Lifeline

January

A/N: Cool! Finally in the new year. Once you read this you may notice that I have no fucking clue how bands get signed/go to the studio/make music... oops. It's a work of fiction, so bear with me here. also, sorry about the typos but you know how hard it is to write a book, let alone edit it? point them out if they bother you though, and I'll go through and fix them. Enjoy!

Christmas break was a welcome respite from the daily routine of classes and structure and schedule. Anna found herself sleeping until her parents had gone to work, although she was usually woken up by her younger siblings who wanted her to make breakfast. They loved playing with their new toys and things they got for Christmas, but when they got hungry there was no other option other than to wake up older sister to make waffles.

They always asked for waffles, although they hadn't had them in a while. Anna texted Devin to come over (he loved her waffles) and then got to work. A mixing bowl, a whisk, flour, butter, milk, baking powder, and eggs: never just a single batch for these kids. They were always hungry, it seemed. Devin didn't live too far away and soon he was knocking at the door. Her siblings ran to get it, climbing all over him as soon as he walked in the door. Because Devin was an only child it was much easier for him to appreciate small children, and he loved playing with them whenever he came over. They loved him just as much, and it was always exciting when 'Mr. Devin' came over to see Anna.

Human jungle gym was fun until they could begin to smell the waffles, and then they slowly migrated to the table. A deck of cards was brought and a game of Go, Fish ensued. Devin kept the peace as Anna finished cooking, and then he cleared the table and set it once the waffles were finished. Just before they were about to sit down and eat, someone knocked on the door. All three of the kids shouted as they ran for the door, excited that more company was coming, and they opened the door for Christie, who was on her skates.

She had been on an early morning escapade around the neighborhood, and it was colder than she had anticipated. Halfway through her regular route (that took her by all of her friends' houses in the neighborhood), the wind began to blow pretty hard and the thin sweatshirt she was wearing wasn't quite keeping her warm. She had been near Anna's house and decided to stop by; luckily, she was just in time for breakfast. Christie usually ate when she got home, but when Anna's youngest brother Will invited her to stay for "wiffles" she couldn't say no.

Once Christie had rolled over to the couch and taken off her skates, she tied up her hair and grabbed a plate, fork, and cup of juice before joining everyone at the table. She sat in between Will (he was her favorite, but she didn't say anything) and Anna, who was trying to keep twins Megan and Sarah from pulling each other's hair. They were at the magical age of six, when everything was questionable (why and how were their favorite words) and fights were frequent.

Will was sitting quietly, separating each of the squares of his waffle meticulously. He smiled up at Christie when she looked over and she reached to fluff his hair. He was a very sweet boy and at three years old he was adorably happy with everything he came upon.

"Want some maple syrup?" Christie asked him, reaching across Anna to grab the bottle from in front of Megan's plate. Will nodded eagerly, pushing his plate towards her with his little hands. "I'll put it in each of the squares, how's that?"

"A little bit in each!" Will bounced in his seat, perched on top of three phonebooks. She carefully filled each square with the golden brown liquid, making a little smiley face on the plate with the drips. Will laughed and put one of the pieces in his mouth, aware of his silverware but not interested in using his fork. It was much easier to just use his hands.

On the other side of the table, Megan was sneakily smearing drops of syrup in her twin's hair with her fingers. When Sarah realized what Megan was doing she shouted out and then hit her sister, who started crying hysterically. Once Megan began her meltdown Sarah quickly joined, as if the fact that she was crying would make her get in less trouble. Anna tried to console Megan and Devan distracted Sarah, and soon both of them were eating again.