Pomegranate 1
Author: Casey
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy universe, Pre-NIEE
Challenges: Pomegranate 1 (explosion)
Toppings & Extras: Whipped Cream (Ani is 14), Cookie Crumbs ( this), Malt (Cookie Crumbs request from Marina)
Word Count: 691
Rating: PG (warning: implies child physical abuse)
Summary: Ani knows she can’t go too.
Notes: Two more pieces after this to complete my summer self-challenge!
A part of Ani had always known that one day, her brother would stand up to Edward. Not Vlad, but Sorin. Vlad was too like her father, as much as he tried to be a better man, and succeeded, at least as far as violence went. She wouldn’t either. Edward had always told her she was too weak, too simpleminded for something that drastic.
It had always been Sorin. Sorin, the one who took the brunt of their father’s wrath when he was home, who could never do anything right, just because of the accident of his birth.
Still, when it finally came, it startled the hell out of all four of them. It began as a fairly typical evening. Edward was lecturing the two young men on aspects of his business, which confused Ani enough. He despised Sorin with every fiber of his being but was still doing his best to groom him to help take over the business. If she really thought about it, she supposed Edward’s thought was every leader (Vlad) needed a right hand man (Sorin), but it still baffled her.
Ani worked on homework and wished she could be hiding in her room, safely behind a closed door. She was not paying any attention to the business talk Edward was imparting. When Sorin spoke, though, it got her attention quickly. He rarely spoke up at their little powwows.
She looked up, more out of habit than anything, in time to see Edward casually backhand the eighteen-year-old across the face. “Don’t be any stupider than you have to be,” Edward admonished.
Then came the moment that Ani would remember for the rest of her life, always as crystal clear as when she watched it happen. Sorin’s head came back around and something had changed in his face. Without any warning, his fist lashed out, catching Edward square in the cheek and actually stumbling him back a step.
The room went deathly silent. Ani couldn’t even register the crackle of the fire as she stared. When her book hit the floor, dropped from shocked fingers, the noise made everyone present jump. Sorin burst into action, shoving past both Vlad and Edward, heading determinedly towards the stairs. Ani sprang to her feet, glancing only briefly at the other two before racing after him. Distantly, she was disappointed in Vlad for staying, but knowing he couldn’t help who he was.
For the first ten, maybe fifteen minutes, neither of them spoke. Sorin violently shoved clothes and supplies in his old school duffel while Ani sat on his bed watching him, as still as she’d ever been.
Then, “Where’re you going to go?” she asked.
“Don’t know.”
“Father,” she started.
“Edward will kill me if I’m still here once he recovers.”
They both fell silent again.
As he finished, Sorin slowed for a moment, glancing at her. “Ani, I…”
“You’ll be happier gone,” she said briskly, not wanting to hear him offer anything. It was bad enough hearing the now seldom used nickname. She would go with him instantly, even now, even with the wall they had built between them, but she was Edward’s flesh and blood. He would never stop looking for them and he had the resources to make that happen. If he left her, he broke clean. Broke clean and free and safe.
He nodded and now slung his bag over his shoulder. Ani trailed him down to the front door. “Bye, Sorin. Good luck,” she said, forcing the lump in her throat down. She could do this for him, because he had always been her best friend and he needed her permission to go and not look back.
He met her gaze only for a moment and she wondered how much he understood of what she was doing. “Bye,” he said. “Take care of yourself, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, because there was nothing else to say.
“Bye,” he repeated before turning and heading towards town, duffel slung over his shoulder.
Ani watched until he was out of sight, steeled herself for the hell sure to descend and then went back inside. She would not look back either.
Story: Nothing is Ever Easy universe, Pre-NIEE
Challenges: Pomegranate 1 (explosion)
Toppings & Extras: Whipped Cream (Ani is 14), Cookie Crumbs ( this), Malt (Cookie Crumbs request from Marina)
Word Count: 691
Rating: PG (warning: implies child physical abuse)
Summary: Ani knows she can’t go too.
Notes: Two more pieces after this to complete my summer self-challenge!
A part of Ani had always known that one day, her brother would stand up to Edward. Not Vlad, but Sorin. Vlad was too like her father, as much as he tried to be a better man, and succeeded, at least as far as violence went. She wouldn’t either. Edward had always told her she was too weak, too simpleminded for something that drastic.
It had always been Sorin. Sorin, the one who took the brunt of their father’s wrath when he was home, who could never do anything right, just because of the accident of his birth.
Still, when it finally came, it startled the hell out of all four of them. It began as a fairly typical evening. Edward was lecturing the two young men on aspects of his business, which confused Ani enough. He despised Sorin with every fiber of his being but was still doing his best to groom him to help take over the business. If she really thought about it, she supposed Edward’s thought was every leader (Vlad) needed a right hand man (Sorin), but it still baffled her.
Ani worked on homework and wished she could be hiding in her room, safely behind a closed door. She was not paying any attention to the business talk Edward was imparting. When Sorin spoke, though, it got her attention quickly. He rarely spoke up at their little powwows.
She looked up, more out of habit than anything, in time to see Edward casually backhand the eighteen-year-old across the face. “Don’t be any stupider than you have to be,” Edward admonished.
Then came the moment that Ani would remember for the rest of her life, always as crystal clear as when she watched it happen. Sorin’s head came back around and something had changed in his face. Without any warning, his fist lashed out, catching Edward square in the cheek and actually stumbling him back a step.
The room went deathly silent. Ani couldn’t even register the crackle of the fire as she stared. When her book hit the floor, dropped from shocked fingers, the noise made everyone present jump. Sorin burst into action, shoving past both Vlad and Edward, heading determinedly towards the stairs. Ani sprang to her feet, glancing only briefly at the other two before racing after him. Distantly, she was disappointed in Vlad for staying, but knowing he couldn’t help who he was.
For the first ten, maybe fifteen minutes, neither of them spoke. Sorin violently shoved clothes and supplies in his old school duffel while Ani sat on his bed watching him, as still as she’d ever been.
Then, “Where’re you going to go?” she asked.
“Don’t know.”
“Father,” she started.
“Edward will kill me if I’m still here once he recovers.”
They both fell silent again.
As he finished, Sorin slowed for a moment, glancing at her. “Ani, I…”
“You’ll be happier gone,” she said briskly, not wanting to hear him offer anything. It was bad enough hearing the now seldom used nickname. She would go with him instantly, even now, even with the wall they had built between them, but she was Edward’s flesh and blood. He would never stop looking for them and he had the resources to make that happen. If he left her, he broke clean. Broke clean and free and safe.
He nodded and now slung his bag over his shoulder. Ani trailed him down to the front door. “Bye, Sorin. Good luck,” she said, forcing the lump in her throat down. She could do this for him, because he had always been her best friend and he needed her permission to go and not look back.
He met her gaze only for a moment and she wondered how much he understood of what she was doing. “Bye,” he said. “Take care of yourself, okay?”
“Okay,” she said, because there was nothing else to say.
“Bye,” he repeated before turning and heading towards town, duffel slung over his shoulder.
Ani watched until he was out of sight, steeled herself for the hell sure to descend and then went back inside. She would not look back either.