Asleep or Dead

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Swearing & panic attacks

- Clare's POV -

"What the fuck?"

The annoying beeping sound of our smoke alarm going off rang through our apartment with the sounds of two siblings yelling in background.

I ran out of my room and staggered into the kitchen where I was greeted with a cloud of smoke.

Squinting my eyes, I could see the outline of Frank opening all the windows to let out the smoke and Helena furiously trying to put out the small fire she accidentally made.

"This is the third time this week, Helena!" Frank yelled, shooting a glare at his sister.

"I'm sorry, okay!" 

I grinned at the two, who had not noticed me yet through the haze. It was awfully cute watching the both of them try to clear up the mess they had made. 

Thankfully, Helena had managed to switch off the alarm. It was rather irritating to hear that noise, especially if it happened previously.

"Who was cooking?" I shouted over the cluttering of pots and pans.

Frank nearly fell out the window at my voice. He scowled as his eyes settled onto my body that leaned against the doorframe. 

"Helena." he answered simply.

I switched my gaze to Helena who had gone red and was looking at her feet.

I shook my head, a grin still on my face.

"Wake me up next time." I said, patting her back.

As the two of them tidied up the rest of the kitchen, I got started on breakfast. It was Friday and we were all considering skipping school, but Helena talked us out of it.

She winked and carried a jug of orange juice back to the living room. Might I say, the stack of glasses in her hand looked like it was about to fall and I had to fight the urge to snatch them from her.

Helena could be careless, but she was deemed the most sensible one out of the four of us.

Piling the pancakes onto two plates, I stalked over to the couch where Helena sat; Frank sat on the floor.

"Don't you wanna take a seat?" Helena asked Frank, patting the space next to her.

Frank merely shook his head and took a sip of orange juice.

I saw his eyes light up at the sight of the pancakes in my hands.

"You never make pancakes." was all he could say before snatching a plate from me and digging in.

"It took me forever to find a vegetarian recipe. All the same, it tastes good."

He muttered a 'thank you' in between bites.

Helena rolled her eyes and took a plate with two pancakes on it. I took a seat next to Frank on the carpet.

"What time is it?" I asked.

I saw Frank check is wristwatch. "It's 7:15. Wanna go to Starbucks first?"

"Sure, I need some coffee anyway." I chimed in.

"I guess I don't have a choice." Helena sighed.

Helena offered to wash the dishes this morning. I'm not complaining or anything. Just thankful.

As we grabbed our bags and slipped on our shoes, we exited our small apartment and made our way to the Starbucks down the road. 

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