Page 38 of Pretty Monsters

"Put your arm around my neck."

Somehow I'm able to do as he says, even though it makes me feel even more exhausted than before.

"Where are you taking her?" Lucien has emerged from the bedroom, and still looks pissed. "You know she can't go to the hospital. We can't risk being discovered."

"You should have thought about that before you shoved your sister into a dresser. If you are so worried about her safety, try reigning in your own anger."

He moves back in front of Sin. "I can't let you take her to the hospital. She's my sister, I'll figure out what to do with her."

"I'm not your anything," I mutter, and my eyes flutter closed.

* * *

The first thingI notice is the smell of antiseptic. I don't have to open my eyes to feel the sting from fluorescent light bulbs. My head is pounding, and my stomach is still rolling with an urge to vomit. For a moment I'm confused until I remember the fight and being shoved into a dresser.

Angry voices filter in from the hallway, but they don't make sense. Sin's voice I recognize, but the other is only vaguely familiar.

"You don't have to wait right here for her. Don't you have balls to go play with?" Sin's voice.

"I'm not going anywhere until I hear from her myself how this happened," says the mystery voice.

"Gentlemen, this bickering isn't going to help her. I have to agree with Ford though. I agreed to help her, because I won't put a young woman at risk if she feels her life is in danger, but I will hear that explanation myself as well." Am I in the hospital? Who else would help me in a room that smells of industrial cleaning fluids?

Footsteps sound across the floor, and I hear the flick of a switch, and I feel the light leave the room. The buzzing sounds the bulbs make stopped, and with it some of the pounding of my head.

"I'm sorry, I should have realized how painful that light would be. My name is Carmen. I'm a physical trainer here with the Sharks."

My eyes aren't as heavy as they were before, but still hurt to open. "Where is here?"

"You're at the sports facility at Playa Pacifica Community College," she replies.

"Is Sin here?" I ask, but only receive a puzzled look.

"I'm sorry, who?" she asks.

"That's me. She shortens Jackson to Sin," he says from the doorway.

"Oh, well then yes. He's here. I can have him go away if you want."

I start to shake my head, and groan. "No, please let him come in."

"In a minute. First, I'd like to hear what happened to you."

Her voice is stern, yet compassionate. My head hurts too bad to try and come up with a decent cover story, and frankly I'm too pissed at my brother to try.

"My brother caught us in bed this morning. Nothing happened, we just fell asleep, but he was angry. I got in the way of him going after Si–Jackson, and he shoved me. I hit my head on the corner of the dresser."

"Are you afraid of your brother, Alice?"

I can't figure out why she's calling me that. "Alice?" she tries again.

"Princess, she's asking you a question," Sin interrupts.

"Oh, afraid of my brother? I'm going to set his balls on fire. He should be afraid of me," I mumble.

"Alice, if you aren't afraid of your brother then why can't your friend take you to the hospital?" she continues to question me.

"Because my father will try and sell me to an old man if he finds me. He's got too many connections, and I'll never get away," I mumble.

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