Some-thing down-stairs startled As-trid a-wake. Her sleep had al-ways been light, wak-ing up at the first sound.
She blinked, and observed that she was no longer in the small suburban home she had bought. but rather, in the house of the Bennett's.
The Bennett's, she thought to herself.
Astrid's heart skipped for a beat pondering on this word, and a soft warm light blinked in her eyes. "This is my home. I'm not alone anymore." She whispered to herself, "I'm a human with mommy and daddy."
Thinking that she got up, opened the door and went downstairs.
A plush carpet covered the spiral staircase. Astrid walked on it, making no noise.
The sound downstairs grew more and more audible as she descended.
She could see the spoiled brat in the midst of the vast vaulted room being gently shifted by a sleek middle- aged man, a beautiful woman and a tall teenage boy.
"Iona please stop crying. It is not really serious. Don't cry because it will make your eyes all big and ugly.
It's not that serious. We are a family. You didn't mean to hurt her, and she won't do anything to you.
That is it Iona stop crying! Is Astrid not okay? She's still breathing!
Astrid heard that and understood exactly what was going on.
There was a slight hardness in her eyes where before had been all gentle and soft expectancy.
She had a accident and she couldn't return to the Bennett house.
Astrid was a scientific researcher, so she often worked late. She'd usually get takeout since she didn't have time to cook when she got home from the lab in the middle of the night.
Pasta from a small, local mom-and-pop restaurant was one of her favorite things to eat. The thing that would warm her up best in the middle of a lonesome night was a bowl of hot spaghetti.
Her doorbell rang. It was time to open the door so she could order some spaghetti. But this time, instead of seeing the husband and wife owners who always delivered the food, a strange man stood before her with her spaghetti.
With a pout, Astrid reached over for the spaghetti, but the strange man pushed her in and went in himself.
After he locked the door and threw out the spaghetti, he took off his clothes and jumped on top of Astrid.
He'd really meant to rape Astrid!
Thankfully, Astrid was nimble and worked out regularly. Once she ducked the blow and spun around, she snatched the baseball bat off of the door and swung it into the back of his neck.
After she had tied him up and knocked him unconscious, she decided to ask him some questions whilst lighting a scented candle, as he needed to be put at ease.
She was horrified when the man revealed that Iona Bennett, who was the same age as her and a member of the Bennett family, had sent him to rape her and take photographs.
Astrid had no idea how she had offended Iona when she met her, how Iona new her for that matter until her grand father introduced her. Astrid was the daughter of the Bennett family who'd been missing 18 years! Iona was only daughter of the Bennetts really!
Astrid went back to bennett house but mooned the man's confession at Iona moving car.
Since Casper and Ginevra, her parents, weren't home at the moment,Tien Lung had suggested to drop this for now and wait for them to return so they could all attend to it.'
Astrid remembered thinking, 'Now that they are back, this is how they are solving the problem.'
Astrid was lost in her thoughts when she was suddenly hit with a glass of cold water.
Astrid had been preoccupied, but it didn't take long for her reflexes to kick in. Without thinking she jumped to the side and crouched down.
Only a dampening on her shoulders from the drops of water, not upon her face.
Alaric Bennett, in blind rage at his failure, snatched up the glass and flung it straightly at Astrid.
This time, he wasn't holding anything back. The glass was aimed directly at Astrid herself. He was doing his best to try to blind her. That's what an angry adult male does, and they were so close that if it did hit . . .
Astrid threw herself backwards in perfect time; she could feel the stair behind her knees.
When Alaric saw that, at last he was content.
"It wasn't so bad, what i did, she fell-though I didn't hit her," he said to himself.
Alaric looked down on Astrid and his eyes were filled with the contempt.
"Are you Astrid?" he requested.
Astrid gazed at the large, thickset boy who was in front of her. She knew this person. She had seen family pictures of the Bennetts. This was Alaric Bennett, the youngest Bennett son.
He was, at the same time, Astrid's little brother.
Astrid felt her eyes grow redder. She blinked fiercely, annihilating any compunction she had about her family and the Bennett family.
Stupid why didnt you just say anything? He came closer to her, grabbed her hair in the hand that was raised and forced her to look at.him not liking how silent she was being.
She was off the floor when a voice from up stairs yelled. Cease!
Peregrine was the speaker.
Alaric had panicked, dropped what he was doing right there, taken a couple of quick unconscious steps backward, and put his hands up at his sides like a good little baby.
"You're not allowed to hit your sister!" Peregrine barked, slamming his crutches onto the floorboards.
Casper and Ginevra stepped away from Alaric hurriedly when they saw how furious the old man was.
"Alaric is still young, Dad." He didn't mean to, Casper relayed.
Ginevra then cautiously approached Alaric. "Alaric just felt sorry for Iona," she explained. "He rarely ever gets mad—never on purpose."
Casper and Ginevra couldn't do a thing, but stand by and watch silently as Alaric pummeled Astrid Carlier. All of his wrath he unleashed.
When Peregrine had finished speaking both Casper and Ginevra were too terrified to speak on behalf of Alaric.
Astrid sat on the steps of the stairwell and looked upon the calm landscape before her. It was hard to tell whether her legs or heart hurt more.
Peregrine cast Ginevra a meaningful glance and then chose to speak of Iona rather than Alaric, as Astrid had hoped he would.
"Daddy. . ." Casper was the first to speak because he was afraid that Peregrine might scare Iona. ". . .is Astrid not okay? Astrid is okay. Let's be a family now and everything is okay.
"Yes," Ginevra said. Iona was crying and scared. She never wanted to hurt Astrid. All she wanted was to scare Astrid. The evil man had decided to rape Astrid on his own.
"Astrid, scare me?" Peregrine laughed. He spoke coldly, with not a shred of sympathy. "You will be arrested even if you try to kill the person."
This meant that Iona must be disciplined.
Ginevra was very anxious about Iona after this. She glanced at Astrid, for she did not dare to argue with Peregrine.
She spoke to Astrid first with this statement. Astrid, don't worry, you're OK. Is it really worth the trouble? Iona is really afraid.
Astrid looked up, glancing across Ginevra's face before lowering her eyes in thought. So this is what it's like to have a mother.
But this feeling is so uncomfortable, she thought.
"Astrid you are going to be part of the Bennett family one day," Casper said. "You don't want to upset everyone do you? Just excuse Iona if you are a nice girl."
What does this mean? Is he endangering me? Astrid thought. "I will be stupid and reckless if I don't forgive Iona."
She looked up, stood abruptly, and walked over to Iona.
"Iona." Iona gave Astrid a quick glance and blinked her large, teary eyes, looking both cute and pitiful. "I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"
"I will forgive you for sure!" Astrid thought to herself.
Iona winced and turned her head to look at Kyla, who had a mischievous twinkle in her eye. A little grin formed at the corners of her mouth. Then she
She raised her hand, concentrated her power and slapped Iona hard.
All right, I'll let you off this time!"