xxx× × ×xM A S T E R SxxxC O T T A G ExxxI N F O R M A T I O Nxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxT H ExxxH O M Exxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
×This home has been in Holly Masters' family for three generations, and was left to her by her grandmother. ×Initially, Aaron intended to tear it down and build a new house on the property, but Holly was always in love with her grandmother's home, and convinced him to simply do a slight remodel of the interior. ×It is a fairly sizable home, but tends not to feel that way due to the couple's seven children. ×Their eldest daughter Linda is the only one with a room to herself; Robert and Duane share a room, as do Vincent and Antony, and Janet and Sissy. ×Vincent hates sharing a room with Antony, two years younger than he is, almost as much as Janet hates sharing with Sissy, four years younger. ×However, no one hates sharing as much as Robert and Duane, who are polar opposites and don't get along in the slightest.
xxxT H ExxxP E T Sxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
×The family has a sheepdog named Penny. ×Anthony and Janet 'share' a horse, named River, who is stabled down the road.
ι'м looĸιn aт y o υ, yeaн, yoυ're looĸιn aт м exxxxxxxxxxxx ѕoмeтнιng a в o υ т yoυ'ѕ goт мe goιn' c r a z yxxxxxxxxx ѕo wнaт ѕ н o υ l d ι d o? wнaт c a n ι ѕ a y?xxxxxx ѕнe'ѕ в e a υ т ι ғ υ l, υnυѕυal, тнe preттιeѕт т н ι n gxxx
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spaceJames stood on his cousin's doorstep, shifting his weight from one foot to another, his hand tossing his keys in the air and catching them repeatedly, a nervous habit. Go figure, whenever he needed to do something with his hands, he resorted to throwing and catching small shiny things. He didn't even know why he was nervous, really. It wasn't as though this was some dangerous undertaking. He was talking to his cousin's kid, that's all. About magic. Which he still wasn't even entirely certain the kid had, because he hadn't gotten much detail on the matter beforehand. It might just be that there were some things that happened around Vince (it was Vince, right? Seven kids, you couldn't blame him for not being sure) that his parents simply hadn't tried very hard to explain. But, then, that's why he was here, wasn't it?
spaceHe just hoped like hell that he didn't have to make a call to the Ministry. If it turned out the kid wasn't a wizard, the family would have to be obliviated, and the ministry would have questions. He'd love to see the field day the tabloids had with that. Impatient, he rang the doorbell again, the third time he'd done so in two minutes. This time, though, he heard a female voice call out, 'I'm coming,' and seconds later, the door was opened by a small blonde girl. James offered her a small smile, trying to ignore the squirming in his stomach."Um, hey, I'm James, I'm your dad's cousin,"he assumed this was one of Aaron's kids, anyway,"This is my wife Lyre, I'm here to see your dad and your brother?"
spaceThe child eyed him oddly, like she was sizing him up, crossing her arms and managing to look down her nose at him even though he was significantly taller than her."You're the one that's,"she paused briefly, eyes darting about as if they were being spied on,"That's magic, right?"she asked, clearly trying to hide her curiosity. Sheesh, how old was this kid? She looked too young to be so... he didn't even know. Shrewd, maybe? There was something decidedly calculating about her expression. At his nod, she turned abruptly on her heel, hair fanning out in a way that seemed almost purposeful."You should come with me,"she said pointedly, walking back into the house and towards the stairs.
space"Dramatic little thing, isn't she?"James whispered to his wife.
spaceOf course, any air of mystique the child had possessed was eradicated when, as she began up the stairs, she shrieked, at (what James hoped was) the top of her lungs,"Daddy! Vince! James is here and he brought his wife and I guess their baby!"
spaceWhen they reached the second floor landing, the little girl pointed at one of the doors."Daddy and Vince're in th-"
spaceShe was cut off by Aaron, poking his head out of the door, looking apologetic."James, hey, sorry. Uh, Vince is a bit... he's... well. Let's just say he hit his moody teen years a bit early. He's, um. Not too thrilled about this whole thing, I guess. Said he didn't... It doesn't matter. Um. Please, c'mon in,"he said, gesturing for them to follow him into the room, shutting the door behind them.
space"And I'm Andi!"came the muffled shout from the hallway. It was followed by an audible huff, and the sound of little feet stomping away and back down the stairs.
