kindred

Chapter 12 - Sleepovers and Revelations

A pounding pain awoke Addie, a growl of hunger rumbled within her. She rolled over in the darkness, reaching for the lamp. 

Addie furiosly scrubbed at her eyes, attempting to rub some of her headache away. The lamp she switched on slightly illuminated the large room and allowed her to read her clock. 

11:38. 

Harlan had obviously put her to bed. She cringed at the thought of what happened. How had she let herself go in front of all of her brother's. What had she done. 

The sense of security she felt in Harlan's arm's was gone. Instead she was faced with bitter loneliness as she wrapped her arm's around herself. She sat curled up in the middle of her bed, head resting on her knee's, arm's encasing her bony shin's. 

What would she do if they got rid of her? If they thought she was disgusting or damaged? No. She calmed herself, Lijah wouldn't kick her out. Thomas she wasn't so sure about. Or Joseph. 

The growl in her belly returned as she sighed into the darkness. Uncurling herself from the cover's, she detached herself from her pump in a haze. Addie was fed throughout the night through her feeding tube, a nutritional formula was pumped through a pump into her intestine.

She padded across the floor, keeping her tread light. Like a mouse. Addie only allowed a sliver of light from the hallway to enter her room, she peered out, checking it was empty. 

After confirming that it was indeed, empty, she crept out. She didn't walk through the corridor's to the main stairway, she went a different route. Through a much smaller stone spiral staircase that was ten doors down. Avoiding any human interruption was what she wanted. 

The light to the main kitchen was off, after flipping it on a silver shimmer covered the worktop's of the industrial sized room. Again, bypassing the family kitchen to evade people. Now that she was alone, there was no one to tell her she was safe, and a pit of dread was still formed. 

She filled a glass to the brim with milk before gulping it down so fast there wasn't even time to breathe. She had been neglecting her health and she knew it. Her appetite slipped and she ignored it, losing even more weight. The hospital had only just sent out her medical pump to her house meaning she had gone without it for almost three weeks. 

Another glass was quickly downed before she poured another one, one of Addie's favourite drink's was milk, especially chocolate milk. 

A creak on the stair's caused her glass to tumble, smashing into pieces. Immediately wild thoughts filled her head, many irrational. Squeezing herself behind one of the cabinet's she held her breathe, any noise could alert anyone. Heart racing. 

"Hello" A voice called. Relief washed over Addie, it was just her brother. 

She stood up slowly. But quick enough to see Joseph to stuff something into his waist band. 

"Addie? What are you doing down here?" He squinted into the shadow's of where she stood.

"Was hungry" She whispered, she hadn't seen him since that afternoon, when that happened. 

"Did you drop this?" He didn't seen angry at her, more inquisitive. Addie swore in her head, she forget she dropped it. Immediately she moved forward's to clear it up. 

She had just squatted down to pick up the shard's when Joe picked her up and yanked her away. 

"Addie, be careful. Don't cut yourself." He scolded her, he sat her on top of the large wooden table. He grabbed a dust ban and brush instead and scooped it up. "You hungry?" She nodded.