"I wanna go back to school," I announce suddenly, making the boys turn to me, stunned expressions adorning their faces. Just a few minutes ago, we'd all been sat in livingroom, watching some random TV show. But I'd had a thought. It's been two months since the incident -- two months since I'd last been to school. And I figured it was time. I'm not scared anymore, and we've gotten rid of the problem... problems.

Though, I don't allow myself to truly think or dwell on my past; it's honestly too much for me to handle without crying.

"Why would you wanna go back there?" Cole asks, skeptical.

"I just," I sigh, trying to take a second to find the lost words within me. "It's just that I don't want to throw away my future, y'know? I've always wanted to be a nurse, and I figured I would be able to do more than any doctor ever could. Because the sad truth is, in all honesty, some of the patients need more than just medicine. They need me. They need my blood; it has more healing properties than any prescription or remedy known to man, and it could actually be able to save someone's life. That's all I've ever wanted to do -- give someone their fair chance at happiness. And that's how I choose to do it."

"Wow, that's-" Coco's cut off by Ash.

"Amazing," he finishes for him, and Coco sends him a small glare. I giggle at them, and Xavier takes my hands, sitting right next to me and looking me directly in the eyes to convey his concern more thoroughly.

"Are you sure you're ready to go back?" He switches between both of my eyes, looking for any sign of doubt. But I smile, squeezing his large hands reassuringly.

"Positive," I answer, and he smiles widely at me.

"Well, if that's what the princess wants. That's what she shall get." I giggle and lean forward to peck him on the cheek.

"Thank you," I speak, and I see his cheeks tint a little red.

"So, when will I be able to go back?" I ask.

Xavier sighs. "Whenever you want to, I guess. But I recommend to wait until after your birthday."

My brows furrow, and my nose scrunches. "Why?" Xavier licks his lips, looking suddenly nervous. Ash is quick to help him, though.

"We want to spend as much time with you as possible, right now. And besides, once we mate, everything will change," the latter informs.

"How so? It doesn't have to change anything if we don't let it." He sighs, shoulders slumping while he gets up from his spot on the couch and walks over to me.

"Just trust me, Avelyn. Trust us," he says, kneeling before me. I nod, unable to tell him no when his crystal blue eyes are piercing straight into mine.

"Good," he proclaims. "Now, it's ten o'clock, and I'd say it's time to get some shut eye. You've had a long day."

I nod once again, silently thinking back onto all of the revelations today had to offer. I kissed Ashton. Okay, we might've done a little more than just kissing. I found out I have a mate... mates. And, even more dumbfounding, I have a sibling. I don't know if it's a boy or a girl, but it doesn't really matter. And it doesn't make the news any more or less shocking.

I sigh, standing up and following behind the boys. They lead me into our bedroom with our massive bed. I curl up in the middle, and Ash and Coco both take residency right at my sides; Xavier at my feet, cuddling up against me and leaning his head down on my legs.

I fall asleep thinking about today, still unsure of what to do next. And I wonder why I have to wait until after my birthday to go back to school.

It's dark, and I'm curled up on the floor, clutching my legs to my chest, my heart beating rapidly. Mother and Father left me here like this... again.

"It's all part of the punishment," they said. Though, there is no real reason I was being punished. They used another one of their stupid ass excuses to justify their horrid actions. But, either way, I know I deserve this.

'I'm a monster.'

They said it themselves, and if they said it, then it must be true. They wouldn't lie... would they?

No. No, they wouldn't. They care too much about me. Suddenly, I hear the basement doorknob rattling, signalling someone is about to enter.

I cringe in terror. They left me in here for hours, but I knew they weren't done with me. I didn't deserve to be let free yet. Monsters don't deserve freedom; they deserve pain and suffering. So, I relax, silently accepting the pain that I'm about to receive.

The basement door opens, and through the dark, I can make out a petite silhouette.

Mother.

She's come back to finish me off.

"W-where's F-f-father?" I croak out, my throat still burning from my unintentional wails. I didn't mean to scream so much. The pain was just too much to bear silently.

She looks at me, the brown in her eyes seeming more dark and sinister since I last saw her. She sneers. "H-h-he l-left for w-work," she mocks antagonizingly, and I frown.

