It's Just One Inch, Sister Dear [FINISHED]

[HENRY STARK]

----------A cool breeze blew in through the screen-covered window of the apartment. Henry lay, eyes closed on his bed, fully clothed and down for a nap. A soft grey tabby was curled up beside him, her tail batting against his arm from time to time. Though the room was relatively quiet, the steady beat of a loud amped up base could not only heard, but felt in the walls and floor. Try as he might to ignore it and get his well-needed rest, Henry finally sat upright, disturbing the dozing furball beside him. "Must she?" he grumbled.
----------When he reached his sister's room he knocked a few times, hoping it was loud enough to be heard over her blasting music. "Hey! Stell! Can you turn it down? The night guards are trying to sleep and I'm trying to take a nap!" After a moment of no response he knocked harder several times. "Hey! Stell! Can you even hear me?!"

[STELLA STARK]

It was a perfect day for singing. Then again, everyday was a perfect day for singing for Stella. She hadn't left her room all day, and was dressed in typical attire, a black tank top with an oversized red over shirt and jean shorts. It was a Saturday, so she didn't have anything to do but whatever she wanted to do. And she wanted to sing.

Stella laid on her bed mouthing the words to Fun's song, We are Young. In Stella's opinion, they weren't incredibly talented musicians, but they sure knew how to make a catchy song. She jumped to her feet, holding a shoe like a microphone. "Toniiigggjhhhtttt. We. Are. Young!" she sang, rocking her head back and forth with the beat. She shot her hands up and sang, "So let's set the world on fiiirre. We can burn briiiighterrrr. Than the suuuunnnnn"" she heard a slight pounding sound on her door. Probably one of those pesky guards or something. She skipped to the door, still singing, "Now I know that I'm not, all that you goooott. I guess that I. I just thought, maybe we could find new ways to fall apart." she sang with a little pouting face to add expression.

She swung open the door and there was he older brother, Henry. "Oh, hey shorty!" she smiled, ignoring his rather annoyed face and posture. "What's up?" she smiled, walking from the door into the small living-type space. There was a small kitchen, which was was pretty messy-even for a kitchen completely controlled by a fifteen year old. There was a bowl of BBQ chips on the one bit of clean counter and she popped one in her mouth. "Come for a bite to eat? I got popcorn in the cabinet if you want." Stella loved her snacks like chips and popcorn, but was always very big on burning off calories. Mostly by dancing around on lazy Saturday afternoons. Hey, that's what she was doing now! "Or Coffee? Want some coffee? You look a little tired."

Of coarse Stella knew that he didn't want to eat or drink though, he never came down to just hang out with her. No one ever did, but she always had enough for two if someone did stop by. Not that there were a lot of kids around here. Or at least, none that were allowed to stop by and hang out with her and share a pot of coffee. That reminded her to check that door she had found the other day to see if it'd lead her into the camp. She'd been dying to get out there. Whatever, she was getting her exercise now, she could check it out later.

NOTES;; outfit
lol, I could write about Stella for hours...
SONG;; We are young - Fun
CREDIT;; by Goldy
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[HENRY STARK]

----------As the door swung open the singing abruptly stopped as his sister greeted him with a smile, her red-brown hair in a mess from what he could easily tell was her wild dancing and singing. At her comment on his height he gave her a bit of a glare. "It's just one inch, El," he said pointedly. "I'll pass you up in a few years." Though he wanted to hope for as much considering that it would deprive her of some teasing ammo, he knew that she took after the taller side of the family and as such as more likely to have more height in the end.
----------With a sigh which turned into a yawn he took her invitation to come in and sat down in a chair in the corner. "No thanks, I really just need sleep and your music is preventing just that," he grumbled. Sleep deprivation never put him in a good mood and always made his tolerance level decrease.

[STELLA STARK]

"Yeah, I'd like to see that happen." she said with a smile and took another chip and licked her lips clean of the crumbs. She didn't mind that he sat down, she hopped up on her counter and let her bare feet dangle from the counter. She ran her fingers through her messy hair in attempt to calm it down, pushing it back out of her face.

Stella shrugged, why did everyone have to complain about her music? It was daytime why couldn't she just enjoy herself and have a little fun? It was like everyone was against her, it was so stupid. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "And? It's Saturday afternoon, I can do whatever the hell I want!" she tilted her head to the side, "Why are you sleeping, anyway? I mean it's daytime. You haven't gone vamp on me, have you brother?" she teased.

