1. Daniela

ONE

Daniela

M om and Dad are away visiting a new doctor and I want to call them to come back so I'm not stuck with Carly. She's twenty-one years old and she should be looking after me, but the man she's sat on is taking up her time and her tongue. Dad will go crazy if he finds out her boyfriend is here, but Mom is sick again. I can't let her know Carly isn't the angel she thinks she is when she's drunk or high every night instead of focusing on work like she should be. The accountant does everything Carly is supposed to, and she only goes to the office to sign so our cards don't get cut off.

The longer I sit around her and Leno while they eat each other's faces the more I want to sink into the sofa. The sounds are worse than the shadows flickering as they grope each other on the other sofa, and I know I shouldn't have trusted her when she said it's a movie night. They don't even pause when I mumble goodnight and slip off the sofa to run up the stairs to my room .

I don't sleep here when my parents aren't home. Carly thinks I'm a dumb kid, but I know what the noises are, especially since I stupidly asked Tali to check if my house is haunted when I was younger. He was an idiot and made his older brother do it and if there's one thing I never need it's to have Valentin Vartanov, the star of my dreams, trying to go in my room. He's beautiful and my crush wouldn't survive the embarrassment of him seeing the stupid teddies tio 1 sends me every year for my birthday.

Packing my pajamas into my backpack, I throw it out my window and pull Tali's hoodie on before I leave. He'll be pissed if I walk to his house without a jacket even though it's warm.I like the other one better because it smelt like Val, but this just smells like my disgusting best friend, and I'm surprised there's no snacks hidden in the pocket.

I'm already happier as I climb down the terrace. Vitali isn't just my best friend, he is my only friend, and his house is always fun, there are games and whatever snacks anyone could want. Mine is a museum, pretty to look at if you only care about facts and everything has to be healthy. If the media get a picture of the Carvalho's looking anything but amazing the world would stop spinning.

I tuck my braids into my t-shirt and pull the hood over my head, holding my backpack straps as I walk the short distance to the Vartanov's. Ever since they moved closer to me, I spend as much time as I can at their house. The pathway has been cleared from any of the bushes since I cut my arm on them a year ago and I hold the straps of my bag tighter as I walk into the middle that's fully dark between each of the large houses either side. I don't know whose garden I'm walking through, but they've never complained.

The Vartanov's house isn't just huge, they have guards and I avoid the front gate to walk to the side entrance. Dima spots me and I never know how he does it. He says something in Russian to the guards and they walk to the front gate as though they're soldiers. I don't know what Vlad does, but he must be important if he needs the security. I'm about to keep walking until I can slip through the gate without being caught when the side gate opens and Dima stands at the threshold, holding it open for me.

He's a miserable person but his husband isn't with him, so I know it's safe. He might not be married to Vlad legally, but they may as well be when they always act like they're our parents and have secret conversations. He gestures for me to walk through with his head and doesn't remove his eyes from watching the guards as he lowers his voice.

"He's in his room and the front door is open, go in, they won't say shit to you."

I give him a smile and ignore every word he said as I walk around the back of the house to Tali's bedroom window. The front door isn't usable because I don't know if Vlad's home. I never use the front door unless it's daylight like the sun can protect me because he's the most frightening person I've ever met. It's stupid when I don't think he would hurt me, but the last time I was alone with him I nearly wet myself and he only helped me tie my laces. He has scars all over his hands making his tattoos break up and there's just something that makes him not fully human whenever I look into his eyes.

The light is on in Tali's room, and I tap my foot against the windowpane. It used to be harder to sneak in when his bedroom was next to Val's but now it's in the basement I never have to see anyone. The first thing I see is his smile as he jumps up to slide the window open and grab my bag. The wall has modified rock climbing studs in it, but I go headfirst so he has to catch me. The ass does it too late and lets my legs slam off the edge of window, making me hiss and there's no sympathy as he hugs me to his side.

"You're lucky I was here to catch you. Come through feet first next time."

I know the rules and quickly close the window, locking it before he can get shouted at for leaving it open. He turns me around and holds his arms out showing the spread of snacks I won't be eating.

"First day of break traditions, pick a movie."

