The Ugly Stepsister (2 page)

It took Ellie a moment to recognise Tom, Sam’s older brother. At seventeen, he was little more than a year older than his brother. Some of his features were similar to his brother’s and he had dark brown hair, but there the similarities ended. While Sam was called Baby Face and looked years younger, Tom could easily have passed for twenty. He had no curls like his brother and if his hair was any shorter it’d be shaved. He wore a silver stud in one ear and an identical one in his nose.

“Who the hell are you? And what are you doing in my bathroom?”

“I’m with Sam.”

“Then you might as well go home. He’s passed out in his room.”

That was something she couldn’t do. She’d thought finding someone whose parents would be away for the weekend was the solution. She hadn’t taken into account a bossy older brother. Trying to remain calm, she dredged up an expression of surprise. “Already? I was only a few minutes.” She tried to push past Tom.

He grabbed her by the upper arm, preventing her from moving away from him. “Who are you? Where did Sam find you? And what are you doing with my brother? He’s not your type. Actually, I don’t think he’s anyone’s type.”

Ellie wrenched her arm away. “Unlike you I suppose. I bet you think you’re everyone’s type.”

Tom smiled. “Not the answer I was looking for. I use that technique heaps. Who are you?”

“What technique?”

“Avoiding answering the main question by asking other questions or trying to sidetrack the person. Now, let’s try again. Who are you?”

Ellie felt like screaming. Trust her to run into someone with a one-track mind. “Do you suffer from an obsessive compulsive disorder? I’ve never met anyone so focused before. It can’t be natural.”

“Out.” Tom pointed to the outside door.

She reminded herself to remain calm. Panicking wouldn’t help her deal with her latest problem. “You’re getting very boring.” Ellie started to walk towards the door Tom still pointed at. Before she reached it, she changed direction and headed towards Sam’s room.

Tom followed, managing to step in front of her before she reached the bedroom. “What do I have to do? Call the police? You’re not welcome here.”

“Sam!”

Tom clamped his hand over her mouth. “Shh. Don’t wake him.”

Ellie stepped back and Tom dropped his hand. She glared at him. “He said I could stay the night. It’s too late to organise somewhere else to stay. No one’s going to appreciate me turning up on their doorstep at three in the morning.”

“You could always go home.”

“Not tonight I can’t.” She now regretted getting Sam so drunk it looked like he’d sleep through anything. Or maybe he was always a heavy sleeper. She had no idea what to do, but refused to panic. There had to be some way to convince him.

Tom sighed. “What’s your name?”

She didn’t think he’d recognised her, but she wasn’t taking any chances. Especially since they went to the same school. “Beth.” It wasn’t exactly a lie. There were lots of nicknames you could use when your name was Elizabeth.

“Where were you planning to sleep?”

Ellie gestured towards the bedroom. “The beanbag.” When Tom shook his head, she argued, “It’s not like I haven’t slept in one before. They’re actually comfortable. Better than sleeping on the floor. And it’s not like there’s space in your brother’s bed.”

Tom’s eyes narrowed. “How do you know we’re brothers? Have we met before? When you weren’t trying to look like the bride of Frankenstein?”

Ellie’s mind raced as she lined up her excuse. She had to be more careful with what she said. She shrugged. “You live in the same house. He said your parents are away this weekend. Not that you look old enough to be his father. It just seemed like the most logical conclusion.”

Tom yawned, his hand automatically covering his mouth. “I’m too tired for this conversation,” he muttered.

“Then get out of the way and let me crash. What do you think I’m going to do? Knife you in your sleep?”

“Anything’s possible.”

Ellie held out her handbag. “Here. You want to check for weapons?”

Tom grinned. “Like that’d make a difference. There’s a kitchen upstairs with a block of knives that’d do the job.”

“Fine! Don’t let me in the bedroom.” She strode to the lounge suite and dropped into the double seater. “I’ll sleep here.” She kicked off her boots and lay down. No pillow, no blanket. Not comfortable at all. At least she had the next weekend covered. And so far this weekend wasn’t anywhere near as bad as the past two had been.

