The days had broadened into weeks and now the fall days of carlessness were far beyond Ambrosia. December 17th, a quiet and frigid morning stirred Ambrosia from her unnatural sleep. She rubbed her back and slowly removed herself from the warm bond of her comforter. Ambrosia shuffled into her bathroom and stripped off her two-day-old clothing, her shivering body welcomed the hot water cascading from her shower.

Ambrosia rested her throbbing head onto the cold tile wall and watched the streams of water rapidly flow down her legs.

Was this real?

Was I trapped in this house?

She raised her palm up and let the water from the showerhead pool into the center like a cup and a bone clattering weight of fear struck Ambrosia. Tears began to fall excessively from her large dark eyes and merge into the water collecting near the drain. She splashed the water onto her face and continued to shake in anxiety.

Where else was there to go?

Was this the end of her? The drug business that Avril was leading wouldn't allow for a witness to just run free.

"I'm going to die here, just like my grandmother," Ambrosia wavered her arms wrapping themselves around her small chest. Ambrosia looked down and let out a heartfelt sigh. For a moment the steam from the hot water distorted her vision and she saw her stomach expand. Ambrosia touched her stomach and imminently felt sick, she knew she was pregnant.

Ambrosia had come to the revelation the last time she had spoken to Ivy, which was two weeks into the past. The only human interaction Ambrosia had gotten was the drug captain, who she had inquired was named Daniel, escorted to the kitchen to eat her three meals a day and escorted her back into her room.

They had shot her dog, Sadie, the third day after they took control of the house. Ambrosia had cried over her bloody collar Mr. Avril had so kindly flung into her room.

Ambrosia hadn't seen any signs of Elias in nearly a month and yet her mind refused to assume the worst. What would she do, carrying this child of his, if he was dead? It was far beyond her uneasy mind could handle.

"Everything is going to be fine, baby," Ambrosia whispered rubbing her moderately bloated stomach with a shaky hand.

"We just stay happy and daddy will come back, yes...yes"

Ambrosia grabbed a large white towel from the rack above the toilet and dried herself off. She muttered words of joy to keep herself occupied as she dressed in casual attire. A brief knock came from her door and she froze.

"C-come in," she stammered.

The door opened and Daniel greeted me with a stern nod, he waved his gun towards me and spoke dryly.

"Ivy wants to speak with you, let's go."

Ambrosia swallowed hard and pulled her wet curly hair out of her face before sliding into her battered old house slippers. She followed behind Daniel timidly and they traveled throughout the house and into a small back patio. Ambrosia stepped outside through two large glass doors and was welcomed by a ray of sunshine. Sadly it did not do anything to combat the cold fits of wind that brushed past her.

Ivy sat in a white chair underneath and matching umbrella, her legs folded over each other and her cheek resting on the knuckle of her right hand. Ambrosia's eyes glazed over her sister; Ivy was wearing some lacy crop top and high waisted jeans, her lips were colored with dark red lipstick and her eyes were shaded by thick black sunglasses. A diamond necklace adorned her little neck and Ambrosia lowered her head. This was the sister she knew once before, this was a money-hungry girl who assumed her position as a grown woman.

Ambrosia took the second seat across the small table underneath the white umbrella.

"Give us some privacy, Daniel," Ivy ordered and Daniel who had been waiting patiently by the sliding glass nodded and went back inside the house.

Ivy brushed a hand over her dark brown hair before taking rummaging through a small rd purse she had resting on her lap. She pulled out my phone and slid it across the table, Ambrosia's hands did not move from her lap and her eyes moved from the device to her sister.

"What is this for?"

Ivy tapped her freshly rose painted nails on the table and flashed a smile.

"Dante wants to know how you're doing."

"What?" Ambrosia's voice quipped in question and Ivy pulled out another object from her purse, a black small pistol, "I-Ivy, where did you get that...!"

Ivy remained undisturbed and repeated her previous statement gesturing to the phone with the gun. Ambrosia looked back down at her phone and picked it up with a trembling hand; she cleared her throat and dialed Dante's number.

A ringback tone and then, the deep soothing voice of Dante filled her with the darkness of tears.

"Hey baby, its been a while."

