Page 12 of Secret

My birthday is close to the twins, by about three months, which means he must have cheated after getting their mom pregnant with them. I wonder if he knew she was pregnant. I wonder if my mum knew about his wife. Harley said he had my name and a DNA test, so they must have been in contact. I wonder if he ever met me.I guess I’ll never know the answers.

"I'm sorry," I say,not sure what else to say.

"Don't be. It's not your fault, or your mum’s. Dad wasn't a good person, Izzy."Sebastian’s face goes cold, which just makes me want to ask a million questions.

"Why wasn't he a good person? Was it because he was a cheat? Not that I think that’s acceptable, because it’s not." I want Sebastian to look at me, but he doesn’t.

"No, for a lot of other reasons." He turns to put away the bottles he pulled out for my drink.

"None that we can mention,"Elliot suddenly says behind me, and I turn to see him glaring at Sebastian before he turns to me.

"You should go to sleep. Seb, and I need to talk," Elliot says, and not in a nice way.

"You don't talk to me, and then you expect me to listen to you?" I ask,glaring at him.

"Don't take it personally, sis. Elliot is right, we need to talk about school stuff, and I’ll see you tomorrow," Sebastian says and smiles at me, but it’s a tight smile, which means he isn't happy.

"Fine. Goodnight, and thanks for the drink," I say, moving past Elliot, who doesn't say anything. I wonder what Sebastian was going to say about our dad. Part of me guesses I don't want to know.

* * *

The next few days pass uneventfully, other than my new car coming. I get to know my brothers, except for Elliot who has ignored me or walked out of the room every time I’m near, and I’ve just tried to forget about it with thoughts of school starting today.

To say I'm nervous would be an understatement. I’ve dressed in low-riding, black skinny jeans, a black vest top, and my new leather jacket. I pull my long, blond hair into a high ponytail and add a little makeup before finally putting on my knee-high boots, then head downstairs for breakfast.

I'm eating cereal as Sebastian and Elliot come into the kitchen and start grabbing different foods. I’ve learnt that my brothers don’t talk in the morning until they have one cup of coffee, or they are grumpy, to say the least. So, I mutter ‘hello,’ and soon, Luke joins us as well. We all eat in silence, and I briefly wonder where Harley is this morning.

“Can one of you drive me as it’s my first day, so I know where I'm going?” I ask,knowing I should have asked before now.

“I can,” Elliot says, surprising me as he has barely spoken to me other than grunts now and then when I asked questions, I hope he is just the silent type.

“Thanks, ready when you are.” I smile at him. I look over to see Sebastian and Luke wearing big grins. Clearly, they are glad he is speaking to me, too.

“Good luck today, and call me if you have any problems,” Seb says before leaving with his bag and a few pieces of toast in one hand.

“Let’s go, or we will be late,” Elliot says as he hops off the stool, and I quickly follow. I stop to grab my bag, containing a few new books for school, before we head outside, and he unlocks his black Mercedes-Benz. I hop into the passenger seat, and we are off.

“Thanks for this. I know you would rather ride your bike,” I say, and he smirks at me. Elliot loves that bike of his, I’ve seen him spend hours messing with the thing in the garage, and Luke told me he loves that bike more than anything else.

“Look, Izzy, I don't say much, and I won't again, but I'm always here for you, got it?” Elliot says and glances my way with his piercing, green eyes.

I feel so shocked at him actually talking to me that I don’t know what to say at first, but I’m sure I look funny with my jaw hanging open.

“Wow, thanks. Same to you. If you want to watch a chick flick with some popcorn, you know where I am,” I joke.

His lips twitch before he laughs and then frowns at himself.

We pass into more country lanes before turning off at the end of another long driveway and end up at a massive, grey castle-like building. It’s surrounded by perfect, green lawns and full of expensive-looking cars. I immediately panic, thinking how lost I'm going to get on day one, as we park near the entrance, next to two more empty spaces, which I guess are my brothers’.

“Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a place as big as this before,” I say to Elliot’s back as we walk up the many steps to the entrance hall.

Of course, Elliot grunts at me, and I roll my eyes. I forgot, not one for small talk.

I follow Elliot as he takes a right down a long corridor and then a left. We reach an office. He knocks once before we enter to see a middle-aged man sitting behind a desk on the phone, who holds up his finger to say wait.

“I have to get to class. Just tell him who you are, and someone will be your guide today,” Elliot says and walks out the door before I can even say anything, so I mutter ‘bye’ to myself.

“Hello, can I help you?” the man asks as he puts down the phone.

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