The Eldest Marked

9. untitled

Tabitha and Winona set to work discussing the intricacies of pizza toppings. Winona removed toppings from each pizza to place on one single slice. She did not understand the cringing expression her sister gave her.

"Fiore was right. Pizza is great," Winona said quietly as she ate her pineapple, bacon, peppers, anchovy, and spinach slice.

"Worth changing worlds?" Tabitha laughed.

Winona thoughts for a moment. "Almost," she said seriously. Food in the Origin so far was much more flavorful.

"You want to watch a movie?"

"Movie?"

"Man you have so much catching up to do. And I just love that she left you here for me to do that," Tabitha huffed as she grabbed the remote.

The television burst into brightness. It wasn't as bad as Cyrille's lightbulbs, but it still wasn't pleasant.

"Hello," Winona said politely as a young woman appeared on the screen.

Tabitha rolled her eyes. "They don't know we are watching. It's all fake. It's for fun," Tabitha said. "So just enjoy."

The smaller people on the screen were in a city even bigger than the one she was in, something impossibly large that made Tabitha's apartment building look like her cabin. Surely, the city must be fake too, just like the people.

Winona watched Tabitha out of the corner of her eye as the two leads kissed. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

Tabitha sputtered. "No," she said. "But... I do have a crush on my neighbor across the hall."

"What's his name?"

"Gina," she said, her cheeks reddening.

Winona thought for a moment. "Oh. Alright. Girls. They are very pretty," she said.

Tabitha hugged her hard. "I know, right? Do you have anyone special? How's Harper?"

"Harper isn't my boyfriend," Winona complained.

Tabitha huffed. "You'd think he'd make a move by now," she said.

"I don't know if I want him to make a move anyway. I have a lot to worry about right now with this whole pact thing," Winona said.

Tabitha stiffened next to her. "Yeah," she said hesitantly. "Lots to think about."

Now that she was alone with her sister all she wanted to do was make up for lost time. She didn't want to bring the mood down by asking about what her mother wanted kept secret. They had three days, after all.

Some part of her hoped that her sister would just tell her. But that may not be likely.

Winona laid on the bed, close enough to feel the heat coming off of Tabitha on her side. She had provided her more comfortable clothes to sleep in, which for some reason she hadn't thought to bring herself.

"Good night Win," Tabitha said as she shut off the bedside lamp.

The ceiling glowed with a bunch of small green and yellow stars. "Wow," Winona said.

"It's not magic. It's just plastic," Tabitha said as she turned to face away from her.

AN: short, unpolished. But trying to get back into posting! Will name chapter later.