Part 1: A Meeting Between Siblings
Dear Diary, today, my newly found uncle met my mother, his sister. Before I get into that, though, I’ll mention here that Jarah is still working on the encrypted file without success. He claims he can crack it, but he needs more time.
I never told Bram about Otto’s behavior toward me. I’ve been trying to push it out of my mind because whenever I think about it, it feels like bugs are crawling all over my skin. Otto is hideous, and I’ve taken great pains to make sure I’m never alone with him.
Okay, back to Mom and Uncle Aleks now. Mom’s attitude toward me has been cool. At least it’s not cold, right? We’re speaking again because she wanted to hear again how I came to meet her older half-brother.
I think maybe she was in shock when I first told her about Aleks. Then, she decided she wanted to meet him.
When I pulled up outside Mom and Perry’s house, the black car that belonged to Aleks’ caregiver Mia was already there.
When I got inside, out of breath from hurrying, Mia and Aleks were already talking with Mom and Perry.
Mia had a small smile, and whenever Aleks glanced at her, she gave him an encouraging nod.
“I always wanted to meet you,” Aleks told Mom.
“You knew about me?” she whispered, her eyes turning misty.
After another nod from Mia, he said, “Y-yes, I don’t know how long ago it was…”
Mia smiled and said, “Years. It was years ago.”
“Yes, years ago. I wanted to find my birth family. When I was a small boy, a woman sometimes came to see me. Aunt Rose.”
The color drained from Mom’s face. “Aunt Rose?”
“Yes, that’s right. She came to see me sometimes. She was kind. During some visits, she gave me treats. She said I resembled her brother, but her eyes always looked far away as if she wasn’t really completely there with me at all.”
Mom licked her lips, and wiped one of her eyes with her fingertips. I stayed statue still because it seemed like a spell was over the room. After everything Mom’d been through, I didn’t want to spoil this for her.
“I adored my- our Aunt Rosetta,” Mom said, her voice quiet, her bottom lip trembling. “She was right, you do resemble Dad.”
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “I wish I’d known him, although, my adoptive parents were good to me.”
“Did you always know you were adopted?”
He shook his head. “No. I found out after my father- my adoptive father died. I was fifteen, and I found some of his papers. I wanted to find my real parents, but Aunt Rose visited and said I must never go looking. She said I would ruin lives, and she would never let that happen. It was the first time I’d ever been frightened of her.” He turned to Mia, and said, “I can’t…”
Mia squeezed his hand, then continued his story for him. “His aunt threatened him. She said if he didn’t stop searching, it would not end well for him or what was left of his family. I wasn’t working for the family at the time, of course, but I’ve heard these stories over the years and know them well.”
“She threatened your life?” Mom asked, her jaw hanging slack.
“As soon as she said it, I knew she never really loved me or cared about my welfare. Visiting me was her way of making sure I never knew the real story.”
My eyes filled with tears as Mom nodded and took her half-brother’s hand.
“I can’t tell you how sorry I am that you grew up without knowing the truth. I didn’t know either, but I can say that it would have been wonderful to have had a big brother.”
Aleks and Mom were openly crying as they hugged each other.
Part 2: Disgusting!
I felt like I was in limbo while Jarah hid himself in his room, working on the flash drive. Bram could see I was preoccupied, and I could sense in him a growing storm. Ever since Otto came home, Bram was not his usual self. When I touched him, I felt an unquenchable rage boiling beneath the surface.
The weird thing was, I was sure he was unaware of it all. Perhaps he was so used to stifling his true feelings, he no longer recognized them for what they were. I don’t know. What I did know, was that I didn’t feel I could tell him how Otto had attacked me, or how I’d stolen the flash drive. Hearing that might set him off in a bad way.
Everything about Otto, even if he hadn’t assaulted me, heightened my sense of danger. He was involved in terrible things, and some of it had to do with my great-aunt Rosetta. She was obviously no angel, but I still wanted to know what it was all about.
“Easy with the paprika. If you use too much, it will taste bitter, and we’ll have to add some citrus or vinegar.”
“No problem, Chef Bram,” Zayday said. “Kara measured it… sort of.”
Bram cracked a smile. “Sort of?”
“For pete’s sake, relax you two,” I said, adding a little more for good measure.
“Just follow the recipe,” Bram chuckled. “If you’re going to test my cookbook, you should follow the instructions.”
After I moved the sauce onto a hot burner, I said, “You know how home cooks are, though. Some will follow the recipe to a T while others will do what I just did.”
“Now, that’s a good point,” he said. “Keep stirring, gently. You don’t want it sticking to the bottom.”
“Aye aye, captain.”
