The Aftermath

Chapter 43

The rest of the party is relaxed in comparison. Megan apologizes to you and the group for her behavior and takes you aside for a moment.

"I know she is your sister too." You stand a little apart on the beach, the water coolly plays around your bare feet and you look out over the lake. Supporting on the situation, some clouds have appeared in the sky and cast shadows on the paradise that has opened up for you. Megan draws lines into the sand and looks angrily at the ground. "She just always makes me angry. I don't know why either.” Then she looks at you. "I'm really sorry."

"I would have liked it to keep her here," you admit. At this Megan looks even more depressed. "But I want to take care of you first." You look at the group. "And Millie."

"I'd love to kiss you now," Megan mumbles, looking shyly to the floor. You giggle softly.

"Me too, god knows. Tonight Wombat." You bump her in the side and realize that it is good for both of you to have each other.

"What was that about Denise? I don't know her very well, but the little one has to be put over the knee.” You giggle a little at the thought. You appreciate that Megan is trying to cheer you up again.

"She and Maureen both come from broken households."

"Amen to that," Megan groans. She doesn't have much contact with her father. Then she looks at you a little friendlier. "But it was cute how you defended us." You shrug your shoulders.

"It would be easier if I could just admit it. But I'm doing my best."

"Maybe we can think of something else," Megan thinks. "But not today. Come on, let's go back and make Millie have a nice day.”

"Hey, that's my text again," you exclaim. "You always steal my sayings!" Megan knocks you lightly on the side, leans over to you and whispers: "For that you have my complete, unconditional and perpetual love." Then she turns on the heel and prances to the circle of their friends.

"Fair enough..." you mumble and join them.

Unfortunately, it turns out that Josh didn't leave the mood completely unaffected.

"Where's Denise?" you ask Millie when you are back in the group. It is a rare sight to see your little princess annoyed. She looks back at the house and groans.

"Inside again. She didn't say anything and just ran away."

"Isn't she going to follow the guy?" Carrie asks, who joins you with Emma in tow. Both have glasses in their hands and sip from them from time to time. The girls' mood is still good, but you quickly notice that everyone's head is somewhere else.

"I don't know Carrie," Millie mumbles, and you smile slightly. It's almost normal for Millie now to talk to the others. She thinks for a few seconds and then turns to you.

"Finn, you're better at something like this." She takes a breath and looks at you. "Do you think you could talk to Denise?" Then she looks a bit shy and breaks eye contact with you. "I don't like it when my friends have something to do with such... stupid men." She looks into your eyes again with a questioning and somewhat uncertain look. Heavens above, this girl is just perfect. "Is that selfish of me?" She smiles **** and appears to be torn by her concern for her friend and your opinion of her.

"No honey, that makes you a great person," replies Carrie, and you **** on your words.

"Damn it. Today everyone steals my sayings ”, you grumble a bit embarrassed, but luckily the girls take it well.

"Oh Finn my poor, I'm sorry," Carrie chirps and Millie giggles a little at her tone.

"All right," you grumble, but you also have to grin. "I can't refuse anything to my princess." You turn to the door and turn again with the handle in your hand. "If she kills me, remember me as I was."

"Trembling anxiously in the face of a pissed-off eighteen-year-old?" Carrie asks rhetorically and when the door closes behind you the last thing you hear is the happy laugh of your little sister.

Like Geralt of Rivia, you are now sneaking through the living room in search of traces. You don't have witchcraft senses, but you don't need them either. Anyone could hear the rumble from above.

You stand in front of the door of the guest bedroom for the friend of Millie and arm yourself. How should you proceed? Hard and fast like a SWAT-Team? Or should you negotiate? Before you can decide, the door is opened and Denise flies towards you. Only in underwear she storms through the door and hits you with full ****. The two of you gasp and when you take a step back she falls with you. You found her hanging in your arms as on the last evening, her legs bent, your arms under her armpits and her face pressed against your chest. She lifts her head and looks up to you. You have to keep from grinning, remembering the last time she was hanging in your arms. But now you feel something in your chest that wasn't there before. What's this?

Denise is also slowly realizing what just happened. Surprise, embarrassment, anger and sadness alternate in a loop on her face. It takes endless seconds for her to pull herself together and start to wriggle like a fish in your embrace.

"Let me go you..." she hisses, but doesn't dare to give you any names. So I still have some authority. She manages to find a firm footing and you release her. When you face each other, she just looks at you. When she realizes that she is only in front of you in a bra and underpants, her eyes go down her body and she gasps. "I'm sorry..." she begins and looks at you in alarm. What? I'm sorry? The girl seems to be asking the same question and shakes her head, dazed. "I mean: what the hell do you want? Can't you knock?” But she can't keep her angry looks long and soon your eye contact breaks and Denise Van Buren stands in front of you, half-naked, with cheeks flushed with anger and unable to look you in the face. Like the Witcher, you didn't expect to find such a 'monster' at the end of your trail. And again you feel these emotions in yourself. Before you can say anything, Denise turns and storms back into the room. Her small firm butt nestles perfectly in her white, unadorned underpants. It's no surprise that she probably didn't expect anyone to see her like that today. But it doesn't bother you, because the fabric hides just enough not to attract your eyes like magnets. Still, you can see exactly the line where her buttcheeks merge into her legs. You have to swallow what at least nobody sees.