"If you're tired have coffee, or pop-want some pop?" she asked, her eyes brightened and she held her finger up to signal him to wait and hopped off the counter and opened her fridge, grabbing out two diet cokes. She closed the fridge with her hip and tossed the other coke to him on the chair-not even caring if he had asked for it.

NOTES;; outfit
lol, I could write about Stella for hours...
SONG;; We are young - Fun
CREDIT;; by Goldy
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[HENRY STARK]

----------Stella had always been the more perky of the two. Perhaps it was her own way of dealing with the pain they went through, the loneliness. Henry buried himself in his paintings and studies, tries to help where he could, talk to his cat. To her, the music, the smile, the flirtatious actions towards the guards, it was her comfort. She was close to their father, closer than he had ever been and he had to admit, despite all his attempts to shove the thought aside, despite having lived his whole life trying to force himself into acceptance of his ow circumstances, he was jealous. And yet he pitied her to some extent, related to her, and as such could never truly hold bitterness towards her.
----------As she tossed him the soda can he caught it and began turning it slowly around his hands. It was cold to the touch. "Didn't sleep well last night. Someon-" he stopped and looked down at his hands. "Something was screaming. I... I think the vampires were hunting and happened to catch their prey near enough to the wall for the sound to reach my room." His eyes locked onto the can in his hands, something to keep his focus. "You just can't sleep after waking up to that," he said softly, not caring how weak he sounded.

[STELLA STARK]

Stella looked at her pop, blinking at his words. Stella slept like a rock most of the time, so she never heard anything from the Camp. Even so, just the idea of hearing that in the middle of the night sent a shiver down her spine. She turned away and set her pop on the counter, biting the side of her lip for a moment. She opened the can with the familiar popping and fizzing sound broke the awkward silence. She took a fast sip and licked her lips, turning back to her brother. She gave a shrug and replied "That sucks for you, but why should I suffer? Go to bed early tonight, for all I care. Try sleeping on the couch in the guards lounge, I don't know."

She took another sip, grateful for the caffeine and pushed herself back on the counter and crossed her arms. She pushed away the cold feeling his last words had given her, though she still felt a rather... thickness in the air. Thanks, Hank. I had such a nice vibe going and you just had to go and ruin it. She looked away and took another sip of the bubbling liquid. She perked up a little and raised the finger in her other hand, "Or, have caffeine. That'll help." she pointed am him and said knowingly, "Drink the pop. It'll keep you up till' night-time. Or I can still put on that coffee." she gave a smile and gestured to the coffee maker on the far side of the counter.

NOTES;; outfit
SONG;; We are young - Fun
CREDIT;; by Goldy
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[HENRY STARK]

----------Henry didn't both with sarcastic witty remarks or even the normal siblingly banter which occurred between him and his sister. His eyes stayed downcast, his ears only half listening to what she was saying. When he fully tuned back in to her words he caught the bits about soda and coffee. As much as tea was a more appealing prospect, the caffeine level was significantly lower save mate of which he was not a fan. He looked up at her and gave a small nod. "Yeah, coffee sounds great," he said, regaining a bit of the confidence in his voice. Slowly the terrible sounds in the night were fading from his memory. It was good. He wanted that.
----------Standing up from the chair he walked over the cupboard. "Actually, El," he said. "I'm feeling helpful." He smiled at her. "I'll make it." That was it. Chase it away with smiles and forced cheerfulness. Despite his normal irritation with Stella, today he was not in the mood for teasing.

[STELLA STARK]

Stella laughed, smirking slightly with a teasing tone, "Who said you could touch my coffee maker?" but she didn't move to stop him. She slipped off the counter easily and hopped over the seat that Henry had originally taken. She snuggled in and tucked her legs over her thighs and took another gulp of diet cola.

Stella saw a remote on the floor beside it and grabbed it quickly, pointing it down the hallway to her room with the open door where she could see her huge stereo, which was still blasting the last bits of 'we are young'. She pressed the pause button and dropped the remote back on the side of the chair on the floor.

She took another drink, at least half the can gone now. She licked her lips a little and leaned on her side. "So what's new with you?" she asked. When was the last time they just talked? She couldn't remember, though she didn't think much of it. Henry wasn't really a big part of her life, they were born to the same people. That was pretty much it. He was never close to her father, as Stella had always been, and he didn't really hang out with her at all. They didn't share any hobbies or anything! Actually, in her opinion, he didn't even like her. Whatever. She had her music and her father-she didn't need some boring older brother.

