Page 8 of Monstrous Grave

Kaiden slams Leo down on the cobblestoned ground, his head smashing against it and making a sickening sound.

Another shrill echoes through the yard, people screaming for my brother to stop while others urge him on. The moment I hear the creaking of the doors of the school building, my head whips in that direction, my heart skipping a beat as an urgent alarm rings through my head. I run over to Kaiden, tugging at his arm harder this time.

For a short second, he looks down at me before noticing the principal and other teachers making their way down the staircase, advancing on us.

“Fuck,” he curses under his breath, though the glint in his eyes tells me of his mischievous thoughts.

Grabbing my hand in his, he dashes toward his bike, parked just a few meters away as the crowd—still gathered around us—disperses. Rage still swirls in his irises, but some of the tension has been released, and I cannot even muster any sympathy for Leo or the pain caused to him.

Leo’s cruel taunts sting like salt in a fresh wound, dredging up memories of my past as an orphan living with foster parents. Despite his incessant jabs, I can’t seem to gather enough courage to stand up against him, making my self-loathing only deepen.

But just when things started becoming worse at the schoolyard, my foster brother arrived to pick me up. Riding on his bike has always been an escape for me, a brief respite from the turmoil of real life. Today, it seems like luck is on my side—sort of.

He throws me the helmet, and I hastily secure it in place. Without another minute to spare, Kaiden revs the engine and is out of the parking lot, heading toward the forest.

Then, we drive away, escaping school and leaving the responsibilities behind us.

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HIS LAUGHTER ECHOES THROUGH the trees, his smile a beautiful wonder that makes my lips stretch, a sense of safety filling me in this world of bleakness, where nothing seems to matter anymore. I run as fast as my legs can take me away from him while giggling.

This is happiness, I think.

Moments where the sorrow of my abandonment doesn’t overwhelm me, when the pain and loneliness don’t make me want to give up on life. Depression is an odd feeling, especially when you’re feeling fine on certain days, but others are a mere hell to live through. Some days, the world around me continues to taunt me for existing while I’m a mere shell inside my body. Other times, fleeting moments of joy fill me, only to die, leaving me stumbling in the darkness that welcomes me.

I’m good at pretending that everything is fine, when in fact, nothing is. A smile plastered on my lips lets people know I’m okay, even though it’s far from the truth.

“I’ll get you!” Kaiden shouts, a chuckle erupting from his lips, making a smile split my own.

With him, I’m more myself than I’ve ever been. My foster brother is the only person who has ever been there for me, loving me when no one else did, and protecting me from people like Leo who hurt me with their words.

So what if our relationship defies what society deems as normal?

My legs carry me through the casket of trees, determined to keep my emotions at bay. Kaiden will only taunt me if I start crying. According to him, crying reveals vulnerabilities that others could exploit. Besides, I refuse to appear weak before him, especially since he’s always been so strong for me.

Twigs rip against my bare arms as I rush past them, not letting them deter me from how fast I move forward. I barely even notice the pain erupting from their claws as I flee from my foster brother.

“Stop running, little sister,” he shouts behind me.

One of his favorite games is tag, and now, he’s ‘it.’

A wave of fear crashes over me, sending shivers down my spine as a rush of panic floods my senses. I’m urged to run faster, escape his reach no matter what.

“One of these days, I’ll catch you, little sister.” His voice weaves through the trees, a chilling caress tingling my skin. “And when I do, you’ll beg me to let you go.”

In a moment of carelessness, my body tumbles to the wet grass as my knees scrape against the smattering of gravel. I yelp, tears burning behind my eyes. Embarrassing.

Kaiden catches up to me, his lips twitching up into a smirk as he towers over me, a glint of satisfaction in his eyes, blended with a flicker of vulnerability hinting at concern.

“Got you, little sister,” he murmurs, his voice huskier, sending shivers down my spine.

My heart pounds like a madman from the way he emphasized each syllable, his voice deepening, growing darker and more intense. Involuntarily, I find myself clenching my thighs, a sudden surge of heat between the two of us.

“You have to be careful,” he says, crouching down before me, suddenly too close for my comfort.

His closeness makes my breath hitch, and I pray he doesn’t notice it. I’m gulping as I look at him through glazed eyes, watching the concern fade away from his expression and be replaced by a calculated one.

I remember our first encounter—his eyes connecting with mine in a heart-warming sensation. It was the day he arrived at the orphanage. Unlike me who grew up with no parents at all, Kaiden had his mother until she died when he was nine years old. That was when he was sent to the house where I lived.

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