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The Monsters here were like royalty and I had fucked up.
“Is that necessary?” Caleb asked.
I shot my gaze toward him. He pointed at my father’s hand on my arm.
“I find that action rather distasteful, Bernard,” Mr. Falls said.
“My apologies, Daniel,” my father said.
“Mr. Falls, Bernard. You do not have the rank or title to be on first-name terms,” Mr. Falls said.
With a quick glance around the table, I could see the amusement on every single person’s face.
This wasn’t good. I would pay for this.
Still, my dad let go of my arm as if he’d been burned. I wished this was progress, but they would leave soon and I’d be alone to face his wrath.
“Of course.”
Mr. Falls, within a matter of seconds, had embarrassed my father and his position.
I wanted to know why they were all here, why now. This wasn’t good.
Our staff filled the silence by bringing in the food. It didn’t matter what they had made, I wouldn’t be able to eat a whole lot of it. I took a deep breath. I had learned how to control myself without drawing attention. The tightening in my stomach made me even more uncomfortable.
“This looks like good food,” Mr. Keller, Vadik’s dad, said.
“We do have a stunning cook,” my dad said.
This was so fucking awkward. I chanced a look at my brother, but he didn’t give anything away. Why the hell were the Monsters here? I didn’t get it. There was no way I’d look in their direction.
“It is so wonderful to have guests here,” my mother said.
“You don’t have many?” This came from Vadik’s dad.
“Oh, I, you see, I sometimes get sick,” my mother said. Her cheeks turned a different color.
“My son tells me you’re amazing at school,” Gael’s father said. “I hope my son doesn’t give you any trouble.”
I had no idea what universe I’d stepped into.
“I don’t know about amazing, but I do try hard,” I said, pushing my food around my plate. This wasn’t fun, not even slightly fun. There was no mention of me going to college. The chance would be a fine thing.
My mom giggled. “Oh, Emily is such a wonderful girl and student. We never have any trouble from her. I believe she’s going to become a fine artist.”
At that moment, I put some food into my mouth, only to cough at the stupidity of it.
“You draw?” Vadik’s dad asked.
I nodded.
“You must be proud, Bernard,” Mr. Falls said.
This was too much. They all knew why my dad wanted me to be in art class. My mom wasn’t a fool.
“Vadik’s really good. He takes art class with me. I’ve never seen any of his drawings, but our teacher loves him.”
This didn’t please my dad, his white knuckles a clear indication.
Mr. Keller gripped his son’s shoulder. I didn’t know what I expected, but it certainly wasn’t pride.
“I’m glad. His mother and I don’t know where his talent came from, but he has been approached to do a couple of commissions.”
Vadik nodded, seeming to play the part of doting soon.
This was just a little too much for me.
Fortunately, the dinner was finished, leaving just enough time for dessert, not that I’d be able to eat the molten chocolate pudding.
We were not normal.
Our families were neighbors, but I knew the true depth of pain they could all inflict. All it would take was a single bullet and my dad would be dead. A snap of their fingers, and my life could be over.
I couldn’t help but wonder if it would be so bad. I’d stop worrying about the next punch.
My dad never apologized. There was no guilt here. My mom once told me it would be good for me so I could get used to it. What kind of real mother told her daughter that? I stopped watching movies because of this. Now, I only read study books. Never giving myself a chance to dream of a life away from this.
I was in this for life. My only out was certain death.
****
Gael
Emily hated us, and I found it the cutest thing.
After the disaster of the dinner and dessert, my dad had been the one to speak up first. They wanted to chat with her father, giving us the perfect opportunity to get Emily alone.
We weren’t going to tell our fathers about what happened, but seeing as Emily was rarely alone, we didn’t have much choice. Caleb was already working on getting us all transferred into her classes.
Right now, all four of us followed her down the garden path, toward the fountain. The guards had been advised to keep their distance. Even her brother had been warned away.
I didn’t like any of the Crane men. Her mother was useless as well. It didn’t take a genius to work out her mom was a drunk and addicted to pills.
“What is going on?” Emily asked when we got to the fountain edge. It was small, though. My house had one twice the size with naked nymphs spitting water out of their mouths. This just had a circular pillow with water spilling out of the top. There was still enough water to drown a person in, so there was that.