'Do I really sound that pathetic?'

Probably.

"Now, I'm going to untie you, but you're not to run, use your devil magic, or speak. Am I understood?"

I nod. I know if I give her a verbal answer, the punishment will just be worse. Mother said she hates my voice, and I don't blame her. It's too obnoxious and soft. Well, that's what she'd called it, at least. And I'm not one to disagree with Mother.

I watch meekly as she harshly unties my restraints, the ropes burning my skin as she mercilessly tears them off. When my hands have been untied, I resist the urge to rub my searing skin in an attempt to aid it. I know the pain will go away soon, anyway. My freakish, beastly powers will make sure of that.

She steps back, a satisfied grin on her face when she sees me flinch at her quick movements. She snatches my scorched wrist, scratching the inflamed skin while doing so. I involuntary whimper at the pain.

She sees and makes sure to let her nails drag along my skin a little longer before she's abruptly slapping me in the face.

My head jerks to the side, and she laughs maniacally.

"You were a mistake, Avelyn. I wish we never too-" she cuts herself off suddenly and corrects herself. "Had you," she rephrases, and I'm left wondering what it is she was going to say before. I slowly turn my head back to look at her, afraid of what she was going to do next. She smirks at my scared expression. No doubt proud that I was afraid of her.

She reaches behind her back and pulls out a strappy, leather belt. I want to ask her what it's for, but I remind myself of the rules.

No talking.

So I keep my mouth zipped. Even as she instructs me to sit on my knees with my back to her; I do so without question.

My mouth doesn't open. Not when I let her lift my shirt off. Not when I heard her throwing her hand back, and not when I felt the rough leather come into contact with my temporarily marred skin.

I sat there, like the abomination I was, and let it happen. I may not have verbally made a sound, but the screams never stopped their incessant ringing through my head. I kneeled there obediently, silently praying that someone cared about me while she continued to strike me. Praying that someone would save me. Praying that Mother and Father loved me like parents should. Like they were supposed to.

But who could love a monster?

I wake with a start, tears streaming down my face and the boys staring at me with wide, frantic eyes. I know I probably look like a mess, but I'm currently too panicked to care.

"Avelyn, kitten, are you okay? We tried to wake you up, but you wouldn't open your eyes!"

I look over to Cole, and he seems like he's seen a ghost. But I can't do anything but hyperventilate right now.

Ashton's quick to kneel in front of me, grabbing my shoulders and leaning down to look at me in the eyes.

"Breathe, babygirl, breathe."

I do as he says, inhaling when he does, and exhaling just the same.

"That's it, Ava. That's it."

We do this for a few more minutes, and I can soon breathe again without feeling like the air I'm breathing is actually suffocating me. He pulls away begrudgingly, and Cole's quick to take his place, resting his large hands on my tear-stained cheeks comfortingly. He wipes away a stray tear that decided to escape, kissing the spot where it died on my skin before he wiped it away.

"Kitten, you can't do that to me," he chokes out, on the verge of tears. "Y-you stopped breathing in your sleep, Avelyn. Your heart stopped beating. You died, and when you didn't wake up, I thought I would never be able to see those beautiful, ocean eyes of yours again."

I blink at him, trying to process that fact that I died in my sleep. I frown when I notice the fire in his eyes has dimmed so much, it's almost nonexistent. A tear is born in his eye, and it creates such a stark contrast from his usual flaming irises, that I'm afraid the fire will be put out completely by the wet substance. But I'll make sure that never happens. If his fire burns out, I'm afraid the whole world will become so cold, that the frigid temperatures will cause it to frost.

"Please don't cry," I beg, my voice week. "I'm okay now; I promise. I'm okay. I'm right here. I'm not dead. My heart's still beating, and I'm still breathing. I'm okay." I lean in to hug him reassuringly, and his hands that were resting on my face fall. He's quick to hug me back, latching onto me like I'm his lifeline. I rub his back, looking over his shoulder to see the others almost as distraught.

I know they feel just as worried for me as Cole, but they aren't as open about it. I know they don't want to worry me, so they try to hide their emotions. But they don't realize that I can read their eyes as clearly as a book. They're in pain, too. And I don't like to see that.

They're better at hiding their emotions than Cole. The latter being more prone to wearing his heart on his sleeve.

