Trembling Power: Chapter Five

A/N: Yes I know it's super short. But we haven't written this story in like three months. We need help with it! Let us know what you think should happen next. Ideas are always open :D 

Lalia was watching the detectives investigate, searching through the house like hunting dogs. She was still unsure why her parents called them to their home, but she chose to ignore that. All she wanted was for them to leave. She peeked into the living room to find her parents and Nathan talking. Moving closer to the door, she attempted to eavesdrop.

"I did not do anything..." Nathan's voice was shakey. if she could see him, his hands would be just like hers.

"Now, we're not saying you... killed Mace... We're saying that you're old enough to move out. Besides, you're twenty, and have done nothing financially to help the family." Her father was often harsh with Nathan. Lendon Bandie treated everyone else in the family nicely. Lalia's family was blended, as it consisted of Nathan, who had another mother. Lalia had never seen her before as Mrs. Bandie refused to see Nathan's mother. Poor Nathan always got disregarded.

"But, but, but, I've helped with Lalia, and the taxes one year, and I cook every once in a while..." Nathan sounded as if was probably in tears.

Her mother stepped in on the conversation, "You haven't done anything money wise is what we're saying... Lalia has won many spelling bees, M-m-mace had a scholarship 'cause of soccer and his math. You've done nothing at all." it sounded like someone spit on the ground.

Lalia wanted to destroy her mother and father for their ignorance. Didn't they see how kind Nathan was to her? Wasn't that all that mattered? Sure, she was an intellgient child and Mace was an athlete and an academic all star...but Nathan was the gentle giant. He could make anyone happy. So why wasn't he making her parents happy? The poor girl didn't undertand this as she watched Nathan hang his head in defeat.

"I hope you'll be out of here before seven this evening. You can take the stuff in your room.We don't want that... junk anyway..." Her mother was probably rejoicing internally at the prospect of Nathan leaving. Lalia clenched her fists.

Her mother and father were moving onto their daily lives, so Lalia decided a trip to her bedroom was in order.

She was thinking about how sudden all of this was happening. Why were they deciding to kick Nathan out now? Mace just died and despite all the crap Nathan always got, he didn't deserve to leave now. Lalia needed him even more after the crime she had committed. He was all she had. She glanced at her alarm clock, which yielded the time: "4:30 PM." If Nathan had to leave at seven, she would be coming with him. The young girl had many reasons as to why she wanted to leave, but the main one was to be with her stepbrother. She loved him dearly and wanted to endure what he was enduring. If he was getting kicked out, so was she.

She opened her drawer, and took out a blue backpack. Mace had given her that three years ago...

Lalia sat in her room, playing with her stuffed animals. She had no intentions of caring about what was going on downstairs. Even though she could hear everything. For the first time in his life, Mace was in trouble. From what she heard, he was caught pretending to smoke with an actaul cigar. The worst part was, he had offered some to Lalia.

The seven year old had smiled, because he was getting what he deserved.

She could hear him protesting, saying it wasn't his fault Lalia tried to smoke the cigar. Lalia may have been only seven, but she was smart enough to know when to get Mace in trouble. Of course she knew smoking was wrong. She had always read the posters at school during "Say No to Smoking" days at Mace's middle school. She knew it was wrong. Putting it in her mouth would only get Mace in deeper trouble, which is why she chose to do it. She never liked how innocent Mace was. Which is why she dropped hints to her parents.

"Momma," she had said, her small legs hanging over the side of the bed, "I caught Mace doing something bad... he tried to get me to do it,too..."

Her mother had stopped putting the clothes in the drawer, assuming the worst. "What did Mace do, sweethart? Did... did he show you anything?"

Lalia had played the innocent girl card, and looked down at her feet. "Yeah, he showed me something, it was really bad..."

Her mother was uncomfortable, shifting her weight. She looked Lalia in the eyes, "What did he show you...? You can tell Momma."

"Well, he...he showed me a cigar. And he asked me to put it in my mouth. I didn't know what he meant, so I put it in my mouth. That was when he said he would go searching for a lighter." Lalia swung her legs back and forth to add onto the innocence. "I didn't mean to do anything bad, Momma. But...but I thought Mace was doing the right thing!" She burst into tears, alarming her already tense mother. Mrs. Bandie held the girl in her arms, and then called out Mace's name.

This was the second time Lalia had ratted out her blood-related brother. A brother she had always hated from the beginning.

In the end, Lalia got Mace's favourite blue backpack. She had asked for itafter Mace was punished. It had all these cool compartments that Lalia's pink bag didn't have. He had to give it to her, as it was to make up for the trouble he had caused.