".......GET OUT!" Declan woke up startled by eight angry and boisterous voices. The clock beside him read 8:00 a.m. Looking beside him to see Aria still sound asleep, her arms tucked into her chest while her butt stuck out in the air. He couldn't help but chuckle at how adorable she looked. Getting her to sleep in her own bed last night had been a task. Even in her state of sleep, she refused to let go of her uncle. Drenched in sleep himself, Declan had no energy to fight her into her bed. That's how he ended up waking up with her on the bed next to him.
While he was lost in his own thoughts, the decibels of the voices on the floor below him grew, quickly knocking Declan back into reality. He quickly scrambled off the bed, nearly landing on his face and shoved his way out his bedroom door. As he made his way down the staircase, he found a crowd huddled around the front door with his sister Diana leaning against it. Alicia stood beside her, hands circling Diana's shoulders. If it weren't for her, Declan suspected that Diana would be crumbled on the floor. His mother and his other sisters looked like they were watching a game of tennis – their heads constantly volleying between Diana and beyond the front door.
Unsure of what to make of the scene, and eager to get to the bottom of the commotion, Declan approached the front door and gently pushed past the women in his family. A sense of urgency and panic shot through him at hearing Derek's angry voice. Derek had always had a temper and had gotten into trouble all his life because of it. Upon Aria's birth, he had vehemently tried everything he could to control his temper for fear of scaring his daughter. So far, he had succeeded, and if Derek Blake had his way, his daughter would never know about her father's anger issues. This was a trait that all the Blake men were cursed with but had done well to not let it affect their lives.
Declan hadn't seen Derek so angry in a very long time. It both worried and instigated curiosity in him about what had triggered his brother's rage. He peeped his head out the door to see Derek almost strangling his sister's fiancé, and his father half-heartedly attempting to stop him. Surprisingly, none of the neighbors were outside enjoying the show. But he didn't have time to ponder upon that right now. Declan was about to take a step towards the trio when he felt a hand wrap around his wrist. He turned to look at his mother, tears in her eyes, her whole-body frozen in panic. "As much as I want them to stop, I can't let you get in between that. You need to stay away from that, Declan. Go to your sister. She's struggling against the rest of us, refusing to let any of us near her. Alicia's gotten the closest, but that didn't last long," his mother pleaded.
Although unsure of how being around his sister would help her, Declan wasn't about to argue with his mum. Diana and he were never very close, even as children. He was sure that she would fling something at his head if he got too close to her in her current state. But, one look at her ashen face and trembling body had Declan moving towards her involuntarily. His sisters made way for him as he bent down in front of Diana. He caught Alicia motioning for him to take her place beside Diana. He quietly did. His sisters, Alicia and his mother quietly made their way out the house, giving them privacy. 'Well, shit', Declan thought. Now what am I supposed to do? He couldn't leave Diana alone, and he didn't know what to say. So, he settled on sitting next to his sister, legs crossed and arms enveloping his knees. Silence engulfed them. It appeared that all the crying had worn Diana out. As she wiped the last of her tears off her face, she said, "You don't have to do this, you know? I'll be okay." She said it so quietly that Declan would have missed it if not for the hoarseness of her voice causing him to look at her.
"Well, I don't really know what it is I am doing, Di. I'm just sitting here, nothing else. Should I be doing something?" Declan raised a questioning eyebrow at her.
She quietly shook her head. "I meant you didn't have to sit with me. I can be left alone."
"For whatever reason it is, I'm the only one you haven't fought with for being around you, from what mom tells me. So, I take it that you're okay with me being here. If that is the case, I am going to sit here for as long as you need me to," Declan said with a softness he didn't know he possessed. He was surprised by his own words. Apparently, his shock was evident because Diana started laughing at him.
"I'm glad something got you smiling, even if it is at my expense. Now, care to tell me what's going on? Because, when I went to bed three hours ago, all was right with the world!"
Diana didn't say anything. Declan didn't think it right to push her. After all, he didn't like to be pushed to talk either. So, he settled on simply giving her company in the silence. The noise outside had died down some, though Declan wasn't sure whether that was because the issue had been resolved, or if his family had murdered his sister's fiancé. That thought got Declan thinking about how he rarely addressed Diana's fiancé by his name. He was always just 'her fiance'. He had nothing against the guy. He didn't even know him. So, he had no right to judge. From what Derek had told him, his family had a very positive opinion of William Huntington, Diana's fiancé. He had never formed an opinion of his own or considered thinking about William beyond that.
"He messed up," Diana said softly, as if not fully comprehending the words herself. Declan hummed, partly because he just getting out of his own thoughts, and partly because he didn't want to startle his sister.
"He messed up," she repeated.
"How so? Everything seemed fine when you guys left last night," Declan commented.
"You want to know a secret, Dec?" Diana looked her brother straight in the eye as she spoke. Declan knew immediately that there was more to the story. He also didn't miss the doubt in Diana's eyes. She regretted asking him the question. Something was definitely wrong.
"How about this, you go get cleaned up, and I'll sort everything out here. When you're done, let's you and I go grab some breakfast, just the two of us. You can decide what you want to tell me, and it will remain our little secret. Deal?"
Diana was shocked. She knew as well as Declan that they weren't close. Yet, she felt more comfortable with him earlier, and he had done and said everything right, without even knowing what was going on. She didn't know why, but she felt safe with him. She could trust him. Nodding her head, Diana quickly made her way into her room, determined to get through her routine as quickly as she could. She needed to get out of the house and away from her family right now. More importantly, she needed someone to talk to.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~So, what do you think is the big secret?
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Surviving Home | Completed
General Fiction"There is great power in being the calm at the centre of a storm." These were words that Declan Blake lived by, when he was bullied as a child and when he was shipped off to live with his brother on the other side of the country. Now, seven years l...
