Aven stayed with us for months after that, helping with the housework and cooking when she could. She covered for me most of the time when I went over to Lucas’ for our afternoon activities. It was really handy as opposed to having Reginald think I slept all day. Odd things happened when Aven started staying with us though. Food started disappearing here and there, which I assumed was her doing after a while. I wasn’t going to press it though. Like their age, you don’t poke around what another woman puts on her plate.

Forward to December of that year though, and the three of us were super excited about both Christmas and celebrating Aven’s one year anniversary with us in January. Per tradition with Reginald’s family, the Hawthorne’s all got together in a big family Christmas dinner at the Hawthorne mansion. I always thought it was so marvelous every time I got to walk in, and when Aven took her first steps in, she looked starstruck.

“If you think that’s impressive, you should see the huge dinner,” I whispered with a chuckle as we walked inside. 

“It makes our family ones look like evening snacks,” Reginald added, hanging up his coat on a familiar rack.

“What?!” Aven gawked. “My family dinners hardly compare.”

“You mentioned your folks were from up north in Canada, right?” Reginald asked.

“Mhm,” she nodded. “They moved down here after Britain let them self-govern themselves. My folks thought that it would bring war between Canada and Britain like it did for the American colonies.”

“Interesting…”

“Enough politics,” I huffed. “I can’t eat those for a family dinner!”

“Alright, alright,” Reginald laughed. “Just please mind your manners this time, Max. My people may like you, but they’re still important.”

“Is she going to be there?” I asked bitterly with my arms folded. He knew exactly who I was talking about.

“I don’t know,” he admitted with a sigh. “It depends if Mother made her come or not.”

“Who?” Aven asked curiously.

“If you’re lucky, you won’t have to find out,” I groaned.

“Oi, Reginald!” said a voice from down the hall. It was his younger brother, Alexander. “Are you going to make love in the foyer or come down to the living room and chew the rag with everyone else?”

“Oh, shut up, Alex!” he called back with a smirk. “We’ll be but a moment more!”

“Go on ahead, Reginald,” I smiled. “The two ladies will take it slow and chat.”

“Now don’t go turning this respectable young woman into a troublemaker like you, Maxine,” he playfully scolded.

“I’d never,” I teased back. He gave me a kiss before going off to trade quips with his siblings. “Hey Aven, I need to warn you about someone.”

“Who?”

“You know Beatrice Hawthorne?”

“Oh god,” Aven squeaked, sending a shiver up her spine. “Is she…?”

“Just be on the lookout,” I whispered, guiding her into the living room where everyone else awaited.

I introduced Aven to everyone who didn’t already know her, and everyone was super nice to her too. Nobody questioned her sex and they all treated her like any regular woman. Just like I feared though, Beatrice was there. I don’t know why they even let that bitch stay, see her push everyone around, fund her, and call her family. Maybe I could convince them to let Aven replace her… She’d make a much better sister.

I kept Aven as far from Beatrice as I could, but luckily it looks like the woman was already keeping her distance from everyone and just fawning over that dumb snake around her neck. I hope it chokes her in the middle of the night. Or some accident happens and it bites her. I just wanted her gone from my life. Forever. I didn’t care how she went.

Eventually dinner rolled around and everyone took their seats around the table. Reginald, Aven, and I sat down, and Beatrice took her place right across from us. Ugh, she had to have done that on purpose. Why was she even here? The woman was barely even eating what was on her plate!

“Who’s the new kid?” Beatrice asked out of the blue, probably to avoid having to eat the rest of her stupid plate. Aven looked deathly afraid to speak, so I did it for her.

“Her name is Aven,” I said, staring disdainfully at her. “She’s staying with us for a bit.”

“And why’s that?”

“She-”

“I think Aven can speak for herself,” she interrupted with a smug smile. She waved her hand at Aven. “Go on then.”

“I needed a place to stay,” Aven whispered. I could see something go to work in Beatrice’s head as soon as she heard Aven’s voice.

“That’s all you need to know,” I added, shooting her a glare to encourage her to shut up.

“You’re a man,” Beatrice said crassly. “No wonder you needed a place to stay. Nobody would take a man dressing as a woman. Max is the only idiot I know who would.” This woman was asking for someone to slap the shit out of her.

