I couldn't stop touching my neck. I was sure that there were marks on it, either bites or from my collar. Maybe both. Kendra and Dak both assured me that there was nothing noticeable, but they weren't the ones who had to be around our whole family with supposedly not-noticeable sexy marks.
Maybe I was being too paranoid. No one had said anything yet.
The other, perhaps bigger part of my discomfort was just how many people were around. I wasn't used to family gatherings of this size. I mean, sure, grandparents sticking together for fifty years, pretty big deal. I understood that. It was just too much, was all.
Luckily, I wasn't alone. Kendra was with me, being all the emotional support I could ask of her. Even if she had been too rough on my neck just the night before. It had been perfect at the time, but I really, really didn't want questions about it from some aunt I barely remembered.
Dak was there too, of course, being just as part of the family as I was. And even better, our older sister, Trinity. I didn't see her that much these days, though to be fair if Dak wasn't living with me I wasn't sure how much I would have seen him either.
Trinity was by far the most socially adept of us when it came to gatherings like this. Not that she necessarily liked them any more than Dak or I, but she knew how to bullshit them properly. It flowed naturally, and no one ever seemed to catch on.
The four of us, Kendra, Dak, Trinity, and me, formed our own little squad in the midst of chaos. We defended each other, and deflected from how much alcohol we were sneaking. Drinking was encouraged, but to a specific limit of not showing yourself to be drunk. We were quickly approaching the danger zone.
"How'd you get away with not bringing the kids, anyway?" I asked Trinity.
She grinned slyly back at me. "Oh they're here."
"They are?"
"Mmhm. Dave's got 'em. They're running around with some of the other wee ones."
"And you didn't have to babysit?"
Trinity snorted. "You should have seen how excited Dave was to get them. Gives him an excuse to stay at the periphery. You know Grandma never liked him."
"Haha, oh yeah. Forgot about that. Boy was she shitty that last time."
Trinity raised her glass of scotch, mostly empty. "May they last another fifty years."
I giggled and clinked glasses with her over the absurd toast.
Kendra sneaked up behind me and wrapped a casual arm around me. She had refilled her drink, rather wisely.
Dak padded back over too after a casual chat with one of our cousins.
"This would almost be nice if it was only family I liked," Dak said.
"Mmm. I feel that," I said. I gently rubbed my neck.
"Stop playing with it," Kendra chided. "You'll only make it worse."
"What'd you do to your neck?" Trinity asked.
I flushed. "Nothin'."
"Well it's something. I've been meaning to ask. Kinda red in spots."
I glared at Kendra and Dak, who both suddenly found other people to look at.
"Dammit guys. You said it wouldn't show."
"Well it hardly does," Dak said.
Kendra gave me a kiss on the cheek. It wasn't enough to get her out of trouble in this particular instance.
"I'm missing something," Trinity said. "Anyone going to fill me in?"
Suspicious silence greeted her query.
"Oh whatever," she grumbled. "You guys all just living together, having your little secrets. You used to love me, you know."
"Still love you," I assured her.
"Yeah? But gonna leave your big sis in the dark, aren't ya?" Trinity muttered, draining the last of her scotch.
"I'm not near drunk enough for that conversation," I said, rather unwisely.
Trinity's eyes flashed. "It's something good, isn't it?"
I shook my head, even though I knew she could see right through me. Big sister powers and all. She could read me as easy as I could read Dak. And he just had to put up with both of us making him squirm if we wanted.
But not now. It was all on me this time.
"I play too rough sometimes," Kendra said. "That's all."
I wasn't sure I liked that answer, but it was vague enough I could accept it.
Trinity frowned, but I wasn't sure if it was at Kendra, or at her empty glass. "How rough we talking?"
"Not answering that," I said firmly before Kendra could reply.
"Oh come on," Trinity complained. "I don't get hardly any rough stuff at all. Don't leave me hanging. Even Dak knows, don't you?"
Dak shrugged. "I mean, I live with them."
"Yeah, that's what I thought. Anything Dak's old enough to know about, I certainly am."
"Oh god," I sighed. "Well we're definitely not doing this here. Grab more booze, find somewhere to hide out, yeah?"
"I mean, shit, that sounds good even if there wasn't a juicy secret waiting for me," Trinity said.
****
We found a room upstairs that no one was using. Not that many people were upstairs anyway, but it wasn't totally a safe area. Largely others trying to stay away from crowds.
Rather crucially, our choice of spare bedroom didn't have anyone's things in it, and possessed a lock on the door.
The four of us found seats of one variety or another, and doled out more alcohol.
"Tell me," Trinity said, cutting straight to it.
"Jesus. Fine. I may immediately regret this," I said, "but shit, you might as well know."
Kendra smiled calmly and just waited. I knew she didn't mind. If anything, I was sure she was terribly amused at me having to tell my big sister what we got up to. Not that I was going to get deep into by any means. Especially the stuff with Dak.
Our brother was just kind of sitting there minding his own business, sipping away at his drink. He might have been nervous that I was going to spill something I shouldn't, but there was no reason I would do that. I didn't think it would totally alienate Trinity to know everything, but I wasn't about to risk it.
"It's probably my collar," I said.
Trinity tilted her head. "What? Like from your shirt?"
"No, like--"
"Like this," Kendra said with the flair of a magician. Out of her purse came my collar, as though she'd known she'd need it today. It was, frankly, a ridiculous thing to have brought with us.
Trinity's eyes went wide. "Oh." Her surprise lasted only a moment before she was smiling. Being halfway drunk probably helped. "Ok. Alright. I dig it."