☆☆☆ Chapter 26 ☆☆☆

Picasso's Ane

Daniel's entire body grimaced when I pressed the plump bag of ice he'd fetched for me against the entire right side of my face, and it intensified after my iffy wince. He'd been scurrying about the residence like a mouse just moments before, looking for anything that could help me with the painful throbs coming from my messed-up face. Though I appreciated his efforts, I couldn't help but worry 'bout what the heck must be going through his mind after tearing his sister apart with words I was blessed to not be able to process.

Sitting beside me on the bed, Daniel held onto my free hand and squeezed it, refusing to make eye contact with me. "I'm so glad I wanted to spend some time with you tonight," Daniel muttered. "If I had decided not to, I don't know what would have happened to you." Biting his lips, Daniel forced out some air from his lungs. "I know I'm the one to blame for this. You were hurt because of me, I brought you into this. I made you wear that... that thing, that necklace... and now look at what happened."

It definitely wasn't his fault. She was somehow able to tell that we were lying 'bout our marriage, and aside from that how can he blame himself for something that he couldn't control? His sister's just a crazy maniac, is all. Who goes around beating people up like this for such a reason? "It's not your fault," I managed to say, squeezing back his hand and tasting the stray bits of blood in my mouth (how the heck did I not lose a single tooth?!).

I was going to expand on what I meant, but once Daniel's eyes fell onto my lips, all of his attention shifted towards the first aid kit he'd brought from somewhere 'round the residence. Out of it, he pulled out a cotton swab. After dipping it in a bottle of rubbing alcohol, he said: "This might sting a bit, brace yourself."

I had a brief trip of nostalgia immediately after he said that, but I couldn't tell exactly what I was nostalgic 'bout. Somehow, quite some time ago, I'd heard that same exact phrase, with the same exact tone Daniel had with it── even the focused look he had while rubbing the cotton swab on my upper lip was all too familiar, but why? Was this just one of those strange déjà vu moments that people keep talkin' 'bout, or do I not understand what's going on right now?

"Ouch!" I heard myself yelp.

Daniel chuckled, but it wasn't as lighthearted as usual. It actually felt kinda heavy, kinda tense. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

Letting go of the bag full of ice, I placed my hands on his cheeks and made sure our eyes met no matter how many times he tried looking away. "Daniel, it's not your fault, I'm serious."

Daniel shook his head. "It was an understatement, really, when I said she needed a little guidance in life. She's a whole lot worse than what I described to you. She's... she's a terrible, terrible person. You're── you're not the only one she has hurt like this, and, and she's done much worse, too, and, and I... I failed to warn you about that. I didn't expect her to go this far with someone involved with our family. At worst, I thought that she would just make you uncomfortable, but... that doesn't excuse me. It's my fault, I'm so sorry... no matter what, it's essentially my faul── "

"No, don't you dare say that! Nothing would've made a difference, nobody would've been able to stop her here. You can't blame yourself for that."

Jade's crazier than I expected, and my expectations were already low. It had nothing to do with Daniel.

Daniel looked away again, letting out the darkest, driest laugh I've ever heard as of yet from his insides. "About that, um... " After a minute or two of me just waiting on whatever he wanted to say, I gave up on waiting. It was obvious that he was at a loss for words and I didn't know if I should push him.

The silence in between us made me dwell on what had just happened to me. With someone like Jade around, I'm not sure that I could be able to live with Daniel here to the fullest── but that's not the main issue. If Daniel's right about her hurting people, she needs to be taken away to a psych ward or something. The savage glare she had when she was taunting me was definitely not normal, it unsettled everything within me. It was more than just crystal clear to me that she was thinking of several ways to have me six feet under, and I don't think I'm stretching it there.

Jade didn't feel like a human being. She didn't talk like a human being. She didn't breathe or move like one, either. Nothing in her eyes showed anything that even tried to resemble one.

The most horrifying thought I could possibly have of her, though, didn't relate to anything 'bout her own self, but rather of her potential relation to my uncle and cousin. Why did she dare mention them to me like that? How did she know them, considering that she didn't even live 'round here? Maybe── just maybe, she met them at some point in her life, while visiting Daniel here? If that's the case, what the hell happened? How did they get the chance to meet, and what would make her remember them? They haven't been around for a long while now. Why would she tell me their names, using their blessed souls against me, provoking me like that, as if she knew it would sting me? Just... why?

"Ane, what is that?" His eyes were suddenly glued to the ground 'round my bed.

I stretched over him to see what he was looking at, but once I noticed my trusty knife, I couldn't help but giggle. "It's a knife, dummy."