“You’re persistent, I’ll give you that.” Tom headed for his room, disappearing inside.

Ellie stared after him. The top half of his bedroom door was visible over the back of the couch. Did that mean he’d given up trying to throw her out? She didn’t know what to think. Maybe she should run and lock herself in Sam’s room before he changed his mind. Or had he gone to call the police to kick her out? She sat up when Tom entered the room. Her eyes were drawn to the pillow and blanket in his hands. He dropped them onto her lap, heading for the bathroom without a word.

It took a few seconds for victory to register. Relief hit her. With a grin, she put the pillow at one end of the seat, shook the blanket out over herself and lay down again. When she heard the shower start, her eyes were drawn to the closed bathroom door she could see from the lounge chair. What had made him give in? She’d been certain he wasn’t going to cave. And then she would’ve been stuck looking for somewhere else to spend the night. Her mobile phone beeped and she reached for it.

Forget me?

Ellie smiled and quickly replied with the address of where she was staying. She waited impatiently for Lauren to reply. Her phone beeped again.

Score! We’re masterminds
:D


Ellie grinned as she put her phone away. She wouldn’t go that far. They were probably a long way from being masterminds, but it had taken a lot of asking around and planning to find someone she could con into letting her stay. She didn’t have anyone else, she was close enough to, that she could ask to stay at their place. Not without them wondering what was going on. And she wasn’t going to have everyone at school talking about her and wondering what the problem was. No way. She knew how harsh victims were treated. And she wasn’t going to risk looking like one ever again. She ran her fingers over the small scar, on the inside of her arm. She’d bled for ages and yet the rock hadn’t been that large. Pushing the image of rocks, blood and jeering kids from her mind, she rearranged the blanket again.

The bathroom door opened and Tom stepped out. Ellie’s breath stopped as she stared at him. A towel was wrapped around his waist and droplets of water dotted his chest and arms. She swallowed, forcing her eyes to move away from his chest. Her eyes met his.

“You sure you don’t want to take a picture?” Tom asked dryly.

“If you give me a sec I’ll get my phone out.”

With a shake of his head, Tom strode across the room and turned the light out. The glow from Sam’s lamp fell into the room. Tom was a shadow. “Go to sleep, Beth.” He strode to his room.

Ellie grinned. She’d take that as another victory for her. And she could certainly do with a few victories with the way things had been going for her lately.

Ellie opened her eyes to find Sam sitting on the floor staring at her. She quickly sat up and glanced around. They were alone. She wondered how long he’d been watching her. Glancing towards the television, on the same wall as the bathroom door, she checked the time on the DVD player. Nearly midday. No wonder she was starving. Sam still watched her. If she hadn’t seen him blink occasionally she would’ve said he was frozen.

“Morning, Sam.”

“You know me?”

“Ahh, yeah. I came home with you. Remember? From the party.”

Sam shook his head. “Not really.” He frowned. “I was talking to Lauren. She told me I should go to the party. I don’t really know her either. She told me at school. Did you look like that last night when I met you?”

“Real smooth, Sam.”

Ellie turned to see Tom standing in his bedroom doorway. He wore a pair of jeans that sat low on his hips. “Morning, Tom.” She frantically tried to think her way out of that mistake when she saw Tom’s eyes narrow. Maybe he’d ignore it. She’d wait for him to ask how she knew his name before she worried about it.

“Can’t say I’d recommend you drinking, Sam. I think it impairs your judgement in a major way.” Tom continued to look at Ellie as he spoke.

“Sounds like your brother takes after you with the smooth comments.” Ellie threw the blanket back and swung her feet to the floor. “I don’t suppose I can get something to eat?” She turned to Sam, thinking he’d be more helpful than his brother. She wasn’t wrong.

“Oh. Of course.” He stumbled to his feet and hurried to the door the stairs were hidden behind.

