the same. They create a tight cocoon around us. “She’s a bad person. It’s good that she’s gone.” I cry harder because she’s still my mother, so it hurts. Hurts so much, and I squeeze him tighter. “We’re here. We will always be here.”
“No matter what happens, we will be here with you,” Santiago adds, and I catch his gaze as he wipes away my tears. “Because we are best friends.”
“And best friends never give up on each other,” Remi finishes.
We stand like this for a while before we resume the treasure hunt and pretend as if nothing happened, celebrating with pizza when Remi finds the diamond.
And Calliope watches over us, baking us a cake and a fresh batch of cookies that doesn’t fail to win my friends over.
That summer, the dynamic of our friendship forever changed.