Zayday scooped up a little of the paprika and touched her tongue to it.
“That’s disgusting!” she exclaimed, only it came out more like disusting. “I don’t think that should have went in there at all.”
“Gone in there,” I murmured as I stirred.
“Right.”
“You wanna taste it, Miss Thang?” I asked.
“Uh, that would be a big no.”
Bram sighed. “Well, I want a taste.”
“Sure thing, Boss.”
I put some on a fork and popped it in his mouth.
He grimaced a little then said, “You’re right, Zayday. Paprika does not belong in there.”
She giggled. “Right?”
I rolled my eyes and dumped my dish in the trash. But I wasn’t truly annoyed with either of them. It was these small family moments that kept me sane in a world where danger lurked around every corner.
Part 3: Jarah Can’t Stop
Something woke me from a troubled sleep. In my dream, I was facing a dark foe cloaked in black. It seemed I knew what he wanted and why he was there, but I refused to comply. As he came closer, his hands outstretched, I realized I was about to die.
Then I woke up.
I turned on the bedside lamp and sat up for a moment, trying to catch my breath. My pulse was thumping in my temple, and chills ran down my back like slippery, cold fingers.
Bram was fast asleep, his chest rising in rhythm to his breath. Rather than wake him up, I decided to get up and check on things. My dream had really spooked me, so I knew I would feel better if I took a short walk around the hallway.
In the hall, I paused to look out the window. There was a dim light glowing across the courtyard in the guest apartment above the garage. Sloan was either awake, or she’d left the light on.
That’s when I heard a noise down the hall from Jarah’s room. It wasn’t a loud noise, but a small thud. Hurrying toward his door, I knocked, and heard him say, “Come in.”
“What are you doing up? And, why did you tell me to come in while you have the flash drive out in plain sight?”
He shrugged, still staring at his computer screen. “I figured it was you.”
“You have to be careful. You could be in danger if Otto finds out you have that,” I said, my voice just above a whisper. I cracked his door open and peered into the murky hallway. Satisfied no one was there, I shut it again.
“I know that, believe me,” he mumbled. “I think I’m almost there with this.”
“You should get some rest. You can work more on this tomorrow.”
“Not when I’m so close. I can’t stop now. I think I’m almost there.”
I sighed, knowing I couldn’t change his mind. “I’ll give you another hour. Sleep in tomorrow. I’ll bring up a breakfast tray for you.”
Part 4: Bumps in the Night
On my way back to my bedroom, I thought I heard a small bumping noise coming from the sitting area at the top of the stairs. As I stood among the gold leaf couches and chaise lounge, the skin on the back of my neck prickled.
Someone was here.
But I couldn’t see anyone.
“Who’s there?” I called, my voice squeaking like a thirteen-year-old boy.
Before I knew it, a masked figure, dressed in black shoved me against the wall. My back hit the wood paneling with a thud, and I groaned.
The wind was knocked out of me so I couldn’t scream. Just as I was getting my bearings back, his fingers curled around my neck, squeezing tight.
My throat was so constricted, my lungs burned. I couldn’t make a sound or even gasp as he gripped harder. Instead, stars danced in front of my eyes, and I began to lose consciousness.
“Kara? Are you okay?” I heard Jarah’s voice coming from the hallway.
He paused near the sitting area and was only a few feet away from me. It was so dark, he probably couldn’t see me or my attacker.
All at once, my body crashed to the floor, and I heaved gulps of air into my searing lungs.
“Kara!” Jarah shouted, his voice ringing in my ears. He knelt by my side, then stood up again. “I’m getting Bram!”
When Bram and Jarah returned, I was struggling to sit up. It still felt hard to breathe, my throat continued to feel constricted, and sore.
“She’s here,” Jarah said, helping his brother kneel next to me.
Bram grasped my face, brushing tears from my cheeks with his thumbs. “Kara! What happened?”
I could barely get any sound out as I tried to answer him. “S-some-one… strangle…”
“Sh,” he said, then scooped me up in his arms.
“We need to get you to the hospital. Are you okay?”
A sigh of relief escaped my lips as my body relaxed in his arms. “Throat hurts,” I croaked.
Jarah was the only one keeping his head on, though. “Guys, we need to get out of this house. Like, now! I have the flash drive, let’s go!”
“Flash drive?” Bram asked.
“Never mind right now. Someone tried to kill Kara, and none of us are safe. We need a place to lay low until I have the encryption cracked.”
If Bram didn’t believe his younger brother, he didn’t say so. Instead, we got dressed, and got the hell out of Dodge.
