The dining room light up as someone turn on the switch. I did not look up and just continue scribbling something in my small notebook. The shadow of my big bulky brother, Keil, looms over my head and unto the table. His shadow has covered the light and I have no motivation to write now that he is here.

He read into my notes and laugh. “Ash? That’s it.”

I roll my eyes at him. “What?”

“All you scribble is that ‘What am I gonna do about it?’” He raises the notebook higher for me not to get it from his grasp.

“What’s wrong with it? It’s not like I am forbidden to use my notebook and pens.” My voice getting louder as I try to reach up to his hands.

He keeps on tiptoeing and I give up on going after the notebook. He laughs at me again, probably, tease me with my height.

“Is it that Rafael again? Or you hide some secret from me that I need to hear?”

I interrupt him. “For a man, you are one hell of a gossip king. There’s not a thing that you wouldn’t miss.”

He taps his forehead as if he is thinking. “Well, what can I say? I might say that it is in my true nature to know every secret that you and our sister, Aicelle, have. So, tell me about it.”

I open the dining room door and walk inside the living room. “I am not telling you anything. Period.”

“I bet; you have something to tell me too.”

That voice. Why is he here? What is he doing here with me and my brother and who knows who else? I look at where I heard that voice and I find it as a wrong move. His hair that is tussled like he doesn’t give a damn, his piercing dark brown eyes looks at me like I am prey, his perfect nose, his mischievous smile that is plastered in his face and his beard give off that bad boy vibe.

Keil raises both his hands as I send her my most dangerous glare. “Opps, sorry, little sister. I forget about my friend here.”

“That’s okay, Keillor…”

My brother interjects as he hated his name. “Just Keil. I hate that name.”

“Okay, Keil. You didn’t say that you have a beautiful lady here.”

I scoff at his attempt to make conversation.

My brother waves his hand and offers Cyrus a seat. “Oh, no, Mr. Alonzo, you are very wrong. You see, my sister here is no lady,” he pauses, “She is more of a she-man if you know what I mean.”

“I think so, too.”

“Soon, you’ll find out how she beats everyone who gets in her way.”

They both laugh and I leave them to laugh at their attempted jokes that aren’t funny. I look one more time at them and I could see the contrast of my brother and Cyrus. Keil has this serious aura with a funny face while Cyrus has this bad boy aura with a sweet face. So much difference.

As soon as I turn left towards my bedroom, Angel, my brother’s fiancée, stops me by the shoulder.

“I haven’t seen you there, Angel. How’s the farm?”

She leads me to my bedroom and sits in my bed while I am still standing near the doorway. “Still good as ever. I saw how you look at that man, and I am not blind to not see that you have some feelings for him.”

I shake my head at her. “That’s so fast. We have met, yes, but feelings, no.”

“Lying. Why does something tell me that you just won’t admit it to yourself?”

“Because I have nothing to admit to myself. I don’t need any distractions in my life, two men are enough.” I make my way towards my wardrobe and trying to find something that would be appropriate.

She chuckles. “What are you looking for? A dress?”

“Of course. Where should I find a dress? Under the bed?”

She holds her stomach as she laughs and her laughter died down as tears begin to form in her eyes as she chokes on her laughter.

“Chill. I didn’t do anything to you.” She raises her hands as if surrendering.

“Let’s go clubbing. You in or out?”

“Uhmm, I don’t think so. Kiel might look for me…”

I raise the dress I found appropriate. “Forget about him, will you? Don’t worry, try this one while I try this one, too.”

“I don’t think what we are going to do is appropriate.”

I shrug and look at her sideways. “If you won’t come with me, it’s fine. If you want to, then tag along. We don’t have all night.”

Her face rumples as she raises the dress and tries to measure it if it fits her petite body. The dress I give her is a black dress that has long sleeves in it that would shine when light contact with the fabric. It is decent enough for her as it goes down one-inch above her knee, but it hugs her body tightly. Angel could be a model figure if only she would accept the company offers at her, but she loves the farm more than anything else.

“Do I look okay? The skirt is too high for me and the dress is tight, I can’t breathe. It is sparkly and can catch the attention easily.”

“You are just overthinking everything. The dress is fine and you are fine. Now, I will just dress up and take care of your make up.”

She gives me a questioning look. She looks at the top drawer of my desk and found my make-up kit and starts to put powder on her face. I dress myself up with a white dress that goes in my mid-thigh and has a small slit that goes near my hips. The dress is tear-shaped backless that the lock of the dress is found in my neck. It gives off a seductive vibe and I am loving the fabric that it has; cottony and soft.

“Have you chosen your heels already, Angel?”

I look at her and shake my head as she only put powder and lip gloss in her face. “Not very much into make-up, Angel. Anyway, no need for make-up, you already look gorgeous.”

She blushes. “Thanks. I thought you’ll disapprove.”

“Now, have you chosen your heels?”

She sweeps her gaze at the foot of my bed and I follow where her line of sight is. “A two-inch heel? You kidding me, right?”

“No?”

