Page 39 of Under the Waves
I gulped, the sound so loud you could’ve heard it.
I will not punch her parents, I will not start a fight, I will not make it worse. I will not punch her parents, I will not start a fight, I will not make it worse.I will not punch her parents, I will not start a fight, I will not make it worse.
I repeated the words over and over again in my head like a mantra until my vision wasn’t burning red.
“What can I do?”
She exhaled a shaky breath. “Just…” A tear fell down her cheek and she winced as it trickled over the open cut. “Just help me get them out of the house.”
I nodded before taking Hudson out of her arms and bounced him. He wailed and screamed like the world was ending and it broke my heart.
None of the Davis siblings deserved this.
None of them.
Lia disappeared beyond the hall. I cooed at Hudson and started humming the melody to Teardrops on my guitar. I liked the debut songs and Lia was convinced that Taylor was going to release a new album soon. I swear, she went on and on about all these tumblr theories about ten times a day. Jakson and I always listened—it was important to her, so it was important to us too.
She had been looking after her siblings by herself since as long as I could remember. Lia Davis became what she had to become to make sure her siblings had a childhood where hope and magic existed. There was no other future for her than giving up her own life to ensure that they had a chance to live theirs.
She was the most selfless, most compassionate person I’d ever met, and she’d saved them all from the monsters inside her own home more times than I could count…but who was there to save her?
“There,” I whispered, smoothing down a few messy strands of hair. “Uncle Jas makes the bad things go away.”
I lost my balance as two little blonds came crashing through the door and grasped onto my legs for dear life.
“Hey guys,” I smiled down at them, ruffling each of their hairs, too. I crouched down so I could be on their level, keeping a tight grip on Hudson.
“Uncle Jas,” Logan sniffled, wiping his sleeve across his face. “The monsters came back.”
“You have to get them!” Lucas whispered, tugging at my shirt. “Please.”
Both of their scared, tearful expressions made my chest tighten.
They needed me to be strong for them so I would be fucking strong.
They deserved that much.
“Hey,” I pulled them both into my chest and alternated between gently drawing small patterns on their backs. “I won’t let anything happen to you, okay?”
I felt Logan nod softly against my chest, but Lucas seemed hesitant like he knew that I was utterly powerless in this situation. The kid was fucking four years old, he shouldn’t have to grow up scared of every person he saw.
“Now, where are my little soldiers?”
Lucas stepped out of my embrace and nodded quietly.
“Here!” Logan beamed as he nodded at me, putting his hand against his forehead to salute to me.
“I can’t hear you!”
“Here!” they both chanted in unison. I broke out into a small laugh, smiling at them, and they soon followed, laughing and smiling along. Even little Hudson was smiling up at me, his fingers fiddling with the fabric of my top. Seeing their smiles was more of a reward than winning this year’s surfing championship.
Lia and Belle appeared in the doorway.
“I saw what he did to you. He’s a big, fat bully and you let him!”
The twins gasped and Logan covered his ears, almost instinctively. Lucas just silently watched them argue, his small brows drawn and his lips slightly trembling like he was stopping himself from crying. Lia’s face went cold and distant, and I knew Belle had gone too far. Lia already felt like she wasn’t enough for her siblings, yet alone herself, the last thing she needed was to hear the words from her eight-year-old sister’s mouth.
“Lia, why don’t you start walking with the boys and I’ll stay back for a minute with Belle.”