Thea Hargreeves had already experienced loss in her short life, but her family was something she was determined to keep together and close to her heart. No matter what.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"If we really want to love, we must learn how to forgive."
A ruffled head of blonde hair shot up from the comfort of warm bedsheets, peering around the room with bleary eyes. Spotted was the sight of her slumbering brother, in the opposite bed. The young girl smiled secretively. Being as quiet as possible – which was mostly an unnecessary precaution, as Klaus was the heaviest of sleepers – she tiptoed across the room and slipped through the door.
The hallway was empty. Only a cold breeze blew through the barren walls from a distant, open window. Adorned in matching blue pyjamas of which their father forced all the children to wear, the girl tried to ignore the chill which caught her exposed ankles and bare feet; goosebumps rising. Her destination was not far, only across the sparse hallway. With the finesse of a prolific offender of the prohibited, she expertly dodged the loose floorboards, avoiding any creaks which would give her away too soon. Soon enough she was across and slipping inside the new room, none in the expansive house aware of her early-morning misadventures.
The last thing she needed was for her weekend privileges to be revoked. Rule-breaking was heavily frowned upon, and the girl knew she was wearing her father's last patience as of recent. Klaus had already been banned from participating in this weekend's movie night for accidentally setting fire to the curtains after trying to light a cigarette in secret.
Inside of the room, the girl continued to tip-toe across the open space before she stood before a bed, where an unmoving lump lay beneath thick sheets. Pulling up the corner and crawling inside, she sighed in relief at the instant warmth which consumed her. The body which had previously been asleep moved, a tired voice mumbling in confusion.
"Z?"
Wrapping her arms around the boy's waist, the girl smiled when she felt his body relax once more.
"Hello, stranger."
Huffing in amusement, the boy deigned not even to turn around and face her. Instead, he smushed his face further into his pillow, trying to catch the last whisps of sleep. That effort was soon ruined when Thea pressed her cold feet against his own. The boy hissed, kicking them away.
"Get off, they're freezing."
"Then warm me up," Thea whispered, snuggling further into the warmth of his body. Just to make a point, she pressed her cold feet against the exposed skin of his legs. "Don't be a meany, Five."
"Meany isn't a word," he mumbled, giving up his attempt at sleep. There was no use. Once the girl got an idea into her head, to go against it was like swimming against the tide. "And this is my bedroom. Why are you even here?"
