SomeWhere On... (BXB)

Day 1

Murph's pretty dead to the world by half 9, so I go down and get something to eat. I haven't slept and I've been messaging Steve to let him know what's been going on. Because he's been texting me like a madman for the past two hours wondering where I left to.

This visit was really more "spur of the moment" type shit that he fucking hates with me.

A good size stack of pancakes're in the middle, along with butter, syrup, and some silver jar thing. His aunt's still at the table. But now Murph's little sister's there, playing a video game on her computer. A third place is set, and I assume it's for me.

And then I hear a gasp, followed by a too dramatic, "Thomas?"

I don't even bother turning. I don't care. "Hi, Lizzie."

"It's. Elizabeth." She struts over, arms in a theatrical pose of, like, surprise or sadness. It doesn't help her case that she's wearing one of those vintage, floor length, flowy nightgowns. "What. Is my brother's kuudere doing here?"

"Elizabeth, don't coull Toumas names," his aunt says, taking a pancake from the middle.

I'm already ready to hit her with the plate. It's too early for all this. "It's..." not that great to see you. I hope I spend the rest of my life never seeing you again. Because you're that fucking annoying and I wanna smack you. "Hi, Lizzie."

"It's. Elizabeth," she huffs, and wags her head like a startled dog. "And you're in my spot."

I look down at the chair and glance back to her. "I'm the guest."

Lizzie makes her shoulders move in a wave and sighs, sitting down next to Little Sister. Whose name I don't know still.

"Why're you here?" asks Little Sister, not looking up from her game.

I blink. "Oh, you can see me over..." I lean and try to figure out what game she's playing. She's fighting some kinda monster. Or alien. I lean closer and it's just a really ugly character.

Little Sister leans away. "Your breath is gross."

Murph's aunt scoffs. "Did I raise you to be this rude?" She reaches across the table and lightly smacks Little Sister's arm. "Watch yuh mouth. And put the game away. It's breakfast."

She doesn't.

Then Lizzie leans forward. "Are you here because my baby brother's been moping for, like, 12 years?"

And here I was, hoping she'd be able to go through one sentence without her annoying inflections. So I do, like, my best snarled dog impression and say, "None o' your business."

My stomach starts twisting, and I'm not really sure why I sat down at the table. I'm hungry, but I'm not. I just keep thinking about Murph and how he won't let me come here. Which is, probably, the best option for us since we'd have to work 10 jobs for us to stay in London. Or, like, 4 jobs to go to the country. And I'd rather listen to Lizzie read a 10-hour book on tape before that happens.

And I guess I make this look because then Lizzie asks, "Did something happen?"

Apparently, I'm super readable. But I'll be damned if I tell this bitch what I said. So I go to kick her.

Little Sister jolts and looks at me. "Dude, I'm fighting Colonel Winters." She leans forward, glaring. "And if you wanna make sure I don't pound this into your head, you're gonna stop kicking me so I can take down the leader of the Wasteland Raiders."

When she glares, she looks like Murph. It's so fucking cute. And then I remember who I'm talking about. I look away. "Don't worry about it," I say, and I'm not sure if I'm saying it to myself or everyone else.

Murph's aunt seems to know what's happening in my head and puts her hand on my arm. "You'll figurh it out, Toumas." Then she kinda smacks me in the head, but keeps her hand on my face. "I think you gout a good head. You'll work it out."

I smile, but it feels wrong. Like I'm not sure how to do it anymore. "Thanks, Mrs. O'Donoghue."

She makes this face at me. "Uch, so formal. Ah love that about you, Toumas. I feel like an old woman when you call me that. Call me Caitlin."

No. Never. You couldn't pay me enough to do that.

But I smile and look away, finally gettingenough of an appetite to take a pancake. Two bites in and I've lost the need toeat again.