Notes:
Just a quick note to let you know that some of you have told me you aren’t receiving notifications that I’ve responded to your comments. I respond to all of them, and appreciate them all. If I haven’t responded, it’s an accident. But, anyway, I think I’m going to have to take this up with JetPack when I have some time. 🙂 I’m sorry for any inconvenience.
For the choking scene, I used Blam’s poses which you can find here: RandomAssortment pose pack.
Thank you for reading, liking, lurking, and commenting!
I’m glad Bea decided to meet Aleks. That was really sweet. The cooking scene was really cute, too.
I’m glad they’re getting out of there!!! I wonder if it’s Otto himself under the mask, or a henchman. They need to get Sloan and Zayday out of there, too!
Thank you, Heather. I think in a way, Bea is happy to have a brother. 🙂 I’m glad you liked the cooking scene. I had a lot of fun with that.
Yes, there is no way they can stay there now. That’s a good question about the masked guy. And, good thinking, to include Sloan and Zayday!
Whaaaaat?! No complaints about them getting out of the house though. Kara should not be living in the same house as Otto. I mean none of them should be, but her especially… But I can see why she wouldn’t bring it up, that’s in her nature in a way… >.>
Thank you 😀 Yeah, they need to get out of there immediately. I’m glad you can see why she might not mention being assaulted by Otto. Although, I have a feeling if Bram finds out, he may not understand.
Wow!! I was enjoying the scene with Kara’s cooking and her banter with Bram (so adorable btw! 😍😍) so much, that I did not see the attack coming. To be honest, I loved their dialogue so much that I had already forgotten about Otto! I am at the edge of my seat!
Poor Aleks… he didn’t deserve all that suffering 😢 I am so happy he and Bea are finally united!
Thank you ❤ That’s exactly what Kara was trying to do; forget about Otto! hahahaha I’m glad you were able to for a short while, too.
I think Aleks and Bea will have a great relationship.
Must’ve been so strange for Bea to meet her half-brother. But then again, however he came to be, he is family.
And they all need out of that house.
I think it was strange for Bea to meet her half-brother, but like you said, he’s family. He and Bea had nothing to do with that, so they should act like brother and sister, I think.
Yes, they need to get out fast!
Waaazzuuuuuuuuuuuup 😛
LOL! I hope you get notified of this. 😀
Weeeeeeeee!
Aw, a lovely reunion with Aleks! It could have gone the other way so I’m glad it was a happy event. But yikes about Kara! I would have got straight out of Dodge too! x
Thank you so much, Caz 🙂 It sure could have gone bad. I think Bea realized it was the right thing to do. Oh, yeah, Kara… It’s a good thing they’re getting out of there!
Oh goodness, they need to hurry up and crack the flashdrive asap before they all get killed! Kara had a close call there. I’m glad Bea is happy to meet her brother.
Thank you, Raymond 🙂 You’re so right. Hopefully, Jarah will crack the code soon, and they can figure out what to do from there.
Bea is so happy. 🙂
OHHH Goodnight! This was a nail biter … wow no clue at all (that is not where I usually am in stories)
Thank you, Lisa 🙂 I guess I owe you some nail polish or something since you bit it all off? LOLOL Answers coming soon. 😀
LOL .. I will take salmon pink
Good choice! 😀
Well. I had a long comment and couldn’t post! I think it’s me not you so no worries.
So … I am so worried about Kara. Thank goodness Otto got interrupted! They need to leave and Kara needs to tell Bram everything! No secrets from those you love. Didn’t she learn with her mother? Dang it! She just wants everyone to be happy. Can’t blame her but still. 😫. Okay fun and run far and fast. Maybe her mom and Perry can help?
Thank you, Audrey. I’m sorry your first comment went out the window. 🙂
I can see why you’re worried about Kara. If Jarah hadn’t looked for her, she might be dead right now. You are so right that they need to leave and tell Bram everything. You’d think she would have learned after what happened with her mother, but I guess she has more to learn. This all might bite her in the butt.
Yes! I think Mom and Perry might need to get involved.
Oh my dear, I hope Kara will be okay. Otto is creepy…
Thank you, Jowita. 🙂 You got that right.
Eeek. I did not expect that. I think I remember you promising that Kara’s generation would be less eventful, but I guess compared to being shot or having your daughter kidnapped, this is a change of pace, lol! 😛
Otto is a real piece of work. I think he needs to go die in a hole, just like Avery. #Ottodieinahole. 😀
I don’t get notifications either, but I didn’t think to mention, lol. 😛 I thought it might be because of the different comment system so I didn’t think about it too much.
