Elias

3 weeks later

*TW there is a mention of a rape scene in this chapter. Nothing is descriptive, its just mentioned* I figured out that I do actually like Alexander. He might be my favorite brother. He's nice, and he doesn't treat me like I'm a baby like all of my other brothers do. Leo treats me like I can't do anything by myself, Alvaro treats me like a baby, and Marco is more awkward with me than any of my other brothers, and Santiago is loud. Like way too loud. And aggressive, but he treats me like a normal brother I guess? He doesn't treat me like anyone else, he treats me just like my other brothers.

My contacts also came in. The contacts itch when I first put them in and they make my eyes hurt but after a few hours my eyes get used to them. My world is so much clearer, the blobs in the background have dimensions and I can see what they are now. I hate my glasses though, I look like a nerd with them on but my brothers make me wear them at night so that I can get used to them.

Yeah right.

My stitches have dissolved and I only have to wear my shoulder brace part time now which makes me so happy because when I tell you that thing is uncomfortable.....

Alvaro also hired me a tutor, he said it was to catch me up so that I could hopefully start school in the fall. It was February and I argues that I had plenty of time but he said I can't read and we don't know what I remembered about math so it was best to start now. I think it's bullshit.

I was getting sick of my brothers smothering me, they wouldn't leave me alone, ever. I know they're scared I'm going to hallucinate again but so far all the medicine has done is make me sleepy and makes my head dizzy. I never knew what quiet meant until this medicine. It's like my brain has finally slowed down enough to catch up with everyone, I understand what people say more, like my brain is finally clicking into place and can understand everything so much clearer. It's like my head was underwater and someone finally pulled me out.

I was currently hiding from my tutor and brothers. We've been working on my reading for over 2 hours and the words are jumbling together. So for the past 30 minutes I've been avoiding everyone. I know they have cameras and I know where they are now. I've made a map in my head about where they all are, and where the blind spots are.

I was in the old library, the one nobody ever used. The reason it's old is because the study where I do my tutoring has all the books I could ever need. This one was covered in a layer of dust, and absolutely no cameras or laptops or anything. I was hiding in between the shelves, running my eyes along the titles and trying to read the titles. It was hard but I could eventually read them. As I walked through the shelves I noticed in the back there wasn't any actual books, just binders. Binders full of what seemed to be recipes, and notes. Until I came across one with pictures. Tons of pictures, a ton of pictures. Some of babies, and random people until I came across some with babies. Then some with young kids, and some with teenagers until I could see who they were. These were my brothers. The twins and Santiago. That man must be our dad. He was tall and stoic and hard. Until I flipped through and saw him smiling with my brothers. A genuine smile. I saw older people, and my mamma... she didn't look happy, but she looked healthy. Way healthier than I remembered her. I remember her skin and bones, with dark eye bags, and rashes and bruises.

That's when I saw a picture of everyone. All my brothers, my supposed father, and my mamma, and a baby. I'm guessing that baby is me. Unless she had another baby she ran away with and killed then that should be me.

I continues to flip through the pictures, some had names, and places, and dates, others had nothing. Until I came across a picture. A picture set in a party, but in the background there is my mamma and a man... a man I remember vividly...

I was sitting in the living room, playing with twinkles my tiger. The house was cold, and none of the lights were on. I tried to turn them on but they didn't work.

Maybe they're broken...

I see Mamma and the man in the kitchen whispering. The man was getting mad. Very mad. I didn't like it when people got mad. When they got mad they got mean.

"WELL I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU WANT FROM ME OKAY? I AM NOT AN ABUSIVE MOTHER! I TAKE CARE OF MY CHILD TO THE BEST OF MY ABILITIES!" Mamma screamed. I whimpered and covered my ears. Mamma was loud...

"THE FACT THAT YOU BELIEVE THAT PROVES TO ME THAT YOU'RE CRAZY. Lorenzo wants his child back. I've done everything you've asked. I changed your name, your birthdates, everything. Where is my end of the deal huh? Where is my money?" The man says. He's getting angry...

