52 - Sisters

*As you figured out, husbands leave, but your sister won’t. – Trigg*
Before Camille had arrived for the holidays, Trigg and Sid sat Allison down for a long and thoughtful heart-to-heart conversation. She had been in therapy at the North Star Ranch for nearly a year after her very long and drawn-out divorce. In her weekly sessions, Carly was making her deal with more than just the issues with her now ex-husband.
Her relationships with her siblings were slowly being repaired. It took a while, but she was starting to realize that it was her anxiety and insecurities that had her lashing out. She had seen herself as the odd man out in the large family for so long that it became her reality.
She had apologized to her six older siblings and younger brother. The only one left was the youngest of them all. Their father’s baby. It wasn’t until she had asked her parents about it, that she discovered that her youngest sister had medical issues that the others did not know about. In fact, very few people knew about them.
Although Camille’s insomnia was common knowledge, the reason for it was not known. According to Sid, a definitive reason was still not known.
Looking for the opportunity to apologize to her sister, Allison had asked their parents for some time alone with Camille while she was home for Christmas.
Trigg had taken Darkness to Pops Place for a round of pool. And some man time. Sid was at Charlotte’s doing whatever they were doing. It left Allison and Camille in the house alone. Something that had not happened in years.
Camille was sitting curled up under a blanket near the fireplace with a new book. Trigg had found a set of encyclopedias dedicated to the history of sports. She had started with prehistoric tools that had been discovered which seemed to have no function, other than sports.
Allison entered the living room and hesitantly walked over to her sister. They each wore the pajamas that they had gotten that morning. Hers had the Golden Girls on the pants and Picture it, Sicily… was written on the shirt.
Camille had fairies all over the pants and a Peter Pan quote on her shirt.
Allison sat down on the hearth and looked at her sister. “I was always jealous of you.”
“Why?” Camille asked as she marked her place with a random piece of wrapping paper and closed the book.
“You were always so smart. And mom and dad took you to all those cool places.”
Camille laughed. “Do you know where they took me?”
“I know you went to New York, Cleveland, LA, even London.”
“Hospitals. Clinics. Doctors. Specialists.” Camille said, sitting her book down on the bricks. “I haven’t slept more than two hours a night on a regular basis since I was eleven. I haven’t slept a full night since I was seven.”
“You weren’t going just for fun?” Allison asked in surprise. Their parents had said that they had taken her to specialists, but she had just assumed that it was just in Boston. Maybe New York. She had not thought that all the trips were for specialists.
“No. I have machines sent to me to monitor my brain activity and I see a specialist every other year.” Camille smiled. “I can’t take medication for it.”
“Fairies.” Allison smiled at her sister.
“Fairies.” Camille agreed. “And that was a good hallucination.”
“What were the bad ones?”
“Zombies basically. Mom, dad, you, everyone was dead.” Camille shivered at the memory. “Flesh falling off. No eyes. Teeth crumbling.”
Allison remembered when her younger sister was screaming in her room. She was screaming for hours and hours. After several calls to the doctor, and no one being able to get near her, an ambulance took her away. After a week, she came back, and the encyclopedia collection began.
Trigg and Sid had said that it was the fairy hallucination because that was better than making Camille relive her worst nightmare every time that it was brought up. And it was brought up a lot. Trigg was teased for his aversion to fairies, everyone assumed it was because the state had nearly taken their kids away. Allison now connected the fairy story to the horrific screams that had come from her sister.
“That’s why you read so much.”
“Yeah.” Camille sighed. “When it was determined that I couldn’t take medicine, we had to go with old fashioned remedies. Chamomile tea. Read something boring. Avoid caffeine. Exercise. Nothing worked.”
“I didn’t realize it was that bad,” she admitted. “All that reading helped you skip a grade. And my partying made me repeat.”
“I never meant to make it hard on you.”
“I never meant for you to be raped.” Allison said as the first tear fell.
“I know.” Camille said as she too started to cry. “Dom got there before…”
They talked for the next hour about everything that they had missed in each other’s lives. It was strange that they lived less than thirty miles from each other during most of those years, but still missed each other so much. Now, living hundreds of miles away, they were finally getting closer.
“What happened between you and -?”
“We don’t say his name.” Allison groaned. “Well, we played around with partners. I thought it was because he liked watching me with them. He liked them.”
“Oh!” Camille said, unable to hide her shock.
“Yeah.” Her sister laughed. “I should have listened when Clay said they were on the same team.”
Camille giggled. “That man… lord. I’ve learned more about sex from him and Nessie than anyone else.”
“Is he really as bad as dad says?”
“He’s probably worse. I’ve watched the two of them do so much in the back hallway.”
“Oh, God!” Allison’s eyes widened. “So, you really do…”
Laughing, Camille nodded. “I can tell you that Trevor is hung. I mean hung. I don’t know how Clay swallows him.”
“Damn.” Allison wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “What about Darkness?”
Camille blushed and shook her head. “We haven’t…”
“Not at all?” Allison asked in shock. Her sister gave a little shrug and made an odd face.
“We’ve come close. But as soon as it starts going that way, he puts the brakes on. But when it happens, mom has made sure I’m prepared.” Camille laughed.
“I’m afraid to ask.”
“Mom sends me a big box of condoms every week. How much sex does this woman think I’m having?”
Allison laughed so hard that her stomach started to hurt.
“I mean, sweet Jesus! Between practice, classes and studying, it’s a good thing that I have insomnia. If I used all the condoms, I wouldn’t have time for sleep.”
“Do you mind if we do this doggie style? I’d really like to eat this sandwich.” Allison suggested.
“Exactly!” Camille laughed as they heard the front door open.
“Oh good. You girls made up.” Trigg slurred as he walked in with Darkness helping him. “Where’s your mother? I want to tear up that pussy.”
The sisters looked at each other and busted out laughing. Allison sent a message in the family group chat about Trigg being drunk. Their mother responded with a smiley face and said she was on her way home.
“You have fun with that.” Camille told her sister as their father stumbled towards his bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes behind him. “I think we’re staying at the Shack tonight.”
“Take dad’s pickup.” Allison suggested. “I’m going to Pops.”
“Sidney!” Trigg yelled from the bedroom.
The sisters grabbed Darkness and guided him back outside as their father began screaming about what he wanted to do to his wife.
“You do *not* want to here for the fuck fest that is about to take place in there.” Allison warned him as the door closed behind them.
“If you thought Rosie got loud, you have never heard our mother taking it up the ass.” Camille took the keys from him and moved around to the driver’s side.
“And she’s so fucking *demanding*!” Allison said.
The sisters smiled at each other and then busted out laughing.
“Trust me, Pops on any Friday is quieter than mom telling dad how to give it to her.”
“Do you remember when Colton thought that there was a bear in there attacking Oma? Allison asked.
“Oh, God,” Camille laughed as headlights appeared at the end of the street. “And there’s Charlotte trying to convince him that it’s more like Oma attacking the bear.”
“We better get the hell out of here before Oma gets here.” Allison motioned to the headlights that now had a blinker on as they slowly approached the house.
Camille hopped up into the pickup and Darkness got into the passenger seat as Allison got into her little SUV. They pulled out as the little Jeep pulled into the spot next to them.
“Oma?” Darkness asked.
“Dutch for Grandma. Grandpa is Opa.”