Broken Silence

Kane double and triple checked the address Malina had given him as he stood in front of the lovely, sprawling house. He was more baffled than ever that Malina worked in that seedy tavern when she lived in a place like this. He approached the door slowly, still feeling apprehensive about being there. He appreciated Malina's desire to help him; in fact it only made him all the more enchanted by her; but he was leery about accepting help and money from a stranger.

Still, to save Camille he'd need to swallow his pride. And his curiosity about Malina and her family was piqued. So he raised his hand and rapped the knocker against the door before clasping his hands behind his back and trying not to fidget. He wasn't normally nervous when meeting new people. But these were most unusual circumstances; he was wearing borrowed clothes that Malina had procured for him, and he had a dark bruise on his temple. And no one in Malina's family knew anything about him.

Kane jumped as the door opened and a maid with a kind smile looked out at him.

"You must be Kane," she said.

He bowed slightly. "Yes, ma'am."

"Well aren't you polite? Please, come in. Everyone's waiting in the parlor."

Kane followed her, schooling his features into nonchalance. She seemed to catch the trace of nerves though, and smiled again.

"Don't worry. The Everett men only bite a little bit."

Kane laughed in spite of himself. "Thank you, that certainly puts my mind at ease."

She winked before leading him into the parlor. The conversation broke off and Kane found himself being stared down by five tall, dark-haired men. Isaac was there too, but his gaze didn't look anywhere near as menacing as everyone else's. Kane forced himself not to grimace.

"Kane!" Malina had been more or less invisible, hidden behind the towering figures of her brothers and the older man Kane assumed must be her father. She ducked around him and smiled sweetly at Kane. She was wearing a dark green dress that was nicer and more detailed than the simple dresses he'd always seen her in. The corner of his mouth lifted in a small smile.

"Daddy, this is Kane. Kane, this is my father; Percy Everett."

"Mr. Everett," Kane said with a polite nod. Mr. Everett nodded stiffly back, the movement almost imperceptible as he continued to stare at Kane with a hard, dark eyed glare. Malina hurriedly introduced her brothers; all five of them; and Kane was met with stony stares to match Mr. Everett's, except from Isaac. Isaac actually shook his hand briefly and Kane thought he saw a glimmer of amusement in his eyes. The front door banged open and a feminine voice called out, "so sorry I'm late! I got caught up with work. I hope I didn't keep everyone waiting too long."

A lovely woman with eyes the same bright gold as Malina's bustled into the parlor, shedding her coat and fixing her red-gold hair. She stopped when she saw Kane and broke into a sunny smile.

"Oh! So you're the mysterious Kane," she said brightly. "I'm Malina's mother, Emily Everett."

"I don't know how mysterious I am," Kane replied, amused. "But it's an honor to meet you, Mrs. Everett. I can see now where Malina's charm comes from."

Mrs. Everett giggled. "Goodness, aren't you the smooth talker. Well come on, before dinner gets cold."

She ushered Kane and Malina into the kitchen while Mr. Everett and Malina's brothers trailed after them, still shooting dark looks Kane's way as they all sat down around the huge dining table. Mrs. Everett immediately began peppering him with questions, which he answered with his usual easy charm and wit as he pretended not to feel multiple pairs of eyes boring holes into him.

Mrs. Everett insisted that he stay for coffee after dinner and shooed him back into the parlor before he could protest. Mr. Everett and his sons seemed to make a point of sitting in such a way that they were in a circle around Kane, the way wolves might encircle whatever animal they were about to rip to shreds. He caught Malina occasionally shooting them all warning looks. Mrs. Everett sat Kane down on one of the couches and sat beside him to continue the conversation they had begun about Shakespeare. Malina sat on his other side, though not too close since her father was watching them both like a hawk.

"So Kane, how did you meet our Malina?" Mr. Everett asked abruptly, when there was finally a lull in his wife's enthusiastic chatter.

"I met her when she was at work," Kane replied.

"He rescued me from some drunks, actually," Malina piped up.

"Did he now?" Mr. Everett didn't seem overly impressed and he was still staring straight at Kane. Out of the corner of his eye, Kane noticed Mrs. Everett roll her eyes.

"So you frequent the taverns in The Smokes, then?" Mr. Everett went on.

"I go on occasion," Kane said mildly. "I'm not much of a drinker, though. I find lowered inhibitions and dulled senses don't do a man many favors."

"What sort of work do you do?"

"At the moment, I fight." Kane kept his tone light but felt his shoulders tense as he answered. He knew being a street fighter wasn't going to win him any points with Mr. Everett. This was only confirmed when the man's eyes narrowed.

"A street fighter," he said flatly.

"It's not exactly my life's dream," Kane quipped before he could stop himself. Mr. Everett scowled.

"He has a good reason, Daddy," Malina said quickly.

"Malina, as much as I appreciate you trying to help, I don't think-" Kane began.

"That's why I invited him for dinner," Malina went on, interrupting him. "I want to help him."

"Help him do what, exactly?" Mr. Everett's scowl was unwavering.

"Rescue his sister," Malina said firmly. That seemed to catch the Everetts off-guard. A faint trace of surprise showed briefly through Mr. Everett's glare.

"Rescue her from what?" one of the brothers asked. Kane was pretty sure he was the one named Jacob. Now everyone was looking at Kane and he sighed.

"I need to break her out of the Blackbird Institute," he said slowly. There were several beats of silence.

"Your sister is a mental patient?" Jacob asked finally. Malina was sitting closest to Jacob and swatted his arm with a glower.

"I was just asking a question," he mumbled, scooting out of her reach.

"So you brawl in the streets for money, with the goal of breaking into a mental hospital." Owen ached an eyebrow at him. His stare was eerily similar to his father's.

"Yes," Kane said, unapologetic. "Camille was sent there several weeks ago. I'm not authorized to simply waltz in and tell them to release her."

"Tell us what happened," Mrs. Everett said gently. Kane shifted uneasily.

"It's our uncle," he grumbled. "He's taken an...inappropriate interest in my sister. And when he tried to act on it, she fought back. Gave him a rather impressive gash with a carving knife. So to punish her and keep her quiet about it, he shipped her off to an asylum." Kane paused, his lips pressing into a thin line as his anger came rising to the surface again.

"And your parents were all right with this?" Mrs. Everett asked, looking horrified.

"Our father died seven years ago," Kane said quietly. "And our mother became very ill recently. She probably doesn't even know any of this has happened. Camille doesn't have anyone else to look out for her. So I'll do what I have to in order to get her back."

Looking more fierce and determined than Kane had ever seen her, Malina sat up straighter and declared, "and I'm going to help him."