I get up out off the floor. If I go to my room maybe I won't hear them... I think to myself

I start to walk through the kitchen until someone grabs my arm hard. He's squeezing it so hard it makes me start to cry.

"If I can't get my payment through you I'll take it through another way." The man tells Mamma. He starts to drag me down the hallway and I cry out to Mamma.

I want Mamma to come help me. But she doesn't all she says is "SO DOES THIS MEAN MY DEBT IS COVERED?"

"Maybe, it might take a few sessions though." The man says as he pulls me into Mammas room.

I screamed and cried and yelled but no one came to help me.

He came a few more times, always just walking in, grabbing me, and taking me to Mammas room and making me hurt in the worst ways possible. He would have his way with me, and leave me there. Messy, bleeding, and crying. Mamma would come in and throw some water on me before throwing me back into my room. It hurt to move for days after. His visits started off weekly, then they became monthly, then they stopped. They started when I was 3 and ended when I was 6. I still remember them like it was yesterday. Most of my trauma stays with me, maybe I just have a seriously good memories. It's hard to forget stuff. *end of TW* So what the fuck is he doing here??

"Excuse me."

I whip my head around and see a man. A young man. Not older than the twins that's for sure.

"Can I help you?" I ask him harshly. Who the fuck is this?

"My name is Elijah. My uncle works here so I'm here with him today." He tells me while looking around.

"Okay so why the fuck are you bothering me?" I ask him while backing up, gripping my knife in my pocket.

"I was just walking around when I saw you gripping that photo album like you were trying to squeeze the life out of it. You okay?" He asks me while slowly walking towards me.

"Yes I'm fucking fine. Now leave me the fuck alone." I tell him while trying to walk away.

"Do you know who that is in that photo?" He asks me. That makes me freeze...

"No. I'm new to this place, I don't know anyone." I tell him cautiously. What does he want...

"Well that right there is Francisco Ramirez. Son of Alencio Rameriez." Elijah tells me.

"Okay. So what? He's the uncle of the brothers who live here?" I ask him.

"Yes he is. He's a total asshole, he abuses his wife and is just a dickhead in general. Nobody in this family likes him. Nobody really likes him at all." Elijah tells me while looking around again.

"Yeah he is an asshole. So wait he's an uncle here? Do the Rameriez's have any other family?" I ask him.

"Yeah, they have him, and their other uncle Emilio. Emilio has 4 sons and 2 daughters and they're super close with the brothers. Emilio helps Alvaro run the business." Elijah tells me.

So I have more family? When were they going to tell me?...

"What business?" I ask him. He tenses up and looks me up and down.

"You don't know?" He asks me skeptically.

"Well I know they're businessmen. Like really rich and popular businessmen, that's why they have guards....right?..." I ask him.

"What's your name?" He asks me.

"Why does that matter?" I ask him. Why does he need to know now?

"I asked what your name is. I won't ask again." He says while stepping towards me.

"My name is Elias, now what business do they run?" I tell him. He immediately stops and freezes.

"Your a Rameriez?..." he asks me quietly.

"Yeah I guess, but I wasn't until a few weeks ago. Now what business do they run?" I ask him.

"I can't tell you, you have to ask them. You can't tell anyone you saw me here okay? You can't tell your brothers." He tells me. He's getting jumpy. Like he is scared.

"I won't tell them but you need to answer some of my questions. If you don't I'll tell them I saw you." I tell him. His first mistake was telling me I wasn't supposed to tell anyone. His second was the panicked look on his face. Blackmail is one of my favorite ways to get someone to do what I want. It works every time if you have enough dirt on them.

"Fine but you can not mention me to anyone understand? They will kill me if they knew I was in here." He tells me and immediately I'm confused. They wouldn't kill him, or anybody. Right?...

