A picture perfect family hides the fact that your life is filled with manipulation and abuse. When you move away after high school, you encounter more than one skeleton monster that often tests your anxieties.
Hey...why are they acting like that?
*...
Chapter Warning: Mentions of abuse. ((There is asterisks before and after if you want to skip!)) FANART!! Artist: Pathosketch on tumblr!
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Chapter 9: sealed with a kiss ___________________________________
Lightly tapping the window, a small frown on your lips as you watched the warm dot disappear. Your family could be seen through it playing in the snow - the younger relatives, anyways. Your Aunts and Uncles stood at the side, supervising their snowball fight, with a cigarette in hand.
Wrinkling your nose, you stood up. Dusting off your pants and walked towards the loud chatter of your parents and other relatives you hadn't seen in five years or so.
"Finally decided to leave your depressing window?" Your uncle grinned, wrapping his arm around your shoulders and shook you.
"Uncle Faron, leave her alone." Josh spoke, slapping Uncle Faron's arm away with a small scoff. "Don't you have someone else to bother, you drunk."
Uncle Faron rolled his blue eyes. Only narrowing when Joseph walked through the door - his gaze sharply on you three before smiling. "C'mon, Josh. That's not how you talk to our uncle! He's here for the holidays before leaving back to Europe."
Josh kisses his teeth, crossing his arms and grumbled softly. "Still doesn't give him the right to even touch people like that."
"Like what? A relative?" Uncle Faron said defensively. Forehead wrinkling when he rose his brows. "Don't accuse me of disgusting shit—"
"How about a game of charades?" You shouted, laughing nervously and grabbed both brothers and yanking them towards the living room. A strained smile on your lips as you neared Aunt June, Uncle Faron's wife, while he trailed behind the three of you. Glaring at your brothers.
"Faron, everything alright?" Aunt June asked, lowering her phone from her ear.
"we're going to play charades! Want to join?" You say quickly, ignoring the look shot at you from Uncle Faron.
June's concern dropped from her face, a look of excitement sparking in her eye as she hung up the phone. "Yeah, we haven't played that game in so long! A little throwback never hurt anyone."
Ignoring the way your heart pounded to your chest, you went to go find more players — brothers easily following you everywhere as you asked most of the adults if they wanted to play a round of charades before the kids came back inside. Most agreed, some declined to start on preparations for tomorrow. Semi-decorating the place for thanksgiving, taking out the old china pieces hidden away, and cleaning out the dining room.
Josh easily trapped your arm, pulling you back when Joseph lead the ones playing to the living room - your other relatives along with your grandparents disappeared into the dark dining room. Leaving you alone with Josh.