space"Uh, that's Sissy, my youngest, she doesn't like her name. Wants everyone to call her Andi because her middle name's Andrea, I guess,"Aaron explained, shrugging with a 'what can you do' sort of smile on his face."Um, but, this must be Lyre, right? It's nice to meet you, I'm Aaron,"he said, extending a hand. Then, he tilted his head to indicate an admittedly rather sullen looking boy sitting backwards in a rolling chair."And this is Vince,"he said, looking pointedly at his son as if to try to tell him to say something.
spaceThe boy didn't speak, though, instead staring at them through narrowed eyes. His arms were crossed over the back of the chair, his chin resting on them. James was pretty sure he was trying to set them all on fire with his mind... Hopefully, that wasn't something he'd figure out how to do.
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xxxno one elѕe c o м p a r e ѕ тo yoυ xxxxxxjυѕт d o wнaт yoυ d o and ι wιll вe т н e r e ғor y o υ xxxxxxxxxιғ yoυ т a ĸ e мy н a n d, jυѕт g ι v e мe тнe c н a n c e xxxxxxxxxxxxdon'т w o r r y aвoυт a т н ι n g, jυѕт dance, dance, d a n c e
After James had gotten a call from his father and cousin asking for help, Lyre had happily agreed to go with him to see the family and supposed magical child. When the date finally came up, Lyre dressed up Maya and herself, before grinning at James. They stood on the doorstep to a rather nice house. It looked very victorian, and she liked the place, despite only seeing the outside. As James tossed his keys up in the air, Maya's head bobbled and she giggled madly, eagerly watching the sparkly, jingly keys. The baby smiled, her four teeth showing in her drool-coated lips. When finally the door pulled open, they all turned their attention to the young girl that stood there. James nervously greeted the girl and explained who they all were.
Unfortunately, the girl seemed very... strong willed. She crossed her arms and managed to make them feel like the kids. The girl mentioned that James was the "one" that was magic. Lyre debated pointing out that she was also magic, but then remembered that she was rather poor at the subject. She'd just stick to emotional support. The girl seemed to find them passable, as she allowed them inside. James quietly whispered that the girl was rather dramatic, and Lyre sent him a pointed look. With conviction, she whispered, "something like her uncle, mmh? Like you?" She giggled quietly, eyes sparkling with mischief. While they were waiting, the girl immediately trooped up the stairs and started screaming, making the redhead wince. Maya squawked and covered her little ears, so Lyre hugged her close to prevent one of the infant's famous meltdowns.
After a moment, a man peeked out from a room, saying something about Vince being moody, then inviting them to a room. The three walked in, and the man closed the door, before the rather loud child yelled her name as Andi. It was fine, albeit odd, until the man proceeded to explain that her name was in fact Sissy Andrea. A thought of where the names came from occurred to Lyre, but she kept quiet. It wasn't until the man introduced himself that she spoke. "Yes, yes, I am indeed Lyre. It's wonderful to meet you, Aaron. And this is Maya Edith, our daughter." She grinned, bouncing the again grinning baby. When Vince was pointed out, Lyre looked over at him, but frowned in a maternal sort of way when she noticed how grumpy and upset he looked. Violet eyes glanced at James, wondering what to do in this scenario.
wнaт e l ѕ e ѕнoυld ι в e ? all ap o l ogιeѕxxxxxxxxxxxx wнaт e l ѕ e coυld ι ѕ a y ? every o n e ιѕ g a yxxxxxxxxx wнaт e l ѕ e coυld ι w r ι т e ? ι don'т н a v e тнe r ι g н тxxxxxx wнaт e l ѕ e ѕнoυld ι в e ? all ap o l ogιeѕxxx
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spaceVince had spent the better part of an hour insisting that he didn't need to meet creepy 'totally not a drug dealer' Uncle James. The fact that his parents kept calling the guy his 'uncle' James was ridiculous, because he was pretty sure that wasn't how family worked. Wasn't the guy his second cousin or something? The point was, it was stupid. Unfortunately, his dad didn't seem to be listening. In fact, he'd been talking over Vince the whole time, which was par for the course. When the brunette man entered (with his wife, which Vince had not agreed to!), it was very hard to resist the urge to flip his old man off. Honestly, the only reason he wanted to learn about magic was to be able to actually accomplish the act of setting various members of his family on fire with just his thoughts.