Ambrosia hiccuped and glanced at Ivy who sat back, her arms crossed neatly over her small chest.

"Hey, Dante."

"How are you Ambrosia, I miss you."

Ambrosia's mouth twitched into a sad smile, tears slowly rolled down the mounds of her smooth cheeks. "I'm doing f-fine."

"..."

"Are you crying baby girl?"

Ambrosia's chest tightened and her sweaty palms rubbed against her pants. Her mouth opened but she couldn't speak without threatening an onslaught of sobs.

"No."

"Hmm...oh I'm sorry, I forgot not to call you baby."

"It's okay, I really don't care anymore."

Dante laughed softly over the phone and Ambrosia wanted nothing more but to reach out to him and hug that sweet laugh.

"I'm really sorry about all of this Ambrosia."

Ambrosia wiped her eyes and shook her head at his quick statement.

"Sorry about what?"

The was a dreadful pause of silence, short enough to keep Ambrosia's attention but long enough to create callouses of doubt within her brain.

"Sorry about what Dante?" Ambrosia asked again, this time her eyes darting to her sister who had begun tapping the barrel of her pistol.

"This is a messy situation for you Ambrosia, your grandmother's death, your father's death, and now drug trading."

Ambrosia pulled the phone away from her ear, her heart plotting its descent within her stomach for what she could swear was the final time.

"Drug—h-how do you know about—"

"I killed your grandmother Ambrosia."

Ambrosia shook her head and drew in a staggered breath. She looked to her sister and Ivy sat back tapping slowly on the gun.

"Well, I should say we killed her...you know, Elias and me."

"E-Elias, how d-do you-you..."

"He did a fucking sloppy job though, something about aquaphobia?"

Dante wasn't even listening anymore, he had gone off like a radio and continued to droll Ambrosia with his heartless truth.

"Had to tell him how to switch her medication around about seven times, his memory is pretty shit."

"I guess if you really want something done you got to do it yourself, huh baby?"

"Good thing Ivy was there over the summer to keep an eye on him."

"Dante, p-please."

"She really does pick up after her big sister, seducing men like that, Avril was bought at a discount because of her."

Ambrosia dropped the phone onto the table and covered her mouth, her body erupted in earthquake level tremors and she wailed.

"I'm really sorry about all of this Ambrosia, really, and since I'm such a nice guy, I'll make this easy for you."

Dante laughed and Ambrosia watched in horror as her little sister pointed the end of the gun towards her.

"You really couldn't mind your fucking business and leave Elias alone, could you? "

"Ivy, please...stop this," Ambrosia cried out reaching for the gun. Ivy stood up and dodged her flying hands.

"Say hi to your father for me baby."

"Ivy you can't!"

The call ended and Ivy slanted her gun, racked the slide, and with both hands pointed back up at Ambrosia her hand slightly shaking.

"IVY!"

Ambrosia dove underneath the table and pushed up with newfound strength. The table flew up knocking Ivy back and causing her to fall back across her chair and onto the ground. Her gun flew into the air and skidded away from her. Ambrosia rushed to the gun heaving for the heavy oxygen that circled around her. She grabbed it and pointed it at her sister who froze halfway from getting up.

Her sunglasses had broken onto the floor revealing a large purple bruise that surrounded her left eye. Ambrosia shook her head and wildly pointed the gun at her sister.

"You can't do this to me, Ivy, I'm pregnant!"

Ivy stood up slowly and wiped the scratch she had earned on her arm and her eyes widened for a moment, but she tried to conceal her shock with a scowl of disgust.

"I don't fucking care, Ambrosia, I don't care about you or your psycho's baby."

Ambrosia shook violently once more as a wave of tears began to overcome her again.

"Look at me Ambrosia, I'm in this deeper than you know, Dante is a Drug Lord and was targeting our family far before he met you," Ivy slowly crept forward with each word and reached out her hand, "there's no other way out of this."

"Ivy, what did they do to you?" Ambrosia groaned shaking her now pounding head.

She felt morbidly ill. Everything around her was so precariously woven together. Elias, Dante, Ivy, Tania, Avril, and grandmother Hill.

"Give me the gun Ambrosia."

How could Elias lie to me?

How could he do this to me?

How could his love ruin me like this?

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