A/N: NOT THOROUGHLY EDITED.

Chapter 23 - Family Betrayals (Kalenah Conrad) Pt. 2

"Brooklyn please go upstairs and pack your things as well as Devin's," I snapped at the girl, Brennan and Devin whirled to face me, with shock and disbelief on their faces.

Paling, taking Brennan's hand Devin turned to me.  "I'm sorry Kalenah, Brennan it was an accident, I did not mean-" I held up one hand just as Ansel was coming into the house, smiling but that soon dropped when he felt the emotional tension pulsing and rising in the room.

"I was sitting right here," I flicked my finger to my now empty spot. 

"You were trying to make Faith uncomfortable, calling her fire starter, had Brooklyn joining in - and just now - don't even get me started on what you said to Samson, who do you think you are?" not having witnessed anything I just said Ansel came in but slinked off to the side, calm but watching the scene unfold before him.

Devin shook her head, her hand gripping Brennan. "It was an accident, but he can't just do that to Taylor, she's hurt, and it's because of him. They've been close, best friends since they were five years old, and now he just tosses her aside? She's my sister; he can't treat people like they don't have any feelings!" she shouts her eyes are watering.

"We've all been walking around on eggshells for him since Silas died. Everyone was hurting, not just him, and Taylor has stuck by his side from the beginning and now - after how hard we've all tried to make him feel like he was a part of us he's just ignoring her, humiliating her at every turn." Devin was placing all the blame at Samson's feet, but as his mother, I knew I had to shelter some of the blame. The thing I had learned was to let people that wanted to speak, do so until they ran out of fuel, and then burn them with the own fire they started. At this moment, her points weren't too far out, unfortunately.

We didn't let Samson get away with everything; we didn't walk on eggshells but we did avoid topics of Silas, we did know that he needed to grieve in his way, and it had never gotten bad, or to the point where he was in danger at all. He needed time and so we - Ansel and me - we had been giving that to him, watching and monitoring offering our shoulders and ears when he needed it.

"So you think that the best way to help this situation was to make him see that his brother betrayed his trust?" I asked when she heaved desperately.

Blinking away tears.

"Someone had to say it, Faith isn't Silas, he doesn't even know her - none of us do and yet you've welcomed her into a place that you told Taylor and me to consider our home away from home." I had to say I almost felt guilty, almost. Everything Devin was saying did make sense to me, however, what I didn't like was her simple, trouble making methods of going about getting those words out which made me question if she meant them now or if this was something rehearsed?

If this were how she felt, the motives to her actions, coming to me quietly would have been better that all this hostility.

"Everyone is so caught up on how Faith fits it? Is Faith eating? Is Faith sleeping? Oh, Faith hurt her foot? Oh, Faith saved Talia... I mean you're so busy worrying about her, you're not noticing that I'm the one picking up the pieces of Taylors heart," her bottom lip shook, and I looked at Brennan again. Yes, Devin was his girlfriend and was friends with my daughters, but the words she was saying had me questioning whether or not my children were truly okay with us opening our home to Faith in the first place. My eyes found Ansel's in worry.

"There isn't anything Taylor wouldn't do for this family, for Samson, but two weeks ago he takes Faith to the Hot Springs, and everyone is so happy that he's made progress, that he cracked a smile and took a few pictures, but what about Taylor? She's hurting," she pulled her hand away from Brennan and clasped them against her chest, "And I'm in the middle," Ansel lifted a brow.

"I didn't know what was happening in my home, my choices and personal decisions were impacting you so hard Devin," he said smoothly finally joining the conversation. She shook her head, "that's not what I meant-" the frustration apparent in her voice.

"She turned to me, you're so caught up in worrying about Faith," she said the girls name with such contempt, "you aren't even worrying about how Taylor is handling that someone she thought she had a shot with, someone she's loved for her whole life just shot her down," her eyes focused on mine imploring me to understand.

