章 10: Clothes Shopping
I stared up at the ceiling as I lay on my bed. Blank white, with not even a fan to cool the room. Not that it ever needed it. The nights in Glasseia were naturally cool, and I liked leaving my window open in the summertime to let the cool breeze in.
I grimaced as I heard a crash outside my room. What were those idiots doing out there, anyway?
I took a deep breath in and sighed. I couldn't help but think about what Lincoln and Brooklyn's appearance meant. Not only for me but for Glasseia and all the Godlings here. Having two Primeval Borns was enough to raise the tension, but now four? No wonder Endios acted the way he did.
I frowned as I remembered Brooklyn's reaction. She had swayed while Endios held her arm, and I couldn't help but think it wasn't from the needle. Her skin had turned ashen, and she looked like she was seconds away from passing out. And she didn't hear us asking her if she was okay until we were at the cafe, where she had flipped out on us.
I shook my head. RJ could've been less like a mother hen if I had to be honest. And questioning her on her hatred of touch certainly didn't help. It was… confusing. There must've been something happening in that house before we showed up. And judging by her reaction as she looked up at Endios and Lili's meekness towards any of the guys, it wasn't good.
I bit my tongue as I heard another crash outside, followed by Dec's vapid swearing and shouting. It was enough to make me roll out of bed and go check on them.
I swung open the door and scowled at what I saw. Declan Flynn, the son of Wesley, the God of War, Souls, and Ice, was hanging from the ceiling, his foot frozen to it. He was shouting at Luna Thomas, daughter of Saphyra, the Titaness of Earthquakes, Ice, and the South, who looked horrified. His brother, Deacon Flynn, was laughing so hard he was kneeling on the floor. Spencer Carter, son of Maya, the Titaness of Prophecy, Light, and the East, Connor Holt, son of Wynter, the Titan of Blizzards, and Micah Fuentes, son of Amethyst, the Titaness of Stars, were precariously balanced on each other, trying to reach Dec as he swung in the air.
I sighed. I stalked up to Luna and said, "What happened?"
My sudden appearance spooked everyone. Spencer jumped, causing their tower to collapse. Micah, who was at the top, screamed as he fell, landing on Connor, who grunted painfully. Deacon started wheezing, he was laughing so hard.
"Connor froze me to the ceiling, Eli!" Dec shouted. His dark brown hair—which was longer than Deacon's—swung in time with his body.
I looked up at him lazily. "I would have never guessed, Dec. My question is, how did you end up there?"
"Luna threw me!"
"You did?" I looked down at Luna. Her blonde hair was tied back, and her silver eyes gleamed with worry as she watched Declan swing. "Good job."
"No! Don't congratulate her! Help me get down!"
I rolled my eyes. I waved my hand, and a flame flew toward the ceiling. It wrapped around the ice and melted it within a few seconds. Dec seemed to rethink his decision, but it was too late by then, and the ice thawed. He screamed as he fell, but I grabbed him by the collar before he hit the ground.
I tilted my head and stared into his green eyes as they darted around wildly. "Do I need to ask Luna why she threw you up there, or will you tell me?"
That put fear in him. He raised his hands, exclaiming, "We were just messing around, Eli! I swear!"
I glanced at Micah, who was probably the only innocent one here. "What'd they say?"
Micah rubbed the back of his neck. His dark hair danced in front of his eyes as he looked around the room. "Well, Dec might've insulted Luna's mother a little bit."
"How so?"
"Um, he may have said something about how the south was the weakest of the four cardinal directions."
"Hm. Dec, your father is Luna's mother's younger brother, right?" I turned back to him. "And Saphyra is a Titaness, while Wesley is a God. That makes Luna stronger than you, leaving no room for you to insult her mother."
"I'm sorry!" Dec exclaimed. "Please don't toss me on the roof again!"
I debated it. "Eh, fine. But only because you recognize your mistake." I let go of him, and he fell to the ground. I reached up and scratched the back of my head. "Is that all that was going on? Wait, Connor, why did you freeze him to the ceiling?"
Connor finally sat up, shaking his head. His bright white hair, a bit brighter than Lincoln's, danced with the movement. "Well, Saphyra is my aunt, and she's one of my favorite Titanesses, so I didn't take too kindly to Dec's teasing."