spaceThere was a long, rather awkward silence after Lyre introduced herself and the baby. Why she'd felt the need to introduce a baby was utterly beyond him. After a while, his dad awkwardly cleared his throat, spearing Vince with a look."Alright, um. Vince, why don't you, uh, tell James a bit about your, um..."He trailed off awkwardly, something he tended to do when talking about his son's 'oddity.' The blonde boy's eyes narrowed, but he remained silent.
spaceJames' expression got thoughtful, and he glanced at Aaron and Lyre."Aaron, mate, why don't you, uh, take Lyre on a house tour or something?"he suggested. Aaron hesitated, then gestured for his cousin's wife to follow him. Once they were gone, James sat on the bed, slouching forward with his elbows resting on his knees, a faint mimicry of the younger boy's posture. Vince's brow furrowed, in either annoyance or confusion, James couldn't tell."Alright, look,"the seeker began, sounding tired,"I get it, you don't want me here. I'm just doing a favor for your dad because my dad insisted. But this will be over quicker if you at least try to talk to me."
spaceMore silence. James sighed, head falling forward."You can either ask me specific questions, Vince, or I can launch into an overview of every damn thing you even might need to know about everything. Dunno how many questions you might have, but the version where I just talk takes hours. Your choice."
space"Maybe I just don't have any stupid questions,"Vince said finally, glaring at the older man.
spaceJames snorted at him, head lifting just enough to look him in the eye."That's a lie if I ever heard one. I remember being a kid and having weird stuff happen to me. I had all sorts of questions. Then I got my letter and had more. Unless you're fine with going into this thing totally blind, you've got some of your own."The brunette stared at Vince, waiting. When no reply came, he groaned, muttering about how he was going to kick his dad's arse."Alright, fine. Have it your way. Magic is-"
space"Fine! I'll ask questions!"James' lip quirked; he was trying not to smile, Vince could tell. It was irritating. But, the guy was right, better to get this over as quickly as possible."Okay. Why am I magic? No one else is, except you."
space"Magic's usually hereditary,"James answered."Most wizards have magic parents, or at least one magic parent, anyway. But, sometimes people like us, who come from non-magic families (muggles, they call them), have magic. There's theories and stuff about why it happens. I think it means you've got magic ancestry, great-great-great-great-great-great-something or another that was from a magic family."
spaceVince frowned, clearly not satisfied with that answer."You sound super informed,"he said sarcastically, earning a shrug."Fine. What's this stupid school they talked about in the letter?"
space"Hogwarts,"James supplied. Vince started to say something about how the letter had told him that much, but the older man started talking before he could get it out."It was established over a thousand years ago, by some of the strongest witches and wizards in history. Pretty much every magic kid in the UK attends it. The ones that don't are from old pureblood families, and they get homeschooled, or sent out of the country to another school. That doesn't happen much though. Hogwarts is supposed to be one of the best."He closed his eyes, looking like he was trying to remember something."It's a boarding school, so you'll be spending most of the year away from home-"
spaceVince perked up at that."Wait, seriously?!"he asked, suddenly enthused."So, you're saying, I show up at this train station on the first, and then I don't have to go home again until the holiday?"
spaceJames nodded, smiling faintly."Want to get away from your family for a bit, I wager?"
space"You have no idea."
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xxxι w ι ѕ н ι waѕ lιĸe y o υ - eaѕιly a м υ ѕ e d xxxxxxғιnd мy n e ѕ т oғ ѕ a l т - every т н ι n g ' ѕ мy ғ a υ l т xxxxxxxxxι'll тaĸe a l l тнe в l a м e - aqυa ѕeaғoaм ѕ н a м e xxxxxxxxxxxxѕυnвυrn wιтн ғreeze в υ r n - cнoĸιng on тнe a ѕ н e ѕ oғ нer e n e м y
ι ρ ℓ є ∂ g є αℓℓєgιαи¢є тσ тнє υ и ∂ є я ω σ я ℓ ∂, σиє иαтισи υи∂єя ∂ σ gxxxxxxxxxxxx т н є я є σf ωнι¢н ι ѕ т α и ∂ α ℓ σ и є - α f α ¢ є ιи тнє ¢ я σ ω ∂xxxxxxxxx υ и ѕ υ и g, αgαιиѕт тнє м σ ℓ ∂, ωιтн σ υ т α ∂ σ υ втxxxxxx ѕ ι и g ℓ є ∂ συт - тнє σ и ℓ у ωαу ι к и σ ωxxx
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spaceSissy was sitting with her back against the wall just down the hall from Vince's room. She'd faked going down the stairs after leaving their guests with her brother and dad, and was now waiting for enough time to pass for her to sneak and eavesdrop on the conversation. Despite what everyone thought, she needed to hear this stuff, too. She just didn't want them to know she needed to hear it. But, before she felt safe sneaking over, her father left Vince's room, with Lyre and the baby. She was disappointed briefly, since her dad would probably realize what she was up to and tell her to go downstairs and play.
