My Jealous Stepbrother
UNEXPECTED PHONE CALL

The sun began to peek through the window, bringing a new day full of unanswered questions and emotions I couldn't understand. I got out of bed and decided that I needed to clear my thoughts, or better yet, not think anything at all. But something in the air made me feel that things would not be so simple. There was a feeling that something was about to happen, something that would change everything I knew. I hadn't been able to get enough sleep, the energy drinks from the night before had irritated my throat and I felt like I was dying.

Plus I didn't know who had sent me that message last night, and no matter how much I asked who it was, I never got an answer. For the moment, I had to put it aside. I had other things to worry about.

I walked down the stairs in low spirits, knowing I'd have to face Ryan in the kitchen. There he was, as if nothing had happened last night.

I sighed and sat down to breakfast, trying to ignore him - easier said than done, not only in the same house but in the same room. The only sound in the kitchen was each of us crunching our cereal.

Suddenly, the landline in the living room began to ring. It was not a common sound in this house; only the closest family members had that number. My heart skipped a beat. Who would be calling there instead of one of our cellphones? Ryan answered the phone, and I saw his face slowly change at whatever was said to him on the other line. I couldn't hear the words, but the change in his expression made his legs shake. "What? How is that possible?" he asked.

Immediately, my thoughts turned to my family and what could have happened. I knew something wasn't right! I watched Ryan as he hung up the phone and walked toward me. "Samantha, we need to talk," he said in a serious tone. He told me that wildfires had trapped my father, stepmother, and my other siblings in Australia. The regional airport was closed and everyone within a certain radius was being evacuated. Seeing Ryan's face made me feel even more helpless, not knowing what to do to help my family at this time.

"Are they okay?" I asked worriedly, hoping the answer was positive.

Ryan sighed and nodded slowly. "Yes, they're okay for now. They've been evacuated to safety, but we don't know how long it will take before they can go home."

I felt a knot tighten in my stomach at the thought of my family in danger far from home. "Is there anything we can do to help them?"

"There's not much we can do from here, but we'll keep in contact with them and make sure they're safe. We just have to wait and have faith that everything will be okay," he told me in a soft, comforting voice.

I sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter, feeling a heavy weight on my heart.

Ryan came over to me and wrapped me in a comforting hug. He'd never done that before, but at that moment I needed that closeness, that show of support in the midst of so much uncertainty. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to sink into his embrace, replaceing comfort in his warm touch. I knew there was nothing I could do to change my family's situation, but at least I had Ryan by my side.

I'd known Ryan for as long as I could remember. We were never the best step-siblings to each other. We always had our differences. His carefree attitude never fit with mine, as he always needed to have everything under control; his honey colored eyes always disturbed me somehow, but they were just like his mother's eyes. Fortunately, my stepmother was a great woman, and very kind to me. She was like a mother to me in some ways, but I could never see her as my real mother. My biological brothers were twins, but very different from me in appearance and personality; they had always been very overprotective of me, almost as much as my father was. They couldn't even imagine that I was already 18 years old—they treated me like a child. But I still adored them with all my heart.

Ryan and I quietly decided to make peace because of the trouble my family, our family, was having, but we didn't know how long this peace would last. Let alone when there was so much tension between us.