No one is underage, a bit of romance, a first time, incest, polyamory (thanks Scorpio44) and a wrap up at the end (where else?). A ute is a Utility vehicle US =Pickup. Many thanks to Hayley Rowe for sorting out my dialogue formatting.
Hi, I'm Mouse, full name Melanie Ursula Scanlon but at high school the "o" and "e" were added to give me the Mouse. Suited me, mouse coloured hair, mouse like tits β so tiny I've never worn a bra because I've got nothing to put in one. Glasses, 5 foot nothing, Goth-ish but not really, just a nothing type of person.
At high school the only subject I did well in was Computer Science, being able to shut off from the world suited me. I've got a younger brother Josh, one year younger and just as reclusive as me.
When I was 17 and had just left high school our parents were killed in an accident that paid out a fair bit in insurance. With both parents being only children we had no aunts, uncles or other family but the courts allowed us to live by ourselves with the help of a financial advisor. We sold up all our parents stuff and rented a downtown apartment.
I'd started doing websites and was starting to earn a bit of money doing something that kept me out of sight while Josh finished high school. He was another reclusive geek like me and he liked the idea of being able to work from home so he started on with the websites as well. With the insurance money we had four top line computers networked which allowed us to work on multiple projects at once.
After a year of this Josh decided that living in an apartment in the central city was just too noisy for him, he told me he felt threatened every time he had to go outside. A supermarket in the next block, a video rental downstairs and eight takeaway food places within 2 blocks just weren't enough to keep him. He wanted to be a real hermit in the hills and after four months of internet searching he found something that appealed. It seemed sudden that he wasn't there but I think he spent about six months getting set up before he left.
And so I was alone. We kept regular contact, especially since we were both working in the same field, Skype, and phone calls every couple of days. Not long calls, just touching base.
A new neighbour moved into the next apartment. Julie was the complete opposite to me, noisy, friendly, a real pain when I was trying to get work done. She often had 'friends' stay and the walls weren't thick enough to keep the noises out. My introduction to sex. Vicariously, through the wall. It made me think seriously about moving to be with Josh.
I'm pretty certain she drank a bit, actually make that a lot, not sure about drugs, not sure then, but am very sure now.
One night it was quiet at Julie's and I was getting a large website ready to upload when I heard knocking on Julie's door. No reply, so they came to mine. I opened the door on the security chain and just told them that I didn't know where Julie was. Next thing the door was smashed open, sending me flying across the room. Two rather large men came over and picked me up and sat me in a chair, a natural reaction β I pissed myself, which made them laugh.
"Right, you are going to tell us everything you know about Julie"
I babbled everything I knew which took less than a minute.
"The most important thing, you've left out. Where is she?"
All I could tell them was that I had no idea.
"Not good enough, I think we have to make you think a bit harder"
My bladder was empty, otherwise I would have pissed myself again.
They took hold of my hands and started doing something painful that caused me to pass out, thankfully.
Consciousness returned and I looked around to find myself in hospital. My hands felt sore as and when I tried to look at them I found bandages wrapped around both hands laid out flat.
"Ahh" I moaned in pain.
"Oh you're back with us" I looked up at a nurse, "I'll get the doctor"
I tried to take stock of myself and worked out that everything except my hands seemed ok.
The doctor came back with a woman who looked quite official.
"OK Melanie, apart from your hands everything is ok; the Fire Service got you out before any smoke inhalation. Now your hands were very badly crushed and we've had to do fourteen hours of reconstructive surgery, they look as though they will be fine BUT you must not try wiggling fingers or anything for at least four weeks. We can let you go home in a few days IF you have someone who can look after you. That summarizes where you are at, no doubt you will have lots of questions, but first this is Detective Sergeant Wilkes who would like to talk to you about what happened. After she's finished I'll give you an hour and then come back to answer your questions"
The Detective's first question was, "What can you remember?"
I explained about the men knocking next door and then coming to my apartment. Suddenly I realized "What were the Fire Service doing there?"
"We suspect the men were after some money from a drug deal, Julie has a bit of history in that area. When they couldn't find her and you had passed out they took everything of value and then torched the building"
"My computers are the only things of value I have"
She nodded sympathetically "Gone, I'm afraid. There's not much left of anything in your apartment. I hope you were insured."
"Yes, our financial advisor made sure we were fully covered."
"We? Do you have family? There were no signs of anyone else living there."
"Just my brother Josh, but he moved out about two years ago."
"OK, would you like me to contact him to come and get you?"
"Shit, he lives up north somewhere, speed-dial #1. Oh shit, did my phone survive."
"'fraid not, can you remember his number"
"06-388-4167"
She pulled out her cell and called.
"Hello is this Josh? This is Detective Sergeant Wilkes of Wellington CID. Your sister has a need for a loving brother to help her for a month or so, are you up for it?"
"She's in Wellington Hospital, Ward 11 and should be able to be released in two or three days time, if she has someone to look after her."
"Her hands have been quite badly damaged and she is not to use them at all, so she needs someone who loves her enough to take total care for her."
"Good on you 'bro' would you like to talk to her?"
She held the phone to my ear while I wondered about this new word, my brother 'loved' me enough to look after me
"Hi Josh, my computers have been taken and my apartment got set on fire, I have nothing. I think I'll need some clothes, just the regular mouse sized stuff"
Josh said he'd be there tomorrow as he had to get someone to look after his animals while he drove down.
I lay back after the Detective left and thought about what no hands meant. Oh shit, he'd have to.... and even.... oh no, my periods due next week. Thinking about it made me realize that I needed a pee so I called the nurse over.
"I need to pee, can you help me?"
"Your hands are stabilised, so if you feel up to a little walk we can take you to the toilets?"