P̲r̲o̲l̲o̲g̲u̲e̲
I hung my necklace on a hook that sat above my bed, watching as the sunlight bounced off it. I turned to my window, climbing off my bed and pulling the blinds closed. The room darkened in the absence of the sunlight coming through the window. I sat on the edge of my bed, tracing the symbol on my necklace. My dad had told me when he gave me this that it was our family Crest. The necklace had a vines that wrapped around a wing. The vines and wing were detailed and carefully made. The vines had thorns on them, my dad had told me that the thorns represented protection and the wing represented our family. I released a quiet sigh and looked at the mirror that hung on my wall. My light brown hair was wavy as it fell over my shoulders. My green eyes stood out against my pale complexion.
"April, come downstairs!" My father yelled from what sounded like the bottom of the stairs.
"One moment!" I said, changing out of my white dress and into jeans and a white shirt. I put my necklace back on and began twisting my hair into a braid over my shoulder as I walked down the stairs and into the living room where my father and brothers sat.
I had three older brothers, my mom died giving birth to me, so I never had the chance to meet her. My oldest brother, Jace, looked over to me as I entered, my other two brothers simply continued whatever conversation they were having. My dad was standing in the corner of the room, talking to someone on the phone. I sat by Jace on the couch, watching Liam and William talk to each other while they sat in the floor with our dog. Prince, our black labrador, had his head on Liam's leg as he watched William make hand motions in the air according the whatever their conversation was. We've always teased him for it because no matter what he was saying, he'd always have his hands moving.
"Prince, come." I patted the couch beside me and Prince stood, walking over and jumping on the couch by me.
Liam and William had stopped their conversation now, each of them moving into a chair. Jace reached over to pet Prince as he rested his head on my leg. My dad turned to us as he hung up the phone. I placed my hand on Prince's back, gently scratching him while I waiting for my father to speak.
"I have to go away on business. Jace, you'll stay here with April. Liam, William, you two are with me. We leave tomorrow morning." My father said and then left the room.
"But you just got home!" I protested, but the door was closed before I got the words out.
I sighed and dropped my head, staring at Prince's head in my lap. Liam and William soon followed my father while Jace stayed beside me on the couch. Prince got down and stretched before running after Liam and William. I stared at the ground, my dad never told me what he did for business, neither did my brothers. My dad always left one of my brothers with me, most of the time it was Jace since he was the only serious one. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked over to see Jace watching me.
"Why's he always gone, Jace?" I asked, wrapping my arms around him and pushing my face into his shoulder.
He wrapped his arms around me, staying silent for a while. "The business he's in required a lot of trips." He eventually said.
"So why can I never come? All of you get to go?" He sighed and shook his head, his dirty blonde hair falling into his face.
"Dad doesn't want you going, he wants you here so he knows you're safe." Jace told me as he stood, his arms no longer wrapped around me.
I knew better than to push so I stood and walked to my room. I closed my door and released a sigh as I plopped down onto my bed. I took my necklace off and held it in my hand, tracing the vines gently. I placed it on the table by my bed and stood, walking to my bathroom. I pulled my hair out of the braid and brushed my hair. My hair was the color of my dads, only lighter. Jace and William has my mom's hair. Jace was the only one who shared the green eyes with me. Liam and William had my dad's eyes, a light blue. Jace and I have always gotten along, with Liam and William it was always too serious or never serious enough. I brushed my teeth and put my hair in a braid again.
I heard a knock at my door before hearing it open. I walked out of my bathroom, Liam looked at me. He was standing in the frame of the door. "Dad wanted me to tell you we're leaving early tomorrow, he also told me to remind you to always have your necklace."
"I know, Liam." I said, watching as he left my room and closed the door. "Leaving early, just like normal." I whispered to myself.
It was early for bed but I didn't feel like staying awake any longer, I changed into sweatpants and of my mom's old shirts. I layed in bed and pulled the blankets over me. I stared at the necklace, wondering why my dad always wanted me to have it. I rolled over, putting my back to the necklace. My dad and brothers always seemed to be gone on business, no one would tell me what they did though. I wish they stayed home more but that'll never happen. At least Jace always makes it fun. I let my eyes close and willed myself to sleep.
I woke up to the sound of a door closing and looked out my window in time to see my dad and brothers leave in my dad's car. I looked at the clock and sighed, it was very early in the morning. The clock read 3:34 AM so I got back in bed, trying to go back to sleep. Finally my eyes began to slide closed before snapping open as the sound of breaking glass echoed through the house.