We have traditions for everything. First day of school, he has to pick me up and walk me in on his back. First day of any break, we watch one romantic movie and then a horror because Tali needs balance. Making it my mission to have him crying at one of them, I pick the saddest one I can find and queue it up before going to change into my pajamas.

If I change in front of him he'll act grossed out and pretend to be put off his food for exactly two seconds before shoveling more into his mouth. Everyone thinks we're seeing each other, or that we're hiding a relationship, but it's deeper than that, he's my squish. A platonic soulmate, the other half to balance me out and make me do things I'm afraid to, all while I listen to his theories and carry whatever snacks he wants in my bag.

His other brother, Valentin, is only a year older than us and he's the one I can't stop staring at when we're in the same room. Whenever I'm around him, I sit closer or force myself to start a conversation just so I can have more. He's a flirt and he's already broken up and got back together with his girlfriend since we finished school yesterday.The chances of Val ever looking at me are non-existent when his type is the opposite of me.

Going back to the bed, I throw myself beside Tali making sure to jab my elbow into his ribs as I get under the covers. He turns the lights off and puts the movie on as he launches a pack of Passatempo's at my head. He rips his own open and I use the noise as an excuse to ask what I want to know.

"Are your brothers home?"

I don't care about Vlad. He'll be beating someone up and I'd prefer it if he wasn't here, so I don't get caught. Tali sits up with his arm behind his head as he shrugs and he doesn't read into my nosiness.

"They're out, think Val's staying in the woods. He went to the party Niko is throwing."

I've never been to the parties in the woods, Carly has. She's older but manages to get invited to any party in New York. I'm the soft, doesn't speak or do anything wrong little artist, as Dad likes to describe me. For once in my life, I wish I could dress up, put on a costume, and walk into the middle of one of their parties and pretend to be someone different. The last time we tried to, it ended up being worse and all three Vartanovs left with blood on their hands after Vlad was called because of Valentin fighting with someone.

I look to the side and ignore the movie playing, contemplating whether to say my idea out loud. No, he'll end up getting excited and then I'll feel worse knowing he's stuck with me all night, so I lean into Tali's side and watch the movie. When it gets to the sad part, I nudge his ribs and look up to see if there's any tears. He's heartless and doesn't even sniffle as he throws popcorn into his mouth. To stop my own emotions, I focus on the lack of his and scoff, "You're cold, how are you not crying? "

The light from the TV only shows half his face as he turns to face me, and he sticks his bottom lip out. "Oh no, it's so sad, they fell in love but now she's dead."

He laughs. Asshole . I elbow him again and he wipes his buttery fingers on my cheek.

I wish I was attracted to Vitali, instead of his brother. Life would be easier. We spend all of our time together and he's my favorite person, but it's Valentin I want to be sat next to, his bed I want to sleep in and his arms I want to hide in while we watch horror movies.I can't imagine it being the same though, he always hurts people in the most public way. I look towards the window as footsteps move at the side of the house, I can't see their shoes or hide the hope in my voice as I whisper, "I think Val's home."

Tali grabs my shoulders and looks into my eyes, turning serious.

"Why did you say it like that?" He continues staring at me and repeats the line he always gives when it comes to his brother. "Don't even think about it Dani, his dick is fucking cursed."

My face pinches in the middle and I pull myself out of his hands as I lie to both of us. "I don't think about his dick, or your brother at all. I just thought he walked past."

He doesn't lose his look of accusation as he throws me a face wipe and cuts my movie short for his own.

"You better not, or I'll have to beat the shit out of him," he says.

I try to stop my laugh, but it turns into a snicker, and he snaps his head in my direction. The wipe doesn't help me hide it as I clean his buttery fingerprints from my skin, and it turns into a squeal when I'm abruptly pinned on my stomach. My hands are held behind my back and the fat shit sits on me as he tickles me.

"Get off me. Your fat ass is squashing my lungs."

The high pitched giggling is forced out and he presses more of his weight into me as he refuses.

"Stop laughing and I'll stop."

There's a loud thud outside the door and we both freeze. Tali doesn't move off me, he pushes me further into the sheets and stares through the wall like he can see through it, sounding older as he orders, "Stay here. "

I turn, expecting someone to grab him when he jumps up and goes through the door, but he loses the violence as he steps outside cursing, "You're a dick, you scared Dani."

