Taboo Series - Falling for my step brother

Chapter two

 had another quiet shift at work, no texts, no calls, nothing. I jumped off the bus at the end of my street and walked to my house, looking confused at the taxi parked outside. "Mum?" I called out as I walked in.

"Hey honey, I packed your bag for you." my mum said as she dragged a packed suitcase down the stairs.

"Okay? Why?" I asked, taking the suitcase from Anna. 

"We are going to see Marcus." she beamed as she pulled a similar suitcase from the living room.

"Marcus?" 

"Marcus! My boyfriend, well fiancée." 

"Wow." I said grabbing my mothers arm. "The guy you met last night?" Anna nodded like an eager puppy. "Mum! He could be an organ surgeon, planning to take our kidneys upon arrival. Do you not see how this is not normal?" 

"You are right, it is not normal. We are in love. All those years I wasted on William I could have been with Marcus. We are meant to be together." Anna said in a dreamy voice. 

"Mum, how are we getting to America? I can't afford plane tickets." 

"Marcus has all the sorted." Anna waved off. 

"We need visas and health insurance. We cannot just up and leave, what about my job?" 

Anna dropped her suitcase and whirled on me. "Listen to me. I am happy for the first time in a long time. Now I am going to America to be with the man of my dreams, it is up to you whether you stay or come with me. You are eighteen you are legally an adult. It is your choice, so what is it going to be Lilith?"

Everything inside of me was screaming at me that something was terribly wrong. This sort of stuff just did not happen, especially to people like us. But the look in Anna's eyes said that she was not kidding. So even if this guy was a mass murdering psychopath, she was running straight into his trap and I would be damned if after everything I had been through I was going to let my mother do that alone. "Okay, I'm coming." I said making my mother squeal with delight. 

Anna bungled me out of the door and into the taxi. "I have the passports and the plane tickets are on my phone. You won't regret this Lilith, this is exactly what we need and you will love Marcus I promise." I just nodded, not wanting to burst my mother bubble, and stared out the window. This could end really bad, but I could not live with myself if I let her go and stayed behind watching True Blood for the thirtieth time, fantasizing about Eric Northman whisking me away. I was not delusional, I knew that vampires and all that were not real, but the thought of someone coming to save me, I saw the appeal in that. I guess that is all Anna was trying to do, escape from the memory of her broken marriage that seemed to haunt her every day. 

It was a short drive to Manchester Airport where we had to check in our luggage and Anna showed the tickets on her phone. To my surprise not only were they real but they were first class. At least if we were going to our deaths, we were going in style. We were taken through to the first class lounge where I was extra surprised my mother had a non alcoholic drink while I has a cocktail, enjoying the taste of alcohol while I could. I kept the cocktails flowing while we waited for our flight to be called. When it was, we were taken straight past the queue of angry people and on to the plane. There I ordered another cocktail, thinking that if I was going to have my liver dissected by Marcus the organ surgeon it was going to be well marinated. "You really should slow down darling." Anna whispered to me. 

"Mum. I love you. I am going to another country so that you can meet the man of your dreams that you met last night on some dodgy website. I am supporting you. But I am also taking this opportunity for free alcohol to make sure that by the time I get there I really don't give a shit." 

"It is an eleven hour flight sweetheart." Anna said, trying to get me to use the usual sense that I did everyday. 

"Fine." I sighed. "I am going to sleep then because I have been at work all day. Wake me up when the food is here." I said as I raid back on the giant reclining chair and closed my eyes. I knew I was being a bitch and slightly ungrateful but there was a good chance we were both about to end up in some back water vet clinic, so I didn't see the issue with living a little for once in my life. The alcohol helped me fall asleep quickly, and when I woke up, I had steak and veg in front of her. Real fucking steak. I looked over to my mother who was smiling widely and we both tucked into their meal. 

"Can I get you any drinks?" the very beautiful flight attendant asked. 

"Cocktail please." I said with my mouth full. 

"Diet coke for me please." Anna replied before the flight attendant went off to get our beverages. 

"So no more drinking huh?" I asked mu mum as I took another bite of the food. It really was good, or maybe it had just been so long since I had a decent meal. 

"No, I know I have a problem. I have told Marcus everything you know, there are no secrets between us. That is why he said I should bring you too, he said you deserved a fresh start." Marcus sounded too good to be true and I had learned the hard way that when something was too good to be true, it probably was. Again though, I did not want to ruin my mothers moment in the sun so I slowly sipped my cocktail and looked down at the clouds below. 

