I Am Plague

Chapter Nine

Chapter Nine

Spring break has come at last. Cain went home to his family his family that he talks so poorly about, and I took the first flight up to Ohio back to my step-dad and brother.

Finally, I've come home.  

I kicked open the front door, since both my hands were busy holding my suitcase, and three book bags. My little brother dashed down the stairs before I could say a word.

"Ophelia!" He shouted and instead of hugging me like a normal sibling would when they've not seen you in a while, he threw a sock puppet at my face.

It didn't miss.

"Damn it Arturo!" I shouted and dropped all my things on the floor, "I'm going to kill you!"

"No you won't!" He teased, "My father would have to kill you first dumb idiot."

I rolled my eyes, knowing very well that despite his attitude, he was very happy to see me. Anyone would when they were forced to spend all their time with a father like ours -well, step-father in my case.

"Where is papa anyway?" I asked.

Arturo pointed towards the kitchen, "Good luck stopping him from making dinner tonight, though I highly doubt you'll be able to stomach his creation. Pretend you like it or he'll send you to hell like the last person who said his homemade vegan beef was burnt."

I groaned, "Why would you let him make dinner tonight?"

Arturo shrugged, "Chemists always think they are good at everything." He hopped onto the couch, "Cooking actual food is not one of those things."

"Ophelia!" A hoarse voice boomed from the kitchen, I looked up to see him, my step-father, with an apron, and fingers covered in sauce.

I couldn't help but smile at the sight of him, he tries so, so hard. "Hello papa." I walked over to him, and placed a kiss on his cheek.

"My beautiful step daughter has come home to me, just in time to eat my fourth attempt at vegan beef, I made it all for you." He sounded so proud, and yet I could already feel my stomach cry out in fear.

His cooking is toxic. Just like his desire to create things your body reacts too, whether it's in a good way or bad. I had a feeling he and Cain would have an inseparable bond if they were to meet.

I'll make sure they never meet.

"Thank you, I'm excited to eat it." I lied.

"Good, good!" He guided me to the kitchen, and I sat myself up on the counter as I watched him slather some sort of thick red sauce on the 'meat' that looked like a grey mutation you'd find on Mars, before he put them in the oven. "How has studying been for my girl? I have a feeling you are teaching along with the professor, no?"

I thought about Cain, and how he knows more than I ever will. In fact, he's the one that teaches me most the time. "I'm not as smart as you, papa." I said, "I lack the knowledge to even teach myself sometimes."

He waved his hand and scowled, "The only thing you lack, girl, is confidence. You think I thought I was smart enough to put my name in that school? No. But I did, and look where it got me."

I laughed, "Maybe you could teach me how to get the guts to display my name like that."

"Narcissism is sometimes a good thing." He said as he pointed the spatula at me, "Narcissism in healthy doses, of course."

"Of course."

"Ophelia thinks she is going to be the next chemical phenomenon." Arturo rushed into the kitchen with a paper in his hands. He was laughing and waving the paper over his head, "I told you she'd do it."