Page 155 of Rot In Knotty Pieces

“Oh, you don’t like your name? Well, shit, neither do we. But we have six of them now. All birds because we don’t even remember our name.”

No comment, just another punch to the face.

I hit back, breaking her nose.

“Stupid bitch, I freaking told you that if you don’t stop trying to hit me, I would hit you back.”

She howls and rushes me. I grab her and flip us both, landing hard, hearing her rib crack.

“Robin, enough.”

I grab the mask and rip it off.

Everything in me goes still. She scrambles back from me instead of attacking, and she could. I wouldn’t have defended myself. I can’t move. It takes me thirty seconds just to inhale again.

“Callea?”

She opens her mouth angrily, and I see the rest of what he’s done to her. He took her tongue and her teeth. Her throat is badly, badly scarred. I bet she can’t talk at all. He wouldn’t have let her sign or write. She’s just been living in this world alone. Then I see all the bonding bites. Foul, thickened bites that have left deep scars all over her.

No.

I can’t get air. I can’t breathe.

“I thought you were dead,” I whisper. “Callie,” I say and step towards her. She steps back, snarling with that empty mouth and those dead eyes.

Her cheeks are scarred. Her hair cropped short to the skull. I can see thick scars on her scalp. Her nose is twisted like it healed wrong. He hurt her, and he kept hurting her.

She is his most broken bird.

Callie.

Callea.

She grabs for the mask, but I pull it away and keep staring.

She’s got our eyes. It’s still her. Underneath what he did, she is still my sister.

I reach for her, cupping her cheeks, refusing to hurt her. She knees me in the stomach and pulls free, putting distance between us.

“Robin.”

She closes her eyes, and a single tear runs down her cheek. My words are hurting her worse than any blade.

Rolly grabs her from behind. “Hello, Little Sister. Welcome to the family.”

He hugs her.

And then he lets her go.

She whips around, staring at him, shock in her eyes. She looks scared, like Merle scared. I want to wrap her in my arms and protect her from the world.

“You can come home with us. We can be a family. We can-” I say, trying to reach her.

“Robin! Kill them!” Father snaps.

She obeys instantly, launching for me. Swinging, punching, kicking. We are evenly matched. Until we aren’t, and she starts to get more jabs in than I expect. Until I’m sore and starting to slow down.

My twin is the better fighter. It’s clear to everyone and especially to me.