Our heavy-handed father never once touched her. While, for me, it had been an occurrence every other week. The familiar pang of rejection dropped my stomach, but I swallowed it down. Even growing up, I’d been second best.
Dad liked her more and had never laid a finger on her after that one time when she was a toddler. I’d made it clear what I would do if he tried again. All I cared about was that Annie was safe. She used to cry that he ignored her, but internally, I’d been relieved. Better to be ignored than have his attention. I’d been positive she would be okay if I left. Hell, I’d thought she would be better off. My very presence used to set Dad off.
That was how I’d convinced myself leaving was okay. That was how I convinced myself not to come back even though she’d begged. We weren’t supposed to become estranged, but it had been a year since we’d spoken.
Guilt speared me at the thought. I’d been making excuses. The coldness between us… I had no one to blame but myself.
Truth was—I was scared, and that fear had tripled after that incident. It had taken a long time for me to understand that teenagers were supposed to be mouthy. That his reaction to my back talk was unnatural.
Know-it-all little brat.
Whore.
The remembered words made me flinch.
Then, after all the estrangement, she’d called, and I’d ignored it. Sure, I hadn’t known it had been her when my cell buzzed, but the twisting in my stomach lingered, nonetheless. And when I’d heard her voicemail, it’d sent my life on a course I would have never imagined. And it wasn’t just because I’d found my live-in boyfriend in my bed with my friend. If only it had been so simple.
Part of me wished I’d stayed to rail at Jeff. Instead, I left. Like Annie said, that was what I was good at. I hadn’t even called to tell her I was coming. I’d hopped in my little Toyota and driven off. Then the whole taken-by-Fae incident happened not long after I’d crossed Oregon’s state line.
R-Rae, help, please? Come home. It’s an emergency. The panicked voicemail replayed in my head. I blinked quickly when tears gathered. I wanted to spill everything that had happened since her call, but the words stuck to the back of my throat.
But even if I could force the explanation from my mouth, she’d never believe me. I’d become so numb to the Unnatural world and the existence of creatures that go bump in the night that I’d forgotten they were fiction to everyone else. She crossed her arms and leaned against the doorframe, her eyebrow flicking up.
“I’m sorry,” I repeated weakly.
She rolled her eyes with a sigh and motioned me in with a wave of her hand. My eyes were drawn to the little bats all over her tank top as she stalked inside.
I stepped in haltingly. This was the first time I’d entered the broken-down trailer in ages. I rubbed my arms when I saw that damned old sofa my dad used to lay back on as if he lived in it. It sat empty with the indents of his large, bloated body.
Annie fell into the familiar worn loveseat against the wall. I gingerly sat next to her. I’d forgotten how little we had. The sofa and chair faced a small counter that held up a medium-size television that played reruns of a popular show. I cleared my throat and made myself meet Annie’s gaze.
“I know we didn’t leave off in the best of circumstances,” I started. She snorted and threw her feet on the chipped coffee table. “I admit I was selfish. I-I didn’t want to come back,” I said, not elaborating on why. “But I should’ve told you to come to me.”
She tilted her head back. “Should have, would have, doesn’t matter anymore.” Her nose wiggled, and her eyes traced an imaginary shape on the ceiling.
A pang of sadness struck my chest at her words. She hadn’t been like this. This jaded version of Annie had eaten my lively sister who used to be excited about everything. I tried to clear my dry throat, but it hurt to swallow.
“Where are they?” I clenched my teeth together with an audible snap. “What have they done to you?”
She sat up and looked at me, confused. “You mean the negligent assholes called our parents? Yeah, Pops is dead. Mom decided it would be a good idea to stab him. I came home late from work and found the cops slapping cuffs on her wrists and the paramedics toting Dad out in a big ol’ plastic bag.”
My mouth tried to form a sentence, but all I managed was “W-what?” I grappled to wrap my brain around the fact he was dead and mom was in jail.
“Yup.” She wiggled her socked feet. “This was, hmm, more than a month ago.”
She’d called me after all of this happened? And I hadn’t even called her back to let her know I was on my way. No wonder why she was so angry. Hell, I would think the worst of me if I were in her shoes. She reached her hand over the couch and brought a bottle to her lips.
“Is that beer?” I yelled, scandalized as my big sister instincts kicked in. She ignored me and kept chugging. I reached over and yanked the beer away from her.
Annie yipped in surprise and glared at me. “Give it back.”
“No! You’re eighteen. What are you thinking?” I scolded.
She threw her head back and laughed. “I’m too young to drink a beer, but I’m old enough to be left alone and in charge of the bills?” I gaped as her words struck. She was legal now. That meant no help and no child services coming to take her. She had to do it on her own. “Do you know how