Ellie listened to the sound of his feet against the timber tread. She heard him get about halfway up before he clambered back down. He stopped in the doorway. When he continued to stare at her silently, she bit back a sigh. “What?”

Sam blushed. “I didn’t ask what you wanted for breakfast.”

Tom shook his head. “What’s it matter? Give her cereal. She’s lucky I didn’t kick her out this morning. You know what Mum’d say if she knew you had a girl stay over.”

“Yeah, but-” Sam began.

“You’re hopeless, Sam,” Tom said.

Sam’s blush deepened. He looked over to Ellie. “What would you like for breakfast?”

“What are my choices?”

“Everything.”

Ellie grinned. “Everything?”

Sam nodded.

She couldn’t resist. He had said everything. “Pancakes, vanilla ice cream and maple syrup.”

“Okay.” Sam turned and started back up the stairs.

Ellie stared after him in surprise. She looked over to Tom when he started to laugh. “What’s so funny?”

“You. Your face was priceless. You honestly thought he’d say no.”

“You mean he’s going to make that?”

Tom nodded. “And you better eat it too.”

Ellie slowly smiled. “I think I’m going to move in here permanently. That’s my favourite meal.” Her smile widened when Tom scowled. She rose from the lounge chair and headed for the bathroom, grabbing her bag that had slipped onto the floor.

Once she’d finished in the bathroom, Ellie found the lounge room empty so she went up the stairs. She froze at the top, her feet sinking into thick carpet. The upstairs lounge room looked like it belonged in an architectural magazine. A clatter off to her right drew her attention to a kitchen. It was full of stainless steel workspaces, timber doors and was larger than both the kitchen and dining room at her house. Sam moved like he spent a lot of time in the kitchen while Tom sat on the corner of the bench that separated the kitchen from the lounge room.

When Ellie moved closer, Sam looked up. “Do you want to eat in the dining room or out on the patio?”

Ellie turned in the direction he indicated. The dining room was an octagonal area filled with tall windows and light. The patio was reached from a glass door leading out from the dining room. Opening the door, she stepped outside and found herself looking out over a swimming pool. She walked the length of the patio and saw it was level with the ground, which dropped away like a cliff, barely a metre away. The patio only ran along part of the back of the house. She guessed it was what people called a split-level house. All she knew was that it was nothing like her house. She returned to the kitchen.

Sam flipped a pancake over in the frypan. “Did you decide?”

“Dining room?” She was feeling a little out of her element. She’d never been in a house like this before. Downstairs was nothing like upstairs. She’d never have guessed this showpiece existed. What was she doing here? Panic flared and she pushed it away. Where else could she go? What other choice did she have? None. She had to stay.

Sam flipped the pancake onto a cooling rack and poured more batter into the pan. “Tom?”

Tom slid off the bench. “You’ve got to be kidding. She can set the table.”

“Please?” Sam took ice cream out of the freezer.

“Do you want me to help?” Ellie asked.

Tom stared at her for a moment. “You would have done better cleaning off the makeup instead of putting more on.” He opened a drawer and pulled out some cutlery.

Ellie bit back the remark she wanted to make. The whole idea of the makeup was to look terrible. She shouldn’t complain when she achieved her goal, but it was difficult when Tom made negative comments about the way she looked. He was heart-stopping gorgeous. Who wanted someone who looked like that thinking they were gouge-your-eyes-out ugly?

She wandered into the dining room and sat in the chair Tom pointed at. She watched as the table was transformed. A linen tablecloth, a fancy jar of maple syrup, ice cream in a cut glass serving bowl, matching cutlery, white bowls at each place and a white serving plate with hot pancakes.

It didn’t take Ellie long to fill her bowl and her eyes closed as she savoured her first mouthful. She opened them to find Sam watching her again. She decided his brown eyes reminded her of puppy eyes. She glanced at Tom. His brown eyes certainly didn’t bring to mind a baby animal. Ignoring the unnerving stare of Sam, she had another mouthful.