“Dear, leave her alone,” Mrs. Hawthorne scolded. How were they so calm and ok about this woman’s harassment?!

“It’s a man,” she repeated coldly. “HE shouldn’t be wearing that. It’s bad enough it’s one of Max’s tacky dresses.”

“Well, excuse me for not being as fashionable as you,” I hissed back.

“Even if you were, none of it would fit you, honey,” she smiled, looking at me with those stupid, smug bitch eyes. She was asking for it… “Not with that figure.”

“Excuse me?!”

“Don’t raise your voice at me.” Beatrice snapped. “You know your place, you animal.”

The glare she gave me made it clear she thought she was above me. Oh, I was going to wait until she came to my house one day. I was going to let her in and… I looked over and saw Aven about to cry, and Reginald begging for me not to make a scene with his sister.

In a fit of anger, and to prevent me from slinging my plate right at Beatrice’s head, I took my plate and marched away from the table, going upstairs to escape it all. I took refuge in the bathroom, not bothering to shut the door. Only a few seconds later, Aven walked in too and sat down next to me.

“Are you ok?” I whispered.

“Yeah,” she sighed. “I just-”

“I haven’t known her for long, but Aven is like a daughter to me,” Reginald said. “And Max is my wife. I don’t care how wrong you think that is, she is. And I will not stand for you berating both of them!” we heard Reginald shout.

“You mean SON!” Beatrice screamed back.

“Don’t worry about her,” I sighed, holding Aven’s hand. “She only tries to make everyone’s life miserable.”

“But why?” she mumbled.

“Who knows? I’ll be honest in that I don’t really care. But don’t let her keep you down, ok? She’s not worth it.”

“She’s the one who got me fired from my job at the candy store,” Aven muttered with a depressing sigh. “Why can’t she just leave me alone…?”

“That snake can’t dictate who you are,” I smiled, giving her a small hug. “Go out and be the beautiful gal you are, got it?”

“Ok,” Aven smiled, standing up with me.

I guided Aven back downstairs and to the table. Apparently whatever Reginald had said really shut her up, because Beatrice didn’t open her mouth for the rest of the night. The part of me that wasn’t shocked thought it was magical. I needed to know how to mute her. At any rate, she kept her distance for the rest of the night, which was a good move because everyone looked pissed at her anyway. Except the little sister Elizabeth. Poor girl was probably too young to realize she had a monster for a sister.

Before we could leave for the night, Reginald actually pulled Aven aside to meet someone. It was a fairly kind-faced man that I recognized as one of his friends. The man grabbed Aven’s hand, which made her jump, then kissed it.

“This is Ms. Murphy, I presume?” he asked with a gentle smile.

“I- Um- I-” Aven looked completely frozen in place.

“Aven here hasn’t had any relationships, but is the sweetest woman I’ve met,” Reginald told him.

“Ahem?” I coughed with my arms folded.

“The second sweetest woman I’ve met,” he quickly corrected, turning to Aven. “This here is James. We’ve been talking about you, and well, he was interested in being your fiance.”

“Wait… really?” Aven asked in disbelief.

“If you would be willing to accept,” James nodded. “It would be my honor.”

“I- Um…” Aven cleared her throat and straightened herself. “I’ll have to think about it.”

Aven and Reginald said goodbye to James, and we all started walking home together. Reginald and I put our arms around Aven and swung her in between us like a little girl.

“So Aven, you’re gonna get married soon?” I teased.

“I don’t know,” she laughed. “Doyou think he really wants me?”

“Well, I talked it all over with him, and he didn’t mind who you were,” explained Reginald. “So I wouldn’t worry about that.”

“It’s just a big step… I’ll just think about it.”

“Take it slow,” Reginald nodded. “Wouldn’t want to rush into a marriage you don’t want.”

“Are you trying to speak from experience?” I raised my eyebrow.

“Of course not!”

“Mhm, just making sure. Just making sure…”

*   *   *   *   *

In the middle of the night, I woke up and looked over at Reginald. That man was snoring away and sounded like an earthquake was going off. I just groaned, turned my body over, and covered my ears with a pillow. It only dampened the sound so much though.

