I climbed out the vehicle and stared up at the house we we're moving in. I was unsure whether to be in awe or scared by the roaring echoing from the mansion. My mother followed behind me and stood paralyzed for a moment as well.

"Are they...having a party?" She asked surprised as well, and I shrugged my shoulders. My young brother cuddled against my leg, and I glanced down towards his shivering body. Music blared from the home, as coloured lights sprinkled all around the walls. My mother ushered us towards the door, but it was evident she was not sure what to do either. "Let's just go in as he told me to."

"Come on August, it's not going to be that bad, he's really great to me," I hissed, mimicking her of the time when she told us we were moving with her fiancé.

She glared in my direction. Before we could knock, someone busted through the entrance and sprinted to the side. We heard vomiting noises, and I covered my young brother's ears. My mother made her way inside, and the sight was horrid. Everywhere was hoarded with young adults, all drinking and dancing from the circled stairway to the upper level, to the kitchen table. My mother desperately attempted to find the son of the home, and rushed through the crowd as I carried my brother in my arms.

"Any idea where we could find Mike," I heard my mother yell through the music. A few of them nodded and pointed to the stairs. We followed the stairway, passing by balloons and colourful strings that decorated the path. It was hard not to notice the broken furniture, and they appeared much too expensive to be replaced. As we passed a couple making out, I covered my brother's eyes as I narrowed my own, purposely shoving one of them.

As we finally made it to the upper level, I then realized there was another stairway that headed to an even higher level. I groaned, and stared at the theatre room in which played inappropriate content. "Anybody know where Mike is?"

"Whose asking?" A vicious voice was heard from the yelling people, and soon a man made his way through the throng. He was built, tanned, and the cigar that hung on the side of his mouth caused me to shiver. His glare was icy, as if he was prepared to attack anybody that crossed his path wrongfully. As soon as he noticed my mother, his entire visage altered, and he pulled the cigar from his mouth. His eyes twinkled with admiration, and he widened his arms, "Mrs. Devinez, we totally forgot you were to move-in today!" His entire body was sweaty, but he still hugged my mother whom I know was probably thinking about how disgusting it was.

"Eric, I'm looking for Mike."

He nodded his head, and glanced towards me. I tightened my grip around my younger brother, but he was growing heavier by the second, "Mike is upstairs, in his room for sure." His entire sentence was said to my mother, but his eyes were glued on me. I felt violated by the manner his eyes scrutinized me. "You here for the party? Never seen you before, new?"

"That's my daughter. Thank you," my mother gripped my arm and pulled me to follow her, and I felt the burning gaze of Eric following after me. We rushed to the third floor, and it had much more calm to it. It was the bedroom floors. "Bummed he didn't tell us which bedroom."

We began rushing through the doors, searching for a man named Mike. It was not soon until we found him. He was in his own room, with a few of his friends. Rolling blunts and making lines of Cocaine; what did my mother get us into? As soon as his door opened, he pulled a gun from the bed and aimed towards us. My mother froze, and so did I. However, his eyes widened when he realized it was my mother, and he immediately stood to his feet. "Mrs. Devinez, pleasure to have you h—"

"You aimed a gun at my head?" My mother screamed, the fear still trembling her voice.

Mike pushed us outside and closed the door behind him. The smell of a mixture of drugs and booze stopped suffocating us when he closed his door. "I'm sorry, I thought you were someone else—"

It was apparent he was the older brother. Both their features were very sharp, and the dirty blond hair accompanied their dark amethyst gaze fairly well. They were tall, probably an entire head over me along with a few inches. He was wearing a tight black shirt, his shoulders broad as he placed his palms on his waist. It was obvious he was worried about my mother speaking to his father about this, but I simply hoped my mother would take back the stupid move in, and we could return to our hometown eight hours away.

"And whom did you think I was exactly?"

He chuckled nervously, "Nobody to be worried about." He scratched the back of his head, and before she could make an uproar, he placed his palm on her back and began pushing her towards the master bedroom at the end of the hall. "My father said he'd be back soon, I'm guessing he had some sort of meeting."

"I know, he mentioned that to me."

A woman burst through one of the rooms, with barely any clothes to cover her glowing tits. "Babe, come on!" We heard from the room, and Mike's cheeks became slightly pink.

