Page 24 of Vulnerate

I’m lost in creating the perfect image when the front door slams and raised voices travel through the house.

“You’re a stupid fucking bitch, how long do you think you’ll be able to hide it?”

Leno’s disgust bounces off the walls and I shrink like it’s directed at me. Carly might be self-absorbed and cold, but she doesn’t deserve to be spoken to like that. Her whisper hiss doesn’t have any defense for herself.

“Shut the fuck up, I don’t want Dani to know.”

There can’t be any more family secrets after everything with our parents and I follow their hushed voices until I’m stood in the hallway. The lights are on, reflecting the brutal image off the shiny tiles and I’m not prepared for the sight of Carly. My gasp gets her attention as she turns to my frozen body. Her eye is swollen shut, there’s bruising all over face, and fingerprints around her neck. Tears burn the back of my nose seeing my sister holding her ribs, which are probably also bruised.

She straightens her shoulders as she fails at hiding her wince and I don’t give a fuck about anything they’re talking about. I’ll kill him myself, but he turns, fucking off. Coward. He beat the shit out of her but now that he has an audience he’s decided to leave.

“I’m moving,” she says, pained and ignoring every question on my face as I uselessly stand in front of her.

Voicing the more important topic, I block her way from going up the stairs. “What happened to your face?”

She can only open one eye and uses it to stare at me. That one eye holds the usual coldness my sister possesses and there’s a new quality, making the temperature plummet as she looks over my shoulder. When it comes back to me, there’s only one name under her sigh. “Vlad.”

No. It’s my fault. He said he’d speak to her, and he left the warehouse straight away.

She stares at each point of my face and drops her voice as she says, “We owe them money and I’ve found people who will help.”

His knuckles are always busted but I can’t remember them being freshly split when he gave me my breakfast this morning. How sick is he that he spent all night beating a girl, my sister, then fed me with those same filthy hands?

The first thing I want to do is deny it. He helped me last night, gave me food, and then tried to teach me to fight. He did the same this morning before Val dropped me off home. He’s done it for years, ever since I was ten years old when Tali found me crying because I didn’t want to go home because I was scared of being alone. It’s that information that has me feeling stronger than I should.

“I’ll talk to him.”

He’s fed me for years, got me birthday cakes and the same gift every year. He might help, or not kill Carly if I ask.

Clearly not thinking the same, she laughs holding her middle tighter and shaking her head. Her top lip curls up as she flicks her eyes down the length of my body then back up to my face. I can’t stop my shoulders moving as I attempt to make myself smaller to match her view of me.

“Do you know who they are?”

Condescension drips off her and I don’t need to think about the answer. They’re my family, the people who are always there for me. Even if Vlad scares the shit out of me and Dima is a miserable bastard. Each of them have been there for me. Vlad taught me how to tie my shoelaces when he saw I was tucking them in because my parents have never been there. Tali would sneak me into the house, so I wasn’t sat at home alone. Val has never said a single bad word to me when he’s constantly an asshole to everyone. Dima would always check my helmet when we’d go out on our bikes with a grumbled “don’t fall over” before I set off.So, I know them, they’re the people I spend my birthdays with, the ones who have made traditions that we stick to no matter what happens, they’re the people who have made sure I’m okay and stayed in school when they don’t have any responsibility for me.

Carly doesn’t know that and I’m too protective over having them as she moves closer towards me. I’m scared of my sister; more than when she hit me. She’s villainous right now. I don’t know if it’s due to her being beaten or the shit storm around us, but I can’t be her prey and take a step back. She follows me and her tone hardens.

“They are criminals. Not little fucking thieves or thugs. The type of criminals who have killed people. All of them, Dani.”

She’s lying. Tali wouldn’t be able to kill someone, he’s too busy stuffing his face. He would have told me because he’s shit at keeping secrets from me. Val isn’t a murderer either. Murderers don’t plan their wedding and hold people all night.

I shake my head because I know who they are, not the rumors, but actually know them. Carly softens her features, and that one eye is all I can look at.

“They’re in the Mafia, organized crime or whatever. I’m not lying to you. I wish I was.” She dips her head down and gives me a sad smile. It carries into her voice, and I wish this person was the person I grew up with.

“I know I’ve been a shit sister. I’ve never been there for you before but I’m trying to protect you now. I won’t let them hurt you like they did to me, okay? I promise.”

All I’m capable of is blinking while I attempt to make sense of what the fuck has gone wrong with my life. She pulls me closer and kisses the top of my head.

“I’ve called tio and?—”

I try to pull away refusing whatever plan she has. Her arm around my shoulders tightens and she speaks over my refusal.

“Please just listen to me Dani, he’ll be able to keep you safe.”

The genuine panic in her voice stops me arguing and she pulls back with her hand on the back of my head. One eye is fixed on me with nothing other than worry as she pleads, “You’ll stay with tio?”

I love my uncle, I was named after him, but it doesn’t mean I want to leave my life to move to Brazil. My voice comes out weak under the weight of her emotions.

---