Life, Death, and Time - A Books Of Beginning Collection

Oneshot: Sisterhood

Background: Takes place between The Emerald Atlas and The Fire Chronicle while the Wibberly siblings are at the orphanage in Baltimore. 

Content: Family, Sisters, Wholesomeness, Support, Advice, Growing Up. 

"He has got to be the most annoying person who ever exsisted!" Emma Wibberly yelled, violently throwing herself onto her narrow, lumpy bed. The feeling of a loose spring pressing through the too thin mattress and into her back just made her angrier. Was it too much to ask for a comfortable place to sleep? Apparently, in Ms. Crumley's orphanage, it was (Emma would know, she got yelled at for sarcastically asking earlier that week). 

Kate, Emma's fifteen year old sister, sighed and put down the homework she was working on, turning so she was sitting cross legged on her own lumpy bed. Between the June heat, the fact that school had yet to end, and the fact that they hadn't heard anything from Dr. Pym since December, Emma was more irritable then usual. And one person seemed to be able to make her see red more than anyone else in the world.

"What happened?" Kate asked, knowing by now that Emma would need a moment to vent. 

Emma shifted on the bed, smacking the flat pillow a few times to release her aggression, "I got ANOTHER lecture on how I need to be 'more responsible' and 'take things seriously'! He's just so patronizing about it too! He thinks just because he's almost a year older and like, half an inch taller than me, he's so superior! As if I'm not the one who has to save his stupid self from bullies half the time! You'd think he'd be more grateful."

The 'he' in question she was talking about was the middle Wibberly sibling, their brother Michael, who did indeed like to lecture. His two favorite subjects to lecture about seemed to be Emma's lack of responsibility, and dwarves (his third favorite lecture subject at the moment was the ridiculous of elves, though that wasn't important in the moment).. It was hard to tell which subject annoyed Emma more. 

"And then, he had the nerve to take out his stupid medal from King Robbie and started talking about how dwarves are these paragons of responsibility and strength, and how he could offer me pointers from their history if I needed them, and how he knew with practice I could improve myself and do King Robbie proud... he's just smug and pretentious! He gets one stupid award from a dwarf and suddenly he's this grand authority figure! Like he didn't trip over his untied shoe laces at lunch just yesterday! Ha!" Emma finished her rant, crossing her arms to accentuate her point. 

Kate lightly touched her temples. While it was likely that Emma was exaggerating exactly how smug Michael was being, his habit for lecturing, then invoking his friendship with King Robbie into the lectures as evidence of his authority, was becoming a problem. She knew that both her brother and sister's tempers were flaring because of being stuck at this awful orphanage, not knowing when Dr. Pym would come for them, and that they were trying to cope as best they could. She knew lectures were just a way for Michael to feel in control of a tough situation. But they also made Emma angry, just like when Emma got into mischief it annoyed Michael. Kate, for her part, had been trying to encourage both of them to dial it back and cooperate with each other, but it was clear that wasn't going well. 

It was time to stop being subtle and have one of those tough to control heart to hearts with her sister (and later have one with her brother). They weren't easy, of course, but it was up to Kate to make sure her siblings didn't tear each other apart before the day they escaped this wretched place.

"Come here," she called to her younger sister. Emma popped up and ran to her side, Kate's arms pulling around her into a hug. The older girl pressed a kiss to the top of Emma's head, hugging her tight at the same time.