"What do you mean they will kill you? They wouldn't do that." I tell him. Maybe he's mentally deranged like me and is making shit up.

"You're telling me the guards don't raise any suspicions? They're secretiveness? All the money they have? Why you're not allowed to leave the house when you want doesn't raise any of your suspicions?" He tells me. He's surprised, like genuinely surprised.

"No I- I guess I haven't really thought about it... I mean I know they're like super rich, and they come home at weird hours but that's normal for someone who has a job. But people have tried to hurt them that's why they have the guards.... At least that's what they told me..." i tell him. Immediately my thoughts start to spiral. Is that not normal? Like that happens a lot right? Like they have a demanding job so of course they'd be gone at weird hours.

"When you figure it out I'll come and talk to you okay? I can't be the one to tell you this because you won't believe me. When you figure it out meet me here at this spot in the library, near all the old photo albums at 2 in the morning. I'll tell you anything you want to know once you figure it out okay? Right now I have to go. They're looking for you and they can't find me okay?" He tells me while backing away.

"Why can't you tell me? It can't be that bad. Wait come back!" I yell at him.

Suddenly a hand is on my shoulder and turning me around.

"Elias who were you talking to?" Alvaro asks me.

"Uh-I uh- I'm not... I'm not sure. I saw someone walking- uh- walking down the hall and I- I started following them and they led me here, and uh- they started talking but I couldn't hear them- and uh they left, yeah- yeah they uh- they left and then you came and now here I am." I start rambling. I mean he should believe it, I'm a fucking schizo so anything is possible.

"Are you okay? You haven't had any bad hallucinations since you started your medicine right? You would've told one of us if you did." He asks me.

"Yeah no, this was the first one in a while, I mean sometimes I hear the whisperers but they usually go away after a few minutes. Leos friend said that was normal." I tell him.

"hmm.. I'm not sure, but we should mention it to Leo just to be safe. Now we need to talk about why you've been hiding from not only your tutor but your brothers as well." Alvaro tells me while walking me out of the library.

"Ugh, it's not that big of a deal. I just wanted a break but you guys tell me that I need to be studying. If I want to watch a movie it's "have you finished your homework? Have you practiced your read? Or your numbers?" It's like I don't get a break. And the tutor is weird and strict and I would rather be doing literally anything else." I told him while rolling my eyes.

Alvaro flicks my head. "Stop rolling your eyes Elias or I'll take away your tv time understood?"

"Oh my God! I don't even get fucking tv time, all I get to do is study, and learn, and study some more. You guys are literally smothering me and it's driving me fucking crazy. Jesus all I want is a moment to fucking breathe and enjoy my life." I tell him while shaking his grip off of me. I run down the hallways until I'm sure I've lost him. He might be fast but I'm faster. My time on the streets really helped me out with that, but I'm getting slower, my muscles aren't as strong as they use to be. That's from doing nothing but sitting around for months now.

They probably have a gym here, I mean they have fucking everything here, an indoor pool, outdoor pool, game room, movie room, and a fucking basketball court. They have to have an indoor gym somewhere right?

I doubt they would let me use it if I asked. Saying how I'm still healing, or my body's not ready, or their favorite one, how I'm to young. Oh how they love to tell me I'm to wound, or not ready. That pisses me off. That makes me want to punch something. I start opening all the doors in the hallway I'm in. A bunch of random rooms, ones that probably belong in an office, a fucking ballroom. But no gym. Okay. Fine. Maybe I'll go swimming in the indoor pool.

I start making my way through the house back to my room. I walk through a bunch of halls, trying to find my way back to where the stairs are. That's where I'll find my way back.

I walk past rooms when suddenly I hear talking in one of the rooms. They should really color coordinate these doors, brown could be office, grey could be guest rooms, ur rooms could be blue....

I press my ear against the door. It sounds like the twins, and some other guys...

"The shipment wasn't received."

"Well no fucking shit. Where is it then?" Alexander asks.

