Page 63 of Bitter Prince

Phoenix and I always felt more at home here than we ever did with our papà. The conversation I’d overheard between Mamma and him was another thing that weighed heavily on my mind. It made me re-evaluate the last eighteen years, dissecting every memory with my papà to figure out which one of us wasn’t his daughter.

Who did he mistreat—Phoenix or me?

I wasn’t sure. He’d always treated us with the same levels of indifference, not necessarily treating us poorly but definitely cold. Especially in the years since our mamma’s death. So how was I supposed to solve that puzzle? Each time I thought about it, it seemed it was best to let that secret rest with Mamma. I couldn’t let curiosity get the better of me.

I headed to my room, barely making it to my door when Raven stopped me with her most stern voice.

“I don’t think so, young lady.” My shoulders slumped instantly. I’d been anticipating this since we left Venice. The closer we got to Paris, the more I hoped they’d give me a break. I slowly turned around to find my sister and all our friends piled in our living room, their eyes narrowed on me.

It felt like having four mothers, suffocating and annoying.

“Come over here and chat with us,” Isla chimed in, lowering herself on the couch and patting a spot next to her.

“Listen, I’m tired and—”

“Come and talk to us or I’m calling Grandma,” Phoenix signed. “Get your ass over here.”

Knowing my sister, that was a serious threat, and bullshitting my grandmother was virtually impossible. So I settled for navigating through my friends.

I dropped my bag and headed down the hallway and into the living room, taking a spot next to Isla.

I tilted my chin and met all my friends’ eyes when nobody spoke. “Okay, now what?”

Phoenix set her back against the window and lowered herself into a crisscross position on the floor, tucking her messy hair behind her ears. Her concerned eyes were zeroed in on me.

Phoenix and I used to share everything, but sometime within the last few years, we stopped. We still loved each other, we still protected each other, but I knew she kept things from me. I could see it on her face when she was lost in her thoughts. Profound sadness.

I couldn’t blame her for keeping a secret though, because I’d been keeping a few secrets of my own since I was six.

My promise to my mother to protect Phoenix.

“First question,” Isla said while signing. “Are you on birth control?”

I almost choked on my own saliva. “W-what?”

“We can’t have you getting pregnant.” Phoenix’s expression told me she wasn’t joking. “I’m your big sister; I know where this leads.”

My eyes widened. “Where?”

“To Amon’s bed,” Athena answered.

“Getting knocked up,” Phoenix signed. “And Papà going on a murderous rampage.”

“So this is what we’re going to do,” Isla stated matter-of-factly. “We will teach you how to put a condom on a banana.”

My cheeks burned. “That’s not necessary.”

“And we’ll take you to an Ob/Gyn to get you on birth control,” Phoenix added, taking her big-sister role to the next level.

Raven ran to the kitchen and came back with a banana. “Athena, go get a wrapper.”

The latter skipped all the way to her bedroom, singing, “Don’t be a loner, let’s cover his boner. She won’t get sick if she wraps his dick.”

I slapped my palm against my forehead. “God help me,” I murmured.

“Fuck, you think this is bad?” Raven remarked dryly. “Men give you butterflies at first, but at the end of it all, emotional damage is what you’re left with.”

Well, that was ominous, but I knew it’d be pointless to ask Raven who’d hurt her. She kept her secrets close to her heart. I guess in a way we all did. Maybe it was the reason we got along so well.