Shadow Taking Over

Story break- Like father like son

'Back to Action Weekend, all action all the time.'

Pearl munched away at a bag of cheddar chips. She laid outstretched on the couch with her feet balanced on the coffee table. Summer heat was no match for the three ice cold sodas that she placed on various parts of her bare skin; neck, belly and thighs. Thankfully, Pearl wasn't a pants type of girl. A long shirt and underwear was cover enough, especially in this weather. Empty cans of various brands littered the sides of the table. The new hit action comedy played on the TV. One of her right tendrils slithered to the remote to turn up the volume during the explosions. Her eyes scanned the details of the destruction excitedly. Using a left tendril, she scooped a handful of cheddar chips and opened her mouth to devour them all at once. Crunching drowned out the dreadfully boring dialogue in between fight scenes.

Morning sunlight suddenly poured into the room. It blinded her view of the movie. Angrily, she shot up and whipped around toward the window. Tanner stood beside it, pulling the curtains away. Pearl squeezed her eyes shut against the harsh light. A tendril shielded her vision.

"What the Hell, Tanner?!" she shouted over the blaring speakers.

He furrowed his brow. Crossing the room, he placed himself between the movie and his sister. They locked narrowed gazes momentarily. Pearl rolled her eyes and continued watching through him. Tanner pressed the power button abruptly before another explosion. His sister sat upright at the speed of sound.

"Tanner! That was the best part," Pearl whined, thrusting a can at his head.

With a side step, he avoided the can. It crashed a short distance behind him, breaking something on landing. If this was a cartoon, smoke would come through her ears like a steam engine.

"Tan-"

"You let someone in while I was gone," Tanner interrupted sternly. "Who was it?"

Pearl's eyes widened, then narrowed. "I didn't let anyone in the house, brother."

She stood, allowing her shirt to naturally adjust. He blocked the exit.

"Charlie told me everything- to the best of his ability."

"I don't know what you're talking about. Move." Pearl was very harsh with him, so this wasn't uncommon.

A left tendril rested on his shoulder to shove him aside. Tanner's eye caught a significantly burned patch in the shape of a hand. Judging by the slender, petite shape of the print, the hand belonged to a woman. He looked to Pearl for an explanation and was startled. Pearl's face was defined by fear and worry; an expression Tanner had never seen before. She stepped away from him and retracted her tendril. Her mouth gaped, searching for words.

A cry for help pierced their awkward silence. Both siblings whipped around toward the source. The voice originated from upstairs. Only one room was in use upstairs. Tanner's bedroom. Now, it was Pearl's turn to look to her brother for an explanation.

He wordlessly approached the stairs, stopping on the first. Tanner barely gave Pearl a shoulder glance.

"We will talk about this later," was his only response.

And with that, he disappeared into his bedroom leaving Pearl to wonder what Tanner had gotten himself into.