“Is it okay?” Sam still watched her.

She nodded. “Heavenly. If you keep feeding me like this I’m going to have to ask which bedroom do I get when I move in?” She grinned at the look of panic that flitted across Sam’s face. Maybe it wasn’t nice of her, but it was good not to be the one feeling out of their element.

“Mine.”

Ellie laughed at Tom’s answer. “Dream on, sweetheart.”

“But I would have to insist on the makeup going and you learning what shampoo is for.”

Ellie shrugged. “Then I guess I won’t be moving in after all. I like my makeup and there’s nothing wrong with my hair. Washing your hair too much can be damaging you know.”

“Not washing it at all is taking the theory to the extreme.”

Sam sat quietly, his attention on Ellie as he ate his food.

His constant stare was starting to bother her. “Where did you learn to cook like this, Sam?”

“Dad. He’s a-”

Tom interrupted his brother. “He loves to cook. Made us both learn. Sam’s the one with a talent for it.”

“I won’t argue that. These’d have to be the best pancakes I’ve ever tasted.” Ellie scooped another spoonful into her mouth.

Sam blushed, but continued to watch Ellie. She was glad when she’d eaten as much as possible and could escape. It was well past time to get away from Sam’s unnerving gaze. It was starting to make her feel guilty again. Like she’d kicked a puppy or something. She pushed back from the table.

“If I eat another bite I’m going to explode. Do you want my bowl in the sink?” She started to rise.

Sam shook his head. “It’s okay. I’ll clean up.”

Ellie shrugged. She wasn’t going to beg him to let her help clean up. She wasn’t an idiot. “Is your computer hooked up to the net?” When he nodded, she asked, “Mind if I use it for a few minutes. I want to check my emails.” Sam nodded again, still staring at her, and Ellie nearly growled at him in frustration. “Any passwords on it? Or will I be able to use it without a drama?”

“No passwords. It automatically goes online when it’s turned on.”

She barely managed not to roll her eyes. Had she ever been this awkward? Maybe in grade one. Okay, and possibly in grade two as well. She shied away from her thoughts, preferring not to remember those years. They’d been bad enough living through once without reliving them. “Thanks.”

Ellie hurried downstairs and into Sam’s room. She took out her phone while she waited for the computer to start up and sent a text to Lauren.
Going online.
When she signed into her messenger, Lauren was waiting for her.

Ellie says: Missed you.

I want a kitten says: It’s so not fair. One time we mess up and we’re punished for life.

Ellie says: Just think if she’d caught us the night we had boys in your room
:D


I want a kitten says: Okay, one time that she caught us messing up.

Ellie says: Pity she had a cold and got up to take something for it.

I want a kitten says: Yeah. Enough of my crappy life. How is yours?

Ellie says: How is my crappy life?

I want a kitten says: Ha ha, you know what I mean.

Ellie says: He made me pancakes with vanilla ice cream and maple syrup for breakfast.

I want a kitten says: When do I expect the wedding invite?

Ellie says: I know! I was amazed. My fave food of all time. And he cooks divine pancakes.

I want a kitten says: Do I take it you’re having fun then?

Ellie says: No!!! He keeps staring at me all the time. It’s soooo creepy.

I want a kitten says: Eww.

Ellie says: Yeah.

I want a kitten says: You want to go and do something then?

Ellie says: Can’t. I need somewhere to stay tonight. Going to try and con another night out of him. If I leave, his brother’d probably put out the no vacancy sign.

I want a kitten says: Tom is hot!!!

Ellie says: He looks good in a towel too
;)


I want a kitten says: Tell me!!!

Ellie says: He turned out the light before I could take a pic
:(


I want a kitten says: Seriously?

Ellie says: I was staring at him and he asked me if I wanted to take one.
:D


I want a kitten says: And…

Ellie says: I don’t think he took me seriously when I asked for a second to get out my phone.

