"What's going on?" Ezekiel's voice stopped my voice from coming from my lips. Silas stood beside him curious, but less concerned than the brother. "Isabella, stop terrorizing her!"
Isabella grumbled something, before letting me go. "When will you learn to mind your own business Ezekiel?" I thought she was going to stay and berate their brother but instead she glared at me and walked away.
"Are you okay Mariella?" Ezekiel rushed to question.
My eyes scoured the hall as it reverted back to its original size. My head turned over my shoulder as Isabella turned around a corner, before finding Ezekiel and Silas. "I'm fine." I muttered. "Thanks." I said not for helping me, but for the food he had brought me.
"Why aren't you with father? I thought you were helping him transfer records?"
"I was." My eyes found Silas. "But he gave me a break for the day. I didn't sleep well last night because a bug got into my room."
Ezekiel looked curiously towards Silas, before landing back on me. "I thought you didn't mind bugs?" I get caught in my own surprise by his words.
"No one likes being awakened by one no matter how much they enjoy them." The excuse came to me rather easily as my eyes flickered to Ezekiel.
"That is true…" He pondered. "Where are you headed? Do you want me to go with you?"
"That's alright." I put my hand out to keep the space that he threatened between us. "Thank you for helping me before, but I should be fine."
"Don't be afraid to stand up to her, Mariella. Isabella isn't as intimidating as you might think." That was easy for him to say. His body didn't override itself whenever she was around.
"If you want." Silas injected. "I could talk some sense into her."
"That would be unnecessary." I took the chance to step backwards. "I know how to stand up for myself." The two both shared a look of concern.
"Let us walk you to your room." Ezekiel continued. "We are heading that way anyway."
"I said I am fine."
"This isn't something you can reject Mariella." Ezekiel said, hooking his arm into mine. "What can you not tolerate spending some time with your brother?"
"I–," The excuse didn't come as easily as it had before. "Really you don't have to." Ezekiel nudged me down the hall as Silas caught up beside us.
"But I want to." His words seemed to drag on forever. "Am I not allowed to spend time with my little sister?"
"It's not that–
"Then what is it? You've been running away from me lately. Have you grown to hate me or something?"
I wanted to tell him I wasn't his sister. Maybe he would stop treating me like a baby if I did, but the words didn't come. I had never received such kind treatment from anyone, let alone my brother. It was strange to have someone who looked so much like the mirror speak to me so sweetly. "No…"
"Then why don't you hang out with Silas and I? I can't imagine it is fun being holed up in your room all the time."
"I wouldn't want to bother the two of you."
"You aren't bothering us. Right Silas?" I had almost forgotten he was beside me until Ezekiel pointed him out.
"I would love to hear another voice beside your brother's." He smiled, as our eyes met.
"Hey!" Ezekiel almost jumped over me to tackle Silas.
"What? I can't believe you aren't tired of mine by now either." Silas laughed.
"Maybe I should just let you go to your room." Ezekiel mumbled.
"Are you not allow to share me?" Silas poked as I remained sandwich between the two bickering parties.
"Ugh, when you put it that way it sounds gross." Ezekiel groaned.
"I can just go to my room…"
"No, now you must join us. I don't want to be alone with him." Ezekiel declared. "Plus lunch will be soon anyways. What's the point of idling there when you could hang out with us?"
The two of them did most of the talking as they dragged me around the house. They couldn't settle on where to go, nor a topic to talk about. They did more bickering than talking. The only time I spoke was when either of them pulled me into their stupid conversation. It wasn't a bad experience, but I much rather have been in bed.
Their interjection disrupted the terror I felt towards this reality. I couldn't keep my thoughts straight having the two talk over me. They didn't let me wallow in the misery of the truth. They just kept rambling on about frivolous things.
"Oh, Mariella, did you ever talk to father about that thing you were looking for? The Baby Ella or whatever it was called?"
"I did."
"So?"
"So what?"
"What is it?" He asked curiously. The two of them finally settled on sitting in the sun. I sat on a short stone wall as they rolled in the dirt.
"It's a necklace grandpa made for me." It felt odd saying as it wasn't really my necklace, but the body that I was in.
"That makes sense…" Ezekiel got transported into a deep thought. "You really were grandpa's favorite then." He sighed loudly. "Did you find the necklace or did father tell you that?"
"A bit of both."
"Oh?" Silas questioned, wanting to feel included.
"Father told me the necklace was for, and he told me to go find it in grandpa's office, so I did." I explained.
"Oooh. So it's finished? Where is it? I want to see it."
"It's still in his office." I didn't bother moving it from the place I had left it. I was too much in a disarray to have even considered doing anything with it when I left it.
Ezekiel's eager eyes found Silas before skipping back towards me. "Can we go see it?"
