LOGINAbigail was just about to beat Larry for the fifth time in a row when Jake’s call came through. “You cheated,” Larry said, staring at the racing screen in horror. “I absolutely did not.” Abi laughed, gripping the controller tighter. “You button mashed with criminal intent.” “Sounds like a skill issue to me.” Abi giggled. Larry gasped dramatically as he pressed the phone on his ear. But then the excitement died down when Jake said to meet at the carpark. Abi glanced at him. “Did something happen?” “We’re going home.” Larry scratched his brow. Meeting Iris and Jake, it was easy to tell that something happened. The ride back was painfully quiet. Abi sat in the backseat beside Iris, occasionally stealing glances at her sister. Iris looked completely unbothered, calmly scrolling through her phone. Jake’s hands tightened around the steering wheel every few minutes. Larry noticed it. So did Abigail. The moment they stepped into the house, an arguement unfolded. “D
Abigail wandered ahead of Larry, an ice cream cone in one hand. It was her idea to feed her sweet tooth while her sister wasn’t watching. Maybe it was the noise. Maybe it was Larry’s company slowly melting away her introverted nature. She turned a corner too quickly and walked straight into someone.“Oh!” He caught her before she stumbled.Then she froze. “Noah…”He blinked down at her, surprised. “Abigail?”Her heart raced for no reason she could explain. Up close, he looked the same as always. Calm and put together.“I didn’t see you,” she said quickly.“Clearly.” A faint smile tugged at his lips. His eyes shifted past her. “Didn't bet on meeting you here. Are you alone?”Larry stepped forward casually. “She rarely is.”Noah looked between them. “Oh... Is this your friend?”"My...my." Abi’s brain short circuited. “My boy-friend,” she blurted.Larry nearly choked on his food.Noah went still for half a second. “I see,” he said quietly.Larry recovered first. “Its a very recent develo
The mall was louder than Iris expected. Voices overlapped, music spilled from open stores. It felt alive in a way her world rarely did. Her face was calm but her eyes moved more than usual, quietly taking everything in. Abigail stayed closer to Larry, pointing at random things. It didn’t take much for her to ditch her sister to explore the place with him. For Jake this was the perfect chance to show Iris a glimpse of normalcy. To impress her with simple gestures. And he saw just the place to start. Jake stopped in front of a boutique with a glass front and soft gold lettering. “Veloure?” Iris glanced at it, then at him. Jake scratched the back of his neck. “You need clothes. Comfier ones. Not just…what you’ve been rotating.” “Whats the point? I could have my stylist send over twenty options before dark,” Iris replied plainly. “I know,” he said quickly. “But… I wanted to pick them myself.” There was something disarmingly simple in the way he said it. No pride, j
FlashbackIris was eight when she truly learned her siblings hated her.It began with Olivia’s usual mischief. She snuck into Iris’s room with a jug of water and poured it slowly onto the mattress, soaking the sheets. Then she raised her voice, calling for the others.“She wet the bed again!” Olivia’s song pierced the quiet hall. “I didn’t!” Iris protested, clutching the dripping fabric as she hopped down. “Look, it doesn’t even smell. It’s just water.”Charlotte arrived first, already smirking, already rehearsed on her blame game. “Ugh, she reeks. What do think Baron? She’s always making excuses.”Baron leaned lazily against the doorframe, his arms folded. “Pathetic. Father should send you to sleep in the stables. At least the horses won’t complain.”Their laughter invaded the air.“It’s not true!” Iris’ voice broke as she shook her head.Charlotte lurked forward, circling her. “Doesn’t matter what’s true. It matters what we say. And everyone listens to us, not you.”“Not Father. He
When they were done, Jake and Larry insisted on handling the cleanup. Iris didn’t argue. She simply rose, taking Abigail with her.“Come. Bath with me.” Iris said when they got to the guest room.Abi followed, dragging her feet but secretly pleased. In the wide tub, steam curled around them, Iris leaned back against the edge, her hair pinned up.Abi swirled her fingers through the bubbles. “You don’t have to look at me like that, you know. Like I’m going to break.”“You already did today,” Iris said flatly. Then, softer. “And you’ll break again, if you don’t learn to be stronger.”Abi pressed her lips together. “Easy for you to say. You’ve always had Apollo. Someone watching, guarding. He was your shield. I don’t have anyone like that.”Iris sighed once before speaking. “I can be strong for the both of us, but even I won’t be here forever Abi… If you want an Apollo, I can get you one. He’ll follow you like the air you breathe, grant your every whim, never let you trip on your own shad
Abigail was worried by the tone of her sister’s voice.“Are you alright?” she asked.Iris only lifted her hand in dismissal; her expression carved from stone. “Larry. Take Abi to your game room, would you? I need a moment.”Larry didn’t argue - he never did when Iris used that tone. He just gestured for Abigail to follow. “You like games?”“Some,” Abi said, her voice cautious.“Good. Ever played Deadlights IV?”Her eyes lit up immediately. “Wait, the zombie one? With the flamethrower glitches?”Larry grinned like a proud uncle. “The very same.”“No way! That game’s banned in three countries.”“Which makes it better,” Larry said, already leading her down the hall. They were laughing before they even reached the console. Within minutes, the two of them were yelling at the screen, cheering when they blew apart a horde and groaning when Abi accidentally torched herself with her own Molotov.By the time Iris rejoined them, the room echoed with the kind of chaotic joy she usually despised.
Iris let herself in, pulling at her fingertips to take off the cotton gloves. She had been here a couple of times and knew her way around. "Hello, Ma'am." Larry popped out of the kitchen to welcome her. "I trust that you do not lack anything in this house," Iris said. "No, we're good," Jake responde
Jake's endurance was tested. Never in all his years did he imagine falling into his present state. He looked back. Sure enough, there was no one coming. "Ma'am, what are you doing?" Jake lowered his voice. "What does it look like?" Iris blinked. "Isn't this your term and condition to what I proposed
“Welcome home, Miss Abigail.”Apollo was waiting in the driveway, hands behind him. But instead of answering, the teenager tossed her bag higher on her shoulders and ran inside. Normally, he would have ignored her sulks, but after the recent attack, he maintained a close watch on her behavior. Toda
Jake’s body screamed at him to stay pressed against her. Having Iris beneath him, her breath brushing his cheek, made every nerve in his skin come alive. He wanted to touch her everywhere - wanted to know what she looked like when she came undone in those tight pants. He itched to leave her trembli







