Dagger listened in on the conversation behind him. Grace was talking with her friends about keeping him there during his recovery. Dagger acknowledged his wounds. Even though he wasn’t the biggest fan of staying with Grace’s family, he thought it was better than still rotating. He leaned back to get his ears closer to the argument by the door. “Why does he need to stay here?” Harper insisted. “He could just as easily stay with any of us.” “First of all, he’s already in my house on my couch. Secondly, all my sisters have agreed to help get him up and running, and having ten hands is more than he can get anywhere else.” “So what? He doesn’t need ten people to feed him and every-so-often fluff his pillow! You just want to spend more time with him.” “As much as that’s a perk, I’ve spoken to him, and he doesn’t think he can get up.” Paisley took her side. “Guys, if Dagger wants to stay here, we can’t force him to leave.” “Does he want to stay here?” Zoey asked. “We should ask him,” Lucy said. Grace took them to where Dagger was. The girls gasped at the sight of his battered, blood-covered, bruised body. He was wounded from head to toe, and could barely manage a friendly wave. “Oh my gosh!” Hazel screamed. “Are you okay?” “I’m fine,” Dagger said, followed by a harsh cough. “Or at least, I will be.” “So,” Grace asked, “would you rather stay here, or leave with one of them?” Dagger tried to shrug, but his shoulders refused to move. “I don’t really mind. I’d say I’m indifferent, but it would be nice not to move very much, and staying here seems like a good way to do that.” “See?” Grace said triumphantly. “He wants to stay here. If you don’t have anything else to add—” Grace motioned to the door. With disappointment on their faces, the girls left. Dagger looked at Grace gratefully. “Thanks. I thought for sure they’d make me leave.” “No problem,” Grace replied. “Besides, if I let them take you, my sisters would have destroyed me.” Dagger laughed, followed by a harsh cough. “Yeah, that sounds like them. By the way, why do you all live together? I’d figure at least half of your sisters are old enough to move out.” “They can’t afford to leave. They want to, and most of them save up for it, but they just don’t have enough yet. Ellie’s been saving up since she was 18, and here she is at 26 and she’s still short.” “26? Wow! And she’s the oldest?” “Yeah. You want anything?” “Some water, please.” Grace moved in the direction of the kitchen. Dagger slowly and painfully adjusted to a laying position. He looked at the wall due to lack of other things to look at. It was lined with baby pictures and family pictures showing the history of Grace’s family. Dagger smiled as he looked at the pictures. He hadn’t ever seen a baby before, and he couldn’t help thinking they were cute. Ellie and Avery walked into the room. “Hey Dagger,” Ellie greeted, “you still alive?” “For now. Hey, I haven’t seen your parents around. Shouldn’t they make sure their daughters aren’t destroying anything?” “They’re both on business trips,” Avery replied. “Even when they are around, they mainly just stay out of our way. They can’t control us and they know it.” Dagger laughed. “Do you do anything they should be concerned about?” “Mainly we just get into arguments about all sorts of drama,” Ellie replied. “That varies from boys to fashion sense. Oh, and space. There are constant arguments started by one of us thinking we don’t have enough space.” “How long do you argue for?” “Until we realise we have better things to think about,” Avery said. Grace walked into the room with Dagger’s drink. Dagger grabbed it slowly. “Thanks,” he said as he brought it up to his mouth. Dagger gupled it down quickly, getting every last drop. When he finished, Grace took the cup from him and brought it to the kitchen. Dagger stretched out, causing his eyes to squeeze shut in agony. Ellie and Avery rushed over and made sure he was okay. “I’m fine,” he told them. “Just getting tired. I think I’m going to get some shut eye.” “Sure,” Ellie replied. “We’ll get Nutty to bed then lay out the sleeping bags. We figure it makes more sense to sleep in here in case you need something.” “You guys are great, you know that?” Ellie and Avery blushed. “Thanks,” they said in unison as they headed off. Dagger got comfortable and closed his eyes. . . . Dagger awoke with a jump. It was pitch black, but Dagger could make out the sound of a window opening. Dagger tried to stand but fell back. Suddenly, his injuries came back to him and he felt throbbing pain. Dagger looked at his legs, then perked up at the sound of climbing. He decided getting to the bottom of this was more important than recovery. (Continue to N&C)
Dagger struggled to his feet. He froze as his foot brushed against hair. He looked down and saw that laying right in front of him was Ellie. He looked around the room and saw that all the sisters were around, just as they told him they would be. That felt kind in the moment, but now it was more of an inconvenience. Dagger stood there for a moment. How was he going to get around all these girls without waking them up? Finally, he leapt silently and found a grip on the ceiling. There was a strange texture up there that was just right for him to grip. He glanced down and saw the girls still asleep. He looked across the room and saw the doorway at the other end. Every bone and muscle aching, Dagger slowly crawled his way across and to the doorway. Right when he was about to leave the room, he felt something leave his head. He looked down and saw his bandana falling down to the crowded floor. Thinking fast, he let go with his hands and swung back. He grabbed the bandana and tried his hardest not to lose his grip by his feet. Dagger sighed silently in relief. He glanced down and realized he was directly over Grcae, and she was moving slightly. Quickly, Dagger swung himself up and reattached his hands to the ceiling. He swiftly manouvered forwards and silently dropped to the ground in the hallway. A glance over his shoulder showed that he hadn’t woken anyone. He put his bandana back on and started down the hallway. He lurched silently into one of the bedrooms and saw a silhouette. He flicked the light switch and the figure was revealed to be Harper. “Oh, hey Dagger.” Harper whispered. “Out,” Dagger said. “Why? Why can’t I just stay with you for a few minutes?” “For one, this isn’t your house. Also, I’m meant to be asleep right now, and if your noise could wake me, it can wake up the sisters too. If they see me off the couch, they’ll refuse to sleep just to keep an eye on me.” Hazel poked her head through the window. “There he is! The guy we’re here to see.” Dagger slapped his forehead. “Don’t tell me all of you are here.” “No, Raelyn didn’t feel like it.” Hazel said with a smile. “Hurry up, Hazel!” A female voice called from outside. “We’re freezing!” Another called. Hazel climbed through, and Dagger walked over to the window. Outside was Zoey, Lucy, Mackenzie and Aurora. All of them glowed and waved at him. Dagger stuck an arm out and gestured for them to leave. “So Harper and Hazel get to stay and we’re not invited?” Zoey complained. “I’m working on them,” Dagger replied. “Now please just get out of here!” The four of them started towards the road. Dagger was pulled back through the window by Harper. “Forget about us?” Dagger pointed at the window. “Out.” Harper and Hazel listened, a look of hurt on their faces. The two of them waved and set off to their houses. Sighing with both relief and annoyance, Dagger made his way back down the hallway. When he got back to the couch, he yawned and started to doze off. Those girls were beginning to get on his nerves. To be continued... Song: Jungle Joyride Night from Sonic Unleashed
