the spade brothers' little sister

eleven

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We pulled out of our driveway, and Charlie tried to distract me by asking me random questions. But my mind was still whirling with what had happened in the past few hours. I ignored him asking me about how work was with Jace and how Larson had told him something funny the day before. 

Larson and Jace were arguing non-stop in the front seat, talking in hushed whispers. Even though I couldn't tell exactly what they were saying, it was obvious to me that they were fighting. 

"What's wrong?" I spoke up, my voice still quiet.

Jace turned around from the driver's seat and gave me a quick glance. "We'll explain later, B. Everything will be okay." He reached his right hand back behind him for me to hold and he gave my hand a quick squeeze before bringing his hand back to the steering wheel and resuming his fight with Larson.

Charlie patted my thigh and gave me a sympathetic smile. "Do you know?" I whispered to him. He nodded slowly and quickly turned to look out the window, avoiding the impending questions that he knew I would ask. 

I rolled my eyes and slammed my head back on the headrest, moping about no one telling me anything. 

"I don't know anything either, you know. Stop whining like a baby," Brady spoke harshly. "They won't tell us anything if you're acting like a child."

I glared at him, but I knew he was right. If I was acting like a child, they would treat me like one and keep me in the dark about what was happening. I wiped my frustration off my face and sat staring straight ahead for a long while. I concentrated on not having a scowl and on trying to listen to what Jace and Larson said in the front seat. I only got short little clips of the conversation, and I tried to piece them together, but nothing made sense to me. 

After what felt like forever, I finally saw a sign on the highway indicating that we had crossed the border into another state. I furrowed my eyebrows and nudged Brady, pointing to the landmark. He shrugged also and finally took it upon himself to ask where we were going.

Larson turned around and answered quickly. "Away." 

No duh, Captain Obvious. Brady and I both sighed and gave up, defeated. 

After some time in the car, a few gas stations stops, and bathroom breaks, Jace finally announced that we had arrived. At that point, I was drifting in and out of sleep and I had to rub my eyes to see the building in front of me.

Our house back home was in no way big, but this was the smallest house I'd seen. It was one level, and it looked like it hadn't had anyone living in it in years. The houses around it didn't look as old and gross, but the house right in front of us looked like a hut.

"What?" Brady asked, unbuckling his seatbelt. "Jace, you gotta come clean now. Tell us what's up." 

Jace sighed, put the car in park, and turned off the ignition. "I will," he spoke. "Let's bring everything inside and then we'll talk, okay?"

Brady seemed satisfied with that answer, and I was too. Jace got out of the driver's seat and jogged up to the front door of the house, using a key that was in his pocket to get in. 

"Let's go," Larson spoke, getting out of the car also and grabbing some bags from the trunk to bring inside. 

I tried to help as much as I could, but my brothers must have packed the bags with dumbbells in them because it felt like each bag weighed fifty pounds. I trudged up the front stairs, dragging a duffel bag on the ground behind me.

"Here," Charlie spoke, coming up from behind me and scooping the duffel bag up like it was nothing. "Go get the blankets and pillows and stuff, okay?"