spaceBefore any such thing could happen, though, screaming could be heard from Robert and Duane's bedroom. Sissy grinned mischievously, standing to run to Lyre and her dad. She grabbed the tail of his shirt, tugging."Daddy!"she said insistently. He'd tell her to wait a second, because he needed to deal with her brothers, she knew.
space"Sissy, sweetheart, Daddy needs a second,"he said, just as predicted, looking at the door to the eldest boy's room. He looked conflicted. Not sure how to handle that without abandoning Lyre, obviously."Lyre, I'm sorry. I'll give you the house tour, just, um, give me a second-"
spaceSissy's eyes brightened, and she rocked up onto her tiptoes, tugging at her dad's shirt again."Daddy! I can show her the house!"she said happily. She wanted to talk to James' wife. She bet she could find out all sorts of interesting stuff from the redheaded woman.
spaceAaron hesitated, but the shouts grew louder, and he sighed."Alright, yes, Sissy. Thank you, sweetheart. Please take Lyre downstairs and show her the house."
spaceSissy beamed. This was working out even better than she'd thought! She'd figured on her father trying to get her to leave Lyre alone, not leaving her alone with the woman. As he stalked off towards Robert and Duane's room, she reached a hand up to grip the edge of Lyre's shawl."C'mon, Auntie Lyre!"she said excitedly."We can start in the kitchen! Mummy baked cookies last night!"
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xxx'¢αυѕє ι ωαииα вє тнє м ι и σ я ι т у xxxxxxι ∂σи'т иєє∂ уσυя α υ т н σ я ι т у xxxxxxxxx∂σωи ωιтн тнє м σ я α ℓ м α נ σ я ι т у xxxxxxxxxxxx'¢αυѕє ι ωαииα вє тнє м ι и σ я ι т у
Lyre shuffled a bit as Aaron awkwardly told Vince to talk. Well, it was more broken and flustered, but she felt it right to give him the benefit of the doubt. When the Governors had told her parents she was magic, Lyre remembered his mum fainting. At least it seemed that because James was magic, it was able to be handled at least a bit better. James didn't speak for a moment, before asking Aaron to take her on a tour of the house. At that, Lyre's eyes went wide. She wasn't certain what would happen, nor how Maya would take leaving James. The baby had been rather clingy with her dad since she'd started teething... The man lead the way out, and with a small, nervous smile toward James and Vince, she walked out of the room.
Just as they'd stepped out and encountered Sissy again, there came shouts from another room. Immediately, Lyre's maternal instinct flew off the charts and she turned in preparation to run and help. Maya squeaked and waved an arm, a frown on her chubby face. Aaron looked nervous, like he didn't want to leave her, but Sissy hurried to say she could help. "Yes, go on, take care of them. Sissy and I will be quite alright." She nodded, still looking concerned. Aaron ran off to the room, and Lyre glanced over at the girl. A small hand grabbed her shawl, so Lyre gently lay a hand on Sissy's shoulder. When she was called auntie, a small blush touched the woman's cheeks. "Alright, Sissy, let's go see the kitchen. I have some of Maya's baby biscuits in my bag, so we can all have a snack." She laughed quietly, bouncing the baby on her hip. It had come to the issue that they needed to start buying teething snacks, mostly because the few teeth she did have were sharp, and the ones coming in seemed rather painful. Oh well. For now, the redhead followed the girl, wondering where exactly they were going.... and what was going on with James and Vince.
