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.
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"We take photos as a return ticket to a moment otherwise gone."
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Thea had decided on a whim that her apartment needed a thorough spring cleaning. It wasn't like her place was a mess, in fact, it was quite the opposite. Thea Hargreeves was what one would call a sufferer of slight OCD tendencies and liked - or more like needed - her surroundings to be clean and tidy at all times. She wasn't this way as a child, especially not sharing a room with the likes of Klaus, who she was sure still didn't know how to use a vacuum cleaner.
It was only as she got older, and she'd begun paying for her own place and realising just how bloody expensive it was to be a functioning adult that her compulsive attention to detail and keeping everything tidy fully blossomed.
So, here she stood, surrounded by the hundreds of books she'd pulled from her bookshelves while dusting and all the boxes containing her memories in, hands on her hips and slightly regretting even starting such a monstrous task. She huffed, blowing the pale strand of hair from her face where it'd fallen from its messy bun.
Eyeing the boxes, her gaze caught a pastel blue photo album, and almost as though in a daze, the girl walked across her laminate flooring, stepping over piles of books as she went toward the box. She crouched down to retrieve the album, her fingers squeezing the book tightly not believing she'd forgotten about it until now.
Shakily, she walked over to sit on her sofa, disregarding the mess that surrounded her, too caught up in the small square photo album she held. With tentative hands, she opened up the cover to reveal the first page, where a frayed polaroid was displayed in the centre. The picture was of two children, both sleeping and wrapped within a large, fluffy pink duvet. The girl looked pale and flushed while the boy was frowning even in his sleep, though his arms were wrapped around her waist tightly, as though protecting her from the world and assuring himself she was still with him.
Thea's eyes watered at the photo, her mind flashing back the day the photo was taken...
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The two children slept peacefully despite the swarm of blankets that covered them and the constant sniffles of the smaller girl, both of them were comfortable and safe within each other's arms.
That was until they heard a laugh which startled them awake and the sound of a camera shutter following shortly after. Confused, the girl groaned and rubbed her tired eyes, leaning on her elbow and peering over the pink duvet to see her twin laughing as he held a large camera in his hands.
The boy beside her groaned at the high-pitched giggles and his eyes fluttered open, peering into the sudden light in confusion. Thea smiled at her brother fondly, ruffling his messy bed-head, knowing her own probably wasn't much better. Five frowned and swatted at her playful hands, though his eyes shone with amusement as he gazed at her own messy blonde locks.
