My Good Luck Charm

Chapter 8-Emily

"Will I get to meet Jasmine?" Georgia asks me excitedly as we troop up the front steps to the verandah outside my house.

"I don't see why not, she might be asleep though." I reply, digging around in my pocket for the house keys.

"Yeah fair enough, she only flew in yesterday right?" Georgia asks and I grunt a yes as I try to fiddle the key into the lock.

Just as it lines up, the door is pulled open and Oscar is standing there shirtless and only in boxers.

"Oh god! I'm blind!" Georgia jokes, pretending to shield her eyes from my brother. Oscar is actually an attractive boy apparently and if she was like most girls Oscar hangs with, she wouldn't be complaining.

"Ha ha Georgia. Hey Em." Oscar says, stepping out of the way and letting us inside. I smile up at my brother and give him a quick hug before walking past him.

"How's things here?" I ask, trailing down the hall and into the kitchen.

"Pretty good. Hamish is trying to be strong, but Fe and I have heard him crying a bit. Fe is okay, he pretends he is anyway. Matt is- uh- tidying up Mum's room while Jaz sleeps. I've been making dinner." Oscar replies, leaning against the countertop in the kitchen. Georgia is very quiet behind me and I can tell she doesn't know what to say.

I feel sorry for Matt, going through all of Mum's things in advance on his own, but little Hamish, although a teenager, is still too young, and Felix and Oscar are struggling with trying to keep all of us together and I've been working hard with school and Golden Shoes that I'm no help. I can't wait for Jasmine to get over her jet lag so she can do what she came here to do.

"Well, we're hungry so what's for dinner?" I ask, forcing a smile.

"Tacos. Should be good." Oscar replies, gesturing to the sizzling pot on the stove nearby.

"Cool, sounds yum. Georgia and I are going upstairs so call us when dinner is ready." I say. Oscar nods and waves as we walk away.

"Hey girls?" He calls out softly.

"Yeah Ozzie?"

"Don't bother Hamish or Fe okay? I think they just need to be on their own." He says. In his voice and in his eyes, I can see and hear how tired and worried he is. He's only eighteen, he shouldn't sound or look this old. He's going to ruin himself with all the responsibility he's taken on with this family. The truth is, I'd be no one if it wasn't for my siblings, we've gotten each other through some of the hardest times of our lives, and there's only worse to come.

"We'll be quiet." I say and Oscar nods once before turning back to the stove. I swallow back some emotions that if not controlled will destroy me, and then lead Georgia through the house, although I'm sure Georgia could get around blindfolded because this is her second home.

Once we're upstairs, I walk down the hallway and almost tiptoe past the two doors that have my brother's behind them. When I reach Mum's room, I pause for a moment and listen to see if I can hear Matthew in there, going through all her things, but it's silent and I move on with a shrug at Georgia.

"I'm gonna pee. Be right back." Georgia says and she scoots past me and down the hall to the bathroom and I continue to my bedroom where I push the door open and balk at the sight in front of me.

My eldest sibling isn't asleep in the guest bedroom. No. She's on the floor of mine, going through a trunk that I usually have locked and shoved in the bottom of my closet. A trunk of memories, a trunk of my past, my achievements and my dreams. And it's meant to be hidden away and forgotten about.

"Excuse me?" I say, my voice a higher pitch than normal.

I can tell from the almost startled look on Jasmine's face that she hadn't expected to be caught, but she quickly smooths out her features and smiles up at me. I'm not amused and I know my face is displaying that royally. And maybe the fact that I have my middle finger up at her and almost a snarl on my lips as I glare at her.