"Hm. Well, I hope you learned your lesson, Dec." I looked down at him sprawled on the ground. "I'm not the only one willing to throw you around anymore."
"Understood." He sat up and looked at his brother, who was having difficulty breathing. "You were a great help, huh, Con? Left me up there, swinging by my ankle."
Con laughed some more. "Oh, my gods. That was the funniest thing I've seen in weeks."
Dec scoffed. "I'm sure it was. Hey, Eli, mind throwing him on the roof?"
I shrugged. "Eh, sure. Why not?"
Before Con could even register what was about to happen, the door opened. We all turned to see Kya storm in, Brooklyn and Lili following cautiously. Brooklyn's gray eyes caught mine, and I saw her plea for help.
"Eli, you've got some 'splainin' ta do," Kya snapped, marching up to me. She put both hands on her hips and glared at me with chocolate-brown eyes. She pointed at the sisters and said, "You sent both of those poor girls ta my house without any clothes ta change into? Did ya think I was jus' gonna lend 'em my stuff?"
"I mean, kinda."
Her cheeks puffed out cutely. "They won't fit in my clothes. Lili's too small in size, and Brooklyn's body type is different than mine."
I glanced at the two girls. I guess it was true. Lili was skinnier than Kya, and Brooklyn was… well, she was fatter. Rounder might be a better word, actually. They wouldn't be able to fit in Kya's clothing, at least not comfortably. Guess I should've thought about that beforehand.
I looked back to Kya. "Sorry, Kya. Didn't think about it. But what do you want me to do about it?"
She rolled her eyes and scoffed. "I want you ta help me find 'em outfits, of course!"
"Shut it, Dec," I growled when I saw him seize up with laughter. "You too, Con." I leveled a glare at Kya, but she held it. She was one of the few who could. "Why do I have to help? Have Krystal or Luna to help instead."
"This is your punishment for sendin' 'em ta me unprepared!" Kya retorted. "Not only do they need clothes, but they need toiletries! They need everythin'!"
"Ugh, fine. But I draw the line at underwear."
"Deal." She stuck out her hand. I shook it, trying not to shiver at its softness. It was unnatural, I swear.
She turned, throwing her hands in the air as she approached Brooklyn and Lili. "You hear that, girls? We're goin' shoppin'!" She laughed.
Lili at least looked semi-excited. She was trying to match Kya's attitude but was struggling. I couldn't blame her. Not even Cola could match her for long. Brooklyn, on the other hand, was glaring daggers at me. I shrugged. There wasn't much for me to do about this.
Kya waved at me, dragging my attention from Brooklyn to her. "C'mon, Eli! Hurry up! You know Sola closes her shops at 6 on weekdays!"
I breathed out through my nose. I jerked my head at Micah as I began to walk after Kya as she led Brooklyn and Lili off. "Clean up, please. And please don't break anything."
Micah saluted, his gray eyes dancing with mischief. "Yes, sir!"
"Oh, shut up."
I shut the door. I sighed to myself before looking for where the girls had gone. I snorted when I saw Kya dragging them by their arms a few houses down. I always forget how fast she can be.
I jogged after them. Brooklyn was still glaring at me when I caught up. I gave her a puzzled look before saying to Kya, "Which store are we going to, Kya?"
"GoStyle! Then The Dress Shoppe! I just know Brooklyn would look gorgeous in some dresses!"
Brooklyn took a break from glaring at me to glare at Kya. "I don't do dresses," she growled.
Kya was unbothered by her hostility. "That's because you haven' seen Sola's selection, babe! She's the Goddess of Beauty. She's got an eye for it."
"No, I mean-" She caught herself. She shook her head, her dark brown hair forming a veil so I couldn't see her eyes. "Never mind."
Even Kya frowned at her tone. She put an arm on Brooklyn's shoulder. "Chin up, babe. You'll look stunnin' when I'm done with you. Now come on! It's only a few minutes from here!"
*~*
I stared at the wall, bored out of my mind, as Kya helped Brooklyn with some clothes. This store section was entirely women's clothing, making me uncomfortable. I felt wrong being here. Brooklyn's occasional screech as Kya did something certainly didn't help.
