By Their Rules

**** 11 YEARS AGO ****

The drive to school is painfully awkward because Dean is still mad at Aiden. I'm riding in the passenger seat next to the driver and the three boys are sitting together in the backseat.

I look over my shoulder.

"What happened?" Damon asks in a bored tone when Aiden tries to touch Dean but he slaps his hand away. Dean is sitting in the middle, "Why are you sulking?"

"Aiden hurt me," Dean complains, his arms crossed tightly across his chest. Knowing what I know about Damon I think he might just punch Dean or something evil, but he actually laughs and wraps his arms around Dean’s neck to pull him to his chest and hug him.

"Poor little Bean boy," he says in a baby voice, making Dean growl and try to get away, but Damon doesn't let him, "Don't be a pussy, man."

"I'm not! But it hurts," Dean complains and finally sets himself free, "Look, my cheeks are still red! Everyone is going to ask what happened to my pretty face."

"So? Tell the truth. I did it," Aiden shrugs, doing something on his phone, "I don't give a shit."

"You should've fight back, that's on you," Damon says. Then his sharp, almost yellow eyes are on me, "What the fuck are you looking at?"

I move so fast, even the driver chuckles.

"Nothing," I mumble and luckily, Damon lets it go. But then I frown when I realize those seven words are the only ones he has said to me directly since I met him.

Does he hate me or something?

I snap out of my thoughts when the driver stops in front of my new school. Altamira High. I've never seen such a fancy school ever before.

"Don't be nervous, I'll stay by your side the whole time. We have the same classes," Dean promises as soon as we get out of the Suburban. Damon and Aiden walk away together. I follow them with my eyes until they join a group of other guys.

"Thanks," I mumble, locking my arm with his so we can walk together, "I've only been in public schools before, that's why I'm a little nervous."

"I don't think it's that different... or is it?" He asks, "I've only been in private schools before."

That makes me laugh. He's such a rich boy.

"The vibe is completely different. I have a feeling I'm going to get bullied for looking too poor," I mumble, tightening my grip on him. I don't know why, but I feel very comfortable around Dean already.

"You're not getting bullied, Lily. Most people here are really nice," he starts, "But also... we're kind of a big deal in Altamira. And now you're Lilian Carrington. Our sister. So, you're kind of a big deal, too."

He's right.

Harry legally adopted me. He signed the papers at the wedding as a gesture to my mom, so I have a new name now. A name that holds a lot of power around Altamira.

I guess I just have to get used to it.

Dean keeps his word, he never leaves my side and I feel very grateful for that. He introduced me to his friends as his step-sister, so he made me popular already.

When classes are over, Dean walks out next to me. He’s texting someone.

"The guys are going somewhere else," he mumbles as he texts, "Wanna go to the mall to grab lunch?”

"Sure," I say with a smile, and then me and my new brother hang out some more, even though we just spent eight hours together in school.

But weirdly, I don't mind. Dean is really nice and really fun.

I wish he was my only new brother.

"What did Aiden mean when he asked you to tell me how things work in the house?" I ask as we eat.

"Well, Daddy travels a lot for work and for pleasure and he only takes us with him during vacations because education is very important to him," he starts, and I put down my fork, giving him my full attention, "So, most of the time, it's just us three at home. And there's a hierarchy."

Great. He hasn't even told me what it is, and I already know I'll be at the bottom.

"Aiden is the boss, but Damon is the king. They both just pass the power to each other depending on how they feel that day or who owes a favor to whom," he starts, rolling his eyes, "I'm just the little brother, so that's it. I have no voice in the house. Only they do."

"What? Why?" I ask, frowning, "Who decided that? Who decided that Damon is 'the king'? That's ridiculous."

"It's not ridiculous, it's just the way we were raised. Damon and Aiden are the same age, you know that? Damon is only older by two months," he says, and I nod, but I start doing math in my brain trying to understand how that's possible, "Damon's mom, Erika, is Daddy’s first wife... but he cheated on her with Aiden's mom. My mom. Damon is our half-brother. Daddy divorced Erika to marry our mom, but he didn't want to lose his firstborn son, so he paid Erika to walk away and leave Damon behind. Daddy has always felt guilty for taking Damon away from his mother and that's why he's the favorite. Always. Damon's word matters more than anyone else's, even Aiden's."

"Mhmm. So that's why Damon is so fucking insufferable," I murmur, almost to myself. Dean laughs.

"Naturally. Why wouldn't he be? He always gets exactly what he wants, and even things he doesn't want," he rolls his eyes, "Aiden is the second favorite because he's just SO perfect. Daddy loves that Aiden is a genius, that he always knows how to act, that he's always doing things he can brag to his buddies about. Aiden has the merit because he's put in the work."

"And what about you?" I ask, feeling a little bad. I've seen the way they treat him and I don't like it.

"Me? There's not much to say about me," he murmurs, shrugging, "I’m the youngest. Daddy loves me and he gives me whatever I want... as long as Damon and Aiden agree. He basically put my brothers in charge of me, so if I want to be happy, I have to be a good brother and just not annoy them too much. Aiden is a pain in the ass most of the time, but Damon is worse."

"Really? Worse than grabbing you like that and calling you 'fag'?" I ask carefully, reminding him of what happened this morning.

"Yes," he murmurs, lowering his eyes with a grimace, "Damon would have beaten the shit out of me for daring to raise my voice at him. With Aiden, it's all about mental games. I never know if he wants me to defend myself or not. That's why I said sometimes he's worse than Damon, because at least with Damon I know what to expect, but Aiden is... a wild card."

I nod. That's exactly what I thought.

"Do you love them?" I ask, because everything is so weird that I don't know what to expect. And that's why I'm so surprised when Dean nods without hesitation, "Seriously?"

"Yeah. They're not that bad," he shrugs and smiles a bit, "I’m mad today, so I’m just complaining, but they can be nice, too. You just have to get used to them and play by their rules."

I'm not sure I can do that.