He shook his head, "Sorry about that, we didn't know you were moving in today." He then glanced towards me, and a second glance followed. Then his gaze stopped, and he simply examined me from my toes to my face.

"That's my daughter," my mother growled unhappily, and Mike chuckled nervously. He was placing himself into a deeper hole.

"I unlocked the master bedroom, you guys can wait here until my father arrives, I'll dismantle the party."

"Please do so," my mother hissed. He was attempting to do the best he could, and he was also very high but did a good job controlling himself, as the door closed behind him, my mother glanced towards me. I let my youngest brother off my arms as he marched towards the massive bed in the middle of the huge bedroom. My mother rolled her eyes, "Don't tell me this was a bad idea, it's only our first hour."

"Doesn't look like it was a good idea either."

"You boys are grounded." Yelled Mr. Hawk as he glared at Mike and Eric. Mike rolled his eyes while Eric groaned, pulling a cigar from his mouth. Mr. Hawk yanked the cigar from his hand, "And no smoking in my home. I've said that countless times Eric. You both knew they were coming and you both knew what time, I am very disappointed with the both of you."

My younger brother clung to my leg, and I patted him on the back for comfort. As soon as I heard Mr. Hawk climb the stairs, I sprinted behind the wall. I hid carefully with my younger brother in my arms, telling him to keep quiet as Mr. Hawk passed inches by us and headed to the Master Bedroom. When his door shut, I let a long exhale escape my mouth, and I allowed my brother to speak.

However, hearing a conversation between Eric and Mike made my ears perk.

"That bitch snitched on us," Eric roared, slamming his fist against the wall.

Mike pulled a cigarette from his pocket, and as he lit up the end, he mumbled, "No doubt about it."

"It's our fucking house."

"No doubt about that either," he replied unfazed, allowing Eric to have a drag.

Eric felt his entire body relax under the cigarette. "I wish Mandy, Dad's ex-girlfriend never left—"

"Mandy was a bitch," Mike hissed, not allowing Eric to speak any good about her. "She was a good for nothing whore."

Eric had hit a nerve, and when he noticed the glare from his brother, he shook his head, "Sorry."

"And also," Mike's voice grew louder, "If you want to listen on into our conversation you can come down here, it's easier to hear."

My heart skipped a beat.

Mike opened his arms wide, staring towards the stairway, "I can hear your fucking breathing."

He was speaking to me. I showed my brother my index finger over my mouth, directing him to remain silent and wait until I return. I then marched towards the edge of the stairs, and met both their gazes.

"Why the fuck are you listening in on us?" Mike cursed with a nasty glare on his face. "Your mother got us in shit already and I don't need you to hurt us even more. My business will go into shits for the next couple days because your mother couldn't keep her trap shut."

At first I was shocked at the manner he spoke to me. However, I soon began laughing and made my way to the floor below.nAs I approached them, with my hair tied in a bun, my baggy shirt and my short, my lips tightened into a small line.

"Nice to meet you, I'm August," I said, crossing my arms.

He glanced towards his brother who shrugged his shoulders. His gaze soon returned to mine, "August you said?" However, the more his eyes stared at me, the more I felt violated. He examined every single details on my body, and he was not afraid to make it obvious. I noticed his hungry eyes searching for food at my breasts, and his teeth biting his bottom lip.

I nodded my head. He began marching towards me, and as instinct, I started walking backwards, until I hit a wall. He placed his palm right next to my head against the wall, and leaned in as if he was going to kiss me. I closed my eyes and sucked in my breath, holding it in for a few seconds.

"Don't get in my way." I opened my eyes to find him with gritted teeth, glowering at me before he blew the smoke from his cigarette directly at my face. He then turned and descended from the floor, and I paused for a moment, seeing the change in behaviour from when he greeted my mother, to the dark energy that occurred now.

Mike was very scary.

***

"I wanted all of us to sit down and talk, since we were not able to do that yesterday."

I glanced around the table: Mr. Hawk sat next to my mother at the end of the table, my younger brother sat beside me, and opposite from us, sat Mike and Eric. The smile on Mike's face appeared terribly genuine that it caused shivers along my skin. He met my gaze, and a bright smile was sent in my direction. Eric, on the other hand, appeared bored and unbothered, leaning back in his chair with his arms crossed.

