You Better Bring an Umbrella, Vol. 1

Chapter 11: Down a Peg

                A deep pit of dread settled in my stomach at the thought of going downstairs and confronting my siblings. After last night, I'm sure they'd launch a full-on interrogation, and I just didn't have the right answers, nor did I want to provide any about my physical state. For a moment, I considered turning back into the version of myself I was when we were children. I could hide out, avoid them and just go look for Five, help him out with his problem. They'd gotten used to it when we were kids, would it really be so strange to them if it happened again?

But eventually, you have to grow up and face the music.

Ignoring every fiber of me begging me not to get up, I pushed my body out of bed and got dressed. I had to force my legs down the stairs, and sure enough, when I got to the drawing room, the three siblings I expected were sitting there, waiting for me. I guess we just casually weren't going to address the fact that Luther is now part monkey, but in the grand scheme of things, that really wasn't important. He had the bravery to get up and face all of us, I should, too. Otherwise, I'd just be putting off the inevitable.

I took a slow seat on one of the chairs, keeping my eyes downcast as the tension only thickened the air I was breathing in. I could feel the weight of the emotional consequences pushing down on my head. No one dared to speak for a while, occasionally clearing their throats or scuffing their foot, as though waiting for someone else to start this conversation. I started to drum my fingers on my lap, attempting to keep the fear of the moment from reaching inconsolable levels, when Allison finally spoke.

"Mina, last night..." She cleared her throat again, proving to me she didn't want to do this any more than the others. Allison looked to get brothers, lost for the first time in years. Luther nodded at her, then took a seat beside me, trying to keep his facial expression soft.

"We just have some questions, that's all." I laughed a little, the bitterness behind it ringing loud and clear.

"First of all, are you okay now?" Allison handed me a glass of water as she spoke before quickly backing away. What did she think I was going to do?

I guess flip it. I had flipped dishware once before... But I wasn't angry right now, just terrified. Could I put the thoughts into the right words? Would they even understand what I was talking about? Allison had tried to understand the other day, but I didn't tell her everything behind it.

"Yeah, yeah... I feel fine." Everyone fell back into that awkward silence. We'd never had this much trouble talking to each other before. But I guess when you're touching the nerve of a sibling who had already been pretty fragile, you make sure you're careful about what you say.

"You collapsed after a little fight," Diego pointed out. "You exercise the most out of us; if anyone should be able to handle a that sort of fight, it's you."

"Mm-hmm." I'd started to shake a little.

"Look, Mina, we've all noticed you're not... exactly in the healthiest state right now." Something about Luther saying that felt really degrading. "You told Allison and I it was because of dance, right?" I continued to stare at him, rather than answering. He looked to both his siblings for help, and after another moment, Diego sighed and took a seat across from me.

"I'm gonna tell you how we see things, okay? And you're not going to like it, I already know that, but we just need you to understand where we're coming from." Unlike the other two, I didn't look at him with contempt as I nodded. "Regardless of the fact that he's back, you still blame yourself for Five disappearing. That's why, when he sneaks out or you don't know where he is, you push yourself. Right?"