Chapter 5: The birthmark and purple lightning!
Queenie felt an overwhelming wave of panic flood her chest. It was a panic like she'd never experienced before, a mixture of intense shyness and anger, all compounded by confusion.
She had already begun to change her opinion of John after he had risked his life to save her. Despite the strangeness of the situation, she was beginning to consider him a friend, even if he wasn't her brother.
But she never could have expected him to strip off his trousers in front of her.
In that moment, Queenie felt as if she had just escaped a pack of wolves, only to find herself standing face-to-face with a tiger in a trap. She was angry, embarrassed, and utterly bewildered.
With frustration building in her chest, she tried to stand up. But then, her eyes froze in shock.
On the outer side of John's thigh, there was a mark—a birthmark unlike any she had ever seen. It resembled purple lightning streaking down his skin.
Almost everyone at the welfare house knew about it, and Queenie, of course, knew all too well. It was a mark that none of them could forget.
Even his seven sisters, Queenie included, were familiar with the lightning-shaped birthmark.
The realization hit her like a thunderclap.
The young man standing before her wasn't just some stranger. This was her younger brother, John, the brother she had been separated from for fifteen long years.
"John, so you're not a fake... you're really my younger brother!" Queenie exclaimed, her voice trembling with emotion. "I never thought I'd see you again."