A Port in the Storm

The scream had come from the top of the stairs. It was a sound Ryan had heard once already tonight. A scream that was all too familiar to his ears. It had come from the throat of his little half-sister Thaelor.

"RYAN!! WHERE ARE YOU!!?? WHAT'S GOING ON!!?"

It was clear in her voice that she was terrified. The sounds of tears hidden behind her fear. Walking out of his room downstairs, Ryan shouted back, "Calm down sis... I'm right down here."

"What happened to the lights!! I can't see anything!!"

"Relax...you're ok. I'm standing right here at the bottom of the stairs. Just follow my voice."

"Are you CRAZY!!? I'll fall down and break my neck!!"

"No, you won't... just grab the rail, take your time, and follow my voice."

For the next several minutes, Ryan talked Thaelor down from her lofty perch atop the stairs. Every so often, a flash of lightning or a peel of thunder would stop her in her tracks. Making Ryan must reassure her all over again. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, Thaelor raced into the arms of her brother. As he embraced her, his body flinched, letting out a deep sigh. His body shook from the trembling in hers. His shirt quickly becoming soaked from her stream of tears.

"Ryan...what's going on... I'm scared!"

"It's a severe thunderstorm. Steppan said it's going to get bad. I was hoping we could get on the road before it hit, but we're stuck here for now. We just need to hunker down and let it pass over."

"Well, how the hell are we supposed to do that? There are no lights."

"Just give me a minute, I'll start a fire. Right now, I just need you to relax."

Leading her by the hand, Ryan placed his sister on the couch. Feeling around in the dark, he found the fireplace. Thankfully, his dad made sure the cabin was always stocked with provisions if they were needed. Stumbling closer to the door, he found the desk that contained the matches. Shuffling back, he smashed his toes and fell over a cord of wood.

"OW FUCK!!"

"Are you ok Ryan?"

"Yeah...my pride hurts a little more than my body at the moment."

Getting back to the fireplace, it took him three tries, but eventually, he got the wood to burn. Providing just enough light to see a couple inches in front of him. Reaching over, he stacked a few more cords of wood to the small fire until it began to roll nicely. Closing the glass door, Ryan returned to the couch, plopping down on the opposite end from his sister. Exhaustion and irritation creeping into his body as the rain began to pound relentlessly on their shelter.

"Oh God, thank you." Thaelor said. "I'm starting to feel better already."

As the fire began to warm her up, she pulled her legs up and relaxed in the corner of the couch. Sinking into the soft cushions, Ryan leaned back, a smile curling at the side of his lips in a look of satisfaction.

After a couple minutes, the wood was now enveloped totally in the fire. The blaze providing light enough to throw shadows throughout the room. Yet, a pregnant silence fell between the siblings. Neither seemed willing to say anything to the other. Finally, Thaelor spoke up:

"Do you think those two set us up?"

"I'm not sure all about that. But if they did, boy we are the suckers."

"You know...all things considered, this IS kind of romantic."

"You don't say?"

"There's just a couple things missing..."

"Such as?"

"I could use a drink for one," said Thaelor. And none of that Scotch stuff you and dad swill down. It's waaaay too strong for me."

"Your wish is my command." Ryan said.

Hopping up, Ryan quickly fell back down, grabbing his knee. "FUCK!!" Looking down, apparently the fall had done more damage than he initially let on. Thaelor, stretched to see in the dim light, she barely saw the rip in Ryan's pants, but what caught her attention more was the slick look of blood peeking through the tear in the material.

"No problem, I got this."

Thaelor got up and went to the kitchen. Turning the faucet on, Thaelor wet a towel with chilled water. She then searched the mini fridge for what she needed. All that was necessary was for her to touch the top. Finding it, she felt the top of the bottle of Pink Moscato that Sharmel swore by. In her shuffled return, she passed the bar and grabbed the bottle of scotch and the two glasses they had used earlier.

Finally getting back to the couch, she dumped everything on the end table. Handing the soaked rag to her brother. After he cleaned his leg of the blood, she handed him the bottle of wine. Ryan ripped off the cover, pulled out the top and handed the bottle back to his sister. Filling the glasses, she handed her brother his share, took a small sip of her wine and smiled as the rain came down outside.

"Thanks. Said Ryan, and what's the second thing?"

"For us to be closer. I swear I won't bite."