ι ѕee a red door and ι wanт ιт paιnтed вlacĸxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx no coloυrѕ anyмore, ι wanт тнeм тo тυrn вlacĸxxxxxxxxxxxx ι ѕee тнe gιrlѕ walĸ вy dreѕѕed ιn тнeιr ѕυммer cloтнeѕxxxxxxxxx ι нave тo тυrn мy нead υnтιl мy darĸneѕѕ goeѕxxx ════════════════════════════════════════════╗
spaceVince didn't know quite what to expect when his parents called them all into the dining room. They hadn't eaten a family meal at the table together in ages, except for holidays. Since he'd gotten his Hogwarts letter, actually. He spent a lot of time trying to pretend that those two things weren't connected, but after Sissy turned out to be a witch and things got worse around the house, his practical side won over and he couldn't lie to himself anymore. Him being magic was a wedge between his family members. The siblings had never really been close, except Duane with Vincent and the twins with... well, each other. But there hadn't been anything really wrong with his parent's marriage, except that they both worked and never saw each other. When they did see each other, it was obvious they loved one another very much. Nowadays...
spaceThe chill between the pair was palpable. He swore he could see his own breath. And it was his fault, of course. Everything was always his fault. Oh, Sissy being a witch on top of him being a wizard might've made things worse, but he'd been the first crack in the foundation. And, he had no doubts that if spoiled rotten baby of the family Sissy had been the only magical one, there'd be no problem. But instead, it had been him. The black sheep, the scapegoat. The kid his parents didn't understand, and had never had time to try with. He'd often thought that if he simply disappeared, they'd never notice. Letters from Duane and Sissy (the only ones who bothered to write him) confirmed his suspicions, more or less. Duane tried to soften the blow as best he could, but Sissy had all the subtlety and tact of a child, which was to say, none at all. Between the pair of them, it was easy to see that his parents didn't miss him in the slightest. From Sissy's letters since getting caught with her own magic, it was apparent that his mother was quite glad to be rid of him.
spaceHe wasn't comforted by his elder siblings; Robert looked smug, Linda looked as bored as ever, and Duane was obviously very unhappy. Vince had asked Duane if he knew what was going on prior to them being called down, but he'd simply shrugged and said he had an idea of it, the look on his face as black as Vince had ever seen. The three younger than him looked confused, and the twins looked annoyed. No doubt they thought they had better things to do.
spaceAaron Masters, meanwhile, looked... tired. Very tired. And sad. Holly looked angry, arms crossed, an pinched expression on her face. It had been silent for a long time, with her looking expectantly at her husband. When he said nothing, she finally snapped, "I suppose you're going to make me the bad guy."
spaceIf Aaron was bothered by her statement, it didn't show. He seemed too worn to care what his wife had to say. "You're already the bad guy," he said, a statement that seemed like it should've been laced with anger, or bitterness, or something. Instead, it was flat. A mere fact, cold, no different than saying that the sky was blue or that fire was hot. No emotion.
spaceRobert saw fit to interject then, letting out an obviously fake sigh, expression an exaggerated mask of resolve. Whatever he had to say (and Vince was beginning to suspect he knew where this was going, and that Duane had been right), he was more than happy to say it. "Mum, I'll tell them. So you don't have to," he said, sounding very much like a pompous child playing the martyr character in a stage production. Vince shouldn't have been surprised that he knew, since he was the oldest, and not even a child anymore by any definition of the word. More to the point, he had always been their mother's favorite, for some ungodly reason.
spaceHolly shook her head. "No, Robby dear," she said, managing to sound exasperated (for Aaron's benefit) and indulgent (for Robert's) at the same time. "We're the parents. It's our job to do tell them." Our job, she said, looking pointedly at Aaron.
spaceHe was unphased. "So tell them," he said, still monotone.
spaceHolly huffed, then looked to her younger children. "Your father and I.... are getting a divorce," she said. "We decided-"
space"You decided."
space"We decided that... things are just too... they're too..."
space"Oh, go on, Holly," Aaron interrupted. He was finally starting to sound involved, an edge of bitter ice on his tongue. "Tell them things are too weird. Tell your own kids that you can't handle them being different. Tell them you're leaving me, and them with me, because it's all my fault they're like this, and that them being your kids too isn't enough of a reason for you to even try to deal with it."
space"Aaron, that's not fair-"
space"Tell that to Vince and Andi!"
spaceEveryone's eyes turned to look at Duane. The teen was standing, hands on the tabletop, glaring across it at his mother. "So, what? Dad's got a relative that's magic, they're magic, and that means you don't have to be their Mum anymore? ******** off!"