Val's voice is strained as he says, "You're only pissed because she stopped fucking you."

My entire body flames and I sink into the sheets to make myself smaller at the sound of metal clangs hitting the ground. I know there's a gym set up opposite Tali's room, but no one ever uses it when I'm here.

Val turns even crueler, and I flinch at the harsh tone filtering through the open door. "Remember to wrap up, or you'll have little brats running around. No one else is going to look after your bastard kid."

There's a thud and Tali's voice is deadly. "Watch your mouth, she's family."

One pair of footsteps move through the hallway, and I snap my eyes closed as they continue cursing at each other. Blindly stretching to the side, I find Tali's headphones and put them on so I can pretend I don't hear them arguing.

There's nothing playing to drown him out as he walks back in the room and slams the door closed. He allows the lie as he throws himself on the bed beside me, ripping the headphones off me, and he doesn't mention anything. The usual playfulness is back as he rests against the headboard and wraps his arm around my shoulders while restarting his horror movie. It's never awkward between us until someone assumes we're together. He doesn't act like that though, it's me who keeps a gap between our bodies and becomes hyperaware of the fact I'm lying in a boy's bed.

It disappears when I look up to the side of his face fully engrossed in the screen. I'm not attracted to him, so it won't ever be a problem. I relax, forgetting his preference for the vilest things a person can watch. It's always bloody and gruesome. Some of them are banned in the US so I don't know how he finds the movies and manages to hide them from his older brother, even Carly isn't irresponsible enough to let me watch the banned slashers. The intro isn't any easier to watch and I pull the sheets over my head to force myself to go to sleep. A warm hand strokes over my face as he stops the bloody flickers coming through the material and protectively shifts closer to me.

Every part of my body is overheating with the furnace wrapped around me. Tali grumbles in his sleep as I try to lift his arm off me, and he hooks his leg over mine, keeping me in place and tightening the sheets around me. He never sleeps under the covers with me and always tangles them with how much he moves.There are no lights on in the room so he's dead to the world and making me sweat as he forces me to remain tucked against his chest.

I nudge his chin with my forehead, and he twitches. Doing it again, he loosens up enough to let me go. The Vartanov's house is always warm, and no windows are allowed to be opened when you're sleeping; some security thing with Vlad being involved with criminals. I pause at the door listening to see if there's anyone outside. They all have their own floors, but I'm going to die from dehydration, and I don't want to get caught.

I slowly walk down the hall when I don't hear anyone moving and avoid the squeaky floorboards. I've memorized which ones they are and could walk the path from the kitchen to Tali's room with my eyes closed. Using the hidden staircase rather than the main one that leads into the hallway, I walk up the stairs, skipping the one that creaks. I'm about to step into the kitchen when I hear two pairs of footsteps. No one ever tells me I can't stay, and Vlad seems to know when I'm here because there'll always be a third bowl of cereal on the table when I wake up and he never acts surprised to see me. But he's the thing that goes bump in the night, the monster under the bed, and he's terrifying.

I hide behind the wall in the small hallway between the top of the basement stairs and the kitchen to eavesdrop on his conversation with Valentin.

"I don't give a fuck what you do, just be here for two days," Vlad says.

Ice clinks and a chair scrapes against the tile. I want to see him, and the shadows help me hide as I poke my head around the corner. The kitchen is bright, but the large pantry door is open, keeping me in the shadows as he sits at the island. Val's black hair is all messed up when it's usually styled to perfection and there's a cut on his lip matching the redness on his cheek. Vlad wraps ice in a cloth sliding it across the island before he stands across from his brother who is looking in my direction, but he can't see me. His knuckles are scraped from whoever he had a fight with, he's still angry and a bit drunk when his words slur together. "Can't I stay at Dima's? I hate them, they'll just be dicks and try to get me and Tali to fight."

The entire time I've known them, they've never fought each other seriously. They'll curse at one another or argue but never come to blows. Someone pushed me over and they both fought together not against each other. There's only two people that Val hates – his parents. I've heard him say he wishes they were dead and everyone at school thinks they're orphans, but neither of the brothers correct them.