I want a kitten says: Aww. I would’ve liked to see that picture. And I bet I’m not the only one!

Ellie says:
:)


I want a kitten says: Maybe you should follow him around with your phone waiting for the next photo op.

Ellie says: Nah. That’d be creepier than the way his brother stares at me.

I want a kitten says:
:D


Ellie says: g2g. Can hear someone coming down the stairs.

I want a kitten says: Ok. Take care.

Ellie says: I will. I’ll let you know where I’m crashing later. Hope it’s here.

I want a kitten says: Wish it was here.

Ellie says: Me too.

I want a kitten says: Bibi.

Ellie says: Buh-bye.

Ellie signed out of her messenger and rose from the seat in time to see Sam enter his bedroom. She forced herself not to comment on the way he stared at her. The nicest comment that came to mind was, ‘haven’t you ever seen a female before?’ She guessed alienating him wasn’t the best way to convince him to let her stay another night. Besides, with his puppy dog eyes and expressive face she’d probably just end up feeling guilty again.

“So what do you normally do on a Saturday?”

Sam shrugged.

Now that was helpful. Ellie kept that thought to herself as well. “You must do something in your spare time.”

Tom appeared in the doorway. “He spends most of his time on the computer or playstation. I’m going for a swim. Anyone interested?”

Ellie was tempted, but her makeup wasn’t waterproof and she didn’t have swimmers. Not to mention she’d lose the oil in her hair. She’d already lost enough on the pillowcase last night. “Nah, I might check out what playstation games Sam has.”

Sam brightened immediately. “You play?”

Ellie headed for the door, forced to stop when Tom continued to stand in the way. She ignored Sam’s question. “You could join us if you want.”

Tom shook his head. “You’d be better off getting outside instead of staying in front of the TV. It’s the perfect day for swimming.”

“He only says that because he’s the best on our school’s swim team,” Sam said.

“I guess that’s why you’ve got such a well developed upper body.” Ellie couldn’t help smiling as she remember Tom standing in a towel. “We’ll leave you to do your dumb jock thing while we be sloths in front of the TV.”

Tom walked away without comment. Ellie’s smile faded. She was aware of Sam standing behind her and guessed if she turned to look at him she’d catch him staring at her again. She didn’t look. She really didn’t want to know for certain. “So where are these games kept?” She stepped into the lounge room.

“In the TV cabinet.” Sam brushed past her and nearly ran over to the television to pull open the doors of the cabinet it sat on. Inside was a shelf of games and on the shelf above them sat a playstation and controllers. “Which game do you want to play?”

Ellie looked at the row of games, only the spine showing. She felt like saying, how the hell would I know? “How about you choose? Which is your favourite?”

Sam pulled out a shooter game and put it on. Her eyes glazed as he explained the basics, taking the controller he gave her. The next hour crept by as she spent most of the time dying.

“Get back, Beth! You’re gonna die again.” Sam sent his man in front of hers. The phone rang just as Ellie died.

She gratefully dropped the controller when Sam paused the game to answer it. Standing up, she stretched. Leaving her handbag behind, she grabbed her phone and stepped outside. The path led her to the swimming pool. She watched as Tom reached the far end of the pool and pulled himself out. He dived back into the water and swam towards the shallow end. Ellie moved closer.

She grinned, choosing the camera setting on her phone. When he pulled himself out of the pool again she took a photo. She moved closer. “Smile.” She took another photo when he looked up at her. Her smile faded when he strode towards her. She quickly shoved her phone in her pocket. “You were the one who told me to take a pic.” She walked backwards.

“That offer expired.”

Ellie turned to run inside. Tom captured her before she managed more than a few steps. She squealed as she tried to wriggle free. Turning to face him, she grabbed one of his hands as he tried to take her phone from her pocket. “Get off me. You’re wet.”

“Then delete that picture.”

“Nope.” She grinned as she managed to stop him from getting her phone again.

“I will get your phone. Give up now and hand it over.”