Alone I Break | LingOrm FF

~ Part 1 ~

Thud.Thud.Thud.

Startled, nineteen-year-old Kornnaphat turned away from the sink where she was washing the dishes from dinner and walked toward the foyer. Reaching the doorway leading out of the kitchen, her steps halted as she spied a small duffle bag resting at the foot of the stairs. One eyebrow rose as she glanced upwards and saw James rushing down the stairs as he put on his coat.

"Normally people carry things downstairs, not just toss them down," she said, chuckling slightly.

"I dropped it," he replied, not bothering to look up from where he was now kneeling, digging around in the aforementioned bag.

Orm shook her head as she watched her older, half-brother's frazzled movements. It was a little unusual for him to be so animated, but sometimes before his band had a gig a crack showed in his carefully constructed carefree façade. Considering it was five minutes to seven, and he was supposed to be at the club at seven, she could understand his rushing.

"What's up with the bag anyway?" she asked curiously. James never usually took anything with him to gigs except for his bass and amp, which normally never left his van except for sporadic practice sessions.

"Huh? Oh! It's just some stuff of Dan's that he left here last weekend," James answered distractedly, referring to his friend and the lead singer of their band.

Thinking of Dan, Orm laughed out loud. She had firsthand knowledge of the strangeness that was James's close friend. Hearing that he'd left stuff at their house was nothing new. He was one of those people who'd forget his own head if it wasn't attached.

"You're gonna be late if you don't hurry it up," she pointed out, stating what was glaringly obvious.

James looked up at her with a scowl on his face but said nothing, even as Orm walked over and bumped her hip into his.

"I'm just teasin' ya," she told him, ignoring his annoyed countenance.

"I know," he said simply, then looked Orm up and down, taking in her clothes which consisted of a pair of track pants and an old tank top. "Aren't you going out tonight?"

"Huh?" Orm grunted.

"I thought you had a date," he explained quickly, picking up his bag and walking to the door.

"A date? Where the hell did you get that idea?" she questioned in confusion. "I can't even remember the last time I had a date."

"I thought you...never mind. I gotta run," he said in a rush.

"Okay. Good luck tonight," her cheery voice chirped as she trotted over to hold the door open.

"Thanks. Have fun with the TV," he teased, knowing his sister would spend the evening watching sappy chick flicks. Reaching over, James gave her a quick hug before scurrying out the door.

Orm watched him leave, smiling as he peeled away from the curb in his rush to get to the club at least remotely close to the time he was supposed to have been there. Once his battered van was out of sight, she closed the front door and headed toward the living room.

~'~'~

The old clock in the corner of the living room chimed once, signaling that it was one in the morning. Orm groggily opened her eyes, letting out a small yawn as she sat up on the couch. Rubbing a hand over her face, she realized that she must have fallen asleep while watching her second movie of the night. The TV was still on, some lame infomercial now playing on its screen.

Stretching slightly, Orm rose from the couch and walked over to the bank of windows at the front of the room. She pulled back the curtain, glancing outside to see if James's van was there. The driveway was empty, so she figured James hadn't gotten back from his gig yet. With another yawn, she let the curtain fall shut before deciding to head to the kitchen.