Nadine Book 6

22. Pirates

2 hours later, Nikolas and Victor pick a room. Then we tour the 1st closet. We explain how everything works. We explain towels and shoes. We end up staring at each other because we've done this so much. Then we do the other closet.

"Let's go to the bar. I need a drink after this."

"You would think we would get faster at it after a while. But I think we get slower."

Thora sits in the middle of the couch and me and Coral sit by her sides. The boys each sit in a chair, and we all get a glass of wine.

Victor smiles. "1 thing I don't get. I've heard a brother mentioned a few times, but I've never seen him."

"Nicladie Andos Sandu. He's dead. My mates killed my baby brother." Both their eyebrows shoot up. "My brother got his dragon. He had a big thing at the field. Invited everyone. I didn't have my dragon then. I didn't even know I would get 1. But he showed that thing off to everyone. When he was showing the villagers, Dipak talked me through turning into my dragon. It was my first time. Almost everyone was gone by then. I did it for a few seconds, then landed. I waited on the field after everyone left to congratulate him. Everyone was gone, and he was saying goodbye to the last few people. As soon as they left, he came after me. He bashed my skull in. He destroyed my skull. He stabbed me so many times. He kept screaming, why won't you die? I woke up in the medical area a week later."

"He was dead then?"

"No. But that's enough for me."

Thora puts her arm around me. "We got this." She takes over. She talks about my life. Nova walks in at 1 point and plays with my hair. Then Johen comes in and sits and listens to her too.

She talks and talks. I hear things every now and then, but I don't want to. She tells them about my brothers followers. The evil magician. The brainwashing. How we figured out my brother was alive and working with the magicians. Me being tortured. The paintings and what they are. Finding Elroy. The mountain we blew apart. She tells them about Dipak beating me. How I broke my neck and why Marcus was called in. How my brother finally died. How I walked in on Tye with another girl. She tells them a lot. I end up falling asleep on Nova.

"Have a good nap sweetheart?"

Dipak sits me up. Marcus is in a chair and everyone else is gone. "Where did everybody go?"

"I sent them to dinner. Told them I would wake you up. Why are you sleeping on Nova?"

"Thora was telling them my life story. I guess it was boring."

He puts his arm around me. "Why was she doing that?"

"Victor asked about my brother. I told them about the field, I couldn't go on. She took over."

"I know that's hard to think about sweetheart."

"The messed up part is I still miss him. I wish it could have been different. I wish he didn't hate me. I still don't know what I did that was so bad."

Marcus smiles. "It was nothing you did. He knew he would never be good like you. He was jealous of your power and strength. But your heart is so pure. You love so deep. Even after he tried to kill you, you still loved him. He didn't know how to love. To him, love was a burden. He tried to love you like a sister, but he couldn't figure out how. He did not have the ability to love."

"How?"

"I've seen enough children and adults like that. And love can't be taught. It can only be felt. Some people can't feel it. Just remember everyone is different. You can see someone born without a leg, you know immediately they don't have a leg. But someone born without the ability to love, or feel compassion, empathy, feel guilt, you can't see that. Only years in the psychological field will you begin to see the patterns. And even then, all you can do is avoid it. There's no cure. Like a missing leg at birth won't grow back, the ability to feel love won't grow back either. It was nothing you did wrong. It was something he was missing."

"We know you still miss him, sweetheart. That's ok. You loved him, you're going to miss someone you loved. You have to hold on to the happy memories."

"I still remember his first trade at the market. He was so little. He was happy. He went fishing with Tre. He traded fish."

Dipak hugs me. "I'm sorry it happened the way it did sweetheart. I'm sorry, but we had to."

"I know. He would have kept trying to kill me. He would have succeeded eventually or killed 1 of you. He would have torn us apart. It had to happen. He was never going to change. I miss that little boy who would run around with me and Tre. Or sneak around the castle with me spying on people. I wish he could have stayed like that. I'll always miss that." I start sobbing.

Dipak rubs my back. "It'll be ok."

Tre comes in and kneels in front of me. "You going to be alright?"

"I'm ok."

"That's good. They know you brought Nova now. You're going to be in for a long night."

I laugh so hard I snort.

Tre looks at Nova. "Go get a cool wet rag please." She runs off, and he sits in Nova's spot. "We're glad you were able to take a nap first baby."

I smack him. "This is why I throw things at you Tre."

Dipak smirks. "I understand."

"You're 1 to talk. She tried to take your head off with a strawberry today." Tre gets the rag from Nova and washes my face off. "Let's go get something to eat. Then you can boss Dipak around while he drives. Make him stop somewhere soon. Tye is making us crazy about being a pirate."

"I think he's bored."

"We were stuck in the house without you for almost a week. Barely anyone was there. It was boring."

Tre helps me stand up. I take his arm, and we go to the dining room. Marcus goes in first and I hear Tye say cave. Marcus does something and they shut up.

Dipak sits at the end and I sit between him and Tre. Marcus sits on the other side.

I eat quietly. I'm ok. I do want to be a pirate. That's always fun.

I eat about half of it and lay my head on Tre's shoulder.

"Keep eating baby. That's not enough."

"You want my boobs to jiggle Tre."

Marcus smirks. "Or that ass." He shivers a little. "I am marking that ass."

"Yea I figured it out." Dipak shows Marcus the mark on his neck.

"As soon as it's off I'm marking it. That's my spot. I'll mark your spot."

"You better not mark my spot."

"What the f**k? You're in my spot."

I crack up laughing. "You 2 argue like an old married couple."

"So true. Neither of them are going to do anything but complain about the other 1 and keep eating."

Marcus pouts. "He's in my spot."

Tre laughs.

Dipak looks at him. "Oh yea, as soon as it's off her ass, Marcus and I are marking those boobs."

"It's fine. I'll mark her ass again."

Dipak gives him a dirty look.

I wipe my eyes off. "When I come of age, I'll have to let you mark me in a certain order, so everyone gets the spot they want. Dipak would probably have to go first. That one would probably be the easiest to mess up. Then Marcus, because I only have 1 of those. Then, you can pick a boob. The other 2 don't seem to care."

"Me first. I don't want that jackass marking your ass."

I smile at Marcus. "Dipak picked his spot first and that's the only spot he ever wanted."

"But yet, his mark is in my spot."

"I don't want it permanently. I have to see my mark everywhere while I still can. Trust me, my mark will be on that neck forever."

"Alright fine."

Tre shakes his head. "I've never seen Marcus get territorial."

Dipak nods. "Just of his spot. Must really be attached to that."

I roll my eyes. "You all are. Dipak, you threatened to kill anyone who took yours, so it would come off, and you could take it."

"Yea, I guess you're right. But that's my spot."

I look around and everyone else is gone. "I wonder where everyone else went."

"Probably off driving Kane crazy about finding a spot to be pirates."

I nod. But I know they are off talking about me some more. We get done eating and the boys go up to the deck. I go to Tye's room and change into a pirate outfit. I love the overcoat and shoes with the matching hat. I do feel like a pirate.

I go peek up on the deck. Kane, Marcus, Dipak, and Tre are the only people there. I scratch my head and roam down to the activity floor.

I hear them laughing inside the bar. I'm glad they are getting along, but I don't think we're going to be pirates tonight. They're going to be drunk. The sun is already going down. I'm going to bed. I go to Tre's room and strip to my underwear. I don't want a drunk mate coming to bed with me. I climb in bed and close my eyes.