space"I'm still their mother! And I'm still yours, so watch your-"
space"You don't get to abandon them and say you're still their Mum! You gonna see them at all? Split custody? Hell no, you're just going to ditch them with Dad because you can't handle-"
spaceThings began to escalate very quickly. Robert let out a growl and grabbed Duane by his shoulder, jerking him back. "You don't talk to Mum like that," he snarled. Duane tried to shove him off, but he wasn't particularly strong. Robert was hardly fit himself, but he was larger and at least somewhat active, thanks to his uni friends. Duane was the smart, geeky kid that Robert pretended to be when it was convenient, and had no interest whatsoever in sports or athletics of any kind.
space"She called my little brother and sister freaks, I'll talk to her however I damn well please-"
space"ENOUGH!"
spaceEveryone turned to look at Aaron, who was now standing as well, looking as angry as they'd ever seen him. "Robert, let Duane go." Robert hesitated and looked at Holly, who nodded slightly, and he obliged. Aaron didn't fail to notice this particular detail. "You look at me, boy," he said, meeting his eldest son's eyes. "I don't know when you got it in your head that you don't have to listen to me, but you do. And you sure as hell don't put your bloody hands on your brother."
spaceRobert looked furious, and Duane looked smug, but the expression faded when his father turned to him. "You need to watch your mouth, Duane," he said. "I know I started it, but they didn't need to know all that. They didn't need to know-"
space"I needed to know,"Vince said suddenly. All eyes turned to him in surprise. Sissy looked close to tears when he met her eyes. He imagined it wasn't easy, knowing your mother had called you a freak. Especially for her, the youngest. The baby. The treasured, spoiled rotten last born."I needed to know. I deserved to know. Andi... Andi deserved to know."
space"What is discussed between your father and myself is none of your business-"
space"It is when you call me a freak,"he shot back. Normally, Vince didn't get involved. Normally, he kept everything to himself. But, this wasn't just about him, this was about his sister. His sister, who didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to be labeled a freak by her own mother. He didn't either, but at least he was used to it. Used to being cast aside, looked down on. Sissy wasn't. She was used to being loved, spoiled, doted on and given everything.
spaceAaron sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. "Vince, I'm not saying you don't have a right to know," he said. Before his son could reply, he held up a hand, cutting him off. "You didn't need to. It didn't do anything but hurt you and your sister."
space"I already knew,"Vince said quietly."... I always knew. But... But Andi didn't. Andi didn't know, and she should, because..."He looked up, met his mother's eye. After this, she might as well be dead to him."She deserves to know what you said. Because she deserves to know exactly why you left, and she deserves to be told that it's not her fault. Because it's not, it's yours. Because you're... you're a piece of shite, you know that? You are."
space"I'm your mother."
space"Since when?"Vince snapped, standing from his chair. He didn't wait for her to respond. Instead, he flipped her off, and headed for his bedroom. Once inside, he locked the door. Anthony could sleep on the couch tonight for all he cared. He'd called them freaks, too.
╚════════════════════════════════════════════ xxxι looĸ ιnѕιde мyѕelғ and ѕee мy нearт ιѕ вlacĸ xxxxxxι ѕee мy red door and мυѕт нave ιт paιnтed вlacĸ xxxxxxxxxмayвe тнen ι'll ғade away and noт нave тo ғace тнe ғacтѕ xxxxxxxxxxxxιт'ѕ noт eaѕy ғacιng υp wнen yoυr wнole world ιѕ вlacĸ
spaceSissy was, for once in her life, speechless. Normally, she was quiet because it was smart to be, or because she simply didn't feel like talking. Never before had she wanted, very badly, to say something, and had no words. She felt sick. Her heart was beating too fast and her palms were sweaty. She thought she might throw up.
spaceShe'd known something was wrong, for a long time. It was hard to miss, even for a child. Initially, she'd kept her magic hidden because it was convenient. If no one knew she could do it, no one could blame her when it acted up. But when Vince had gone off to school and she'd been found out, she'd not thought much of the consequences, beyond the fact that she'd lost her anonymity. She'd hardly thought it would really change anything. It had, though. It had changed everything.
