Darn Stupid Brother You Are

(Angel's POV)

The therapy room was always quiet in an unnerving way. A heavy silence hung in the air, filled with secrets nobody wanted to speak about. I sat in the chair across from Dr. Nixon and fidgeted with the hem of my sleeve. She watched me, her eyes sharp, as if she was trying to peel back the layers I had wrapped around myself.

"So, Angel," she began, and her tone was casual, but there was a glint in her eyes that made me feel wary. "How are you adjusting to everything here?"

"Fine," I replied too quickly. She didn't miss how my voice shook. Dr. Nixon always noticed everything. "As fine as I can be in a place like this."

She gave a small smile. "You know, sometimes the most dangerous places aren't the ones with locked doors and barred windows. Sometimes they're the ones where everyone wears a smile, but their eyes are full of secrets." I shifted in my seat and felt the meaning of her words. "What are you trying to say?"

She leaned forward slightly and lowered her voice. "There are connections in this place, Angel. Connections you'd never expect. People who seem innocent but aren't."

My heart skipped a beat. "Like who?"

"Well, for example," she said, and her tone was so light it felt wrong. "Dr. Joe and Miss Ava. Did you know they're related?"

"What?" The word shot out of my mouth before I could stop it. "You're lying."

"I'm not," she said with a shrug. "Ava's his niece. Her mother, Dr. Joe's sister, left her in his care after she... Well, let's just say things got complicated."

I blinked and tried to process this new information. It didn't make sense, yet somehow, it did. "But why would she be here? Why would he allow her to-"

"She owes him," Dr. Nixon interrupted softly. "Ava's mother owed him a big debt, and now Ava's paying it off in her way."

My blood ran cold. "Paying it off? How?"

Dr. Nixon tilted her head and gave me a look that made me feel like a child who'd asked a question I should already know the answer to. "By doing whatever he asks. Being his eyes, his ears, and more."

I couldn't breathe. The room felt like it was closing in, and the walls pressed tighter. "Why are you telling me this?" I managed to ask.

Dr. Nixon smiled again, but there was no warmth. "Because you need to know who your enemies are, Angel. You need to understand that Ava isn't just some girl with a contention. She's dangerous, and she'll do whatever Dr. Joe asks. Whatever it takes to keep herself out of trouble."

My mind reeled as I tried to piece together everything. Dr. Joe. Ava. This center. There was a whole circle of lies, and I was trapped in the middle of it.

"Be careful," Dr. Nixon warned as she stared into my eyes. "Not everyone in here is who they seem."

I left the room with my head spinning and felt like I'd just been handed a puzzle with missing pieces.

...

I found Hendrix in the game room later that day, laughing with Bundah over some card game. For a moment, I watched him and remembered the boy who used to chase me around the yard with a water gun. The boy who taught me how to ride a bike and hugged me when I scraped my knees.

"Hendrix," I called out, and he glanced up, and his smile faded when he saw my expression. "I need to talk to you."

"Sure," he said and handed his cards to Bundah. "Don't cheat while I'm gone," he warned, but Bundah only rolled his eyes.

We stepped out of the game room and found a quiet corner in the hallway. "What's wrong?" he asked in that concerned tone he always used when he knew something was bothering me.

I took a deep breath and tried to gather my thoughts. "Dr. Nixon said something today. Something about Ava and Dr. Joe."

Hendrix's eyes narrowed. "What did she say?"

"She said Ava's his niece," I began, and my voice was shaky. "And that Ava's mother owes him a debt. Now Ava is paying it off by doing whatever he asks."

He ran a hand through his hair and muttered a curse. "I knew she was hiding something, but this..."

"There's more," I continued and swallowed hard. "She's been spying on us, Hendrix. All of us. Dr. Joe is using her to keep tabs."

"Damn," he whispered as he rubbed his hand over his face. "This is bad, Angel. Really bad."

"I know," I replied, my voice barely a whisper. "What are we supposed to do?"

"We need to keep an even closer watch on her," he said firmly. "No more taking chances."

Just then, Ava strolled down the hallway with her group, and Dilrah trailed behind them, looking more out of place than ever. Hendrix's arm slid around my shoulders, pulling me closer without a word. "What are you doing?" I hissed and tried to shrug him off.

"Just play along," he whispered back teasingly. "She's watching."

I rolled my eyes but didn't push him away. Ava glanced our way, her eyes narrowing slightly, but she kept walking down the corridor. When she was out of sight, I turned to Hendrix and hit him lightly on the chest. "What was that for?"

He grinned, and that infuriatingly charming smile made my heart skip a beat. "I couldn't let her think you were available, now could I?" I snorted. "You're ridiculous."

"Yeah, but you love me anyway," he said lightly, but there was something deeper in his eyes, something that made my stomach flutter.

I looked at him, really looked at him, and for a moment, I saw the boy I'd known all my life. The boy who carried me on his shoulders when I was tired. The boy who always made me laugh, even when I felt like crying.

"I miss the old days," I whispered, and the words slipped out before I could stop them.

"Me too," he replied, and his smile softened. "But things change, Angel. We change."

"Yeah," I said and glanced down the hallway where Ava had disappeared. "But some things... Some things should've stayed the same."

"Maybe," he agreed and pulled me closer. "But that's not how life works, is it?"

"No," I whispered and rested my head against his shoulder. "It's not."

We stood there for a moment longer, wrapped up in each other, in our memories, in everything we'd lost and found. But as much as I wanted to stay in that moment, I couldn't shake the feeling that things were only going to get worse. That Ava was just the beginning of something much darker.

And I wasn't sure if I was ready for what was coming next.