Loved by Mr. Night

Chapter 19

Adriel’s POV

It was never difficult to avoid my sister all these years. Until recently I had never visited my father, and Quinten knew full well my animosity so never dared arrange something behind my back. He also never spoke ill of her in front of me. We have a different relationship with Nicole, and I respect that. My relationship with Nicole was abusive, and it started after our mother died.

Our separation was so abrupt because I remember us being close. I never had any significant friends in school, but I had Nicole. Her alleviating the devastation of no one coming to my seventh birthday party by playing with me. Building pillow forts in the living room. Embarrassing dad when he had formal company over. Quinten was already being groomed as the eldest son and that created the space for Nicole and me to be hell raisers. I think it helped us get through mom's episodes. Quinten was already sent away to boarding school, so he had a completely different picture of her than we did. He was only permitted to come home during her lucid periods.

Then mom died, and Nicole changed for the worst. Everyone did. How couldn't we? It started with distance, and I never felt more alone in my life. Suddenly my fiery sister became a stereotypical mean girl. I was suddenly the stupid annoying little brother, and I didn't know why.

When I was twelve, I advanced beyond my math lessons, and started to read Nicole's calculus textbook. After discovering I could competently do it, she blackmailed me into doing her homework for her by threatening to spread rumors of me at school. Junior high is bad enough as it is, the last thing I wanted was my older sister telling people she found me stealing her underwear and all other weird stuff.

Our father saw me doing her homework once, and I thought it may be some relief, but it turned to be the opposite. His investment into Quinten wasn't paying out. Quinten was not the shining example to exemplify the Kramner name. Now dad had a twelve-year-old who taught himself calculus. From that point, my life was planned.

I needed to have all the right clubs in school. Be athletic to have Rhode Scholar as a possibility. Attend Georgetown Prep and graduate Valedictorian, and then of course Ivy League, preferably his legacy of Princeton, followed by JD at Yale. Even my playdates were planned to mingle with the right kids.

My first taste of independence was Dartmouth, but even that was regulated to some extent. He picked my classes, my fraternity -- I absolutely would be in one, I was told -- and my extra curriculars. All for the legal track. He likely had my first job lined up.

In the middle of that, Nicole's abusive blackmail didn't stop. Every chance she had to force me to do her schoolwork, she acted on. She'd tell my Fraternity I was a pedophile. All kinds of bad stuff. I wrote her entrance exam into Columbia, then three years later wrote her thesis for graduation.

After all my father's effort to mold me into him, I was the only kid to not become a lawyer. I was the one who pushed back. His disappointment was so thick, he never pursued me when I left. I just stopped being his son.

I'm getting too old for these grudges with my family. My father and I are finally on the path of reconnection. At a bare minimum, understanding. This was helped by my stepmother Carrie, who is gentle and sensible. Two traits she has that I appreciate more as an adult than I ever did when I was a child. She tried hard to be our mom, but I think we all were too far gone. Nicole especially.

I haven't spoken to Nicole since my third year of college. I had to arrange something through Carrie because I didn't know how to contact her. All I knew, was that she lived someone near D.C. Carrie told me Nicole was taken aback by my offer. Nicole had accepted we would never speak again. Then suddenly, I was willing to meet her halfway.

Today is the day I talk to my sister. I lean against a waist high wall across the street from the steps of the Supreme Court where Nicole works as a Clerk for Associate Justice Samuel Alito. There is a disposable coffee cup in both my hands, and I sip the one in my left. Nicole and I agreed to three in the afternoon, and it is currently five after the hour. When it starts to annoy me, I see someone that matches her form trotting down the stairs like they're late for something. She zigzags her way through a group of teenagers protesting the issue of the day. Nicole looks both ways and crosses the street, and this is the first time I can positively see it is her.