"I don't know sir, we believe it's the Americans."

"The Americans are stealing our fucking shipments? Why? We have a peace treaty with them, we give them a percentage of our weapons and in return we get to use their ports."

"We have found evidence that Francisco has been messing with our alliances. It seems he believes he's entitled to some decisions in who the Hispanics are in an alliance with."

What does he mean by that?...

"That man lost any affiliation with us when he married that Russian. Tried to force an alliance after years worth of war." Marco says.

What the fuck do they mean war?...

I back away from the door and start walking....

Is this what Elijah meant?...

Or was Elijah a hallucination?

I need to go do something. I need to work out or run or swim or something. It will make my thoughts go away, or silence them. It will help me think.

I find the staircase I was looking for and make my way to my room. I change into my swim trunks that Alexander picked out for me and pull some sweatpants over them along with a tank top.

I grab one of my bathroom towels and make my way through the house towards the indoor pool. Once I open the door I look around the room. I see three doors and walk towards them, hoping to find like a locker room or something where I could put my stuff down where it won't get absolutely soaked.

I open the first door and it has just a bunch of chemicals and it smells like chlorine.

I move to the the next door and find a really humid room.

Then the last door and I find the fucking gym.

Finally.

I immediately go into it and sit down besides the weights and get to work.

Chest

Biceps

Triceps

Back

Repeat.

Over and over until my arms feel like jello.

I walk into the pool and strip down to my swim trunks and jump in. The water is cold, colder than I thought it would be. But it makes my muscles feel better. Cools my body down.

I start swimming laps, over and over, going through my thoughts.

My brothers aren't just businessmen. They're dangerous

They have peace treaties with some countries?? But are at wars with who??

What was Elijah talking about?

Is Elijah real?

Or is here of my fucked up minds tricks?

"Elias Rafael Andres Rameriez!!! What in the hell do you think you're doing?!" Leo yells at me. I stop my swimming and stare at him. So I have a middle name... or two..

"Uhh swimming?" I answer him.

"You're still healing, your stitches just dissolved and your shoulder still can't handle this exertion! You get out of that pool this instant!" He yells at me.

"I feel fine and all I'm owing is swimming, isn't water good for rehabilitating muscles or some shit?" I tell him while treading water.

"When you're healed! But you're not! Now get out of that pool or you don't get tv privileges. Now Elias." He tells me while staring me down.

That pisses me off so I get out of the pool, Leo rushing over to help me but my anger has reached its peak. I push him into the pool and walk over to my towel.

"Elias, what is the matter with you?? All I'm doing is trying to help you." Leo tells me while getting out of the water.

"Yeah? Well I didn't ask for your help. I didn't ask to be micromanaged. I didn't ask to sit in a fucking chair staring at a book for 3 hours every single fucking day then when I'm done told to go study some bullshit. No I didn't ask for any of this fucking shit so stop making it seemed like I needed your help because news fucking flash I was fine living on my own. I was fine working a job and making my own money, and I will do it again if that means I get to e my life the way I want to." I tell him before marching off.

This is my fucking life.

I don't need anyone telling what to do.

Or how to do it.

I can live my own life.

They want me to live like a child.

Yet they won't let me.

This isn't fucking fair.

None of this is fucking fair.

I storm into my room and slam the door. I walk over to my bathroom and start the shower.

I didn't ask for any of this...

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So I know haven't posted in a few days but to be honest I didn't know what to write next. I was literally in the shower, listening to my music when a new idea came to me. Then I literally spent another 30 minutes figuring out how to work that into the plot.

Anyways what do we think? I already have some other ideas for later in the book and I personally can't wait until we get there.

Don't forget to comment/vote. I love reading your comments.

Anyways if you haven't you should def watch school spirits. It's so good.

I'm thinking about telling y'all about some of my favorite older brother/ younger sibling books from some smaller authors. Lmk if any authors or readers are interested.