Vlad laughs and shakes his head. "You want to stay with your little girlfriend, not Dima. It's not happening."

All of a sudden I like him and agree with his decision. Zoe isn't just a bitch, she's the queen of all the bitches in our school. Her goal for life will be to take that title global, plus she's a bully. Valentin has a type – bullies. Every one of his girlfriends has done something to fuck with me, but Zoe is the worst, she's made my life hell and her punishment will be whatever way he decides to humiliate her. He's not a normal person and breaks up with them, Valentin takes the words literally and destroys them publicly when he's done with them.

Dropping the ice, he turns to his brother with his jaw clenched and there's hate in his voice as he spits, "But you'll let Tali's girlfriend sleep here?" He looks like a kid, not a seventeen year old as he throws a tantrum with his hands going in the air. "How the fuck is that fair?! He sneaks her in, and I have to listen to them fucking flirting, he was fucking her earlier too. They're probably fucking each other all night, but I have to stay here?!"

My cheeks burn at his accusation when there's nothing other than innocent friendship between Tali and me.

Vlad hardens his voice and I flinch as he slams his hand on the counter. "Enough. I've told you before, only perverts think about who their family are fucking. Keep going and I'll start thinking you're one." Straightening up, he fixes his cuffs then buttons his suit jacket speaking calmly, "Dima is on the door. I'll be back in the morning. "

He rounds the island and tilts Val's face up to check his injuries. His voice gets lower, and he sounds like he actually cares. "Leave the ice on it, it shouldn't swell."

I'm blocked from being able to see what they're doing as his body blocks my path. Without saying another word, he leaves, and Val extends his voice when the door clicks.

"You can come out, khudozhnik moya 2 ."

He doesn't sound angry, and his smile is dopey at me being caught.I should have just stayed in the furnace – dehydration isn't as bad as confrontation. Pulling on my shorts like it will extend the fabric enough to cover my legs, I walk around the wall, and he follows me with his eyes. He always calls me khudozhnik moya, I don't know what it means, and I can't spell it to search online. Asking him a simple question wouldn't help either when he refused to tell me the first time.

He pushes his chair back and comes closer as I tuck my chin to my chest so I can hide my red cheeks. Twice he's made a comment about me being in his brothers bed, if he says it to me openly, I'll never be able to show my face here again.

There's blood on his t-shirt, dark red against the stark white but it's his eyes that suck me in, they're like crystal pools and the only light thing about him with his dark hair. Crossing his arms over his chest, he leans on the counter opposite me as I fill up a glass with water. He doesn't say anything until I bring it to my lips and makes me choke.

"How long were you listening for?"

My brain is focused on surviving, drawing air into my lungs, and I give myself away.

"It's not like that, I don't sleep with Tali."

I snap my jaw closed to stop anything else spilling out even though it's pointless, but I still do it. He pushes off the counter and I catch his smile in my periphery as he stalks closer to me. I quickly turn and face the wall as heat blankets my side.

If I get sucked into Valentin's presence I'll make an even bigger fool of myself. He's a flirt with everyone, even teachers and the janitor. I know this, butterflies still take flight in my stomach despite that information when he stands at my back. They get worse following his hand ghosting around my ribs to my sternum .

I can see him in the window, his profile slowly getting closer as he lifts my hair off my neck. His breath touches my skin with every word he says. "So, he doesn't touch you? You don't touch him?"

He's happy about it, not just curious and I nod, unable to trust my voice. His lips touch my skin without any pressure, a ghost of a kiss and then they're gone with an order.

"Good. Make sure that never changes."

He takes his heat away as he turns to leave, and I miss it so stupidly. Without turning around I ask,

"Or what?"

We have our backs to each other and I'm sure he can hear my heart racing as it echoes through my entire body. His voice is dark, twisted, and violent.

"You don't want to know."

I turn in time to see the reflection of his rage as he walks out of the kitchen. My stupid mouth opens again as he has one foot over the threshold.

"Maybe I do. I did ask."

The only part of his body that moves is his head as he looks at me head on, his eyes darken matching the sinister smirk on his face.

"Be good Daniela, curiosity is never good for innocent little pussies."

His eyes rake down my body and I manage a stiff nod before holding the glass with two hands and running away.