I glanced down at Lili, sitting in the chair designated for the people waiting for whoever was trying things on. After Kya had helped her find clothes that fit her, she made to sit on the ground, but I told her to sit in the chair and that I'd stand. She had been hesitant but sat and remained silent throughout Brooklyn's torment at Kya's hands. She, luckily, didn't have to hear.
I tapped her shoulder. Her head whipped toward me, her turquoise eyes widening with fear, but I raised my hands. I pointed at the door to the changing room before signing Your sister is loud.
Relief bloomed on Lili's face as she smiled slightly. She replied I wouldn't know.
I smirked. I'm glad she has a sense of humor about her condition. I think she's sworn at Kya a dozen times now. Was it this bad with you?
She shook her head. She was very gentle. She doesn't understand sign language, but she promised to learn.
That's nice of her. I glanced up as Brooklyn shrieked, followed by some other sound. Sounds weird in there.
Lili shrugged, her light brown hair shifting with the movement. I wanted to move it out of her face but restrained myself. Brooklyn is sensitive. She doesn't like touching.
I remember. She did yell it at me earlier, after all. It made me wonder…
I flexed my fingers as I tried to think of a way to word this. Your father. Did he ever… I faltered as Lili's expression darkened. She turned away so that I couldn't see her face.
I let it drop with a sigh. Honestly, I should've known better than to think Lili would share what happened in that household. Whatever it was, it messed with them psychologically and emotionally. Lili was calmer about it, but perhaps we hadn't hit her trigger yet. Brooklyn's was obviously touching, but Lili's… I didn't want to know what had been done. But I did.
Lili took a deep breath. She brushed a few strands of hair from her mouth. "He did things," she said softly. I knelt next to her to hear her better. She didn't show any sign that she noticed. "He would… hold Brooks. By her hands." She wrung her wrists. "He… he hit her. Yelled at her. He used…" She faltered. She tapped her fingers against her legs, then made the symbol for 'r'—the index and middle fingers intertwined—with both hands. She twisted her hands as she moved them away. The sign for rope.
"He tied her down," I murmured. I knew Lili didn't hear me, but that didn't matter. Her fingers were trembling. She sniffed loudly.
I moved so that I was kneeling in front of her. I gently took her trembling hands in mine. I felt her tense, but I rubbed my thumb across her knuckles. The same way Kya had done for me way back when.
Her eyes were teary as she looked at me. "Lili, did he ever… do anything to you?"
Her bottom lip quivered. Slowly, she nodded.
My heart ached at the look on her face. Here was a young and innocent girl looking ashamed for admitting something like that. Probably shamed into keeping quiet about it all. Disgust crawled across my skin at the thought. Verbally and physically abusing two young girls was cowardly. If I ever got my hands on that man…
"Please." Lili's soft voice broke through my thoughts. I focused on her face as she said, "Don't tell…."
I cupped her small hands. "I won't," I told her. "Not until you are ready."
She nodded, even as a few tears leaked from her blue-green eyes. I instinctively reached up to brush them away, but that happened to be the exact moment Brooklyn decided she was done with Kya's torture.
The door swung open, and she marched out—in a beautiful, midnight blue dress, if I might add—took one look at us and lost it.
"What the hell is going on?" she roared, storming over, her face red with anger.
I stood up and raised my hands. "Nothing, Brooklyn. We were talking and-"
"What did you do to my sister?" She shoved me away. I stumbled back, almost losing my balance. I regained my footing and stared at her. How did she do that? She was over a foot shorter than me and almost knocked me to the ground with a simple shove! Where did that strength come from? "Why is she crying?"
"We were talking," I repeated, changing my stance in case Brooklyn decided to try and start a fight, "and your father came up."
If Brooklyn wasn't angry before, she was now. I backed up as her gray eyes began to glow.
"Don't you ever talk about him with her again!" she yelled. She flung her finger at me. "You have no right!"
"Brooklyn," I said calmly, "I can help. Just let me-"
"Do I look like I need your help? Just get out!"
"Brooklyn-"
"I said get out!"
I sighed. "Fine." I glanced at Lili, who looked mortified at what was happening. Oh, I shouldn't say this, but I can't help it. I looked at Brooklyn and said, "If Lili wants help, don't stop her. It's not fair to her."
Brooklyn opened her mouth to yell at me again but faltered. She glanced at Lili and seemed to realize how vulnerable she looked.
With my point made, I turned and left.
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