Chapter Five: Maia

I jerk awake when I feel my mattress bounce underneath me. My eyes snap immediately towards Jaxon sitting at the foot of my bed, a wide grin on his face.

"Happy sixteenth birthday sis!" He shouts, throwing his hands up in the air.

I laugh, rolling my eyes. "Thanks, Jax, did Angel make breakfast?" I ask.

He chuckles. "It's 3 o'clock in the afternoon so she made lunch; she knew you'd be hungry as soon as you woke up—well if you ever woke up." He suddenly reaches under my bed. "Anyway, mom wanted me to show you this."

My eyes widen when he slides a large white box out. "How long has that been there?"

"A week, I think? They hid it under here cause they know you never check under your bed."

"Yeah maybe I should start doing that," I murmur.

"Yeah, you should clean your room too," he says, glancing around. 

I frown at him. "My room is perfect what are you talking about?"

He shrugs. "I'll let you open that, then meet everyone downstairs. Mom and Angel are taking you shopping," he tells me.

I wait for him to leave before tearing open the box. I instantly gasp. "Oh my god," I breathe.

***

"Go ahead and get ready Maia, Jaxon and Kaine will take you over to the club when you're finished," my mom tells me.

"Okay!" I rush upstairs to grab the white box sitting on my bed. I hurry into my bathroom, box in hand.

I take probably the fastest shower of my life and blow dry my curly hair. I keep my makeup simple: gold and brown eyeshadow and red lipstick.

I reach into the box on the counter, grinning widely. I carefully slip into the dress; it fits perfectly.

"Wow," I murmur, admiring it in my full-length mirror.

The deep red dress is softer than silk. Small black rhinestones cover the bodice of the dress in an elaborate pattern that accentuates my waist.

It clings to my body and exaggerates my curves. I smirk when I realize there is a slit that goes up to the middle of my thigh.

My thoughts wander back to the box that has apparently been under my bed for a week. What else is under there?

I walk back into my room, and kneel on the ground, taking care not to ruin the dress. My eyes immediately catch onto another white box.

I snatch it out and tear it open. My eyes widen. You've got to be kidding me.

The black heels match the rhinestones on my dress, and so does the black tiara. I slip on the heels but not the tiara.

I hear my name called from downstairs. I glance at the crown again, biting my lip. I'm not ready for that kind of responsibility. Letting out a growl I throw it onto my bed and stomp downstairs.

My brothers are waiting at the base of the stairs. Kaine's eyes are glazed over while Jax simply stares at the floor.

"Are you guys okay?" I ask, completely forgetting about my anger.

Kaine glances up at me but Jax doesn't even move. "Yeah, fine, let's go," Kaine says, jerking his head towards the front door.

"Jaxon!" I shout. I shove my brother's shoulder and his eyes snap up to my face. He stares blankly at me for several seconds.

"Right, let's go," he mutters.

I look to Kaine for answers, but he merely shrugs his shoulders. I blow out a breath in annoyance.

My brothers escort me through the darkening forest. Both seem distracted still. Jaxon stares at his feet. Kaine's gaze snaps back and forth between Jaxon and the dark trees.

And Kaine—something is wrong with him. His golden eyes are dark, and he keeps clenching his jaw. If I didn't know my twin brother better, I'd say he was scared of something . . .

Where are you guys? My father's voice echoes in my head.

Almost there, sorry I took a while getting ready, I tell him quickly.

"Are you guys sure you're okay?" I ask.

"Maia, we're fine. Stop asking," Kaine snarls.

I shrink back, my eyes widening. His eyes burn with anger and a hint of something else.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you upset," I murmur. As much as Kaine yells at me, he has never snapped at me like that before.

He just growls under his breath and turns away. He runs his hand through his hair roughly.

"Come on Maia, let's just give him some space," Jaxon mutters.

With his hand on the small of my back, he leads me away from Kaine and towards the club.

"What's wrong with him?" I ask.

"He's pissed."

"What? Why?"

He shakes his head. "I can't tell you that," he says making me growl.

"Jaxon you know that secrets are what tear people apart!" I spit.

"Maia, I understand that, but this is something I really don't think you want to know anyway," he sighs.

I narrow my eyes. He cracks his knuckles and chews on his lip. He's lying.

"Fine, you don't have to tell me, but you better stay away from me for the rest of the night!" I growl, stomping the rest of the way through the woods.

I can hear the blaring music; people are partying out in front. I take a deep breath and try to calm myself down when I spot my parents.

My mom smiles but then her eyes flick up. She growls a little. "I thought we were past this," she says.

"And I thought I told you, I'm not ready for that kind of responsibility yet!" I snap, walking around them.

I shove open the doors to the club and instantly relax with the familiar bass in my ears and smell of liquor and smoke.

I immediately hear my name shouted in dozens of unfamiliar voices. A grin spreads across my face and I yelp when someone barrels into me.

"Happy sixteenth birthday bitch!" Bella laughs, hugging me tighter.

"Thanks Bella."

She pulls back abruptly. Her eyes narrow at my face. "You look tense," she mutters. I feel something being pushed into my hand and look down.

A small blue pill rests in my palm, a white 'S' printed on top. "It'll help you have some fun tonight," Bella whispers.

I bite my lip, staring at it. But then I remember how distant my brothers are being and how demanding my mother is and that I deserve some fun on my birthday.

I let out a deep breath and pop it into my mouth.