The Ancients

8: Responsibility

I let my shoulders drop, exasperated, kicking my feet onto the little coffee table. I'd gone directly home after herbology class—my thoughts were a blazing mess of wildfire. Thinking about Holden and my involvement with him always obliterated any kind of calmness I had inside me. It was like the mere thought of him that dried out my entire ocean. 

As much as I wanted to help Kendra... 

Most of it was in her hands.

I did the best that I could, and told her to be careful. Hopefully calming her emotions would help her.

Now, sitting in the living room with Emmet, I was attempting to solve the next problem. Though Kendra hadn't indulged in the details, she'd said enough for me to know that if Reece was involved, there would be consequences.

"But Emmet, it's none of Reece's business. I don't tell him who to converse with and who not to. It's my decision who I let into my life. He can't go biting everyone that looks at me the wrong way!"

Emmet rolled his eyes and sunk his head into the cushions that decorated one of two creme-coloured couches. There were barely any pictures, no chairs, nothing but a little old coffee-table separating the two pieces of furniture. 

I glanced at the light wooden walls surrounding us, walls that had heard worse words than anything Reece's possible reaction could ever be. I shook my head. 

I couldn't believe I was afraid. 

Fear was certainly not one of those emotions I let myself feel habitually.

"That's what being a younger sister is about. He's got a primal instinct to protect you from everyone and everything. You could tell Reece a million times he should stop caring and let you be. He still wouldn't do it." Shooting me a knowing look, he added, "You wouldn't either."

I laughed and reluctantly agreed with him.

Reece never had the chance to really enjoy his childhood the same way Emmet and I had. After our father disappeared and our mother lost her way, Emmet and I had become Reece's responsibility. He'd never had a mentor. He'd been his own teacher for as long as I could remember. 

Emmet was—as usual—completely right.

"You care who I'm with too, don't you?" He waited for me to nod before he continued. "You care what I do and where I go, right?"

Nodding again slowly, he didn't need to say more than that. 

He did anyway. 

"Reece feels the same responsibility for the both of us. I have two pairs of prying eyes while you only have one, since I leave you alone most of the time," he concluded, grinning so widely the smile reached his green irises.

Why does my little brother always have to be such a grown up?

"Yes, I know, but—argh!"

In just that moment, Mother returned home.