The Storm

Zephyr POV

I hop down the stairs after Cal wondering why she was crying. I'm more than happy to have her has a my baby sister, and I want nothing more than to make her happy. I know she's hiding something. I just hope she will trust us enough to help her.

We head towards the living room looking for Rai. Both of us are supposed to take Cal shopping for clothes and anything else she might need. I see him sitting on the couch looking at his phone.

"Come on, Rai. We're ready."

He looks up when he hears my voice only nodding his head at me. I can already tell that between Rai and Cal, I'm going to have to carry all the conversations on my back. They both don't talk and I don't do well with silence. The three of us head to the garage and hop in Rai's car. I call shotgun before running over to the passenger seat sticking my tongue out at Cal. I see her lips twitch up into a smirk before hopping in the back seat. I got a reaction out of her. Point one for Zeph!

"So, do you have any stores that you like? We can go whatever. Just make sure you buy plenty or dad will skin is alive for not spoiling you."

I turn my attention to Cal with a humored look on my face. Dad would never do that, but he did make it perfectly clear that we are to buy anything that she remotely even looks at as if he is trying to buy her love and affection.

"I've never been shopping so you can take me wherever."

She turns her head to look out the window signaling that she doesn't want to talk. I look over to Rai and make eye contact with him. His expression is a reflection of my concerned one. He looks into the rear view mirror as he starts to talk to her.

"Cal, what was your life like before you came to live with us?"

His voice is bare of any emotion, but if you look closely into his eyes you can see the love he has for her. I'm sure my brothers love our sister just as much as I do. Well maybe Caspian does. They others a bit too stubborn, but they will get there. An awkward silence fills the car since Cal doesn't even attempt to respond. Rai has never been a fan of being ignored.

"Answer me when I speak to you."

His tone is clipped and bit louder than necessary. I watch as she flinches into the seat. The yelling clearly scared her. I scowl over at Rai.

"Knock it off."

Rai glares back at me letting me know I better watch it. He might can boss our younger brothers around, but that's not the case for me.

"She obviously doesn't want to talk to you. Right little one?"

I look back at Cal who is watching us. She shrugs her shoulders.

"Why do you keep calling me 'little one'?"

"Because you're little like a baby."

It's my turn to shrug at her causing her to scowl at me.

"I'm not a baby."

This is the most she has spoken to me so I decide to keep up with the antagonizing with Rai pretends not to hear us.

"Uhhh yes you are. You're the size of an infant, and you smell like one too."

I hold my nose and scrunch my face in disgust at her. She chuckles softly shaking her head.

"I think that smell is coming from tough stuff up there."

She grabs her nose too making me bust out laughing. Rai glares at both of us causing me to laugh harder. I hold my hands up in mock surrender.

"She said it!"

I look back to see her smiling and that has to be the prettiest smile I've ever seen. I've now decided that I will do anything to make her smile like that again. However, as quickly as the smile came, it disappears. She looks down to her lap as if she's upset about being happy.

"What happened?"

I question her wondering if we did something to upset her. She simply shakes her head at me before looking back out the window. I decide to mess with her hoping to get another reaction out of her. I nudge Rai's elbow and gesture to the back with my head. He scrunches his face in confusion so I point to the window and gesture for him to roll it down. He looks at me like I'm immature. I try to make puppy dog eyes causing him to shake his head at me, but none the less he rolls down her window. I mentally yell in triumph as I turn my attention back to Cal. It caught her by surprise as the wind whips in her face causing her hair to fly around. She giggles as her hair continues to attack her face. Rai rolls the window up with a hint of a smile littering his face. I turn back to Cal to try to start another conversation, but stop as I watch her pull her hair back trying to tame it. Her neck is covered in splotchy bruises that seemed to be fading as they are more of a greenish yellow than blue.

"What happened to your neck?"

My words come out quietly and I don't think I've ever been so mad. Her face instantly falls and I can see the blood drain from it. Rai looks over at me in question since he didn't see what I saw.

"Pull over. Now."

My voice holds no humor causing Rai to jerk the car off the road and park it. He turns around to Cal.

"Show me your neck."

She shakes her head and I see tears well up in her eyes.

"Now, Cal. Don't make me ask again."

Cal POV

I can feel my hands starting to shake. I really don't want to show them, but what will he do if I don't? Will it be worse if I do show them? His eyes narrow at me and I can tell from his expression not to test him. The coldness of his eyes remind me him. I know they are nothing alike. I don't think Rai would ever hurt me. I raise my shaky hands to my hair and pull it back. I hear both of them gasp.

"Who did that?"

I've never heard Zephyr's voice so cold. My whole body starts to shake scared of what they could do when they find out how disgusting I am. They can't know the truth. I see Rai hop out of the car before pulling me out of the back seat. I lean against the car and see Zephyr join us. I have to lie and pray they believe me.

"I got into a fight before I came here."

My voice is so quiet I'm surprised they heard me. Rai's deep voice floods my ears.

"That might be how the hand print got there, but it doesn't explain the hickeys. I don't know what kind of life you lived, but now that you're here you can't go running off with boys. Do you hear me?"

His voice is full of disappointment. He thinks I wanted those things to happen to me. He will start to look at me like he did. He always told me how dirty I was, and now my brothers will see it too. I feel tears well up in my eyes, but I refuse to let him see them. I feel Zephyr grab me and bring me close. I close my eyes waiting for pain, but it doesn't come. I realize his arms are around me and he is holding me. My body is still tense, but I'm not used to physical contact with no pain.

"Do not talk to my sister like that."

Zephyr says through clench teeth. I can feel the wind whip around us wondering if it is about to storm. I see Rai's eyes narrow before sneering back at him. The loud boom of thunder shakes me to my core and I see lightning strike the ground close to us. Wind is whipping by my head so fast it's howling in my ears. This is about the be the biggest storm I've ever seen.

"Guys! We have to get out here!"

My voice snaps them out of their trance as if they forgot I was here and just like that the storm stops. That was so weird. The storm disappeared as if it was never here. Both of the boys hop back in the car looking sheepish. I get back in and let my mind wander as Rai gets back to driving. Rai's words and tone full my mind and I feel a couple of tears fall. He sees the real me. I wonder how long it'll take the rest of them. I'm nothing but a dirty and used girl who doesn't deserve love.