"Young master Ezekiel, Sir Silas, Miss Mariella!" Someone yelled from the back door. "Lunch is to be served soon!"
"After lunch?" Ezekiel quickly questioned.
"If the two of you wish to see it you can go see it yourselves, but I would rather take a nap after we eat."
Lunch was always had without Mariella's father, but it wasn't normal for her mother to skip eating with her children. Even Ezekiel questioned her absence. "Where is mother?" Isabella sat alone at the table, her fork in her food and white wine in her glass.
"Out. You know she has a life outside of us right?"
"Yes… She just normally says something."
"She did. She told me." Isabella growled.
I stepped to the platter beside her, having sat there ever since Silas slept over. However Silas sped past me and slipped into the seat. I stood there for a second, lost and confused before Ezekiel pulled to the otherside of the table and sat me in the seat across from Silas. Isabella noticed their scheme, rolled her eyes, and mumbled something under her breath before going back to eating.
Isabella left first. I tried to leave next but Ezekiel dragged me back into my seat. "You still have to show us your necklace." I looked at him as if he were broccoli on pizza.
"Do you really need me to do that?"
"Well it is yours, so yes." Ezekiel pulled me back into the seat. "Don't you want to take it back to your room anyways?"
"I guess I should." It might not have been my necklace, but it was Mariella's. Her grandfather made it for her. He even named it after her. It would be odd if I did not cherish it. "I do not wish to break it." I added to cover my tracks.
"Grandpa's jewelry isn't that fragile. Don't carry such worries."
Once they both finished their lunch, they dragged me into the office that left me so exasperated. It was bigger than I remember it being, even with three bodies in it. Noa must have come back in and put the necklace box away because I had to pull it back out of where I found it.
"Is this meant to be worn or shown in a museum?" Silas questioned as Ezekiel remained infatuated in the piece. The necklace glimmered in his eyes as he stopped himself from touching it.
"Grandpa really put his all into this piece…" It took all he had to pry his eyes from the necklace to meet mine. "You must wear it Mariella."
"I couldn't even imagine when I would." I never left the house, and it certainly wasn't something you wore casually.
"You can wear it to the Sinclair's re-opening." My eye twitched as Ezekiel suggested it. He smiled ignorant of all that would entail.
Eponine Sinclair was the youngest and only daughter of the Sinclair dynasty. She was one of two of the only living members of the name. Eponine Sinclair was the main character of this world's stupid book. She was the one who drove it, and she drove through her determination to get her hands on this necklace.
"I couldn't." I said a little too quickly. "It's far too extravagant." I excused even quicker.
"Nothing is too extravagant for the Sinclair's." Silas mumbled with a subtle annoyance.
"It is probably the only time you could wear it and still somehow manage not to stand out." Ezekiel added. "There is no other time you could wear it." He emphasized.
"I can wear it for my wedding." I only said that so I could get out of this, however both shared a horrendous look with each other.
"You would have to find someone to agree to that." Silas mocked, and Ezekiel hand jabbed his side.
"It would be a wonderful piece to wear to your wedding…" I could hear the 'but' before he even said it. "…wouldn't it be better to wear it to an event where even strangers can see it?"
"Why?" I could see his attempt to convince me to wear it. "I would rather be buried with it than wear it at a hotel's reopening. Wearing it to my wedding will surely suffice." I end the discussion with Ezekiel. "And if I am to never get married I'll just wear it whenever I want." Then I end it with Silas. "If you two are done gawking now, I'd like to take it back to my room."
"It might be best to keep it in grandpa's safe." Ezekiel added once I had ushered them out of his office. "—Just for safe-keeping." He hesitated at first but eventually he was sure of what he was saying. "You'll never know who will gain an interest in it." I shared with him a look of configuration. It's a convoluted feeling being forebode of a future I am already well aware of.
"I will consider it." Grandpa's safe was too obvious. If I truly wanted to conceal the piece I would have to find a hiding place of my own. One which no one in this house was privy to. However for now I settle for hiding it in the depths of my closet, within an inconcopious box.
Ezekiel tried to convince me to spend the rest of my evening with him and Silas, however I was already beyond exhausted with all the time I had already spent with them.
"…then sleep well, sister." He smiled earnestly as Silas stood in compliance silence.
"You as well." I finally got to shut the door, and hide my trinket.
I rolled into my bed and shunk into my sheets. I curled myself up and hugged the comfort out of my comforter as I tried to decompress.
My thoughts swirled, trying to differentiate this world and the one I was from. I never had any brothers, I only ever had 2 older sisters. I never knew family could be so kind to each other, let alone two siblings. I thought brothers were supposed to be mean to their sisters but Ezekiel was nothing but caring. I could tell he truly loved Mariella, even if he didn't say it. I thought I would never be able to recognize that form of love, but he was so unconditionally nice that I'm worried he's hiding something.