I pull back slowly, trying to give him the time he needs.

"I love you," I declare once I've separated from him and can see his face more clearly. And I silently thank God when I see a little spark in his eyes flicker, gradually igniting his smouldering flame back to its original fire.

'He doesn't just wear his heart on his sleeve. He wears his soul.'

"I love you too, my angel. More than you'll ever know."

I direct my gaze over his shoulder once again, seeing my other boys looking at me warily. I sigh, motioning them to come closer, and they do. Slowly, they make their way towards me, and Cole takes the liberty of moving out of their way.

I lift both of my hands up to rest on either one of their cheeks, caressing them softly with the pads of my thumbs.

"I love you guys, too. So much. Please, there's nothing to worry about. I'm fine now." I pull them closer to me to embrace them in a big hug, whispering sweet nothings into their ears soothingly. But eventually, I'm pulling back just the same.

"I love you too, princess. So damn much."

"Yeah, you're all I could've ever asked for. And I'm proud to say that I love you," Ashton agrees, but suddenly looks like something else is troubling him.

"What is it?" I ask, and he sighs.

"Please don't hate me for asking this, and you can just tell me to fuck off if you don't want to answer. But... what did you dream about. What nightmare could be bad enough to stop your heart?" He questions, shaking his head furiously afterward. "You know what, don't answer that. I'm an asshole and it was none of my busine-"

I cut him off by resting my hand on his chest. "It was more of a memory than a dream. It was about my mother. She was giving me one of her punishments."

They all three look completely appalled by my answer.

"W-what happened?" Xavier stutters, not sure if it's a good thing to ask. I frown, but decide that they deserve to know.

"I was tied up and locked in the basement for hours. They said it was part of the punishment, but I'm pretty sure I was in there for longer than they intended. Actually, I think they might've forgotten I was even there for a while. I wouldn't be surprised if they did," I chuckle but stop the moment I see their serious expressions, deciding to continue anyway. Now's as good a time as any.

Sighing, I continue. "Mother finally came back down. She slapped me around a little bit before she'd asked me to get on my knees and face the wall. I did as she said, not wanting to anger her any further. Soon, I was being lashed by one of her expensive belts."

The fury in their eyes is electrifying. And the tension is so thick, it's almost tangible. I could probably cut it with a knife, if I wanted to.

I lean in to give each of them a peck on the lips, trying to aid their inner beasts. I know that if I don't, they'll probably all shift, unable to control their wolves from lashing out. Xavier had told me all about it, once. How if they get angry enough, they won't be able to stop themselves from shifting and hurting themselves or others.

They each calm down immediately, content with the feeling of my lips on theirs. I am too.

"That was all in the past, guys. Like I said before, I'm fine now. And if anything, I feel like I might have another breakdown if I continue to dig into my past, and recarve old wounds. Please, can we just go back to bed. I'm sure I won't have another nightmare if you're all holding me."

They nod solemnly, deciding not to argue with me right now and all laying down next to each other. I lift a brow.

"What are you doing?" I ask. Usually one of them would always sleep at my feet.

Xavier's in the middle, and Cole and Ashton are on either side of him. Xavier gestures for me to come to him.

"Come on, princess. You're going to sleep on me tonight. This way, we can all hold you better at the same time."

"But won't it, like, be uncomfortable? I'm too heavy to sleep on top of you."

He scoffs. "Avelyn, you practically weigh nothing. Now, come on. You need sleep."

I sigh and nod, giving up and crawling toward him, laying myself comfortably on top of his hard chest. Surprisingly, it's a lot more comfortable than I'd have imagined. He grumbles in content, wrapping his arms around me while I rest my head in his neck. Cole has one arm resting over me, and Ashton has his legs tangled in mine.

'Yup, this is definitely better than before.'

I fell asleep blissfully, and my dreams were plagued with love and affection by my wonderful boys, as opposed to hatred and deceit by my horrific parents.

____________________________________

This chapter was pretty sad, but I wanted everyone to have a better insight at how horrible Avelyn's parents truly were. And I wouldn't be surprised if people were cheering that they were dead now.

*cough* me *cough*

But I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, anyway. As always, until next time...

Sincerely,

The Annoying Author Lady