The McKay Boys

2| alate•

"When the days are cold and the cards all fold and the saints we see are all made of gold." —imagine dragons.

Chapter Theme Song: 'Demons' by Imagine Dragons.

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Amelia: 2015

Something was jabbing me in the side. Was it the lung cancer that ate away at my father? Was it back to take me too? What if it went to take my little brother when I wasn't there?

The impact got worse, and I clutched my side and opened my eyes to see Meredith standing over me. "Get up, girl."

I blinked away the sun coming through the opened windows, pulling my body upright as the 'lung cancer' turned her back to leave. "Bathroom in two minutes. Brush your teeth and come down for breakfast."

I splayed the covers off me and spun my body over the bed, tiredly threading my feet through the sandals on the floor. I got up lethargically and walked down the hall to get to the bathroom, passing by one of the boys' opened bedrooms. Khalil stood shirtless with his skinny body, scrubbing his eyes with messy hair. The moment he sights my stare, he jumped over to the door and shut it. "Stop looking at me, ugly!"

I pressed my lips together and trod down the hallway at a faster pace, seeing Meredith stepping out from another one of the boys' rooms. "Hurry up, Amelia, breakfast has already been served."

"Yes."

"Stop." Her voice hardened, and I immediately complied and turned my body to her.

"What did you just say?"

"Yes," I repeated unsurely.

"Don't you do that again, you hear me? It's yes ma'am. I am not your companion." She pushed out a hip and crossed her arms.

"Yes, ma'am," I mumbled.

"Now go look after yourself." She fanned me off, and I pivoted and practically ran away.

After removing all of last night's fruits from my teeth, I made my way downstairs to join everyone else around the long dining table for breakfast.

"Amelia, you will need to learn to take care of yourself faster than this," Meredith spoke up, and my eyes caught Khalil staring at me with his glass in his mouth. I looked away to avoid him calling me ugly again. "The boys woke up after you, and they got themselves ready long before you did."

Maybe they didn't brush their teeth properly.

"Maybe she was trying to scrub the ugly off her face." Khalil quipped, and Kana laughed while Keegan picked at the kiwi on his plate.

That morning the triplets were wearing white shirts and black slacks again, their hair shiny but unkempt. An outline of fine dining laid out on the table.

I sat in one of the tall chairs, and Mr. McKay sent me a sad-looking smile. "How are you, Amelia? Are you doing alright?"

"She's living here rent-free so of course she's doing alright." Meredith forked a sheaf of vegetables into her mouth, and her husband shut his eyes.

"Meredith, don't be silly, now why would a ten-year-old pay rent?"

"A lot of little kids are working for their own income." She shrugged, jabbing a slab of meat.

"No, I won't sit here and discuss child labour with you. Amelia, have your breakfast, sweetie. And then you can get some ice cream."

My face piped up a little, and Khalil put his fork down and frowned, water smeared across his pink bottom lip. "Dad, you told us not to have any more ice cream. What makes potato face so special?"