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The Japanese say you have three faces.

The first face, you show to the world.

The second face, you show to your close friends and family.

The third face, you never show anyone.

It is the truest reflection of who you are.

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-Chapter 8 part2-- Sooner or later--

I felt something or someone on top of me. I slowly peek open one eye. Just seeing if it's not who I think it is in my bed... I looked down and, surprisingly, it wasn't her.

Who is this? The young brunette gets closer to me when I try to pull away. She pulls me down into a tight hug. Her small body pressed against mine.

I froze. Who the hell is this chick?

And then it hit me... It's my new baby sister.

Why is she in my bedroom this late at night?

I stare at her sleepy form for a bit, just thinking about Why is she here in the first place?

Then I remembered that I was the one who brought her here in the first place.

I look around the bedroom, the shade of the walls are much lighter than mine, and the gray floor has a white fluffy rug that complements the white curtains hanging from the window.

How could I forget that? This is not my bedroom anymore.

Damn it, how long have I been passed out inside here, sleeping with her?

Then I heard a door slam shut from downstairs. Who the hell is making so much damn noise?

Are they out of their damn mind to do such a stupid thing so late at night?

"Honey, where are you?" Why the heck is Richard yelling in the middle of the damn night?

Don't tell me... they are fighting again.

What the hell did my mother do to piss him off again?

Don't get me wrong, but 99% of the fights that starts here. She's the one who provokes the person first.

Then I hear the door slam shut from Kevin's room. It looks like my mother has already gotten to Kevin.

If I was in my bedroom today, she would have probably gotten to me first, but since I'm in here, she just couldn't... touch me today.

If only I could make her disappear forever. I was interrupted by my gloomy thoughts. When I hear a soft angelic voice, speak to me softly, "Hello, Mr. Sleepy Head."

I look down at my step-sister. Her brown, drowsy eyes looked right into mine. This time, I observed her more carefully.

When did she switch her clothes? I'm pretty sure I gave her one of my black t-shirts.

The one she had on... I could see everything. Literally. My eyes just keep going down, but I quickly avert them to somewhere else.

Now my gaze was focused on her drowsy brown eyes. While she yawns, so carefree about the awkward situation-she just put me in without noticing.

She attempted to stretch out her limbs, but in return, she flinched and whimpered in pain.

"What time is it, Leo?" She stops trying to stretch out; instead she curls up onto me more, trembling slightly.

I look at the clock on the white nightstand next to the bed-and it says .

"It's in the morning, "I say softly, to not startle her half-asleep form."

She hums as a response and closes her half-closed eyes, but it doesn't last long.

When the commotion from downstairs kept getting louder and louder by the minute, It was hard to ignore at this point. I felt her whole body tense up in warning of what could happen next.

It's like she was terrified of something; she pressed herself closer to me.

"What's going on, Leo?" She whispered so low that I almost couldn't hear her question. When she speaks, she speaks so softly as if she doesn't dare raise her voice in the slightest, in worry of getting scolded for it.

"Why-why are they fighting again?" The clasp that she has on my shirt tightens.

I was confused for a moment. What did she mean by?... again? This is her first day here.

How could she have known that they had fought other times before?

Then an "" moment hits me. She thinks that it's her demons that are the ones arguing downstairs.

She thinks—It's her abusers.

No wonder she's a trembling mess. She's not shivering because of the lack of warmth anymore, but out of anxiety, fear, and worry.

If the two idiots from downstairs bring the argument up here, she is going to get worse.

She is worried that she's the one who's getting hurt in the end.

She hides her face from me and buries it on my chest as she softly says, "Plea-please make them stop." Now she was hiccupping the words out.

I tried to get up, but I couldn't... She wouldn't let go of me.

She is grasping onto me for dear life.

How does she expect me to stop them if... she won't let me go?

I hugged her closer to me to make her feel better. But I think I was just making it worse because she just continued softly crying her heart out.

"They will hurt me, again... They always do," she says that as she wraps her left arm tightly around my torso, as her tears continue spilling out of her dark eyes - soaking into my t-shirt.

I search for my phone in my right back pocket. When I do find it, I pull it out and turn it on. It took forever to turn on, like why the hell do smartphones do this nowadays?

And then I hear the door open and shut, making me look up from my phone. I quickly glance at the door. Yet, the bedroom door was closed.

Then I look around the room and my eyes land on someone's silhouette.

There was a figure there, standing in the shadows, just... watching us. The illumination from the moon didn't help much in brightening the room enough for me to see who was just standing there watching us.

And then I realized who it was just standing there.