All too soon for my liking we were landing and it was hot, way too hot for me. I was used to the rain and damp air of the North West of England. Even though it was dark I felt like I was sweating out of every orifice god created. I missed the air conditioned plane and the cool cocktail. We went through to the baggage claim when I grabbed my suitcase when it came round before spotting my mums and grabbing that too. Why we had not just shared a suitcase was beyond me, we did not own enough clothes between us to fill one of these and the majority were my mother's. I had two pairs of jeans, three t shirts and two sets of pyjamas. I hoped a little that my mum had packed the dress I wore to my prom because that was the only nice thing I owned. 

I was panting pushing the oversized metal trolley through the crowded airport and out to the patrol bit. "Reason for visit?" A guy in a little plastic box asked. 

"Visiting my boyfriend!" Anna said, batting her eye lashes. 

"Do you have anything to declare? Any food, or other items?" 

"Nope." 

"How much money do you have while you are here?" This was when my mum's head swung around to look at me expectantly. 

"I have about £200 in my account." I explained. 

"And you miss?" he asked my mother. 

"I don't have anything, it is my daughter who supports me." she answered hanging her head slightly. 

"And what are you planning to do for money while you are in the states?" he asked in a harsher tone than before. 

"My boyfriend is going to support us while we are here." my mother explained, smiling sweetly. Yep by selling our blood and eggs maybe. 

"And who is your boyfriend miss?" he pushed, trying to find out more. 

"His name is Marcus Cage." 

"You are Marcus Cage's girlfriend?" The man asked, tipping his glasses down to get a better look. "Very well." he nodded us through and handed us back our passports. Well I didn't know whether to be nervous or reassured that the boarder patrol guy knew who Marcus was by name. Maybe he was a drug lord and we were going to be forced into prostitution or become drug mules. Again I chose to keep these choice tid bits to myself as my mother prance off leaving me with the trolley that was really a little Mo with the gimpy leg. As we rolled out to where all the loved ones were embracing their families, there was a guy in a suit with an ear piece and sunglasses, holding a sign that said 'Anna and Lilith'. 

"That's us!" my mum squealed as we approached the guy. My mum was dressed in a beautiful sixties style dress where as I was still in my work uniform, sweating buckets. 

The guy looked at a photo on his phone before taking the trolley from me and saying. "Come with me." 

As we walked behind Mr. Wanna be MIB, I pinched my mums arm. "What did I say about sending pictures over the Internet?" 

"What? I kept my top on." she complained as we went outside to find a posh town car waiting. Mr. MIB opened the door from my mother while I walked straight past him and climbed in the front. 

"They can doctor pictures you know, make it look like you are naked and stuff." I chastised my mother. Mr. MIB wheeled the trolley away before getting in and setting off. 

"What about Facebook? People always put photos on Facebook." 

"Yes but you should have maximum security settings on stuff like that so only certain people can see them. You know employers Google that sort of stuff before you even get an interview these days. You have to be careful what you put out there." 

"Well I'm not going for any interviews." 

"No, because I work to put food on the table for the both of us while you drown yourself in vodka!" I snapped. I saw in the rear view mirror my mother face fall and instantly regretted my outburst. "I'm sorry mum, that was uncalled for." 

"No, your right. You dropped out of school to take care of me. You left all your friends and your future behind because I couldn't take care of myself, never mind you. I deserve that and worse." 

"No you don't mum. I am sorry. I know you are trying and you did the best you could with the shitty hand you were dealt. But if this Marcus guy looks dodgy at all I am getting you put of there." I said firmly, ignoring how Mr. MIB stiffened at my words. 

"Lilith he really is a nice guy, I promise you will like him." 

"I'm sure people said the same about Harold Shipman and he is one of the most prolific modern series killers." I mutter under my breath which I don't think that my mum heard but I know Mr. MIB as I catch his face split into a slight smile. I was thankful to be in the car as the air conditioning cooled me down dramatically. 

"We will need to buy some cooler clothes while we are here, shorts, dresses, skirts..." 

"I have £200 mum, knock yourself out. Not like I need to top up the gas or electric meter till we get home and the coffee house owe me for the last few weeks I have worked. I will send them an email when we get where ever we are going and ask for extended leave until we get back." 

"Lilith, we are here to stay." 

"I know mum. You love him, Anna and Marcus sitting in a tree and all that crap. But if this thing goes tits up we need a home and I need a job." I sighed as I looked over my shoulder at her exasperated face. 

"You always think the worst is going to happen, can't you just be happy?" 

"You named your one only daughter after demonic figure and wonder why I'm not all happy smiley. I am just trying to look out for you, for us." just as I said those words we pulled up in fort of a set of metal gates. They opened and we went up a slight hill to what can only be described as a mansion. "Holy shit." I cannot stop my mouth from falling open as we stop and the front door opens.