"I wanted to talk to you," you begin. "May I come in?" You stop on the threshold of the room.

"It's your house" the girl shrugs and starts to search the room for her clothes. You take a closer look at the room and the chaos that comes your way is truly unique. How can she know what belongs to her, you ask yourself shaking your head. The bed - smaller than that one you share with your sisters - is apparently occupied by Susan and Claire, because Denise piles up all her things on the small air mattress that lies on the floor next to it. Another mattress is leaning against the wall, apparently the one of Millie. Will no longer need her now, Mum will be disappointed. Well, she would be that way anyway. The harsh movements draw your attention back to Denise. "You always remind us who's in charge anyway." She can't look you in the eye when she says that, but the energy with which she stuffs her things into a gym bag is too obvious.

"Wow, slow down," you say, raising your hands apologetically. "I never wanted to make you feel bad about being here. I'm sorry.” Denise looks at you briefly, but continues to pack her things. Does she want to move out? You take a closer look at the clothes that the Van Buren holds in her hands. "Where are you going Denise?" The tone of your question surprises both of you, but you can't help but darken your voice warningly. Her wardrobe seems to contain only the tightest of clothes. Only the condoms are missing and she could work on the street. Josh would jump on her after two minutes short, no matter what she said. Your hands clench your fists briefly, but when Denise notices that, they relax quickly. But you have already changed the situation. The girl has stopped packing and is now standing in the middle of the room, a frilly bra in one hand, a pair of her cat ears in the other.

"What do you want?" She murmurs in a voice that lacks the strength and determination you otherwise saw in her. Again the feeling rises in your stomach that you can not yet assign.

"To talk to you," you say, and look at the door frame where you're still standing. "So, may I come in and sit down?" A short nod must be enough for you, but Denise is right to say who the man in the house is here. Ask Megan and Rachel on this question... oh don't mind. You sit on the bed on a pile of shirts, apparently from Susan and Claire and feel a little uncomfortable in your skin so you clear your throat. You still haven't decided how to proceed, but the fact that Denise is so bare in front of you makes the decision for you. You can't be mad at such a cute girl. "I would like to know what is depressing you."

"Nothing," it comes back snappily.

"Come on. You are mad at me, I can see that. How can I make up for it?"

"Not at all." Okay… don't be upset. You messed it up, now fix that too.

"Come on Denise. Do you really want to leave Millie alone and go to this Josh?” She looks at you now and her eyes send a shiver down your spine.

"What do you care Finn? You have nothing to say to me.” Take a deep breath.

"Right. But I'm still worried about you.” But that doesn't help either. An ice-cold silence spreads in the room and when you don't say anything else Denise starts moving again. You are getting nervous. No matter what you said before, you can't just leave this girl to her fate. Or can you? The thought triggers you. You have nothing to say to her. She is not your sister. And you already have enough people around you to take care of. But... And that's what makes you angry. The 'but'. The feeling of being responsible. And you don't even know why. This girl! What the hell is that feeling? You keep watching Denise packing, none of you are bothered by the bare skin she shows you. The situation is crazy enough, but you can see that your eyes aren't just on her face.

Shocked, you realize that it seems natural for you to look at a girl's curves now, whether she's with you or not. You have only been with your sisters for such a short time and for some reason you are already looking at their friends through the eyes of a hunter. Like a shark on the prowl. The Witcher on the hunt. Damn, you are cheating on your sisters! Not only with Denise, who now gives you sideways glances. Emma too! And Karen and Rachel! Crap. Fuck... Fuck!

Denise paused. Her gym bag with the things for the adventure with Josh under her arm. She looks at you and the feeling that you cannot assess gives way to one that you know only too well. All devouring fear.

"Get out of here. I want to change.” But she doesn't sound convinced. You know that voice from Megan. Whenever she told you that she didn't want to spend the evening with you because she had to go to the stadium with her boyfriend. "Josh is waiting for me."

"How's that?" And the fear gives way to something else. Something darker. Something that grows in you. Again her eyes are uncertain. She knows she shouldn't, but she does anyway.

"I called him. He and Maureen pick me up in an hour."

"Denise come on." You try to fight the darkness inside of you. It feels... like the evening with Millie and her boyfriend. Damn it! But there is something else. The dark does not only surround your thoughts about Josh, whom you let in the group. It also surrounds Denise. And that distinguishes her from Millie, who has always been the light figure in your life.

"I said go away." Again her voice lacks strength. But she still wants it. "I have to change clothes."

"Please", it escapes you. One last attempt to save a nice person from a path that will change her forever. It is not her parents that you are afraid of, you see. Or the consequences if Josh and his gang-**** her. It is the look in her eyes that reminds you of Maureen. But like your older sister, Denise doesn't listen to you. Instead, she gets angry.

"Damn it! Get lost now!" She pulls you off the bed and pushes you towards the door. “I'm eighteen and can do whatever I want. Fuck off!"

You lost.

• All is lost. May I suggest a like on this chapter to cheer you up? Then, the world will look better in the next chapter. Promise.