"What the fuck, Kevin? At least say something, will you?" He was just standing there, not even moving. He just stares at both of us.

"Get your filthy hands off my new toy," He said in a low dangerous tone, that at first, I thought he was joking... Her... A new toy.

Is this bastard out of his fucking mind?

"What did you just say, brother?" Anger was rising in my voice by the second. I felt her flinch under me from my sudden outburst.

"You heard what I said. Don't make me repeat myself, Leon. " He was definitely pissed off. How did I know that? He would use my full name when he was.

"Em, let me go, so I can talk to my brother. Don't worry, I'll come right back... It will be fast. " Like a good girl, she lets go.

I quickly dragged Kevin to his bedroom and shut the door behind us.

"She's not a toy, Kevin. This one could actually put both of us behind bars. She's not even stable enough to be messing around with, just look at her. "

"I don't fucking care." He sternly says that not caring or even listening to me at all.

"If we or... You do something to her, she will probably do something stupid to herself," I tell him, trying to make him understand.

I could hear him growl, but he knew I was telling him the hard truth. She's not a toy. She is family, and he knows it.

He better find another way to get to our mother. But using her is out of the book.

"Find another way to hurt our mother, Kevin. There are so many other ways."

"Sorry, but little Emma over there, is the only way" my brother spits out with venom, in every word, he lets out.

"That's just a sick excuse, to get in her pants, kev. " He frowns at that, but... He knows that it's the truth.

"What do you mean, an excuse?" He grabs me by the collar of my t-shirt and pushes me to the door, daring me to say that again.

"You heard me... You think I haven't noticed how you were looking at her in the car? Every chance you get, brother. For fuck sake, I know you. You want her in your bed, the good way or the bad way. "

"That is a fucking lie." He said sternly, the anger now very evident in his grey eyes.

"What did I tell you about catching feelings, Kevin?

The moment we do that, our dear mother finds a way to make that person disappear. We have an emotional attachment to or are you forgetting that, brother? "

"I'm not attached to her or have feelings for her; I'm only using her... that's it. She's just simply a toy that I will throw away when I'm finished with her. Nothing more, nothing less." He said that so calmly and collectively that he almost fooled me.

But over the years, I have noticed that when he says something so calmly and confidently, it is because it is a lie. He's trying to make the other person believe that whatever he is saying is true.

"Well, your actions say otherwise, brother. If she is just simply a "", that you will eventually just be going to throw away, sooner or later.

Why did you go for two weeks straight to that hospital to take care of her, like a little fragile doll? You don't even let me touch her without throwing some hands. "

I emphasize with my hands as I continue talking. " Shit, even the poor doctor was scared to even check her wounds. The last time we both went to check up on her, Kevin." It's true. Three days ago, Kevin wouldn't even let the male doctor touch her. Poor guy. He had to get a nurse to help him out.

If I wasn't there that day, he would have probably gotten into a fight with the doctor.

He lets go of my t-shirt collar and he frowns, as he takes a few steps back.

"In no time, you will be having a problem even with her father touching her." His frown deepens upon hearing that.

He knows what I'm telling him is the truth. My brother's possessiveness with his things is just surprising. He's too possessive to the point that everyone can notice it from a mile away.

Shit... Probably, our mother noticed that too. Already.

"You got it all wrong, Leon." He says, but I don't believe him. Who is he trying to fool here? Me or himself.

"Who got it all wrong, you or me?" I provoke him to see if he snaps again.

" You." This time his gaze hardens, as if... at any minute now, he'll beat me to death if I don't shut up.

"If I'm so wrong, then let me play with her too then. " I jokingly said that, knowing damn well he would say "". I just want to make him see that he wants her more than just a simple toy.

He stares at me for a moment, thinking it through. What the hell is he planning now, in his diabolical mind?

"Okay, we can share her." When he said that, I was completely confused and dumbfounded.

He was supposed to say "." What the fuck is this dude thinking? This was not the reaction I was expecting from him.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" I couldn't believe my ears. Did he just say "Yes"? I just couldn't keep my surprise expression hidden any longer. What the fuck is this bastard planning now?

"No, I'm not kidding, Leo. I don't know, why are you so surprised by that?

We always share our toys, don't we?" He was now emotionless again.

Now he has a cold mask on. He always does that, when he doesn't want anyone to see who he really is and how he is really feeling inside.

Let's just see if that cold mask stays on when I do go with his complete nonsense.

"Fine... Brother. " I say. I guess... I have to show him that with actions, and not with words.

He'll regret it sooner or later.

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