Bring Me To Life

Sibling rivalry

November 21st

Cy's Point of View

"Good morning! It's a beautiful day!" I greet my parents with hugs and kisses.

Dad's skepticism interrupts my cheer. "What's the catch, Cy?" he asks, shaking his head.

Hoping to sway them, I plead, "Can I borrow the car tonight?" Another forehead kiss as my bargaining chip.

Their exchanged glances create a pause. Mom laughs gently, "Cypher, you keep us on our toes."

"Mama, please," I implore, desperation creeping in.

Mom delivers the verdict. "Violet has the car tonight, but we'll gladly drive you," she says with a sympathetic smile.

Dread settles; my plans for a quiet evening with Mari crumble.

I let out an exasperated sigh. "I can't just snag the..." I started, but my dad swiftly shut me down.

"Those are your only choices," he asserted, unwavering.

Sera, always ready to stir the pot, interjected as she strolled past. "Cy just wants the car for some romantic car sex under the moonlight," she smirked, seizing the opportunity to needle me during our current feud.

"Seraphina!" my mom sharply called out, giving her a newspaper wack on the head.

"What? It's the truth. Those are Cy's actual intentions," Sera retorted, rolling her eyes defiantly.

"Enough! I've had my fill of the incessant arguing between you two over trivial drama this past week! That's it!" my dad snapped, leaving my mom visibly surprised by his assertiveness.

"Sera, can't you find joy in Cy's happiness? And Cy, stop entertaining Sera's nonsense," my dad snapped with exasperation.

"Can't we all just find some peace?" my mom begged, drawing both Sera and me into her lap.

Sera, in annoyance, rolled her eyes and smacked me. In my defense, I threw a punch, I wasn't going to let her hit me and not hit her back. The fight left my mom caught in the crossfire. My dad immediately got up and pulled us apart.

"ENOUGH!" he growled.

"Fuck! You two must end this stupid little feud and make up! Lately, it's been nothing but a catfight!" my mom exclaimed, holding her cheek where either sera or I accidentally hit her.

"Sera's just jealous of me because she's into girls too and won't admit it!" I blurted out, breaking the promise I had made to keep Sera's secret.

"What the fuck, Cy!? I can't trust you at all!" Sera snapped, her eyes widening in a mix of fear and distress. It was evident she was deeply worried about how our parents might react to this unexpected truth.

"Ben, you take cy, I'll take Sera." My mom said and took my sister into another room.

Sera's point of view

"Darling, I'm sorry Cy revealed your secret. You could have come to me and talked about it. You know I would have accepted you with open arms. I love you deeply, and I'm sorry again," my mom apologized, embracing me tightly.

"I was hesitant to say anything because you were always busy, always with my dad and little sisters, and I never knew when a good time was," I confessed softly, sighing as I held onto her.

"Sweetheart, I'm sorry. Always ask for a moment with me. I'll drop everything for you and try my best to have more one on one time with each of you. But you know, Saturday is your day with your father and I," my mom smiled gently, stroking my hair before planting a soft kiss on my forehead.

"Saturday... I have to go to my other mom's house... I don't want to go. Please, let me stay here," I pleaded as I got more upset.

"I'll talk to your father about it. I'll see what we can do. I know he has full custody, but I'll check to see what he says about it." my mom assured, gently rubbing my back as tears streamed down my face.

"Okay." I said softly and she sighed softly as she continued to rub my back and hold me close.

Ben's point of view

""Cy, and I mean this in the nicest way possible," I sighed, pausing before continuing. "It was very rude of you to pit your sister like that, and I don't think that was fair at all. How would you feel if the roles were reversed?" I questioned.

"It's not my fault. She started it," Cy replied, visibly annoyed.

"Because of this issue, your consequence is that you will not be going on any dates for two weeks," I stated, and Cy expressed frustration.

"That's so unfair, Dad! This is my thanksgiving break and sera had to ruin it with her stupid comment! How is it my fault for defending myself??? Obviously she's jealous of me! Boo hoo!" Cy exclaimed in annoyance, storming upstairs and slamming the door.

Jenn entered without asking about the situation. We exchanged glances, and she nestled into me.

"When did our kids grow up?" she asked with a hint of sadness in her voice. "I wish Sera and Cy were 13 again," she sighed softly.

"Are you sure? Dealing with Violet was easy, but these two... Cy has quite the mouth on them," I remarked, exhaling.

"What did Cy say?" she asked.

"Cy was furious because I'm not allowing them to see Mari for the rest of their Thanksgiving break, claiming Sera started it. But babe, this entire week, they've been at each other's throats nonstop. This should at least put an end to their constant fighting," I explained, sighing.

"Good luck with that. I took Sera's phone for the week, and she was okay with that. You don't discipline Cy; that's why they talk back to you," Jenn pointed out.

"Damn, I forgot. Hold on," I sighed, disengaging from her to confiscate Cy's phone, laptop, and iPod.

"No phone or electronics? How am I supposed to tell Mari that I got everything taken away?" Cy protested angrily.

"Figure it out," I snapped, returning downstairs to set Cy's belongings on the table. I then pulled Jenn back into my arms.

"Teens are just too much," she murmured softly.

"Tell me about it," I sighed, and together, we settled on the couch to watch TV.

To be continued...