Untold || E. Mikaelson

009.

MAISIE

My sister is hiding something, I can tell. She's not a very good liar, and clearly something's spooked her when she comes down the stairs. She watches me and Jeremy. She thinks I don't notice. But I do. I always do. Ever since mom died, she's been different. Her art has become lifeless, monotonous almost. And she's tired. She tries to hide it, but I know her. She forgets that I know her.

Mia and dad got into an argument over something, after she came home really late last week. Then she was gone for three days straight. Dad told me nothing was wrong, but I know he was lying. Muttering on the phone, talking to different people. Mia wouldn't just leave out of the blue, not without saying goodbye. And when she came back, she seemed terrified of something. Or someone.

I didn't miss the way the strange man had looked at her. The way she'd stayed looking at him until he walked away. Almost as if they knew each other. Except I've never seen him before. And I know about all of Mia's 'friends'. They're keeping me out of the loop, and it's infuriating. If my sister is in danger, then I want to know why.

"I can get that for you." Jeremy says. With a smile, I turn over the box to him. Jenna bumps his shoulder. "Look at you, being a gentleman." He rolls his eyes. I hide my smile. "So, what brings you to me house?" He asks, as I carry a new box beside him. I set it down on the kitchen table. "I was invited. My sister can be a little cynical."

"Sister? I wouldn't have guessed." I pause my work. "Yeah, I guess we don't really look alike, with my eyes being green and hers brown. She takes after our dad, me after our mother." My smile falters. He notices. "I'm sorry. My mom's gone too. Two years ago, car accident."

I'm speechless. "Wow. Guess I really do have an empathetic appearance. 15 minutes and you're already spilling your family story." I joke nervously. I really don't want to talk about grief, especially when the wound is still fresh. Every thought, every word about her, just tugs at the raw edges.

He shrugs. "I get it. Must have been recent, huh?" I suck in a breath. How is he doing that? Reading me like..like a book. "Excuse me." I gasp, and rush to the bathroom. I pass Mia, who grabs onto my shoulder. "Hey, Mais, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." I choke. My throat swells up in that familiar way, and I feel that block in my chest. The bathroom door shuts behind me and I sob my troubles away. It's like no matter what I do, I'm reminded she's gone.

She's everywhere and nowhere at the same time.

Why did she have to be taken from me? From Mia? From dad? We could've been a happy family. We could've been everything. But now we're all wrong. Broken, and jagged. None of us know what to do without her. Dad's trying his best with the bookshop, but he's not her.

Who will I go to when a boy breaks my heart? When my best friend backstabs me? When I have questions about my body? Mia is not her either. Mia is my sister. It's not on her to raise me, nor to "shield" me from all the bad stuff. I'm so tired of everyone acting like it's normal, because it's not.

How is it normal that someone can be here one second, and gone the next? What's worse is no one knows what comes after. Did she suffer? Does she suffer? Or is she at peace? I'll never know until it's too late. Instead, I'm afraid. Afraid I'll live out my days in misery, never knowing.

But death is no friend of mine. It will not take me so soon.

~~~

The lights have all turned off now, and Jenna hands me blankets and pillows. "You can sleep on the couch, I hope it's not too uncomfortable. If you need anything, I'm right upstairs, and so is your sister. She's sleeping in Elena's room. Try not to stay up so late, kiddo." I nod, but I know I probably won't sleep. At least, not for a little while.

As her footsteps recede up that stairs, I stare at the ceiling. Mia is too cryptic, something has changed. Whatever she wanted to tell me before, she doesn't anymore. There's something at work here. But nobodies telling me anything.

I'm completely caught off guard when about an hour later, footsteps creak down the steps. I shut my eyes and pretend to sleep. The fridge opens and closes. But curiosity gets the best of me. I slowly crack open one eye and peek over the couch. Jeremy is standing by the fridge, chugging milk straight from the carton. Ew! But as he moves to put it back, the fridge light outlines his form. His shirtless form.

Standing there in the kitchen is Jeremy, with only pajama pants on. My face heats up quickly, and I turn away. It's not like I haven't seen a shirtless boy before, but I've never slept under the same roof as one. It's that thought that draws me up off the couch and into the kitchen, where he rummages in the cabinets.

"Isn't it a little late for you to be snacking?" He jumps and swears. "Isn't it a little late for you to be awake?" He shoots back. "What's the matter, can't sleep?" Ding, ding, ding. Ten points to Gryffindor. He returns to rummaging. "Nope." He grabs a bag of chips and straightens up. Jeremy walks past me and halfway up the stairs where he stops. I watch as he looks back down.

"Coming?" My face flames yet again. He wants me to go to his room with him. Alone. Unsupervised. And...I'm already going up the stairs. He holds a finger to his lips as I inch along the hallway. He motions for me to go first into his dimly lit room. The door clicks shut softly. My heart is pounding as I hesitate by his bed. He plops down, crisscross. I stand there stupidly for a moment.

He gestures with a nod of his head. I sit down across from him, fiddling with my fingers. I'm only wearing a tank top and shorts, and feel wildly underdressed. "I wasn't trying to push you earlier about your mom, or anything." I shake my head. "It's not your fault. I'm just a little sensitive about it, that's all." He silently opens the bag, and the smell of barbecue wafts toward me.

"No, I get it. I was the same way. Only, I dealt with it in a much more...eccentric way. Weed, alcohol, pills, whatever I could get my hands on." My eyebrows raise. He shrugs and pops a chip into his mouth. Jeremy offers the bag to me, and I wave him away. I'm all too aware of the way his muscles ripple when he moves.

He lays on his bed, on top of the cover, and pats the spot next to him. I crawl up and lay down. We both stare at the ceiling. "It's funny." He says, suddenly. I turn on my side, to face him. "What?" He turns too. "Both of our mothers are dead. And we both have an older sister." He's right, of course. "Yeah, I guess it is." We fall silent, now just inches apart.

His eyes flick downward and my breath hitches. Jeremy's eyes darken, with something, I don't know what, but it makes me squirmy. My insides twist with excitement, my skin on fire. He leans forward suddenly, so quickly, I have no time to react. Our lips are connected and I'm overwhelmed by the sensation of need, of want.

He moves closer to me still, over me. His body weight is heavy, but not uncomfortable. He's pressing our lips together, harder and harder. I kiss like I'm starved. My hands grope his bare back, which is warm. The hem of my shirt slides up ever so slightly, and the skin there touches his. It feels like a warm sun.

He seems to sigh into the kiss, and rolls off of me suddenly. For a moment, our quick breaths are the only sounds in the room. My mind and heart races, making me dizzy. It happened so quickly I'm not even sure it really did. But I know it did. "My sister's gonna obliterate me if she finds you in here." His fingers dance along my palm, tracing. Then interlace with mine.

"Let her." I murmur, and roll over to rest my head on his chest. His other hand comes up to play in my slightly curly hair.

For the first time in a long time, I sleep completely dreamlessly.

~~~

A/N: I hope you guys enjoyed the sneak peak into Maisie's pov. She will be returning in future chapters, maybe.