The One With Fire In Her Eyes

Chapter 3 - The Bitter Taste of Nightmare

“Finally, they’re all asleep!”

Gabriela turned the tap off, setting the last of the dishes she was washing to dry. The sound of a chair being pulled echoed through the kitchen as her mother sat down with a tired sigh. Gabriela dried her hands and turned around, staring at the woman sitting hunched over the table and devouring her cold dinner with the ferocity of a wild animal.

“Thank you for the help, sweety!” her mother said with her mouth full, reaching out for the glass of wine she had poured herself three hours ago. “I really don’t know what I would do without you!”

“It’s okay, mom,” Gabriela muttered in habit, throwing the hand towel on the counter. She hesitated for a second, painfully aware of her mother’s gaze on her. “There are tryouts for the volleyball team on Friday. I’m thinking of going.”

“Really?” her mother asked, sitting straighter in her chair. “I didn’t know this school had a team. I’m sure you’ll do great, sweety! I’ll be cheering for you!”

‘You’ve never been to a single game of mine. How do you know I’ll do great?’ is what Gabriela wanted to say, but instead, she just smiled, nodding. It was selfish to think that way — she knew that her mother didn’t miss all those plays, games, parent conferences, and competitions because she didn’t care or forgot about them. She already had her hands full with the triplets and that disgusting jerk. Still, it sucked that she was never there when it really matter. She never lacked the enthusiasm or the encouragement, as long as that didn’t involve actually attending in person. Gabriela had always been there alone, watching the other kids be congratulated or consoled by their parents.

“If I get on the team, I’ll have less time to help you around,” Gabriela added. “Between school, practice, and the cafe, I wouldn’t…”

“Sweety,” her mother interrupted her, setting down her fork and getting to her feet. She strode to where Gabriela stood, placing her hands on her daughter’s shoulders. “I’ll be fine. I appreciate all of your help, but you don’t need to worry so much. Enjoy being in high school, enjoy playing volleyball or going on dates, or getting coffee with friends. You’re already doing enough. Those little devils are my responsibility, not yours.”

“Mom…” Gabriela sighed. She had heard those words before, numerous times, but looking at the dark circles under her mother’s eyes, the grayish tone of her skin, and her slumped shoulders, it was hard to take them to heart. On those days, she really wished her family was normal. Gabriela forced another smile. “Sure, mom.” Her mother smiled, patting her on the head and returning to the table. “I’m going to do my homework and go to bed. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, sweety.”

Gabriela dragged her feet to her room, trying her best not to make a sound. The triplets were all light-sleepers, so even the smallest of commotion could wake them up. And once they were up, it was a nightmare to get them back to sleep.

Gabriela closed the door of her room, glancing at the boxes lying by the wall. She hadn’t bothered to unpack her things — or rather, she didn’t have much time to do so. Between going to school, babysitting the triplets, getting familiar with the work at the cafe, and occasionally sleeping, free time was in short supply. Her small box of a room was completely bare, safe for the single bed, the boxes, and a pile of textbooks scattered on the floor.

Gabriela pulled her phone out, staring at the clock showing it was already past ten pm. Sighing, she tossed it on the bed, then sat on the ground and rummaged through her textbooks to find the ones for the next day. Doing her math and biology homework was the last thing she wanted, but she had to keep her GPA high enough if she wanted to get into a good college.

Taking a deep breath, she found a more comfortable position and got started, trying her best to stay focused. Her only consolation was that it was finally quiet — the street they lived on was so loud during the day thanks to the construction site nearby that even the triplets’ screaming and running around were drowned in the commotion.

Tomorrow was going to be another long day, but at least it would be free of drama and fear. Their mother had made the right decision for once, and no matter how hectic and tiring their life was now, it was better. It had to be. She didn’t care that she had to change schools or social circles or even towns.

The sound of the pen scratching over paper was almost hypnotizing. Gabriela blinked a few times in an attempt to chase away her sleepiness. When that didn’t happen, she leaned her head back on the bed, closing her eyes.

“Just two minutes,” she murmured to herself. Her position was too uncomfortable to fall asleep so she could allow herself a moment of rest before doing her biology homework and finally going to bed. Two minutes were enough.

Gabriela sighed, snuggling against the warm, fluffy covers. She turned to the side, pulling her knees up to her chest when her leg brushed against something. She frowned, trying to remember if she had left anything on the bed before going to sleep. She could swear her entire room was tidied, even her uniform for tomorrow was hanging on a hanger on the door.

Reluctantly, she opened her eyes and looked around the semi-dark room. Her gaze stopped on the figure sitting next to her on the bed, his smile widening as he realized she noticed him.