"I'm aware neither of the kids had met beforehand. We are glad that you have chosen to come stay with us. Mike and Eric, please introduce yourselves," Mr. Hawk motioned.

"I'm Michael Hawk, twenty-three."

"Eric Hawk, twenty-one."

"August Devinez," I said, "Twenty. And this is William, he doesn't talk very much, but he's six." My younger brother glanced in my direction, then waved at them.

Mr. Hawk smirked, "And August, Eric attends University of Eastbird, which is near the other side of the city, fifteen minutes max. That will be the University you will attend, which is also where Michael graduated from."

Never thought he would have even graduated high school with his criminal attitude. Nonetheless, a big smile was presented to me from his corny lips. I chuckled nervously, and turned back to my lap.

"William, you will attend elementary school that is pretty much around the block. Think you could walk there on your own during mornings or do you need your mother or myself to walk you?"

William did not reply, instead he merely stared at Mr. Hawk who chuckled nervously, glancing at my mother who simply shrugged.

I cleared my throat, "I could walk him, no big deal."

"Are we done? I have shit to do," Eric said, annoyed.

Mr. Hawk shook his head, "I heard you were going to meet up with friends later."

"We were gonna go out but now I'm grounded, thanks to you—"

"Bring August." My eyes widened.

"Excuse-me?" My mother responded, as surprised as myself.

Eric shook his head, "There's no way."

"She needs to associate with people around her age, and meet friends. Good way to meet people that will attend school with her."

"Mr. Hawk," I inserted, "I'm fine."

"It's only an opportunity to get on people's good side."

"Dad." Eric's tone tightened.

"And it's only for tonight, right? We are heading to a dinner reservation any way with William, I don't want you to stay at home by yourself. Enjoy the new change, why not?"

"She's not coming with me," Eric protested.

"I'll take her." Mike's voice finding my ears caused me to turn with a frown. He stared back at me with a suspicious gaze, biting his bottom lip before he returned to his father, "She can come with me."

"But Michael—"

"Eric, shut up," he hissed, an evil glare disorganizing his features, "You're annoying. She's coming with us." Surprisingly, Eric's mouth slammed shut. However, it was apparent that he was boiling in anger, since he slammed his fist against the table and stood from his seat, storming from the dining room.

I attempted to protest as well. "Mr. Hawk, I-I really appreciate the concern, but I really don't mind staying at home—"

"Yea well," Mike answered instead, his violet eyes piercing through me, as if it could read all my thoughts and see that I feared him slightly, "You're coming whether you like it or not. Be ready by ten alright? We're leaving then."

With that, he also left the dining room, and I sat in silence, wondering why he had stared at my lips, and what clothes I was going to wear.

The instance we marched within the party, Mike and Eric both disappeared within the throng.

"You can hang out by yourself," Eric spat at me before ditching me, and Mike had other focuses to handle. I had dolled myself up a little bit, applied make-up and wore a long black tight dress. "You're over-dressed," was the first thing Eric said to me when he saw me; I wondered why they hated me so much. Mike did not even glance twice, and when he finally noticed my change of appearance, he snickered and shook his head. I have no idea what thoughts went through his mind.

"You didn't have to bring me out," I had contested as I followed behind them towards the vehicle.

He had rolled his eyes, his rolled blunt on top of his ear, "Okay."

However, I was not self-conscience of being alone. On the contrary, I made my way through the crowd and found the bar, which made me feel much more excited. I should have known drinks were going to be available. Finally reaching the bar, I found a seat and the bartender glanced in my direction, and his eyes locked with mine. A small smile pulled my lips as he approached me.

"Any cheap shot you got?"

He shrugged, "A longer smile will give you an expensive one for free?" My smile widened, and he chuckled, pouring me a shot and handing me a slice of lemon. "You're an unfamiliar face," he added, taking back the glass after I took the shot.

"I'm from Eastwood."

His face appeared surprised. "Seven hours isn't it?"

"Most likely eight."

"Why the move?" He asked, pushing another shot in my direction.

I gulped it before pushing back the glass. "My mother's fiancé."

"That's not too bad."