Nicole weirdly looks more like dad than mom, but she isn't mannish in any way. Her facial structure is nothing but dad, and she inherited his height like I did. The same dark Kramner hair, though she has the rougher texture from mom's side, unlike my fine feather softness. Like a Kramner she is lean without effort. Her fashion is Nordstrom Rack suits combined with designer shoes and jackets.

Nicole makes it to me and is surprised when I hand her a coffee. Call it a peace offering. She nervously thanks me and takes a drink. Her face expresses curiosity when it's the way she likes it.

"I asked Carrie what you liked," I explain, and she nods. She is scared, I can tell. Of what I don't know. "Care for a walk?"

"Sure," Nicole says, and I gesture for her to lead. "So...how's...how's it going?"

"Well enough," I reply. "You?"

"Great...excellent...this is horrible," Nicole says, and stops to groan while rubbing her forehead. "Are we really pretending the last ten years didn't happen?"

"They happened. The years before that happened too," I say, to make her aware I remember the way she treated me.

"I was a cunt," Nicole says, lowing her hand. "I had a mental moment a few years ago. Not full on mom, thank god, but pretty close. My doctor helped me sort it out."

"What happened?" I ask. My bullshit meter is on now. Instantly I think this is a manipulation. Make me sympathize.

"I hate my job. I never really wanted to be a lawyer," she says. Weird effort to manipulate me. "You know, dad."

"Dad didn't force that on you," I say.

"He didn't have to. You got the raw end of that. I'm not saying you didn't. But I was starved for approval. Quin just couldn't live up to it, but then he jumps straight to you. Bypasses me entirely, like I didn't exist. What made that so much worse, was that it looked easy for you."

"It wasn't easy," I say, and she says she understood that far too late.

Nicole resented me because of dad. I never once thought about how all his attention on me, could have affected them. Quin likely never cared. Nicole on the other hand, did want his approval. She likely could have lived up to it but was never given the chance. Then realized she never wanted it after she lived up to it.

"Mom dies, after trying to kill us, and dad remarries less than two years later. I found out they were engaged before I knew they were even a thing. I was a sixteen-year-old with a stepmother, not proud of how I treated her either," Nicole says

"She's a sweetheart," I say.

"Goddamn is she diabetes sweet," she says, while trying to find her train of thought. "I tried sabotaging you to help me, so maybe he'd lose interest like he did with Quin and maybe I get a parent who isn't ignoring me or trying to kill me." Nicole nearly rambles herself out of breath.

"You know what I want to remember?" I ask, and she shakes her head. "Pillow forts in the living room. We'd make tea and read books by flashlight. That's what I want to remember."

"Your favorite book was Through the Looking-Glass. I'd read it in a posh British accent, and you memorized every time in the first chapter Alice would say..."

"...let's pretend!" I say jovially, making her laugh. "Still my favorite book."

I haven't read that book in such a long time. I couldn't read it without thinking of Nicole, so I let it collect dust. Sometimes we need to pick up our favorites things and remember why we loved them to begin with.

Nicole doesn't say she's sorry, but I know she is. I don't have to say I forgive her because she knows I do. Coffees in hand, the March Hare and the Hatter strolled through the forest to give testimony before the King of Hearts on who stole the tarts.

“Look, Adriel, I know that I cannot make up to you for all those years before but at least I know that I wish for us to be in contact again. At least meet some times. I am not an i***t, you are the head of Crime Squad of Scotland Yard and that too the youngest one. It takes guts to do something of the sort and even though I know that Dad does not agree to you not being in his legacy, I am still proud of you for what you have achieved.”

I nodded at her and said,” It was good to talk to you to, Nicole. But as much as I would love chatting to you, my job does not give me the luxury to do any more than this. I hope you understand.” I Gave her my card and said,” You may call and text me. I shall reply when I get time.”

Nicole nodded and said,” This might be the best I can get after all these years. It is fine. Just take care of yourself. There is a new killer in the town, what is he being called?”

“The Ripper 2.0.”