"What have you done to my family?"
Orion repeats his question with a hardened expression. I nervously shift my attention between him and Aunt Josette. I don't know anything about Orion's family.
"If you want clear answers, yu need to ask her clear questions."
Orion glares at Aunt Josette. A sneer appears on his mouth, making him look dangerously lethal. "Getting nervous for your kin? Don't worry, Josetta, I will not kill her until I get my answers."
If Aunt Josette feels attacked, she does not show any emotion. She has always been like that. None of her emotions have ever reached her eyes. None of her expressions have ever felt genuine. I don't dwell on her emotions or lack thereof. What grabs my attention is that Orion is watching me with fear hidden in his posture.
He is standing at a distance, his stance is ready to counterattacked. His jaws are hardened and his eyes are wide as if he is expecting something to happen. I am aware of my half-nakedness, painfully so, and there is a stranger in my room, but if we rule that out, there is nothing out of the ordinary. Being very alert of the situation, I ask him back.
"I don't know anything about your family."
"You caused mayhem in my house, injured my brothers, and now you dare to deny that. You truly are her kin." Aunt Josette shifts uncomfortably. The venom in Orion's tone touches my skin too. I have never felt any kind of fondness for Aunt Josette, but the words hurt my pride.
"You have to be clearer, if you want to answer," I say surprising myself. I have never answered back to anybody. Not my father, not my uncles, or grandfather, definitely not somebody who doesn't belong to my family. From their faces, I guess my response has surprised Aunt Josette and Orion too. However, none of them comment on that.
"He is talking about that night, Franny. You have met Lazarus and Alp, and you already know Felix and Arthur. They are the brothers he is talking about," Aunt Josette explains.
"They cannot be related," I mutter. I don't want to point out the obvious, the difference in their races. While Felix and Art look utterly European with their pale skin, light hair, high cheekbones, and blue eyes, Alp has more Middle Eastern features. Lazarus, despite his name, reminded me of a Mongolian warrior from a History Channel documentary. Rayo looks like a classy corporate moghul, with his faintly Chinese features. And Orion, now that I look closely, I can imagine him as a member of a Korean boyband. No, I shake my head to dismiss the prospect. These men can not be related by blood.
As if reading my thoughts, Aunt Josette explained again, "They are brothers, not by blood, but in spirit. You see—"
"I don't see the relevance of sharing our origin story to her," Orion growls.
His voice sounds like an animalistic growl, something that has come out from the deep of his throat. I nearly jump out of my skin, my lips sealed out of fear. What the hell was that?
Who the hell is he?
Orion turns to me and says, "If my voice can have that effect on you, imagine what I can do to your pale, malnourished body. Speak up now, little girl, before I cause physical harm to you." His words bring some images to my mind. All the old news of animal attacks, human organs found in and near the forests, and many more. There is no reason behind it, but I start imagining Orion and his 'brothers' tearing those poor ones into pieces.
What a morbid thought!
"Now, speak, what have you done to my brothers?"
My courage has dissipated, and my voice has gone to the bottom of my being. Somehow I manage to say, "I have not done anything."
"I don't believe you," he hisses. I feel his presence very close to me. My body turns cold. I become very mindful of the bathrobe I am wearing, and that it is partially wet due to the water dripping from my hair.
Suddenly A warm hand grabs my wrist and pulls me away. "I believe her," she says.
"And I don't," he announces.
"Look at her. Do you really believe this pale, little thing can cause something like that?" She asks in agitation.
"The face does not always show the claws. You should know that by now, Josetta."
"Well, she is not a monster."
A shadow passes me and pins Aunt Josette to the wall. I dare not to turn and see what is happening behind me, but the cautionary words hit my ears well enough.
"Careful. Don't forget your place..."
Sometimes I wish to faint voluntarily. Like the dramatic heroines from the soap opera, where she faints but her hair stays the same, her skirt does not compromise her decency, and her face looks as fresh as a daisy. If I faint, I will probably look like a rag doll. A malnourished ragdoll.
I don't faint. I just stand there like a puppet, waiting for my master's command. He rushes back to me and says in an astonishingly normal tone, "I can see through the mask you were. I have lived long enough to find the wolf in sheep's disguise."
"What?" I look up and meet his eyes. He is not intimidating anymore, instead, his eyes are twinkling.
"First time in years we have found something like you. It's going to be fun," he says.
Then he bows. He bows his head in front of me and bends his body forward, but when he lifts his face, I don't find any kind of reverence there. He glares at me and leaves.
I look curiously at Aunt Josette. She shrugs and says, "It's your family ties. No matter where you go or what you do, it will always follow you."
"I don't understand. Why do I have to answer those men? Are they even humans?"
She stills for a moment. With her deeply judgemental, green eyes trained on my face, she asks, "What makes you ask that?"
"Because they did not feel human." Even a kid could tell how weird they were. Lazarus was nothing short of a creep who spoke in puzzles. I especially did not like how Feliz and Art appeared there. I have not shared with anyone how my skin crawled every time they came closer, but it was one of the factors that made me think of them and their species.
"It's this cursed family. Every generation, a woman is chosen. She has to keep herself from being touched by vices. When of age, the virgins are presented to them. That is how this family has survived for centuries." Aunt Josette goes on absent-mindedly, "You were born in this family on a special night. You were chosen the moment you were born. You are to save Lucy from her diseases; you are to save your Uncle Jerry from cancer; you are supposed to save the company from being bankrupt, and the women of the family from disgrace. You are to save this family from all the misfortunes that have hit us in the past fifty years."
I stare at her in amazement. The only possibility that comes to my mind is that my family members have sold the daughters to the devil, and in return, they have gained everything they have now. A popular TV series flashes in my head.
"Has someone signed a deal with their blood, in exchange for their virgin daughters?" The words fall from my mouth contemptuously.
"Yes, that's exactly what happened. Only, the devil was not what the popular culture suggests nowadays."
"Are you crying?" I cannot help but feel pity for the woman. There is something wrong with Aunt Josette. It always has been like that. She has never acted like a normal aunt, never has she shown any symptoms of being a normal human being. This is the perfect time to ask this, and strangely enough, I don't feel the usual fear or hesitation. "What are you, Aunt Josette?"
She smiles. Once again, that smile doesn't reach her eyes. "I am not a human, Francesca. I have never been a human."