"Then the mature thing to do, would be to come to me, not to stand in my house and disrespect my children," her eyes widened, and I knew I would have to be tough. "I do love Taylor, Javier and you as well Devin, but Samson is my child, and I think of Faith as mine as well. And while I said this was your home away from home, this is Faith's actual home. Her safe place, I won't allow people to hurt her in a place I promised her would be safe, do you understand?" I could hear her heart racing, the scent of disappointment, hurt and sadness rolling off of her in waves but I had Faith to think about.

She swatted at her face, brushing her tears away, but still gave me one sharp nod, "I think from now on, these weekend visits, someone else will need to be your host," I said softly with no real condescension. Her eyes danced over to Brennan, but he just looked straight ahead at me, his face giving nothing away, but I could read between them.

"Ansel will be taking you and Brooklyn back to the dorms," I told Devin, going back to my seat at the large table. Taking her hand, Brennan led her outside, "What were you - why - how could you do that Dev?" he asked his tone thick, filled with disappointment. "You promised you'd..." Brennan said trying to be quiet but that was useless.

Shaking his head, I didn't look away from this confrontation even when Ansel found a seat right next to mine, taking my free hand in his, "I just - I'm sorry - but your brother if finally happy and my sister's falling apart."

"So you thought the best thing you could do is throw something in his face that he told me in confidence-" Brennan shook his head furiously cutting himself off, "You aren't some child Dev, I mean I would expect someone Amy's age to blurt out something she knew, but not you!" he pointed taking a step away from her.

"You haven't made anything better... don't - you had to know that it wouldn't. It's my fault for telling you I'd speak to my brother. Samson still doesn't want Taylor, and now my brother doesn't trust me," he exclaimed, and I could tell he was angrier with himself. I smiled softly looking downward at the tabletop, pleased that Brennan wasn't blaming all of this on Devin. "I didn't mean to lay it out like that, it's just that I'm in the middle like I said, no one is-"

Brennan shook his head, "I think - I think we need to take a break," he whispered interrupting her, my head snapped up to look out the window once again. I saw his bottom lip tremble before he sucked it into his mouth, Devin stuttering coming up short until finally she whipped her head from side to side. "No - I'm sorry Brennan I just  - it was on my mind and then Samson totally just-"

"You wanted to protect Taylor; you had to have known that I'd have to protect Samson," his voice full of regret. "I - I - I'm more," she took a step towards him and he took one away. Inside my heart was hurting for them both, if Taylor had loved Samson since she was five; well my Brennan cherished and loved Devin since he was three. The moment he turned fourteen, he declared his feelings, and over the years we had watched that small spark build into a wonderful fire.

Distracting us, Brooklyn came down the stairs lugging two mini-suitcases behind her. Standing Ansel gave me a tight grimace, that I think was supposed to be a smile, while following Brooklyn out, car keys in hand, I looked away from the window. Away from Devin begging Brennan not to end them, to tell her what to do to make this right, "Just take care of Taylor - think about how cruel you were and what you said to Samson... work on Devin," he whispered hoarsely.

When he finally entered the house, long after Ansel had driven away, "You didn't have to do that..." I told him, knowing better than to ask 'if he was okay?' How could he be okay? Even though no tears were shed on his part, he looked lost already. My children were all different, and I knew that. Samson would speak to me, however, "Remorse doesn't make things okay mom," is all Brennan says before going up the stairs leaving me alone.

An hour later, still in the kitchen I wait for my children to all come home, sending everyone that wasn't living in this house to their respective rooms, "Where's Devin and Brennan?" Javier asks concerned, and I see Taylor with that same look.

"Devin and Brennan - they've broken up," I reply calmly and the two glance at each other, and as though she knows what this is about, Taylor just looks down shaking her head. Leaving the room without much else to say. Talking older children to Ansel and my office at the house, I sit them down, questioning how they feel about Faith living with us, getting what I had been getting over the past month. They felt like she was where she was supposed to be... where did Taylor get all of what she was saying before? Not one of my children said a lick of what Devin said.

Where had she gotten it from?

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