𝖆𝖙𝖔𝖒𝖎𝖈 𝖖𝖚𝖊𝖊𝖓 || 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖌𝖍𝖔𝖚𝖑

𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞 𝐢

𝟐𝟎𝟕𝟕
𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟑rd

"Alina! Estelle!" Their aunt called them from the backdoor of the country house. The large garden of grass and wildflowers stretched on beyond the fishpond and down into the forest where the culprits would likely be. There was no reply from the girls of 13 and 14. All that could be heard was distant giggling which was getting continuously closer.

"Girls!" She tried calling again.

"WE'RE COMING!" A voice shouted from the bottom of the garden. Their aunt shook her head at their antics. She wasn't their real aunt. Just their mother's best friend. Most referred to he as Miss Williams but the girls knew her as Aunt Lee. Catherine their mother passed not too long ago and since then they spent most of their time at the country house. They saw less and less of their father after that. He became quiet, distant. Six month ago he went radio silent and hadn't been in contact since. Aunt Lee took up the duty of looking after them. Instead of letting them in on the bigger picture she allowed them to be kids, living in blissful ignorance. Children should never have to deal with the horrible affairs of adults.

Still, they were expected to be well behaved and smartly tuned out, even though they seemed to want to defy the norm of who they are on a regular basis. Alina, the eldest, was usually the ringleader in their escapades, getting her younger sister Estelle into all kinds of trouble. She had occasionally be reminded by her father that she should be setting a good example for the younger of the two. Not that she listened. He was all about rules and formality. The sisters were not, wanting to go off on adventures whenever and wherever they got the chance.

Although they are siblings and are constantly reminded of how alike they are to each other, they look rather different. Alina has beautiful brown hair like their mother and the angular face to match. But don't be fool by her fragile look. Though she be small she be fierce. Estelle on the other hand had her father's blond locks and a much squishier look to her cheeks. And of course, her father's winning smile. One thing that connected them, however, was their green eyes, sharp, but had a gentle nature to them. God help whatever or whoever they caught in their sight.

"Come on we're going to be late." Aunt Lee scolded packing the last of her things up in a hurry. The girls made their way to the house, making a b-line for their bags.

"Why are you packing so much. It's just a trip. Or is it supplies in case you need to dip out of the family gathering." Estelle spoke up picking up her shoulder bag. The other luggage was already in the waiting car. The girls had taken note that their aunt, as cooky as she is, had never acted like this before. Packing photos and books in such an erratic manner. The last hour or so had been a mad scramble. The girls had already packed to go home anyway so when they got the call from their father that there was an emergency family gathering it was all hands-on deck.

Alina was only one year older than her sister but she saw more than what was at face value. Things were adding up in her mind about what was really going on. The Vault-tec promotional pieces were becoming more like Cartoons, using less and less actual people to advertise their products. Especially the Vaults. Some of her favourite actors had completely pulled out of their company ties.

Her aunt was extremely against Vault-tec. Her father would have followed suit but given his position it would have been a huge blow to his standing. Which is why it didn't make any sense that he had been missing for so long. Yes he usually had business to attend which meant the girls rarely spent quality time with him, but never for this long. Quality time usually meant watching a western or doing one of the many activities he paid for. And most times he wasn't even there for that. Archery. Horse riding. Each girl owned their own Appaloosa. But nothing to make up for time lost with him. Time they did not get to spend with their mother. Time they barely spent together as a real family. Family to Alina and Estelle was each other.