The Ones Who Failed Us

Chapter 7

Pinky promises. Mom and I used to pinky promise over the smallest things. Promises for ice cream, going to the beach, reading one more chapter before bedtime. The list goes on and on.

I didn't understand the seriousness of a single promise until I was ten years old, and Mom was in the hospital two days before she died. The doctors didn't know what was wrong with her, but she had suddenly started vomiting and had hypotension. Mom wasn't sure if she would make it, but she wanted to prepare Teddy and I for her death just in case the doctors couldn't figure it out. And they didn't. Within a few days, Mom had liver and kidney failure and passed away.

Before her death, Mom made me promise something that I had kept in the back of my mind for the past four years. I had always been protective of Teddy, but this protectiveness rose to a new level when Mom left. When you have no one but each other to depend on, the bond becomes stronger.

I still remember her last words: "As a big sister, it's your duty to protect Teddy. I know we don't talk about your older brothers, but don't you remember how protective they were of you? You're the same with your little brother, but if I don't make it, you will be the only one he can rely on. You will obviously have Damon, but he's new to your lives, and I doubt Teddy will want to go to him for help. At least not at first. Avey, will you pinky promise that you will always protect Teddy, no matter what?"

Mom was wrong, though. We didn't have our stepfather to rely on. As soon as Mom died, something changed, almost like a switch was flipped. The abuse started immediately, but in small doses. At first, he would only use his hands, but it slowly progressed to knives and whips. The worst days were when he invited his friends to help in my beatings. The trauma from the past four years had changed me, and there was nothing I wouldn't do to ensure the safety and happiness of my little brother.

After the talk with Alessandro, Leonardo tended to the wounds on my fists from my fight in the mall, and I went home with the twins who confiscated my phone and computer. I've been sitting in my room since the talk and it was now 6 AM the next day, and I was laying on my bed next to Teddy who was sleeping.

For the past fourteen hours, I had thinking about what would be best for Teddy, and I felt conflicted. Part of me wanted to trust my brothers, especially since Leonardo had been so good with Teddy yesterday. On the other hand, I also knew I could never fully trust them, not with all of the secrets they were hiding.

Then there was the deal that Alessandro proposed about me faking my trust towards my brothers so that Teddy would feel safe. My little brother isn't stupid and will surely pick up on my true feelings, but it seemed like the better option for Teddy's happiness. He's been through so much pain living with Sir, and I just wanted to give him a normal childhood filled with love.

The conversation with Alessandro made me reflect on all of the decisions I've made over the past four years, and my stomach was churning as I realized the amount of pain I had caused by not protecting Teddy. I never should've allowed Teddy to patch me up after my punishments. No nine-year-old kid should know how to stitch up wounds, and I had depended on Teddy to do this whenever Sir's whip cut me too deeply. I had broken my promise to Mom.

How traumatic it must have been for him to see his sister's back covered in blood looking like a slab of meat you buy at the butcher's. How damaging it must have been to see his sister in a state close to death. I had added more to Teddy's trauma, and it needed to stop.

There were some steps I needed to take to give my little brother the childhood he deserved, and the first was being independent from Teddy. Seeing as I wasn't getting any sleep tonight, I decided to take a shower and change my bandages myself. It proved to be harder than I expected, and I probably missed a few places when applying the antiseptic, but I guess it's good enough.