Woe is Me pt.1

As Wrath entered her room with a bundle of materials, Pride sat on the couch and plugged the HDMI cable to his laptop. Lust made two cups of hot lattes and a huge glass bowl worth of buttered popcorn. It was as if the younger of the two had been recruited to join the flat.

The two had prepared blankets and pillows for a movie marathon. Wrath had requested for them to stay awake until she was done with her ritual, so they managed to pass the time doing what they used to do weekly before Lust was forced to move out by their dad.

It had been about three and a half years since the incident happened. Wrath's life hadn't been easy since her house burned down. The fire engulfed her entire family, including her unborn sister. Her grandma had just died about a week prior due to a heart attack. She was the only person that took care of Wrath in that house.

"You never really told me what happened that day," Pride munched a handful of popcorn.

"What day?" Lust replied, pretending to be busy on his phone.

"Come on dude. You need to start trusting me again. We are all we have now."

"What do you mean 'we'? You have dad and the whole baseball team on your back. And not to mention your escort of bimbos."

"Oh, so now you're jealous of me? You know I only have eye for one girl!"

"Doesn't stop you from looking at the others though."

"Do we really have to be petty to each other all the time? Can't we just have a lovely family evening for once? I've missed you. And dad is a d*ckhead to me too by the way."

Lust stared at him in disbelief. He didn't know whether he should scoff or question his brother about the newfound information. Never in his life would he be able to fathom the idea of his dad being hard on Pride. Justice was never something that Lust had the luxury to experience during his childhood. It was pretty clear early on that he wasn't the favorite son. The mayor loved his dog more than his eldest son.

"Yeah, believe me. Dad has been pushing me even harder after you left. He put it upon himself, Lust. He became a bigger asshole to everyone; people were quitting their jobs after few months. You really put an impact in his life believe it or not."

"Oh, brother mine. That's one hard pill to swallow."

"I rarely stay in the house anymore. Kinda the only reason why I bought a car too."

"I thought dad bought it for you."

"Hahaha… I wish. He started taking this medication without telling anyone in the house; not even mom. I think he beat her from time to time. I found bruises on her arms and legs when she had failed to cover it," Pride got quiet at the end of the sentence.

"That b*stard! How could you let it be after knowing what happened?"

"I didn't. I struck his knee with his golf club like two days ago. Which is why I haven't been home since. Not like they were looking for me either."

Lust was dumfounded by all the information being spilled by his usually high-spirited brother. He was lost for words and the room was spinning with the air of guilt. His heartbeat was pulsing in his eardrums as embarrassment and shame took over him. Pride felt ashamed at his confession and out-of-character openness.

"I-I just thought you should know a-about this. Cause you are my big brother."

"That's some rough shit. So, I guess I owe you a story huh?"

"Eh… I can handle it."

"Do you remember that old wooden swing we had on our backyard? I saw her swaying silently with chars on her clothes. But surprisingly her skin was fine; now we know why. It was my freshman year and I just got back from school. I had no idea who this kid in ragged clothing was. She had a dark silvery purple hair in a ponytail. So, I walked over to see if she was lost or injured. She looked a bit shaken up or startled when I called out to her. Other than that, she was a perfectly normal kid your age. I thought she might've been looking for you."

"Wait what?"

"Yeah, dude. It's not like how everyone thought it was. I asked if she was okay and she nodded. We talked for a while and suddenly we heard a siren from afar. Her whole demeanor changed, and she looked petrified; kept begging me for help. I snuck her into my room upstairs and gave her my clothes before she tossed hers into the fireplace. I knew something was off, but something about her felt right that I didn't think much of it.

"Suddenly she started to shake violently mid-sentence. I thought she was epileptic; her eyes were white. So, I rushed to her side to check on her and called her name to get any sort of responds. Dad broke into my room and accused me of sinning. I was 15, I didn't know what to do. But I knew that I was unhappy there and neither was she. I thought you would be better off without me."

"I came home from baseball practice and dad said that you were long gone. Mom was sobbing on the dinner table and he pinned everything on you. We never talked about it again. He said you tried to kill them and wanted to elope with a kid. Everyone believed him, everyone."

"I remember. He bellowed at me 'Get the f*ck out of my house you little wh*re! You tainted this holy house and my eldest son. You devil worshipping temptress!'. So, I said to myself 'f*ck it' and left with her to find shelter somewhere else. I didn't bother to proof my innocence or beg for his forgiveness. He has made my life a living hell. And I finally had a reason to leave now."

"What were you doing before she got her inheritance money though?"

"This old lady was kind enough to let us stay with her as we worked in her little coffee shop near the edge of town. Her grandson kicked us out when he came back from college. But thankfully she got her money by then and you suggested that I continue to take care of her. I figured you must've grown an attachment to her."

"It started out as an innocent crush. But I kept on hanging out with her when I visited you. And we got to know each other a little better. Before I know it, I had fallen for a stranger."