Page 75 of Sincerely, Butterfly

Jasper and Wesley don’t have any siblings, and Sylas has a younger sister, but she's…

Oh fuck. How the hell didn’t I put two and two together!

Callie is short for Calliope. As in Calliope Jones, Sylas’ little sister, who’s been MIA for years. His sister, who wasn’t even acknowledged enough by their father to share the same last name. Iinstead, he forced her to have her mother’s maiden name.

We’re the same age, but we hardly spent any time around each other growing up. While she wasn’t mean to me at school, she avoided me like everyone else.

Not that I really expected much from her. She was never at any of the parties I went to with my dad. They were always held at Jasper’s place, so I wouldn’t have run into her.

Once, my father asked why Nile, Sylas’ father, never brought Callie. Nile responded to my father with‘This is no place for women. This is a man's world,’ while shooting me a pointed look.

My father wrapped his arm around me, kissed the top of my head, and told me to go play with the boys.

I knew none of them liked my being there, but they didn’t argue with my father. They allowed it. Until they didn’t.

One day in fifth grade, she just stopped coming to school. People asked questions, but no one got any answers.

For a while, I thought maybe something bad had happened to her, that maybe she had died. I knew how bad Sylas’ home life was, how evil his dad could be.

After his mother died and Nile remarried Starla, things went downhill.

Sylas didn’t talk about his sister often, but there would be times Skittles would pick up a conversation here and there where he’d mention Calliope.

He never went into details, but he didn’t look like someone who had lost their sister.

If Callie is Sylas’ sister and has been living abroad, then how come she’s only coming back now?

Sylas has been the head of his family for a year now. His father has been dead and gone, along with his stepmom.

From the way Callie made it sound, she hated living in London.

“Nola, are you okay?” Callie asks, stepping in front of me.

I shake my head, clearing my head. “Sorry.” I lick my lips, trying to gain control over my thoughts.

“Hey!” I can hear Sylas shout. “Calliope, get your ass over here. We’re starving.”

“I’m coming!” she shouts back over her shoulder before looking back to me. “Are you okay? It looks like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Not a ghost, just three demons.

“I’m fine. But… It’s Sylas who is your brother, right?”

“Yeah.” She nods. “Is that a problem?” Her eyes search mine. I get a feeling there's a wrong and right answer to this question, I just don't know which is which.

“No.” I shake my head. “Just taken by surprise.” My brows furrow.

Hold up. If Callie is Calliope, that means she would know who I am.

I’ve told her what my father did for a living, and I’ve never met another person with the name Nola. She doesn’t seem like a dumb person.

She gives me a guilty grimace. “Please don’t hate me.”

“You knew who I was all along?” I try to keep the anger out of my tone, but there's still a bit left. I hate liars.

“I did. And I’m sorry. When you told me your name, it kind of clicked. I’m sorry I didn’t outright tell you who I was. I know things are complicated with you and the guys, and the society as a whole. Ididn’t want you to write me off as soon as you found out. I know I wasn’t exactly the nicest person to you growing up, but we were kids, and I was kind of jealous of how obsessed my brothers were with you—I kind of low-key hated you for that—but I’ve grown up, and I’m over it. I promise. Please don’t hate me.”

She’s spewing out word after word, seeming to be unable to stop herself until she's panting heavily, looking at me with pleading eyes.