His eyebrows furrowed. "I know what it is. I meant... why is it in your room? Did... did Jade threaten you with it?"

"It's not hers. It's mine, for safety," I bluntly said. "Like for what just happened." It didn't help me much, but things could've been worse. At the very least it showed me just how much of a monster Jade was.

"Oh, Ane." Rushing over to me for a hug, he cupped the back of my head and pulled me down to his chest. "You scare me so very much. I, I don't want anything happening to you, but... this is not healthy, Ane." His voice felt pretty brittle, but I decided not to say anything 'bout it. Instead, I focused on the many rise and falls of his chest. "If only I could make this all go away."

I couldn't understand why Daniel said that. Having such a form of protection near me has been the only way I've managed to sleep soundly for the past few years, and honestly I don't know why I didn't think of it before he happened. I don't know why other people don't do it, either. Doesn't anyone want to feel safe and sound? So many problems could be stopped, or at least warded off in some way (Jade excluded) with a knife, or a gun, or a bat within a moment's reach, and I must definitely not be the only one in the world to think of that!

Maybe I would be much safer if I have one with me everywhere I go, in my purse or on a leg strap. I would then be the most prepared person for a zombie apocalypse or an assault, right?

☆☆☆

Daniel slept on my bed for the night, insisting that he didn't want to leave me alone. It's not like I was against it, and it did help with the ruse we were doin' 'bout being married (though its entire purpose was defeated with Jade knowing it's fake, but did we really have the courage to admit it to the rest of the family after I just met them?), but it made me feel bad for him, 'cuz he's dealin' with someone like me. I know I have problems, and here he is with me── living through them with me, experiencing it all. He's stronger than he seems, and I praise him for it.

☆☆☆

I woke up the next day with my right eye throbbing like crazy from the pain, and after attempting to blink for a while I realized I couldn't really open it from how swollen it was. I didn't even dare to look at myself in the mirror 'cuz I didn't need reassurance to know that I looked like a Picasso painting.

I shuddered at the idea of meeting Daniel's family, 'cuz the injuries that crazy maniac gave me were screaming for attention, and the makeup I worked so hard on putting on to hide something, if not all, sucked at its one job. My super sexy and dark complexion failed to save me, too, from having my cuts and bruises go unnoticed; nothing was able to hide what was done to me. Even by just wearing the eyepatch I found next to me on the bed (thanks, Daniel!), it was obvious that it wouldn't solve anything. My so-called in-laws were gonna be here for a long time, and 'cuz of that they were bound to see me in one way or another, even if I dared to try and avoid them. On my way to the dining room, I braced myself for what I knew would be a long, long day of questioning and general problems.

The first thing I noticed was Jade's absence, which honestly made things a little easier for me as I sat next to Daniel. My one good eye noticed my sister Teresa on her best behavior, chatting away with the parents 'bout our childhood (when did they meet?!). My plate already had a helping of some pasta with marinara sauce and chicken, which I was ready to wolf down, and everyone was basically in the middle of eating lunch with a side of idle talk, but it all changed when Fiona's eyes locked onto my healthy one.

She immediately let go of her utensils. "What's with the eyepatch, Ane, and the bruises by your jaw?" Everyone's eyes were onto me within seconds. There go my efforts to hide it all and myself, down the drain. Under the table, Daniel reached out for my hand and squeezed it.

I managed to notice a small change in the air Jordan had 'round him, but I did my best to overlook it. "It's nothing, really." I found myself looking down at my plate, holding onto the fork as if it was all I had. Should I spill the beans?

"When people say that, it's an obvious issue," Jordan breathed out. "Did... did my son hit you?" I'm super afraid to say this, but I couldn't read the tone of Jordan's voice. Daniel spit out all of the water he was 'bout to swallow from his glass, and it seemed to only make Jordan's words all the more unsettling. "Did he hit you?" Jordan repeated, narrowing his eyes at his son now. "It's no wonder now why you were so quiet. I knew something was off."

"I-I didn't! What the hell, Jordan!"

In a deadpan tone, Fiona said: "Daniel, don't you dare curse at your father again, and we are not talking to you. We are talking to Ane." Daniel's hand squeezed mine a little harder than before, but let me go shortly after.

Within a few moments, Hilery slowly closed her eyes and sighed, cowering her head beneath her shoulders and letting her hair shield her from everyone else. "Joel and I... w-we saw Jade rush out of big sis Ane's room last night. We were too scared to do anything."

I couldn't even describe the intensity of the flare in both of the parents' looks. They didn't have to say anything to know what was going on 'round their heads: they were after Jade's head. For the rest of our lunch time, we all ate in silence as we heard the occasional screeching of the parents' utensils against their plates.