Chapter 19: Hello... Brother
Steven's POV
I head out of my room, leaving Aurora in there and immediately close the attic door. Aurora can be such a brat. I have to admit that she's kinda feisty which... turns me on.
I can't believe she went to the attic when I told her not to go up there and she finally met mother. My original plan is to let her meet mother sooner but... that little incident happens.
You know what they say... Curiosity kills the cat. And it did kill her. She was so foolish and reckless to go up there and look at what she got herself into.
Walking up to the door, I head out while rolling up my sleeves as the cool atmospheric breeze swiftly hit my face. Looking up at the sky, grey clouds start to roll in, making everything more dull and lifeless yet little rays of sunshine peeking through the puffy clouds.
"Long time, no see... little bro."
Averting my gaze, I spotted a familiar face with familiar and similar features. Tall, bold and very muscular figure, dark brown hair and light brown eyes, that are focused on me.
"I could say the same thing to you... Stefan. It's been a year since the last time I saw you." I said, approaching him.
"How's life?" He asked, looking at the house.
"Fine, same as the usual. Except our little stepsister is being a brat at the moment." I replied, giving a glance at the house before looking away.
"What about Dad?" He asked another question. This made me look at him curiously as he's staring at the ground.
"Still the same." I said bluntly.
Six years ago, Stefan ran away from home after having a huge fight with Dad. And they were talking about Mom. We grew up without a mother by our side and Stefan blames Dad for not saving her. I remember the night, as I went down the stairs, I found him walking out of the house... with a backpack on his shoulders, pulling the hood to hide his face from the moonlight when he opens the door, and he left without saying another word. Not even to me.
When Dad found out he ran away, he immediately reported it to the police. A year and a half passed and the police searched everywhere and they couldn't find him, Dad decided to give up on searching for him cause he knew that he won't return. Little did he know, I've been secretly keeping in touch with Stefan whenever he had the chance to visit the house without getting caught.
Pulling my phone out, I check the time and I really need to go and fetch Toby since he must be waiting.
"Hey, I need to go somewhere and I don't trust Aurora being alone in there. You'll be in charge of her, so I'll see you later. I'll text you when you need to head out of the house." I said, patting his shoulder before heading off.
Stefan's POV
I look back at the house before walking towards the dark wooden door and this is the first time in years, to enter this so-called "home" of mine once again. Twisting the gold doorknob open and I head inside.
It still looks the same. I look to my right and I saw a red colored picture frame with a new family photo on top of the same wooden table. I picked it up and I immediately spotted Aurora.
She is a beauty. Her long and silky hair that frames her face perfectly, clear pale skin, soft and kissable lips, and piercing, lovely eyes. She looks exactly like her mom... except the blonde hair that her mom has and her skin is far from pale.
I put it down and head upstairs. Every tap, every creak, and every echo filled up the atmosphere. I remember when Steven and I were little kids, chasing each other and playing around. Those were some (and the only) good times we had.
And now, we've grown up and things are no longer the same.
I've reached the third floor and I head over to Steven's room. Before opening the door, I can hear some low groaning inside. Looks like Steven was busy doing... something with Aurora.
Open the door, I look down to see Aurora on the floor, groaning and hisses in pain when she moves her legs since it looks like she's trying to crawl out of the room.
I get down on one leg to get a closer look of her. On the left side of her pale face, it's all red and I assume that Steven slapped her. Her once neat and silky hair became disheveled and her eyes seem so lifeless yet there's a little bit of sanity and fear left in them.
"What... do you... want?" She spoke and it's clear that she's in pain and exhausted.
Without saying a word and hesitation, I head inside and carry her in my arms. She's light as a feather and she's so weak and fragile at the moment.
"What are you doing? Please don't do this again... not again. " She pleaded.
Just how many times did Steven torture her? I just look at her bluntly before heading out of the room and proceed walking over to the room. I spotted a door with a letter 'A' painted on it and the door is wide open so I just let myself in.
Walking over to her bed, I slowly put her down and grab her blanket as I unfold it and cover her up.
She looks at me in confusion and as she was about to open her mouth, I place my index finger on her slightly chapped and pale pink lips, keeping her quiet.
"Shh... just rest," I said in a low voice yet loud enough for her to hear. I remove my index finger away from her lips and her eyes are getting tired so she just closes her eyes and she immediately drifts into a deep sleep.
I pull out my phone and I just received a text message from Steven. He told me to get out of the house by using the back door. I quickly text him back and put my phone back into my pocket.
I caress Aurora's smooth and pale skin before leaning forward to kiss her forehead. I head out and quickly go down the stairs. I walk past the living room and head to the backdoor which leads to the pool and garden.
Once again, I pull out my phone and I received another text from Steven, saying that he's already inside with Aurora's little brother and I can leave now.
I walk over to the front yard and I look back at the house once again before taking my leave.
'After running away and I've been gone for so long, I have no idea what Steven is capable of but I already know what's he planning to do. And why we're doing this?'
'Isn't it obvious?'
'It's because of love.'