It was very dark inside. I want to get out of here. Its so hard to breathe.

"Lili?" I heard Kai looking for me. Putting my eye through the small hole, I saw Kai standing before the cupboard Diego locked me in.

"Lili?" He called again. I wanted to scream that I was in here but Diego said I can't make any noise or I'll be disqualified. He said if I lose he won't let me play with them again.

Kai left the room getting no response. Why did he go? I don't want to stay locked anymore.

Kai came back again ten minutes later. Without even looking around, he rushed to the cupboard and unlocked the door from outside.

"Oh God, Lili! I was so scared. Are you okay?" How did he know I was here?

Will Diego be angry I was found out?

"Did Diego lock you in there?" He asked, clenching his fists in anger.

"We were just playing a game." I smiled, letting him know it was alright. "Big brother told me he will let me play everyday."

"How long were you in there?" Kai inquired, noticing my clothes drenched in sweat.

"Not long." I tried to pacify him. He was scary when he got angry.

"Wait here." He ordered before striding out of the room. I followed him even though he told me to wait. And I was glad I did because he was heading straight for the living room where Diego and Noah were playing a video game.

"Did you lock Lili in the cupboard?" Kai gritted out, taking out the cables. Noah sighed in relief when he saw me behind Kai. Did he tell him where I was? Was he jealous that Diego was playing with me?

"The heck, I was winning!" Diego exclaimed.

"Did you lock Lili in the cupboard?"

"We were playing a game, right Lili?" Diego turned to me with a sickly sweet smile.

"Kai, let's go." I nodded, pulling on Kai's sleeves.

"And when did you start that game of yours?" Kai asked, freeing his sleeve from my hand.

"Two hours? Maybe two and a half?" Diego pondered loudly.

"You locked your little sister in a cramped dark place for almost two hours?" Kai asked in disbelief.

"It sounds horrible if you put it like that." Diego defended.

"It is horrible! What if she had difficulties breathing? What if something happened to her?!" Kai shouted.

"I was actually hoping for that," Diego shrugged casually.

And that's when Kai lost it. He jumped on Diego and started throwing punches at him madly.

"Easy there, tiger." Diego mocked. It didn't even take Diego a second to flip Kai over and win the fight.

But Diego never was satisfied with just winning. He wanted to see his opponent writhing in pain for ever trying to go against him. And that's exactly what he did to Kai.

"You're lucky you are a girl." Diego spat at me. "I would've done much worse to you."

"Also, don't you dare ask me to let you play with us again." He warned before leaving with Noah.

I looked at Kai's lying figure. I know Diego didn't hurt him too seriously. But it must still pain a lot.

But instead of feeling bad for Kai,I felt angry at him for making Diego angry at me.

"Why did do you that? Now he's never going to let me play with them!" I screamed with tears in my eyes.

"That's not playing, Lili. He was hurting you." Kai tried to make me understand in a soft voice.

"How would you know? You never play with me!" I told him, bitterly.

"I'll play with you if you want." Kai soothed gently.

"I don't want to play with you! I want to play with them!" I shouted, ungratefully.

"Lili, I can't just watch as they hurt you. What do you want me to do?" He asked, perplexed.

I should have shut my mouth right there and then. But of course, I didn't.

"I want you to stay away from me! You're the reason they don't want to play with me!"

Kai's eyes filled with hurt at my words.

"I hate you, Kai! Don't talk to me ever again." I delivered the final blow.

Kai didn't talk to me for months after that.

... ... ...

"You're going on a date with me today." Noah informed me.

"And I don't get a say in it?" I asked incrediously. It was a national holiday so school was off today. I had taken a leave from my work so I could rest at home all day. And he thinks he can waltz in and demand a date from me?

"You owe me a favour." He reminded me the deal we had made that day for covering for me.

"Can we go some other day?" I groaned. It was really cold outside, I just wanted to lie in bed under my blankets and drink some hot chocolate while watching Netflix on my phone.

"Nuh-uh." he shook his head. "That's not how favours work. Now go get ready."

"Can we go after an hour?" I compromised. His disapproving stare was enough answer for me. I grumpily climbed down the bed and randomly put on some warm clothes.

"I'm ready." I told him.

"Change to something decent."

"This is my most decent outfit." I defended.

"Aylin, do you want me to ask Diego to join our date?" He threatened and it was enough to have me moving.

"Wasn't that your most decent outfit?" He reminded.

"Where are we going?" I asked once we got in the car. Noah had the best car among my brothers. For starters, it wasn't black rather it was pastel blue.

"Amusement park," he answered not creating any suspense. I was hoping he wouldn't tell so I could guess until we reached. Its my fault for asking.

"That's for kids." I voiced out.

"Which you are."

"You're just 2 years older than me!" I reminded him.

"Emphasis on the older." Noah retorted.

We ended up having much more fun than I had expected. Noah dragged me to every single ride of the entire amusement park. He even forced me to get on the merry-go-round. It was so embarrassing to ride along side 4 year olds. But Noah can surprisingly be very persuasive.

By the time dusk fell, me and Noah both were exhausted. We took a break on an empty bench. A little girl sat between us. She told us her name was Olivia. We found her ten minutes ago in front of the ferris wheel.

