What did they mean? I knew who I was, didn't I? I was Rosalia Mallory, a girl left on the doorstep of our town's foster agency to find a new home. From there I went through three homes before at the age of 16 instead of having to live in the group h...
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Hunter's POV:
My sister's outburst was met by silence and even after I'd spoken up to vouch for her truth it was still quiet. My parents looked angry but under the anger, I could sense a sort of anticipation that left me confused. Why weren't people saying anything? What was happening? Next to me, Rosa's shooting me a puzzled look that I return since I can't work out what's happening. However the next second I hear the soft sound of my sister's crying and Rosa eases her way out of my arms to comfort her.
I hear her muttering something to Selene who's ragged breathing calms the more they stand together. I divert my attention half between my parents and where Rosa's still comforting Selene. When she catches my eye over my sister's head she gives me a reassuring smile and I try to take comfort in the fact that she's ok. You ok? She mouths and I'm tempted to lie but I know I don't have to answer when her face falls and she tries to give me that same reassuring smile as before. It'll be ok. Her eyes say and I want to believe her. I want to believe her so badly but I can't, not when my parents are involved.
After a few more minutes of Rosa hugging her Selene steps back and stands on my other side between me and Rosa who quickly walks around so she's stood beside me again. "I want the truth, mother, please. I - we - can handle it. Whatever it is." She glances at our mother imploringly but the expression on the other woman's face doesn't change. "PLEASE!" She screams, her eyes wild. "We have a right to know this. You can't keep it to yourself forever!" She looks to me for support and I give a small nod, seeing Ash do the same from Selene's other side. Please. Her eyes seem to plead, but I see no change in our mother's expression. It remains the same. Cold and detached.
"It is our lives that this secret of yours concerns mother," I reply to Selene's unspoken request for help. "Selene's right, we have a right to know this even if you don't want to tell us." Rose draws closer to me and I feel her take my hand behind my back. She steps as close as possible and I thank whatever power out there permitted me to love her. She grounds me and keeps me calm when I would have otherwise exploded out of anger. "Well?" I ask, seeing that no one has moved. Our mother sighs.
"Are you sure you want to know?" Her words have a subtle amount of threat behind them and, not for the first time, I wonder what's going on inside her head. "Are you sure you can handle the truth?" She looks around at each of us, her eyes seeming to linger on some more than others. But I see all my siblings nod where there stood in the two groups we've ended up in. "Very well." She surveys the room once more. "Who wishes to know first?"
Silence settles over the room. A thick, deafening silence that makes me strain to hear any noise at all. But none comes. Instead, we all looked around at each other, Rosa's eyes seemingly drawn to the group nearer my parents which were made up of my other two elder brothers and remaining sister. Malachai's answering glare at Rosa's stare has her shrink back into me and I hold her closer. "I'll do it," he announces, looking back at our parents. "I'm sure there's nothing you can tell me that I don't know already," He sounds so confident that I wonder if he knows something we don't.