spaceSissy was well aware that her brother was something of an outsider in the family. Duane was too much older than him for them to be close, Anthony too much younger, and he'd always had Janet, anyway. Vince was also much more analytical than the rest of them, except maybe her. It was hard to tell, seeing as she was, after all, only seven. He was introverted and impatient, and when his magic had been discovered, it didn't seem to've changed much about how their parents felt about him. There was no sudden aloofness or distance to notice, because they'd never been close or shown much affection to him in the first place. Sissy, on the other hand, was given as much attention, from her parents and siblings alike, as they could manage. Even Robert tried to spoil her, though she didn't much care for her eldest brother. He was kind to her, but mean to pretty much everyone else. Now, he rarely even spoke to her. Janet and Anthony had called her a freak, and claimed 'Mum said so,' which Sissy had not believed.
spaceShe did now, though. Duane didn't lie. Duane never lied. Of all her siblings, he was the best one. The kindest, the most good. If he said Mum had said it, she had, and Sissy would've believed that even if she'd tried to deny it. But she didn't, and that somehow hurt worse than anything else. She hadn't even tried to lie. To say that she didn't think they were freaks. She'd just gotten mad that Duane for ratting her out. That was it.
spaceWith Vince gone, and Robert and Duane fuming, there was nothing but silence at the table. Her father had sighed, all the energy displayed evaporating. He was tired again. Mum was still angry, but Sissy didn't care. She shouldn't be angry. The rest of them should! She was. She was so, so angry. She'd never been angry like this before. Her fists clenched in her lap, and she sat, still as a statue, until she couldn't take it anymore, and she fled.
spaceSissy didn't want to stay with Janet, who thought she was a freak. She didn't want Vince to have to stay with Anthony, who thought he was one, too. She knocked on her brother's door, flinching as if struck when he yelled for her to go away.
spaceShe bit her lip. He wanted to be alone. But... but she didn't, and he was the only one that understood. He was... he was the only one."Please, Vince?"she asked, on the verge of tears.
spaceShe heard movement, and the door unlocking. Vince ushered her into the room with a scowl, and slammed the door shut behind them, locking it again. She watched with wide, watery eyes as he slid a chair under the doorknob.
spaceSissy climbed on his bed and grabbed a pillow, staring at him as he went back to his desk. He didn't say anything to her, just went back to whatever he'd been reading on his computer. She tried to be quiet, she really did, but she couldn't help herself.
space"Are... Are we really fr-freaks?"she asked, the first of her tears finally falling.
spaceVince's shoulders tensed, lip curling. He schooled his expression before turning to face her. "No," he said definitively. "We're not freaks. Trust me, I've been going to school with people like us for two years now, if they're all freaks, they're the most boring freaks I've ever seen." Magic might not be boring, he thought, but magical people sure were. He thought of Daniel, and Ji. Neither of them were particularly freak-like, by his way of thinking. "And James and Lyre, too. Totally boring. Especially Lyre, all she bloody does is read. That sound freak-like to you?"
space"Mum thinks so,"Sissy choked."Mum thinks we're freaks, and Janet and Anthony, and, and Robert does too, I bet, and-"
space"Robert's an arsehole, Janet and Anthony are brats, and Mum-"He stopped. He didn't even know what to call her. He'd known, of course, that she didn't like the magic. He saw her face whenever James or Lyre would show up, or when he'd mention something he'd learned about or seen at school offhandedly. She hated magic. "Mum... Mum's... Scared, or something. Because it's different. And... and she can't deal with it, like Duane said. She's..."
space"She's not even trying,"Sissy replied."She-She's been mean to me for, for ages now! She n-never wants to do anything with me anymore!"
space"Yeah, well, she sucks,"Vince said, not in the least bit bothered by that. He'd always thought she sucked. Their dad too, but he wasn't the one on trial right now. "She sucks, okay? There's nothing-there's nothing wrong with us. There's not. She's just, just..." Again, words failed him.
space"She's a b***h,"Sissy muttered through her tears, shocking the hell out of Vince. He stared at his sister for a moment, unable to believe that he'd just heard that word come out of a seven-year-old's mouth. On purpose, too. Not because she was just repeating something she'd heard and didn't know better. She knew exactly what she'd said. She'd meant it.
space"... Yeah, she is." Vince sighed, and rolled his chair over to the bed, holding out his arms. Sissy threw the pillow aside, and ignored his intention to just hug her by crawling into his lap. He let it go, pulling her in close, and rubbed her back. "She's a b***h," he repeated, and Sissy giggled a little against his shoulder. Well, at least someone thought it was funny, he supposed.
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