~Magnolia~

"Magnolia !"

I tare my eyes away from the moving view that I have from the backseat of Damon's car to sway back into reality.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you." I mumble as my eyes cross the ones of Damon in the mirror. "What did you say ?"

I hear Leo whom is sitting in the front seat next to Damon sight, desesperation clear in his voice.

"You will be going to school on Monday. I have signed you up. Your brothers are attending the same school as you and I expect good behaviour, do you understand ?" Damon's stern voice fills up the car and all I can do is nod.

"Verbal answer Magnolia !" He growls and I can't help the jump I make at the sudden anger.

"Yes, Damon."

I don't understand. Damon has been on the edge since this morning. He picked me up from the hospital to finally drive me home and I only get to see him in this mood. Something is certainly up, but I don't dare to ask him nor the boys. At least when I come home, Greyson and Blake will be there to welcome me. I hope.

Blake hasn't really said anything to me since the operation, he has just been acting distant which I don't understand. Maybe he is disgusted to have a sister like me. That's maybe the real reason. I haven't failed to see the bruises on his swollen knuckles though. He tried hiding them from me, but non of the boys have understood yet that I am a very observant person. I tend to notice the details even if they are insignificant.

As I expected Greyson was waiting for me in the big entrance of the house. It still surprises me how big this mansion is, my other house is nothing compared to this, like an ant compared to a football field. Nothing like it, like I am saying.

Immediately after I get out the car Greyson embrasses me in a tight hug. "It's nice to have you back Mags" he doesn't let go, before giving me a kiss on the top of my head.

"Greyson !"

Grey and I simultaneously turn around to look at Damon's big figure standing next to the car. He gestures for him to come towards him and Grey obeys with a fake smile. My legal guardian whispers some things to him, before his gaze falls back on me.

" Greyson will go with you to the mall later on. You still need clothes and the right material for school. First get inside and take a shower." Damon declares.

" Damon !" Greyson objects. " She just came back, can you let her breath for a second ? She got operated a week ago and needs rest. You have no reason to be this fucking cold towards her."

That scared me. I was scared of what Damon would do next to his younger sibling who just disrespected him.

" Are you the one deciding what's best for whom Greyson ?" Damon is fuming and I couldn't do else than back away from the two boys in front of me, fear taking the best of me.

"Don't you see it Damon ? You are scaring her. Look !" His hand points at me and I could feel my chest tighten, as my breathing got heavier. They are fighting because of me.

I turn around and get inside the mansion in a small limping motion. I am in fact still in pain, because of the operation, but it is nothing compared to what I already have endured.

I do as Damon said and take a quick shower, still very careful with my new stitches I have. New scares once again. I sight when I realise that I don't have the cream that Doctor Bonham instructed me to put on the scares.

Just as I was about to leave my room to grab the cream, a small knock on the door makes me stop mid way. The door slowly and creepily opens and a black haired head peeks through the small opening.

"Can I come in Lila ?" Blake's voice speaks up and I gesture him to come inside. " How are you feeling ?"

"I am good, I think. Seen worse." I answer truthfully and watch him plop down on my bed.

"good" he mutters and looks at something that is squished in his hand. " Leo gave me this cream. You have to put it on your scares apparently."

I smile softly and thank him for bringing me the cream. " Maybe you should use it for your knuckles too." I joke, but I don't think it made him laugh a lot.

"My knuckles are fine, Lila. You are not." he answers, void of every emotion, before leaving me alone in my room, lost. He is nice for a second and the next he is cold and distant. What the hell...

|||||||

In the afternoon we head to the mall with Grey just like Damon told us to do. There was in fact no room to discuss with him, no surprise.

Grey drove us there and got his hands on a trolley where he literally forced me to sit in. He didn't want me to walk to much, so he pushed the trolley while I was comfortably sitting in it. I had fun, even though I nearly died by crashing in an alley full with hoodies. Luckily it wasn't a wall with bricks like he said.

My mood soon comes crushing down, when I notice how much my brother spends on my clothes. He just doesn't stop, even if I beg him and say that I have enough he continues to find new clothes.

"Magnolia for the hundredth time we have enough money !" Grey groans in annoyance and picks a baby blue hoodie for me and for him. "Please don't make this any more difficult."

I huff at his statement and lean myself back in the trolley, arms crossed. I do get an idea suddenly that will surely stop him from shopping any other things for me.

"Get we get something to eat then ? I am hungry." I watch as his eyes grow wide with excitement and immediately the trolley spins around to head towards a totally other direction.

"I was dying for you to ask this question baby sis." He smirks and I notice how his pace increases in speed as we walk towards what I assume is the food court. "Anything that you wish for ?"

I shake my head and let him choose what he wants. It takes me a couple of tries to convince him that I don't want to make a choice, because I am a big ass indecisive girl, but I end up wining the fight. He chose Panda Express. Never heard of it before.

As I carefully start to climb out of the trolley, I quickly get stopped by two arms scooping me up bridal style.

"I can do it myself Greyson." I scold, but he doesn't listen and softly sets my feet on the ground.

"Just sit down Maggie. I'll get the food and you wait."

Before I get the chance to stop him, he is already gone. Stubborn.

In the meantime, I analyse the people around me and end up stuck on a group of boys and girls eating together and laughing. It kinda reminds me of that time Jace dragged me with him to meet his friends at a local burger place. It isn't exactly the same, but it is the closest memory I have to this scene in front of me. My life wasn't very normal.

Soon enough my brother comes back with the food and we immediately start digging in. Unfortunately our little sibling meal ends up being disturbed, when a group of older guys suddenly stand in front of us, surrounding our small table. Grey's eyes slowly lift up from his plate, unbothered and looks around. His soft gaze soon turns into a cold, icy one as I watch him clench his jaw.

"Well who do we have here ? Greyson Knight !" A bald guys spits his name like venom, before his eyes slowly turn to me, to look at me like I am some sort of a prey. " Keen to share your little toy Grey ?" He laughs, but soon regrets it as Greyson stands up and punches him firmly in the stomach in less than a second, which earn him a low painful growl.

"Get the fuck out of here Maddox. You sure as hell know not to mess with me. And in fact you still owe me quite some money from the last game I won, so I advise you to walk away with your little dogs right here" he says whiles pointing towards the others surrounding our table, before he continues. " because I am not waiting much longer for my money, before I punch the shit out of you. With or without your friends." Fire has now replaced the cold look of Greyson as he spits those last words. "We are leaving." He rasped as his look turned towards me again and soon my hand was firmly gripped in his as we hurriedly walked towards our car.

I didn't dare to say him that my ribs were hurting, because the look on his face was screaming rage and anger. And that is nothing I want to mess with at this moment.

I guess I still got what I wished for in the end; him to stop spending money on me.

Luv you xx