“Fine, you could use it. As long as I know that you’ll not ditch me while I am clubbing.”

I put my powder, my mascara and bright red lipstick to complete my look like a seductive one. “I should ask for Keil’s permission first.”

“There’s no time, we should go.” I grab my five-inch stilettos and open the secret doorway that our father built when we were younger. The doorway is connected to the garage and it is built for an escape like what I and Angel are doing now.

“You sure about this?” Angel asks again as I turn on the ignition and open the electric front gate.

“I am always sure of what I do. Even if Kiel will follow us, it would take him hours to figure out we went missing.”

She gives me a disappointed look. “So, you did plan this?”

“Nope, just at the moment…”

“Trying to escape from that man because you are still with Rafael. Is that it?”

“No,” I maneuver the car to the gasoline station, “I have my reason and I wanted to have some fun.”

A big belly man knocks on our window and I open it. “Hello, there, Joe!”

“Hello, mate. Up for clubbing?” He looks at Angel and me, simultaneously.

“Yes, I have a favor. I will leave my car here and if someone came looking for us. Tell them that the passengers are off to have some fun.”

He nods and went back to his car that gives the view of his gasoline station.

“You sure he is trusted?”

“If you give him your trust, then he is trusted. Even if he will try to run away with the car, the car has some GPS in it.”

She looks at me like she just nailed a great science project. “So, that’s why you left it in there because your brother built some GPS in it.”

“You are right. Now, we need to walk this way towards the bar. I change my mind, the club is full of jerks and I don’t want to get on the bad side of my brother.”

We walk three blocks away from the station and soft music greets our ears as we make our way inside. The place has this cool and cozy ambiance and there are not so many people that visit here. The place is nice and a live singer is on the stage with a bunch of girls on his side. I look at the counter and a bartender is doing his tricks.

“Wow, I have never been to this kind of place before.” Angel’s eyes are full of amusement like a child.

“Well, now you are here. Let’s just hope that we get to enjoy the show before my brother found us.”

She looks at the bartender mixing up drinks and Angel sits in a stool. “Do you have any soda?”

I burst laughing at her question. “Girl, we don’t have soda on the list. You see, if you want some soda, there is a store up the street that sells them,” the bartender says.

“Oh no, we’re sorry, mister. This girl beside me is new to this place. I say we order some margarita.”

“Margarita, coming right up.”

She looks at me like a lost child. “Don’t be sad, Angel. There is always a first time for everything.”

“Thanks, but…” Her phone buzzes up and my brother’s number is on the screen. “Should I answer it or not?”

The call ended and it buzzes again. “Should I answer it, Ash? I think I should answer this, Kiel might be worried sick right now.”

“Let him be, we are having fun here.”

The bartender appears in front of us and brings us our drink. I take a sip and Angel takes a sip, too. Her face crumples at the taste of Margarita and puts the glass away from her.

“You’ll be accustomed to its taste, trust me.”

I drink the margarita in one gulp and order another one and the list goes on. I feel a little bit tipsy but I am not yet drunk.

“You know what Angel, my brother is a skinny teen who can’t handle a fight. He goes home one time crying in me and Aicelle’s arms because he is afraid to tell mother and father that he can’t fight those kids that are taller than him…”

“You’re drunk, Ash.” She presses her phone and Kiel’s name appears on it. “Kiel, we’re in a bar three blocks from the gasoline station. Yes, we’re doing fine just that Ash is drunk now…”

“I ain’t drunk. Give me that, I need to talk to my brother.” I tried to get the phone from Angel’s hands but I fall face down the counter.

“Please, you’ve got to hurry. Something’s not right.” From Angel’s voice, I can be sure that she is now panicking.

“Hello, ladies. Alone? Why don’t we enjoy ourselves together?” I can hear the groggy voice but my body feels too tired to get up.

“No, no, don’t touch me, you freak!” Angel shouted and I can only hear the commotion and the background noise, too.

Someone tries to touch my sides, but my vision gets blurry now. My head also feels dizzy and someone points a sharp object in my side. My breath hitch as I feel like being drugged.

I can hear Angel’s cry and as the minutes pass by, I feel guiltier and guiltier that I bring Angel to danger. A woman shouted as I heard the table being flipped and the knife in my side keeps inching near my hips where the slit stops.

“KIEL!” I can say that my brother has come to my rescue now that I heard Angel shouted his name.

“Put that knife down!” My brother is here. His authoritative voice booms over the small bar.

I could feel actions beside me and I hear some punching noise near me. Angel’s sobs are evident as she keeps on chanting ‘Sorry!’

“Ash, you okay?” Cyrus? He’s here too?

He hugs my small frame and he gets me out of the stool and guides me towards the exit and into his car.

“The payment.”

“You’re drunk and you still think about the payment of all the liquors you’ve drunk. You’re serious?” He turns on the ignition and drives back to my family’s house.

“Are you for real?” I reach my hand towards his blurry face and he swats it away from him.

“Of course, I am real.”

“You’re not real. You only exist in my past.”