Ryan rolled his eyes and took two quick sips of his liquor. Without being prompted, Thaelor scooted closer to her bother, leaning her back to his shoulder. Enjoying the contact of his presence. Then there was the flinch. Almost undetectable, but still there. Ryan took another gulp from his glass, until all that was left was the memory.

Thaelor was furious. Spinning around on her knees, she faced her brother. Fire light barely showing the rage in her face.

"Ok...enough of this crap. Do you not like me or something?"

"Oh God no! Nothing like that... honest!!"

"Do I stink or something? I use deodorant you know!!"

"Oh, come on... you know you smell good all the time."

"Do I disgust you? I can't help I'm mixed. I can't help we have different Moms. I didn't ask for that!!"

"What?!! No! What are you talking about?!!"

"Then what is it? Why do you always flinch or jump when I simply touch you? Why do you always look for an excuse to leave me? Why do you always cringe when I say "I love you" around your friends?! Just what the FUCK is it about me that you don't like so much?!!

"It's nothing... don't worry about it."

"I'm stuck...in a cabin...in the GOD DAMN mountains...in a THUNDERSTORM...after catching my date/boyfriend fucking some nasty skank... next to a person who acts as if my very presence disgusts him! DON'T TELL ME IT'S NOTHING!!"

"It doesn't matter! Just drop it! OK?!!"

"It matters to me DAMN YOU! I'm SCARED!! What do you want from me?!!"

"It doesn't MATTER what I WANT! I don't MATTER in this SITUATION!!"

The slap came from nowhere. It didn't hurt, but it was shocking. Thaelor covered her mouth and Ryan's eyes grew wide as saucers. His steely gaze catching hers, which began to tear over again.

"DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT AGAIN!! DO YOU HEAR ME?!! she boomed. "Don't you EVER say that to ME again!! Whatever you're going through you can tell me! I'm NOT GLASS!! I'm a big girl! I can TAKE..."

"I'M IN LOVE WITH YOU, OK?!! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR?!! Feel BETTER now? How pathetic RIGHT?!! A man who falls in love with his own HALF SISTER!!"

Filling his glass again, Ryan gulped down another stiff shot of alcohol and tried to get up to leave. Before he could stand up fully, a hand shot out, and pulled him back to the couch. Thaelor threw her arms around his neck, the embrace too strong to yank away from. With tears streaming from her eyes, Thaelor let her feelings flow.

"Is that it? Is that all? Is that why you torture yourself and me? Is that the God-awful reason you avoid me so much? She asked.

"I just didn't want to hurt you," replied Ryan in an almost whisper. Tears now misting his eyes as well. "I'm so ashamed of my feelings. I don't want to feel this way about you, but I do."

She couldn't see them clearly in the dim light of the fire, she couldn't hear them from the constant din of the storm. But, she could feel the heaves of his chest as Ryan released the anguish that held him hostage. Gently, she guided heir sibling's face around until he had no choice but to look at her. Knee to knee. Eyeball to teary eyeball.

With his face in her tiny hands, Thaelor spoke to her half-brother in the quiet, shy voice that made his heart skip a beat.

"Don't ever doubt your worth to this world; much less your worth to me. You matter so much more than you know. Ever since I joined this family, you have been the only one to make me feel truly loved and accepted. Do you have any idea what I have been through? Did you know that when Sharmel and Monica took me shopping this year, they BOTH fondled me in the dressing room?! Or that Dad told me that the only reason he didn't ship my "High Yellow Ass" away is because it would have been bad PR?! And that was BEFORE he made me suck his dick until he came!! But worst of all was Travis...he...he...he almost raped me behind the pool house. He's the reason why I no longer wear two-piece bikinis. All of them want to FUCK me... but they don't CARE about me. Yet every time they or someone else hurt me...you always were there to make me feel better. Hell...the only reason I wasn't a complete basket case at my Mom's funeral was because YOU held my hand. Do you remember that? Do YOU remember who gave me the best birthday present in my entire life? Who else would've thought to have my Mom's old VW Bug cleaned, repaired and repainted after she killed herself in it? You mean so much to me... if it would make you feel better I would GLADLY make love to you, whenever, however...WHEREVER you want. Because...I LOVE YOU TOO!! When I've felt bad, I laid in bed thinking of you. The way you walk, talk, the way you smell... everything about you. I lay in my bed and think about what it would be like. What our children could look like. Ryan...I love you so much. No matter what you do, don't ever shut me out! I don't care what it is, I can take all the abuse in the world this family can dish out... But I could NEVER take that!!"

Tilting her head...Thaelor softly kissed Ryan's lips.