"I was sick of letting the world run me so I decided to run the world."
~~~
Isabelle Cane was taken from her family at 6 months old, leaving behind 7 older brothers and a twin sister. In the 12 years she's been away, Izzy has faced hardships no chi...
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They say that broken girls blossom into warriors. But how can something broken grow? When you cut down a flower it stops growing. When you cut down a person they stop caring. And a girl that doesn't care, doesn't blossom. I am not a warrior. I am not a flower. I am just broken.
As we stepped off the pane, I caught Tyler giving me sad looks, just as he had since he snapped at me earlier. I wondered if he could see how broken I was or if my shattered pieces were only visible to me.
Maybe that's why he felt guilty for getting angry with me. He didn't want to break me more. If that was the case, I wish I could tell him not to worry about it. I was used to anger. I was more used to that than the kind and soft tone he had used with me until this point. He put a hand on the small of my back and gently guided me to a parking lot.
"Our brothers Nolan and Liam are coming to get us." He said softly.
"How many brothers?" I knew there were 8 siblings in total but no one had told me how many brothers or sisters there were.
"7 brothers and a twin sister."
I felt my jaw drop slightly. 7 boys. I was going to live with 7 boys. But even more than that, a twin. Not only a sister but a twin sister. "Twin?" I stuttered incredulously.
Tyler smiled sadly. "Her name is Emma. We told her about you yesterday so this is as much of a shock for her as it is for you."
Somehow I would argue that, your mom dying, finding out you were taken from a family, suddenly having 8 siblings, 7 brothers, and a twin sister, in a 5 hour period, is more of a shock than just finding out about me, but I kept my mouth shut. I could hear Marley telling me everyone is entitled to how they feel and I suppose she was right, as always.
"Hey, Izzy I just want to say I'm sorry for snapping at you earlier. I was just upset with that lady and I should have been more patient with you." He sighed. Seeing his sorry expression, I forced a tight lipped smile onto my face and turned to him. "Don't worry about it, it's okay." He nodded but didn't take his eyes off me.
His face turned from apologetic to admiration as he watched me. "I didn't say this earlier, but I want you to know how happy I am that you're back with us. We all missed you these 12 years." He seemed sincere. Like he truly had missed me. But why? They only knew me for 6 months, and there was another one of me, a twin, so why in the world had they missed me? How could they miss what they barely had?
"I know you don't know me and this is hard for you but I hope you'll be happy here, I really do." Well so do I but I also hope to be over 5'5, doesn't mean it's gonna happen. He opened his mouth to say something else, but before he could, a car pulled in front of us.
2 men who stepped out, the older looking of the 2, resembling a slightly younger Tyler but was dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and a denim jacket as opposed to the formal wear Tyler had on. A guitar pick hung around his neck, telling me he likes music or at least likes guitar.
The younger of the 2, looked less like Tyler, and he actually resembled Mom more than the others, with his blue eyes and chestnut hair. He wore a white button down shirt and a pair of tan khaki pants. He had a smile on his face that seemed too big for the emotional weight of the day, but I suppose I was the only one really feeling that. They both studied me with wide eyes as if they couldn't believe I was really here. Well neither could I but I imagine those were for different reasons.
"I-is this actually her." The older one asked.
Tyler looked down at me and smiled. "This is her." He affirmed. "Oh my god." The younger breathed putting a hand to his mouth in shock. "Izzy, this is Nolan and Liam. 2 of your older brothers." So the older one was Nolan and the younger was Liam.
"Hi, Izzy. It's really nice to see, I mean meet you." Nolan leaned down slightly to my height which was a little insulting but I chose to not say anything.
Mostly because of how insanely intimidated I was of these 3 amazingly tall men. "H-hi." I muttered not meeting his eyes. I would say I'm shy but truthfully this is how I am with everyone not just strangers. It was the ghost and the shadow me that took over in public settings, pushing ruler me to the back. She was reserved solely for my mind.
Liam looked at me in awe as if I was a treasure he had been looking for. "Welcome to Maryland Izzy." He said with that same smile. I could tell he was the type to smile a lot. But it seemed like his smile was more of an instinct than a feeling.
"Should we go? It's getting late and I know the rest of the family is waiting for us at home." Tyler said motioning towards the car. They all nodded and I followed their lead, getting into the car. Nolan took the driver's seat and Tyler took the passengers, leaving Liam to sit in the back with me.
"So Izzy, tell me about yourself." Liam suggested once we started driving. I shrugged. There wasn't much to say about myself. I was shy, I was quiet, I was complacent, I was fractured. But none of those things are what you tell people. None of those things are how I want others to think of me even if it's how I think of myself. "Nothing to say?" Liam pressed.
I shook my head. "Liam, leave her alone, it's late and she's had a long day." Tyler reprimanded giving his brother a don't argue kind of look. It was clear that he was in charge of everyone despite the few years between him and Liam. I imagined he had some sort of pull with Nolan as well.
"Sorry Izzy." He said leaning back in his seat.
"It's okay." I was relieved that Tyler had gotten me out of that question. I had no valid answer. As we drove, I felt my eyes become heavier, watching the lights whiz by. It had been a draining day, both physically and emotionally and it was starting to catch up to me. I involuntarily, slumped in my seat and drifted off. The next thing I knew, I felt my body being lifted up by a pair of strong arms. I squirmed slightly, too dazed to be uncomfortable about this.
"Shh, Iz you're okay." I think it was Tyler who was holding me. "Liam, grab her backpack." That voice sounded like Nolan I think. Tyler started walking and when I felt a rush of cool air, I figured we were inside. A few moments later, I was set down on a soft surface and my sneakers were pulled off. "Sleep tight Izzy. We're so happy you're here princess." Tyler whispered, running his hand through my hair. I subconsciously leaned into the touch, still more asleep than awake. Tyler's hand slowly left my hair whispering a quiet good night, the sound of a door shutting softly told me he had left.
The world is a place full of bad people. But the good thing is, for every bad person there is a good one, and the best people do not let the world change them.
