Page 36 of Organized Chaos
My family members didn’t welcome my quirky nature with open arms.
At least, I convinced them against taking me to the Emergency Room, though it took a lot of persuading. Hospital visits had occurred far too many times in the past, and I was positive that a social worker out there was racking up a file on me.
Milo and Reid brought me back to my room instead. Raven was quick to change me out of my clothes, stacking blankets on me no matter how many times I repeated, “I’m fine.”
While Raven fussed over me, Milo sat at my desk with his laptop open.
Odd.
The oldest of our lot and eight years my senior, Milo never missed an opportunity to lecture us. Whenever something bad happened, Milo spent hours giving us tips to avoid such disasters in the future.
Whereas today, he had only demonstrated serenity since the incident. As usual, he was dressed casually in jeans and a white t-shirt. However, I never let the nonchalant appearance fool me. It was the calm before the storm.
Milo still hadn’t looked up from his emails when Reid strolled into the room with a second tray of hot drinks. Reid’s resemblance to Milo was eerie with his six-foot frame, deep voice, and broad build. Despite their four-year age gap, the only stark physical difference between them was the eyes—Reid’s were glacial blue while Milo’s were emerald green.
Not to be outshined by the boys, Raven rivaled Milo and Reid in the looks department and was dubbed snow white for her jet-black hair, fair complexion, and rosy features.
All three looked like they were part of some exotic poster-perfect ad. In comparison, I was blonde and skinny. There was nothing exceptional about my appearance, and, more than once, others found it hard to believe that I belonged to the same family.
“Are we hypothermia-free yet?” Reid asked briskly.
“Yes!” I huffed, fed up with being a patient. The covers were counterproductive—overheating my body.
Raven shook her head at Reid to overturn myyes.Why had I bothered to respond? No one actually spoketome; they spokearoundme.
At sixteen, Reid and Raven also exercised some parental authority over me. They were both juniors in high school and childhood best friends despite Reid being a sulky teenager—always angry at Mom or Milo—while Raven was even-keeled.
Still, Raven and Reid’s cosmic connection was awe-inspiring. They were born on the same day, one hour apart, to fathers who also happened to be childhood best friends, practically brothers. Our two families were so close that we referred to Raven’s dad as our uncle. And when Raven’s parents had to leave the country due to some unforeseen events, Dad volunteered to take Raven in so she could finish school in America.
It was ironic because soon after, Dad also got the opportunity of a lifetime as a visiting physician in Grand Cayman. He now traveled back and forth between New York and the Cayman Islands. The times he was gone, Mom was in charge, which really meant that Milo was in charge since Mom’s mood was eternally fluctuating.
With Dad’s absence, Raven’s diplomatic personality brought a lot to the table. And over the years, she had become my pseudo sister.
“Do you know that hypothermia is just another word for overheating? You guys might be doing more damage than good at this point,” I informed.
Reid quirked an eyebrow. “What did we tell you about being a know-it-all?”
I stuck my tongue out, which had scalded due to the sheer volume of hot beverages Raven insisted that I consume. “That I should do it more often?” I suggested.
Mom made her presence known from the door frame, interrupting our lively debate. “Hi, sweetheart. How are you feeling now?”
Three heads snapped in the direction of the door, eyes filled with hostility. Meanwhile, I tried to slink away under the comforter, silently communicating with Mom to make a run for it. This wasn’t a safe zone. My siblings were out for blood—Mom being their prime target.
“What are you doing?” Reid gritted out. “We told you not to come in here.”
The guilt hung heavily on Mom. She had been lurking in the hallway all afternoon to see me. However, Milo and Reid made it clear she was unwelcome.
Truth be told, all I wanted was mymommyafter today's ordeal, but I didn’t have the balls to challenge my brothers. They harbored a deep-seated resentment toward Tessa Sinclair. It was difficult to justify choosing her over them—or anyone else for that matter—especially after they rescued me yet again. I knew my brothers would save me when I was stuck in that freezer. I didn’t have the same expectation out of Mom.
Unlike my brothers, I understood that Mom suffered from a scatterbrain personality due to her issues. I was forgiving. They were cynical.
“I-I just wanted to see how Mia was doing.” Mom nervously twisted her hands together.
“Oh! So, now you care?” Reid sneered, making me flinch.
“Reid,” Raven gently reprimanded to simmer the friction.
“No, Rave,” he snapped. “Don’t defend her. Not over this.”