“Forget it, I’m getting water,” I grumbled, getting out of bed.

As I made my way to the kitchen, I paused in the hallway. I could hear a soft sound like someone was… crying. I followed the sobbing until I came to Aven’s room. Slowly, I opened it to see a bunch of food on the bed and the top of her head poking out from behind it.

“Aven…?”

I could see her panicked face look over the bed with red, puffy eyes before ducking out of view. Slowly, I came in and closed the door, then walked around the bed. Aven was curled up on the floor with a bunch more food next to her. It was a bunch of food that had been missing from our pantry.

“What’s… What’s going on here…?” I asked softly, getting on the floor with her and rubbing Aven’s back.

“I’m sorry…” she mumbled, clutching her stomach. I took the pastry that she was trying to still eat out of her hand.

“Aven, what is this?” I asked again. “What’re you-”

Before I finished, Aven moved over to the window and vomited out the side of it, heaving and crying even harder. She was full on sobbing by the time she had finished and tried hitting her head against the window, before I pulled her away.

“Aven, talk to me!” I demanded, embracing her in my arms. “What is this? Please, I’m not angry, but I am upset that my friend is hurting. That’s she’s…” I gestured to all the food and then to the small vomit stain left on the window. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I just want to understand. So please, let me in.”

“Ok…” Aven said with a shaky breath. “I’m… I go on these large eating sprees…”

“Eating… sprees…?” I asked, cocking my head. 

I had never heard about someone with that kind of problem before, and it sounded so foreign to me. Most people didn’t have the money for that kind of thing. Food just cost too much, unless you were super wealthy like Reginald and I. Then your pantry could always be filled to the… Oh… Oh god-

“You told me your mother was giving you money on the streets, but I never asked how you lost it all…” I whispered. “Did you spend it all on food so you could…?”

“Mhm,” she nodded with tears in her eyes.

“And when I brought you here and you saw we had such a full pantry…”

“I’m sorry,” she cried, burying her face in her arms. “I shouldn’t have… I didn’t want to… You’ve been so nice, and-”

“What makes you do this?” I interrupted. “Why food, and why do it?”

“Food is just so comfortable…” she mumbled. “It makes me feel better…”

“This makes you feel better?” I asked, gesturing around to the scene of the room again. “Come on Aven, does it really?”

“I don’t know… It numbs the pain at least… Makes me feel not so bad about my body and situation and stuff…”

“Oh sweetie…” Slowly, I put my arms around her. “What did it tonight then?”

“Beatrice… All those words she said and…”

“We’ll make this right, ok?” I told her confidently. If there was one thing I knew, it was that Reginald would make sure that snake bitch wouldn’t hurt Aven anymore. “Let’s get this all cleaned up and send you back to sleep, alright?”

“Ok…” she nodded.

We both cleaned up her room and I took the remaining food back to the kitchen. Of course I’d have to tell Reginald about this. Maybe I could get him to install a lock on the pantry door? But what if Aven had to eat while I was out with Lucas…? We’d figure it out. When we finished, I went back to her room and tucked Aven into bed like I was her mother.

“Sleep well, ok?”

“Ok,” she coughed. “Max… thank you.”

“Of course,” I smiled. “See you in the morning.”

I closed Aven’s door behind me and went to the kitchen to grab a chair. I wasn’t going to take any chances tonight. I set it down right outside her door and sat down. It was just to make sure Aven didn’t go back, and that’s where I slept.

*   *   *   *   *

Later, I explained everything to Reginald. Though I had stressed that Beatrice was the cause of it all, he still wouldn’t take any real action against her. What did I want him to do? I don’t know, but I wanted some real consequences to that bitch’s actions! At least he put that lock on the pantry door, and he and I were the only ones with the keys. He also knew to look out for missing or misplaced food too, and at the very least to keep Aven away from anywhere that Beatrice’s lips could make noise.

One cute thing though was Aven and her new fiance! They had decided to give it a try and now they see each other semi-frequently. Aven wanted to know him more before moving out from Reginald and I though, which is fair. I’m just so happy for her. Maybe she’d see that she had people to rely on, and she didn’t need to do that awful food thing to hurt herself when she was upset.