Gracious

Chapter 45

A/N - 5 chapters to go AH

Shorter and not so sweet 😍

~~~

The events from yesterday were still weighing heavily on my mind.

I'd thought my youngest brother was dead, and in amongst the nearly day and a half that we hadn't seen him, the twins had lost my trust- I didn't know what today was supposed to hold.

I'd been staring at my ceiling for a good few minutes now, barely having it in me to get up and go and face the rest of them after my quick exit last night- but who was I to cower away from the rest of them?

Moving into a sitting position I sighed, running a hand down the side of my face before I noticed a lump out of the corner of my eye; upon closer inspection I soon realised it was Alexander fast asleep under a duvet on my bedroom floor, right beside my bed.

His black hair was all over the place, a frown still set on his face despite the fact he was unconscious...that was usually one of the main ways to differentiate him and Xavier when they were asleep, the latter almost always slept with a smile.

And while I was relieved to see him in one piece beside me, I couldn't help but still feel the same anger from last night as I watched him sleep peacefully, even with his childhood teddy bear clutched to his chest.

It felt as if he was disregarding everything I'd done for him, as if this was all just some big game to him, as if he didn't truly care.

Which is why instead of waking him up, hugging him and telling him how happy I was that he was safe, I climbed out of my bed to throw on some sweatpants, then walked straight out of the room.

It would take a lot more than an impromptu sleepover for me to be all smiles and laughter again.

~

Three of my brothers were downstairs when I entered the kitchen, Prescott in the kitchen while Caleb and Chase were sprawled out across the sofas in front of the tv.

"Where's Xavier?", was the first thing I asked them all, knowing it was a school day but assuming he'd chosen to stay home instead; Prescott handed me a slip of paper that read 'not missing, at school'- well then.

"You know, you were kinda hard on him yesterday", Caleb spoke up, turning around, "you weren't the only one worried about Xan".

"And would you have been singing his praises if you were in my position yesterday, knowing he was hiding stuff while his twin was missing?", I wasn't in the mood for a lecture from them, I would've stayed in my bed otherwise.

"Xav said what he knew wasn't relevant", of course Chase was just as against me as they were, "did it ever occur to you that it's something Xan doesn't want us to know yet?".

"At the cost of his safety?", I raised an eyebrow, "I'll apologise to Xavier when he gets home, if I'm such a villain like you're all painting me out to be".

"Why are you trying to make this a you-versus-us situation?", Prescott scoffed, "he's safe, he's home, he's in his room- I don't know why you're still so worked up".

He was in my room, but I kept that to myself.

"It feels a lot like you're invalidating my feelings, Prescott, as if I'm not the closest thing the five of you have to a parent", I narrowed my eyes at him, watching him swallow, "I spent twenty-nine hours thinking that boy was dead yesterday, the boy who I see as more of a son than a brother, and you think I'm worked up?".

Silence filled the room and I moved over to the coffee machine, letting my words sink in for the three of them. I knew I wasn't the only one who had had a hard time yesterday, but that didn't give them the right to criticise me when I was the one who had raised that boy- done everything for him for the majority of his life.