ASHTON
The air goes still after Ashal drops the name. Nobody moves for the first two minutes. While he rambles on about how he came to find out, my blood curdles. The way I am feeling right now is exactly the same way I felt when Demi had called to gloat about Ashal being her captive; I feel deeply betrayed.
"What?" Someone finally quips. "What did you just say?"
I realize that 'someone' is me when I surge to my feet, brimming with anger. "You have got to be mistaken. Do you have any idea what you're saying Ashal? That's a grave accusation you just made against MOTHER!"
But it's Ashal, mother's favorite. If anyone knows her the best, it is ASHAL. That is what scares the crap out of me as I struggle to digest his words. None of us would dare say a bad word against mother. Even Asher would not allow himself utter anything negative against her, because she's the brightest light in our family.
