Brother's Betrayal

Chapter Eight {Belonging}

My suitcase was in the boot of my car. I didn't know when it had been packed or why Eloise had saved the suitcase (although it was childish, for a second I wondered if she really had contacted Fletcher in order to get rid of me, hence the readily packed bag) and Karen handed it to me.

The apartment wasn't really that far from Karen's home, thank god. We had driven in a semicircle, making the apartment just outside of the bustling town centre. There was one car in a garage under the apartment and Karen told me to park in the final space, which was a perfect fit. She wasn't sure who was out but informed me that everyone had cars. The garage dipped down slightly, probably so we didn't have to climb up the front stairs so far.

We exited the garage and decided to enter through the front door rather than from the back despite me moving in because whoever was inside might have been surprised or potentially terrified of someone trying to break in, even though we weren't.

Due to the garage underneath the apartment, there were several steps up to the front door. Karen knocked on it while I stepped back, clinging to my suitcase. I held it in front of me like a barrier. After a second, Karen tried the doorbell - I don't know why she didn't before, especially as there wasn't a knocker - and after no answer she shrugged, pushing the door open.

"Hello?" She called out.

Immediately, I understood why our knocks weren't heard. Loud music suddenly silenced and then "In the kitchen," was shouted out as a reply. Whoever was at home was a girl. Hopefully, she would make the settling in comfortable.

The entrance opened up into a wide lounge completed by a huge, leather, black L-shaped sofa planted in front of the television and to our left were three closed doors, presumably the bedrooms, and each was accompanied with a lock. Already, I felt more at home than back at Eloise's place. There was a bathroom next to the lounge (the door was open) and then the kitchen was through two wide, folded back doors. Karen and I walked forwards and I dropped my suitcase by the doors, following in hesitantly afterwards. There was a brown table on our right, adjacent to a shut door and then we came face to face with a girl.

"May," Karen greeted. "May" had light brown hair ombre to purple at the ends. It was tightly pulled back and I noticed an apron wrapped around her - one of the "kiss the chef" designs. May grinned, an unintentionally thin-lipped smile and a dimple appeared on her right rosy cheek.

"Hey, Karen. Are you staying for cake?" May's voice was amazingly cheery. Maybe feeling safe as much as she did would bring that sort of happiness back to me.

"Unfortunately not. Next time, though, definitely. Shop bought cakes just aren't as good as yours."

May laughed. "I'm appalled that you even tried them, Karen."

I glanced to Karen and then to May, catching May's eye as she did the same to me.

"This is May Everette," Karen introduced. "Technically, this is her apartment as she was here first. However, sharing is always best and she said she was more than happy to welcome you in."

I smiled at May. As much as that sounded true, I briefly thought about whether it was forced onto her. Maybe she had enjoyed her privacy before Karen had tried to dump more of us on her.

Karen continued, bringing me forwards with a firm hand on the middle of my back. "May, this is A-" a sudden look to me caused us both to pause.

"Alice," I interjected. Alice? I had no clue where Alice had come from. I thought I had wanted to rename myself as something sweet, like a flower or season - May seemed to have liked something along those lines too. I cleared my throat. "Alice Lock," I concluded, watching Karen as she observed me momentarily before nodding.