The girls have a talk

Penelope

I peeped behind the window curtains, watching as Ashley stood and talked to Liam and Mom sitting inside the car. Abby’s dad shouted something to them that I couldn’t hear before he and the woman got inside his red pickup truck. Finally, Ashley turned around and walked back towards the front door. My heart skipped a beat. This was it.

“Okay … My sister is coming now,” I said, turning to my friends standing behind me anxiously.

“You sure this is a good idea, Penelope?” Maria asked, picking up one of the knives that we’d taken from the kitchen.

“You know she’s not herself anymore,” Hana added, looking outside. “What if Liam is using her to trick us?”

I would be lying if I hadn’t thought about it. Could I still trust my brother? Were my family just his slaves now? Liam had promised we could have a talk with Ashley without his involvement or interference.

“Liam wouldn’t do that,” I muttered, trying to convince myself. I didn’t want to believe that my big brother would even consider betraying me.

It was Abby’s dad who concerned me. I glanced at Abby, sitting silently in the armchair. She looked small, fidgeting with her blonde locks nervously.

Her dad showed up at our door about an hour ago, demanding we let him in. We knew what he wanted. We had all seen that terrible message that had appeared on our phones while we sat in the living room, just like everyone else on our timelines. It didn’t take long for us to realize it was real. We knew that if we weren’t careful, we would end up claimed like his secretary. Or like my family.

A knock at the door made me jump to attention. It was time.

I went to the foyer, my friends armed with kitchen knives right behind me. I slowly moved the chair we’d placed to block the door and opened it.

I was met by Ashley standing alone, fiddling nervously with her glasses as she smiled meekly. “Hey, Penny … Ready to talk?”

“Yeah …” I muttered. “But you should stay back a few feet.”

She got inside as I swiftly moved to lock the door behind her. Awkward silence filled the hallway as my friends glowered at my sister.

“So … You’re really claimed now. How does it feel?” I asked, breaking the ice.

“I don’t know how to describe it. It feels … natural. Like everything is clear and I have a purpose in life,” she answered, her voice practically dripping with adoration.

It made us all obviously uncomfortable. “I’m sorry … Liam told me to tell you the truth. And that’s what I’m doing right now,” she said, looking at her feet.

On the outside, she still seemed like my smart older sister that I’d known my entire life. But there was something so strange about her voice, her demeanor, that seemed so different. Deep reverence and devotion seemed to seep behind her eyes.

“So, tell us the truth then. Does Liam want to claim Penny, too?!” Maria snapped, grasping her knife tightly. “Or us for that matter, why would he stop?!”

“Liam doesn’t want any of this. I had to convince him to claim me, to make sure I was safe,” Ashley answered calmly. She looked me seriously in the eye, putting a hand on my shoulder. “He promised to me that he wouldn’t claim you, Penny.”

The image of me being claimed by Liam made me … uncomfortable. In my heart, I trusted Liam. I couldn’t imagine my brother abusing power like that. However, the thought of my entire personality being changed and remolded into someone else made my blood run cold.

“Then you should get why I can’t just leave,” Abby said in a low voice. “I don’t want to end up being my dad’s **** like that woman.”

“You’re right. Your dad told us he wanted to claim you,” she answered. “… But maybe you should consider letting him. It might be the safest option for you. Is there anyone else you can trust, Abby?”

“I-I don’t know,” Abby stuttered with tears in her eyes, her voice breaking. “My Mom, maybe. T-they’re divorced, but—”

“Your mom can’t claim you. It needs to be a man,” Ashley told her sternly. Her eyes seemed to flutter as she said it.

Maria lost it. She moved close to my sister, shouting in her face. “Oh, can you shut up! You’re brainwashed. This is insane! And you think this is normal!”

Ashley said nothing, her expression a mix of distress and contemplation. She stepped backwards towards the door as Maria cornered her.

I held my friend back. “Calm down, Maria … Ashley, if Abby wants to be claimed, it has to be her decision.”

“I-I need to talk to him,” Abby muttered. “I can’t stay here forever.”

Hana and Maria reacted in horror, turning away from Ashley.

“Abby, he’ll just claim you. You’ll become his ****,” Hana said, her voice serious as she held her shoulders.

“He won’t! He’s my dad … He just needs to listen to me.”

Ashley took my hand, squeezing gently as my friends argued. “There’s something Mom told me you should take from her cupboard in her bedroom.”

“What?” I blurted.

“Her gun.”