THE PAST
The room was dimly lit, the only source of light coming from the glow of the laptop screen and the occasional flashes of distant lightning outside. Aiden, a fourteen-year-old boy with a mop of unruly brown hair, was engrossed in his game, thumbs dancing across the keyboard, oblivious to the muffled sounds of his parents' argument seeping through the thin walls.
His younger sister, Lily, eleven years old with wide, innocent eyes, sat on the edge of Aiden's bed, her small hands fidgeting nervously. Each raised voice from their parents made her flinch. Aiden glanced at her, noticing the worry etched across her face.
"Stop looking at the door, Lily," Aiden muttered, not taking his eyes off the screen.
"But, Aiden, shouldn't we stop them?" Lily asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Aiden sighed, resuming the game and handing a controller to Lily. "Let the adults do what adults do. We're children; this is not our problem."
Lily hesitated, torn between the sounds of her parents' argument and the allure of the video game. She reluctantly took the controller, trying to distract herself by immersing in the game.
As the on-screen characters battled each other, the real-life tension outside the room escalated. Aiden, however, remained focused on the game, determined to drown out the unpleasant reality. Lily, on the other hand, stole glances towards the door, torn between the desire to escape into the game world and the nagging worry about her parents.
---
The ongoing battle between their parents was like a never-ending storm. Aiden, the fourteen-year-old glued to his video games, and Lily, the wide-eyed eleven-year-old, sought refuge in Aiden's room, where the laptop screen offered a temporary escape from the tumult outside.
The messy truth unfolded – their dad wasn't just a bad husband; he was a serial cheater. Their mom, worn out from the lies and betrayals, finally pulled the plug on their toxic marriage. She found someone new, and suddenly, divorce was on the horizon.
Even after the split, Aiden and Lily stuck with their dad. The constant arguments morphed into an awkward silence. But the calm didn't last. Fueled by a new romance and determination, their mom decided to go after custody of Lily.
The court battles felt like a twisted drama series. Aiden, torn between his loyalty to his dad and concern for Lily, found himself in the middle. Lily, the innocent casualty in their parents' war, faced the heart-wrenching prospect of leaving the home she'd known for eleven years.
When the dust settled, the court sided with their mom. Lily, unwittingly caught in the crossfire of her parents' failed marriage, was abruptly taken away from the only home she'd ever known. The day arrived, and the once lively house felt eerily empty without her.
---
Lily sat in the backseat of the car, her gaze fixed on her shoes as a wave of sadness washed over her. The familiar surroundings of her childhood home were now replaced by the uncertainty of a new life with her mother's remarried family.
Her mother, attempting to provide reassurance, broke the silence, "Cheer up, Lily. Richard is a good man. He'll treat you like his own daughter. His sons are well-behaved and nice. They'll be good brothers."
Despite her mother's attempt to comfort her, twelve-year-old Lily remained silent. She had read enough fairy tales to know that step-parents and step-siblings were often portrayed as villains. In those stories, the step-relatives were always the ones causing trouble or even abusing the main characters. Lily wasn't naive; she wasn't about to trust this new family blindly.
As the car neared their destination, Lily couldn't shake the knot of anxiety in her stomach. The idea of stepping into a family that wasn't her own felt like an unfamiliar, intimidating territory. Her mind raced with scenarios from the stories she had read, where step-relatives were portrayed as wicked figures waiting to make her life miserable.
---
The car came to a halt in front of a grand mansion, and Lily, along with her mother, stepped out. Despite the opulence of the house, Lily wasn't impressed; after all, her father was equally wealthy, if not more so. Servants efficiently took Lily's belongings inside the mansion, and with a firm grip on her daughter's hand, Lily's mother led her into the imposing house.
Inside, they were met by a handsome man and two equally good-looking boys. "Lily, this is your new dad and your brothers," Lily's mother announced. The trio, captivated by Lily's adorable presence, couldn't help but be charmed, even if she was giving them a stern glare that contradicted her cuteness. Lily's mother beamed with pride, thinking her daughter's charm would melt any initial reservations.
"No," Lily declared firmly, refusing to be swayed by their apparent admiration.
The older of the two boys stepped forward with a warm smile. "I want to be your family. Don't you want to be my sister?" he asked, genuine in his attempt to welcome her into their lives.
Lily shook her head, her guard firmly in place. The younger one, not deterred, chimed in, "Why not?"
"You'll poison me and make me do housework," Lily bluntly stated, her words laced with suspicion. She had read enough cautionary tales to be wary of the seemingly kind step-siblings. Lily wasn't about to let her guard down, convinced that this picturesque new family could easily turn into a nightmare.
---
Lily's words hung in the air, casting a shadow of surprise and confusion over the gathering. "Aiden already told me. You are all bad people," she declared, her gaze unwavering.
Lily's mother rubbed her temples, sensing a headache coming on. Aiden, her own son, seemed to have successfully painted a negative picture of her new family to Lily. She couldn't understand why Aiden wouldn't support her in this new chapter of their lives.
Richard Caldwell, the man Lily's mother had remarried, stepped forward with a gentle smile. "That's not true. We won't hurt you, child," Richard reassured, attempting to bridge the gap between them.
As Richard moved closer, Lily instinctively moved behind her mother, as if seeking refuge. Richard continued, "Lily, Aiden lied to you. He hasn't even met us. How can he know if we are good or bad? Trust Mommy, okay?" Lily's mother pleaded.
Lily shook her head resolutely. "Aiden never lies, and he always scores the highest in his class. Daddy said Aiden is the smartest, so Aiden can't be wrong," she asserted, determined to stand by her brother's judgment.
The newly formed family stood in awkward silence, unsure of how to break through Lily's steadfast beliefs. Aiden's influence had created a barrier, and despite the warmth in Richard's smile and the kindness in the eyes of the two boys, Lily remained unconvinced.
---
Dinner unfolded in an atmosphere of tension as Lily, ever vigilant, insisted that everyone taste everything to ensure it wasn't poisoned. The awkwardness lingered even after the last dish was cleared away. Lily, feeling overwhelmed, excused herself and retreated to her new room.
"I swear she isn't usually like this," Erica, Lily's mother, remarked after Lily left.
Richard chuckled, finding Lily's cautious behavior somewhat amusing. "She's very adorable," Lexis, the eldest son, commented, reflecting on Lily's unique way of assessing their trustworthiness.
"That brother of hers is a piece of work. I mean, who says that to their sister?" Ethan, the youngest brother, chimed in, puzzled by Aiden's influence.
"He doesn't want her to get hurt. We just have to show her that we won't hurt her," Richard said, offering a reassuring perspective as he gently caressed Erica's hand.
Deciding to break the ice, Lexis suggested, "I'm sure she'd like some ice cream. I'll take some to her."
"I'll go too," Ethan added, willing to make an effort to bridge the gap.
The two brothers grabbed ice cream and ascended the stairs to Lily's room. However, before they could knock, they overheard Lily engaged in a conversation with someone.
"So, how was it?" a mysterious voice inquired.
"The food wasn't poisoned, and it was tasty too," Lily's innocent voice replied.
"They're just trying to lower your guard. The moment you trust them, you're dead," the mysterious voice cautioned.
Lexis and Ethan exchanged puzzled glances, realizing that Lily's apprehension ran deeper than they had initially thought.