Apparantly she had lost her mother somewhere in the crowd and now she refused to leave our side. She was cute but cried a lot. Noah bought us sweet potatoes because it was getting really cold and mostly to keep Olivia busy so she wouldn't start crying again.

"Thank you." I whispered. I was torn between whether I should continue speaking. I didn't want to bring up the past, afraid it would put an and end to my perfect day.

"For keeping your promise." I added, regretting it the next moment when Noah visibly tensed.

After a momentary pause, he nodded slightly.

"Did you have fun today, princess?" Noah asked, changing the topic while I scrolled through the photos we had taken today.

"Please, I beg you." I joined my hands for emphasis. "Don't start calling me by cringy nicknames." I already regretted letting Ezra call me 'buttercup'. I refuse to add another on the list.

"You have to let me call you Lili then." He compromised.

"I never stopped you."

"You don't let big brother or Eve call you that." He pointed out.

"Well, you're special." I winked at him mischievously.

"So does that mean you don't hate me?" He asked hesitantly.

"Why would I hate you?" I laughed. I was feeling giddy after having so much fun today.

"Aside from the fact that I made your childhood hell?" He asked. "I also treated you badly after you arrived." He looked down in shame.

"I don't hold what happened in the past against you. You were just a child back then."

"So were you."He mumbled quietly."I'm the older one.I was supposed to know better."

"You never directly hurt me though." I tried to console him, noticing the sea of guilt in his eyes.

"I helped big brother hurt you. Every single time." Noah refuted. "It's the same thing."

"I know you never liked hurting me. You just did to get Diego's approval."

Maybe I would have done the same thing if I was in his place. I knew he idolized Diego ever since he was a kid just like I do to Kai. Its hard to go against someone you blindly follow in everything.

And besides Noah was a child who just learnt from his surroundings. Dad and Diego treated me badly so he thought it was the norm. I can't possibly blame him for that.

"It doesn't change the fact I hurt you." He voiced out.

"I also know you were the one who would always call Kai or Stephen before Diego could severely hurt me." I informed. "You were protecting me in your own way."

"Lili, will it be too shameless of me to ask you for forgiveness?" He asked, completely not getting the point of what I just told him.

"I already told you-" I paused when I saw him getting down on his knees before me.

"What are you doing?!" I asked, shocked. People were looking at our direction and with good reason.

"Apologizing. Properly." He stated.

"We can do that at home, Noah. Lets go." I insisted.

"No." Noah shook his head.

"Aylin, I'm sorry for partaking in the abuse you had to go through in your childhood."

"I am sorry for always verbally attacking you. I am sorry for everytime I lost my anger and took it out on you."

"I'm sorry for treating you coldly after you came back home. I'm sorry for ever hurting you or causing tears in your eyes. I'm sorry for being an awful brother."

"Forgive me?" He finished with a gentle smile on his face.

I covered my face with my hands to hide the tears in my eyes. Why did he have to be sweet?

And embarrassing.

"I forgive you. Now can you get up?" I asked, my hands still covering my face.

"Not until you look at me."

"Don't your knees hurt?" I reprimanded. He has been sitting on his knees for fifteen minutes already.

"I practiced at home."He shrugged.

"I see mommy!" Olivia jumped up from the bench. We saw her rushing to a middle aged lady and hugging her as she started crying again. She didn't even look back at us and left with her mom.

Children can be ungrateful.

Noah complied after that and finally got up from the ground as we left for home.

"Lili?" He called.

"Yeah," I was going through his glove compartment to look for a CD to play.

"Remember, I told you that I was seeing a therapist for my anger issues?"

"Yes," I turned to look at him to see his eyes were focused on the road but he looked completely serious.

"At first, I was very reluctant to see a therapist. I am not sick or deranged, so why should I see a therapist? But Ezra managed to convince me to attend one session."

Okay.

Why was he telling me this?

"And I don't regret it. Talking to someone helps in more ways than you can imagine. I have gotten so much better at controlling my anger. I feel much lighter now that I'm not keeping everything to myself."

"What I'm trying to say is, opening up to someone will help lessen the burden." Noah stated.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, clenching my fists to keep my rising anger at bay.

"Would you like to accompany me to my therapist sometime this week? You don't have to do anything. You can just listen in to my session."

"It's Stephen, right?" I laughed, dryly. "He told you to do this."

"Lili-"

"Did he also tell you I'm a potential murderer who needs immediate medical attention?" I interrupted him.

"Is that why you brought me here?To sweet talk me?Was the apology a ploy too?"

"What-No! Stephen just told me to share my experience with you. And the apology was very real." He abruptly stopped the car and turned to look at me.

"You're lying. He wants to send me back. I know it." I said in a trance. "You all are the same. You got tired of me and now you are going to label me as insane so you can get rid of me. Again."

"Getting professional help doesn't make you insane, Lili." He appeased. "You're reading too much into it."

"Am I?" I laughed, maniacally. "Drive. I want to go back home."

"Lili, are you okay?" Noah approached when he noticed my shallow intakes of breathe.

"I.said.drive!"

It was pointless talking to him.He was only a puppet and Stephen the puppeteer.

*