“What the…” Before she could finish, his hand flew towards her face, covering her mouth. He raised his index finger, pressing it against his lips.

“Not so loud, Gabby, or you’ll wake up the triplets and you know how my father gets when his sleep is interrupted,” Sebastian whispered, leaning closer. Gabriela swallowed the panic, glancing around the room. The clock showed it was just past six o’clock, so nobody was awake yet. She definitely didn’t want to get his father in a bad mood first thing in the morning, so she just nodded.

Sebastian slowly pulled his hand away, smirking. He was wearing just a pair of sweatpants, the muscles of his arms and chest flexing as he reached toward her.

“What do you want?” Gabriela gasped, clenching the covers. “If you want breakfast, I’ll get up and make some.”

“What a good stepsister,” Sebastian said mockingly, hitching the edge of the covers. Gabriela clenched them with all her might, but a second later he yanked them out of her grip, throwing them aside. He grimaced as he glanced at her full pajama set, his eyes returning to her face. “Aren’t girls supposed to wear short, see-through nightdresses in bed? This is so not sexy.”

“Please, leave,” Gabriela said, hoping to sound firm, but her voice cracked in the end. It hadn’t been the first time she’d woken up and found him watching her early in the morning, and it definitely wasn’t the first time he invaded her personal space. But his father refused to put a lock on her door, saying that she probably wanted the lock just as an excuse so nobody finds out when she sneaks guys into her room.

“How can I leave when you make this kind of face?” he chuckled, leaning towards her. Gabriela tried to slide out of the bed so she could put some distance between them, but Sebastian threw her back on the bed, climbing on top of her and catching her hands. She struggled for a moment, trying to break free, but that only seemed to amuse him more, so she stopped. “Are you going to cry? Please do.” He smiled, leaning his forehead on hers. He stared at her expectantly, but she made sure to keep her tears at bay. Her best chance was to do nothing, to give him no reaction so he would get bored.

As if reading her mind, he pulled back just a few inches, pinning her wrists by her head and lowering his mouth to her neck. He ran his tongue over it, nibbling at her ear as his breath tickled her skin. Gabriela shuddered in disgust, her mind begging her to find something to hit him with.

She hated this. She hated that she had to keep quiet so that man wouldn’t wake up; she hated that she wasn’t strong enough to kick him off and keep him away. She hated his touch and his smile and his infuriating voice.

His lips brushed against her chin, and a moment later, his tongue licked her lips.

“Open,” he ordered, biting on her lower lip. Gabriela gritted her teeth together. “Oh?” Sebastian chuckled. “Very well.” He moved her arms on top of her head, catching her wrists with one hand while his free one snuck underneath her top, his fingers fondling her breasts roughly. When she didn’t react, his hand paused, then slid down towards her pants. One finger hitched the waistband, pulling it up.

“Stop!” Gabriela hissed and his eyes snapped back to her face. Gabriela returned his gaze, lips slightly parted. Sebastian smirked again, kissing her excitedly. His tongue invaded her mouth, forcing her to return his kiss.

Gabriela closed her eyes to stop the tears from escaping, praying for him to disappear. She never thought she’d be a person to wish for somebody’s death, but every time she saw Sebastian or his father, she was proven wrong.

A baby cry echoed through the house, a moment later followed by two more. She almost laughed in delight as those piercing shrieks assaulted her ears.

Sebastian pulled back, clicking with his tongue and glancing at the door. He got up with a sigh and Gabriela sat up, pulling the covers to herself. He scoffed, bending down again so his face was on the level of her eyes.

“You should smile more, Gabby. You look prettier when you smile,” he whispered, trying to place a kiss on her forehead but missing since she jerked away. He paused for a moment, then stepped back towards the door. “See you at breakfast, sister.”

Gabriela jumped, looking around frantically until she realized she was no longer in that room. She could no longer hear the cries of the triplets, nor could she hear Sebastian’s footsteps as he walked out of her room.

“s**t!” she sighed, covering her face with her hands. Her neck and shoulders were stiff from the uncomfortable position she had fallen asleep in and her butt was numb.

Gabriella rubbed her eyes for a moment, reaching out and grabbing her phone.

Five forty-four. Just about time for her to get up.

She staggered to her feet, stretching until her back cracked. The bitter taste of the nightmare still lingered on her mind, so going back to her homework was impossible. She changed into a pair of leggings and a hoodie and tiptoed through the corridor and towards the front door. Just before putting her headphones in, she listened in to make sure nobody had woken up, then stepped outside, warming up quickly. Despite the chilly wind and the dark sky, she felt almost immediately refreshed.

A run was exactly what she needed to clear her head.

Gabriela turned on the music, cracking her neck, then sprinted down the empty street.