Double Trouble//T. Stark

1.1

//CATASTROPHIC PARENTING\\

The music blared throughout the house, bouncing off the walls and the ceiling.

The small snow globe of New York shook on the dresser, one of many hints of the ongoing party downstairs.

It's snowflake-like chemicals bounced through the globe, some that laid ontop of the plastic buildings shook off and floated to the ground. It was almost poetic how they fell. Small nothings relaxed on top of the solid platforms and then suddenly their world was shaking, they were bouncing and their solid platform was no longer still. They slowly inched towards the edge of their once stable ground, before slipping off and falling towards the real ground. It was a slow fall, as if taunting them towards their impending death until they landed on the ground, a new home, a new platform of stability. What they thought would be their death would become their new foundation.

Fingers snapping infront of her gaze broke Lydia from her thoughts.

"Hello?" Her brother continues to snap his fingers, "Earth to Lyd."

She shakes her head as to rid herself from her thoughts, "Sorry," she apologizes before turning her attention back to the board game infront of her. "my turn?"

Her brother, Lucas, gives her a 'duh' kind of look.

She picks up the two die, rolling them and landing a 2 and 4. "Six." She says, moving her top hat six spaces up.

Her pawn lands on Baltic Avenue, a property she owns which allows her to sigh in relief.

Lucas reaches over to pick up the dice, he pauses slightly when the pieces shake due to the beat drop of the song down below.

"What time is it?" He asks as he rolls a total of 8.

Lydia checks the small clock behind her brother, "1:30." She tells him. "Give it probably another hour before people start getting tired and go home."

Lucas passes Go, collecting $200 before landing on the Community Chest.

The leisurely game of Monopoly had now been going on for about an hour due to the fact that the music was too loud to allow the 9 year-old twins to sleep.

Pepper had come up only once to check up on them but other than that they had been left alone.

The twins found themselves in this repeated postion most nights; unable to sleep due to Tony's numerous parties.

This one seemed to be a bit different though. It was a going away party for the billionaire, who was set to leave for Afganistan in two days.

Although he was only suppose to be gone a few days, any excuse to party seemed to be happiness for him.

"Bank error in your favour," Lucas reads out, "collect $200."

Lydia sighs, having become bored of the game.

She wanted to be downstairs where the party was, she wanted to experience the deafening music and the crowds of people dancing and drinking.

Her brother, however, was the opposite. He wanted nothing to do with the party, he wanted to be in his bed sleeping while peace and quiet surrounded him.