Thank you, Louise 🙂 LOL I did promise that, didn’t I? I reckon I meant after the mystery. hahaha
Yes! I like the hashtag. #Ottodieinahole. Says it all. 😀
You might be right regarding the notifications. I wonder if that’s what’s done it? I’m sure JetPack will tell me you’re right. lol
They all need to get to a safe place ASAP! Hope they take Zay-day and Sloane with them!
Thank you, CT 🙂 You are definitely right about that. I’m sure they will take Sloan and Zayday with them.
I wonder…..will Kara regret her curiosity? We’ve jumped into the danger and intrigue zone with this story! Hopefully, this new reality for the family will not end in a funeral……..unless it is his, we could probably all go along with that!
Thank you, Bee 🙂 Kara very well might regret this whole thing. lol Right from the beginning, it made her a liar. Now, they’re all in danger and she could have lost her life had Jarah not been there.
Let’s hope there are no funerals, unless, of course, as you said, it’s Otto’s! lol
Really, Otto? This is what we’re doing now? What a weak, small man.
Thank you, Jess 🙂 I’m lol’ing right now. My work here is done. 😀
HA!
Good story, again. I’m always amazed by what happens next.
Thank you, Jacqui 🙂 Your words are very encouraging.
Oh my goodness! This chapter was wrought with action.
I loved the reunion between Bea and Aleks. It’s a shame it’s such a long time in coming, especially with his early onset dementia. But at least it did happen and Rosetta can just stew in her grave. LOL!
The family scene where they were cooking and testing out Bram’e recipe was really nice. It’s great that they could find some enjoyment even in the midst of the evil that is Otto.
And speaking of Otto, I have no doubt that he was the one who attacked Kara. She had a very, very close shave, and I’m so glad that they all got out of that house. I wonder where they are going to go now. I don’t think he is going to get caught anytime soon because they would have to prove that he was the one who attacked her. He is evil and downright crazy, but he is not stupid. He’s involved in many nefarious things, and he knows how to cover his tracks. I think he is even more dangerous than Rosetta was.
Anyway, something is going to have to give soon or someone’s going to get hurt or worse.
Thank you, Sharon 🙂 I couldn’t see Bea reacting any other way to a long lost brother than to accept him and be happy to have him. His upbringing was good, but strange and fraught with lies. He deserves a good outcome, too. I like what you said about Rosetta! hahaha
I included the family scene because firstly, Kara has kept everything going on from Bram. But also, life still goes on even when it’s filled to the brim with drama. lol
You’re probably right about Otto. In the next chapter, we’ll know for sure. I like that you think he’s more dangerous than Rosetta was. The thing with Rosetta was that everything she did was, in her mind and whether right or wrong, for the betterment of society or her family. With Otto, he’s all about himself. They were both hugely misguided, but their motivations are very different. So, maybe you’re right that Otto is more dangerous. It’s interesting to think about.
Oh, something will definitely give soon. 😀
Oh, I could totally see that happening. I just hope Bea and Aleks get some nice, quality time together. There is a lot of time to make up for, and I really hope they get that time to be able to do that.
So glad you liked what I said about Rosetta. Hahaha. I know she didn’t want this to happen, but too bad, so sad. LOL!
So true! Regardless of all the drama going on, every day, regular life still needs to happen. Bram is going to be royally pissed if and when he finds out, and I can totally see a big argument happening between him and Kara. He won’t like that she kept this from him, but of course, he is still keeping secrets, too.
This is very true about Rosetta. She could at least think of someone other than herself. Otto has no regard for anyone but himself. I think he is totally without a conscience, which really makes him vile and dangerous. I hate to think what he is doing to the Inheritance, but it certainly can’t be good. I think Marty and Xalen would be absolutely floored and disgusted if they knew what was going on.
That would be nice if Aleks and Bea could spend some time together. I think it would be healing for them both.
Too bad, so sad. LOLOL I say that, too.
You are right about Bram, most likely. Still, there are things he hasn’t told Kara either, but that’s no excuse. Kara should have kept him in the loop.
The reason Otto is without a conscience is because he measures everything against his own standards, not society’s. Because he does this, he feels he is always right.
I’m glad you brought up what he might be doing to The Inheritance. Keep that thought handy. 😀
Well, he is definitely very scary. And to be so scornful of societies standards, he definitely is beyond reprehensible. It sounds like I am onto something with the Injeritance. It makes me so sad that he is in charge of it. Let’s hope that one day it gets back into better hands.
You just might be on to something, that is for sure. 😀 It makes me sad he’s in charge of it, too, but he is nothing like Xalen was.
Are you getting this notification, Sharon? 🙂
Nope, not a thing. I hit the notify me box, so we’ll see if that does it.
Okay, thank you. 🙂 I appreciate your help.