Welcome to the Family

16

For the next hour, we stayed out of sight. I curled up next to Evie on Ashton's bed while the boys played PlayStation on the floor. When they managed to win, there was roughhousing and bickering. Evie shook her head.

"I don't know how you managed to put up with them over the last few years," I said, playing Candy Crush. She snatched the phone from my grip. "Hey!"

"Tough," she said, pulling back when I reached for it. "I wanna see if you've had any boys. I heard some boys talking about you."

"Really?" I asked, intrigued.

Ashton and Noel whipped their heads back. "Who? I'll beat them," my brother growled.

Evie waved him away. "Jude Walker and his friends. What the hell, you don't even have SnapChat?"

"No. I don't need that stuff."

"You play Candy Crush."

"It's a distraction."

"What did Jude Walker say?" Ashton asked, pausing the game. "Evie, tell me what he said."

"It's none of your business," I said, rolling my eyes, and looked at Evie. "Well, come on, spill the tea."

"Jude thinks you're hot and that you have a nice ass."

"That son of a bitch," Ashton muttered, "he will get a very stern talking to. With my fists. In the face."

"You're dramatic," I said, laughing, and nudged Evie with my knee. "What's the deal with Colin?"

Ashton glanced over his shoulder, shooting me a glare. I ignored him, waiting for Evie to answer. I didn't talk to Evie much before. We stopped hanging out when we reached high school. We took baths together as children, had sleepovers and Sunday dinners every week, and celebrated holidays with one another. That all stopped when my mother died.

"It's complicated," she said, glancing at the boys. "I know that Harley and Jaime don't like him, but ... Colin had been there for me. Someone to talk to, someone to listen. About two weeks later, my father disappeared a little after you ran away. Mom was drinking heavily and told me we were better off without him. I know that he wouldn't just leave ... I know that Royce likely had something to do with it. I heard them arguing a few days earlier."

"It was bad. They had physical blows. Royce threatened him, saying if he spoke a word, he would regret it," she said, "and I never seen him again."

Her voice was quiet, sad. I reached for her hand, intertwining our fingers. "Evie, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No. We need to talk about it more. Harley and Jaime don't understand how Colin has helped me. He's awkward, yeah, but he's not a bad guy. His father is a homicide detective. I asked him if he could help me, and he did. Or at least tried."

A knock on the door startled me. Sebastian peered inside. "Hey, everyone is ready downstairs. You guys okay?"

We mumbled answers, dreading what happened next. Evie and I followed Sebastian down the stairs, Ashton and Noel behind us. I felt my heart grow heavy walking into the kitchen, noticing a photograph of my sister had been enlarged and sat in the centre of the living room mantle.

Flowers overflowed the living room, but not even the essence of a thousand lilies could mask the sorrow in the room.

Some of our extended family had joined us, including our aunt Rebecca and great-uncle Kyle. I last saw them a few years ago.

Jaime told stories, remembering Micaela. "She had a smile that could light up the room. When we were younger, we would stash candy under the bed, and when the box was full, we would eat it and watch movies all night ... it's those little things I miss about my sister."