"I thought so," she shook her head, "Until I met my step-brothers. Or soon to be."

"They're probably not that bad."

"You spoke too soon Cole," a deeper voice was heard behind me, and without glancing over my shoulder, I knew whom it was. Mike advanced to the bar and snickered in my direction. "Second day and already talking shit?"

However, the manner Cole's eyes changed in complete uneasiness, and I was certain his fingers trembled more then they should. Why was everyone so scared of him, including myself?

Mike pointed to a liquor bottle, "I want the whole bottle for free."

I blinked in surprise. "What?"

Cole immediately nodded, and I thought he would get whiplashed by how rapid he nodded.

"No," I snarled, both of them turning to face me. Mike leaned against the bar, his dirty blond hair gelled backwards with one lonely strand following his movement, hiding partial of his eye. I could not lie, he was very attractive. His built shape made me wish I could be embraced, and his pink lips were wanted all over my neck. It also felt as if his eyes peered deeper within mine, as if he could read my thoughts; there was something about Mike not only scared me, but intrigued me.

Mike raised an eyebrow before turning back to Cole, "So where were we?"

"I said no," I stood from my seat. "Don't give it to him for free, just pay for it," Cole chuckled nervously, but he attempted to shut me up with his eyes.

Mike leaned towards me, "I already told you to stay out of my way, brat."

"Then I'll just pay for you, which is way more embarrassing for you."

"Do what you want," he spat, gripping the bottle on the counter.

I leaned forward as well, "Your pride is too high, you wouldn't let me do that."

He roared between his gritted teeth, his arms broadening as he glared back at me. However, although cold fingers pressed on my back with shivers running along my skin, I stood my ground with a glare of my own.

Soon enough, he sighed, and turned back towards Cole. He reached in his pocket, throwing a hundred dollar bill on the countertop. Cole's eyebrows raised, and I placed my palms on my hips.

"See, now was that so hard?"

The end of Mike's lip was pulled upwards, and he chuckled. He glanced backwards, observing his group of friends for a moment before taking a seat beside me. His amethyst gaze pierced through mine as he searched my face for any sign of fear. I remained seated, crossing my arms with a raised eyebrow, daring him to cross me, although I knew if he did, I would not be able to back myself up. The collar of his dress shirt opened slightly wider as he leaned forward against his elbow, and I pulled my head slightly backwards. Cole stared between us uneasily.

"August, is it?" he questioned, raising his liquor bottle to his lips. He gulped three times without making a face, and sighed when he brought the bottle back down.

I nodded my head, "I've introduced myself two times already."

"Your features aren't nice enough for me to remember."

Cole snorted, as I blinked in shock. Did he just call me ugly? I frowned; I was maybe not the hottest but I was also not ugly. This was mere manipulation, he was attempting to crawl underneath my skin. I began giggling innocently, and the reaction had not been predicted since he frowned.

"Eric, is it?"

"No, Mike actually," he replied smoothly.

I shrugged, "Mike for Michael or Mike for my dick is small so that's why I need to make fun of my step-sister to feel more comfortable?"

He paused for a moment, and merely stared back at me. I did not turn away either, and he took another gulp from his liquor bottle. I had taken two shots and already felt a difference, but his shots were gulped as if it was water and he was not acting any different. However, his eyes were more bloodthirsty.

Then, an evil chuckled passed his tongue, and he leaned forward. I could feel his breath against my face but I forced myself not to move. "Look here sweetheart," he cleared his throat, "I understand you're new, and I'm not going to hold you against anything you're doing right now since you obviously don't know me. But watch yourself."

His tone appeared to be a threat, and I did back up slightly. However, I refused to give him power. I leaned forward as well, and our lips were close to touching, as I flirtatiously bit my bottom lip, puckering them as I peered on his own. However, I passed his lips and my mouth found his ear. "You don't know me either. So watch yourself." And with that, I pecked his cheek, and jumped from the stool, swaying my hips towards the dance floor.

His gaze burned my back until I disappeared within the people, and I began dancing in the middle with complete strangers, swaying my entire body and letting the music do its part. Although I was alone, the alcohol had taken over my body, and all I wanted to do was dance.

And I got the last word against Mike, so I win.

I should have known how mad that would make him.