NOTES;; outfit
SONG;; We are young - Fun
CREDIT;; by Goldy
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[HENRY STARK]

----------Henry fumbled about the cupboard for a moment, moving aside a container of cocoa mix and a few spices. Taking out the coffee grounds he began measuring it out. It was strange, him and Stella just talking like this. They were never close, not even when their mother was alive and after her death... well they had become more like familiar faces than siblings. Some things remained the same. Stella's love of music. Henry's love of art. Stella's closeness with their father. Henry's distance. Things which would never change.
----------Steam rose up from the coffee-maker as it began slowly dripping its product into the cup. Henry watched it, the unsteady drops surprisingly fascinating. "Nothing. It's all the same," he sighed in reply to Stella. What more was there to say? They lived in a prison camp and though the two of them had the freedom to come and go as they please, it was not as if Henry had anywhere else he could call a home. "You?" he asked.

[STELLA STARK]

Stella shrugged, what was new in her life? It was hard to think of something that'd be new to Henry. She asked herself once more, when was the last time they'd talked? A month, two months ago... or... no, it had to be longer than that. What had happened since they talked? "Well, I got that awesome new video game-finally. The stupid ordering people 'lost my preorder in the system' and didn't get it to me until three months after the release date and totally screwed up. And then, the online shoe store place sent me the wrong size of shoe three times. Like come-on.". Stella had a tendency to talk for a while about things no one cared about other than herself.

She sighed, taking another gulp of her bubbly soft drink. There was nothing new with him? What was old with him in the first place? She knew about his painting and artsy stuff, which was sorta cool... but also kinda lame. How a painting was more descriptive than a song Stella'd never figure out. A song had a million different ways of communicating, lyrics, tunes, notes, tone, expression, volume. A painting was just pretty to look at.

So, now what... That was the problem between the two of them. They didn't have anything to talk about or do together. They weren't forced together like regular siblings, they could be simply be neighbours and have no blood relation at all and they'd have the same relationship they had now. Stella thought really hard (or harder than Stella usually thought) about something that most people liked. "Wanna play a video game or something? or... maybe... Watch a movie?" she asked, her tone slow and careful, unsure of what'd he say.

NOTES;; outfit
SONG;; We are young - Fun
CREDIT;; by Goldy
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[HENRY STARK]

----------The whole situation felt strange. He could not remember the last time they simply hung out since they came to Sangvene, or even much in the years before that after their mother's death. She had continued being close to their father but Henry, he became more distant than before, even eventually moved away to live with their grandparents before coming to Sangvene in a new attempt to know his father. Now he could not leave. He couldn't abandon the inmates to their fate and knew there had to be something he could do to help them, even if his part was small. Stella, well he did not know much about Stella's thoughts on the camp, but generally she agreed with their father and in this one situation, it made him somewhat bitter.
----------Swigging down his coffee, he rinsed out the mug and then washed it with soap before drying it and putting it away. He turned and began walking towards the door. "No thanks, Stell. I'm..." He paused a moment. Why did he always have to make these horrible excuses for her? He didn't really need to ask himself that. He cared about her. Despite not particularly liking her at all times, he didn't want her to be hurt. "Really tired and Elfy is probably hungry." He turned and weakly smiled. "Maybe some other time?"

[STELLA STARK]

Stella rolled her eyes, finishing the last bit of of her diet coke with a long chug and licking her lips as she hopped out of the seat and went to get her own coffee. "Yeah, right. Pet ownership can be a bitch." she sighed. Why did she think he'd even want to spend time with her? He never had. She didn't know or care if he realized how stupid his excuses could get. Whatever, she didn't need or want him to be her friend. She had all the friends she wanted over skype, she didn't need some dorky brother around.

She poured a small mug of coffee and poured in some milk and scoops of sugar into her coffee. She gazed into the brown depths of the milky substance and sighed before taking a small sip of the hot coffee. She licked her lips once more as she turned back to him, "There, you had your coffee-now you can go. I'll see ya some other time. I'm getting in some exotic brews next week you should come up." she said sharply, if he was so content to leave why didn't he just do it. She took another dainty sip of her coffee.

Why did she even bother trying to have a relationship with him anyways? Perhaps it was that fantasy she had of an actual family-like in those cheesy sitcoms with the dad wearing sweaters and every problem getting solved within thirty minutes? They seemed to have it at one point, then everything just spiralled out of control. At least she made an effort to be a family with her father-it was like Henry didn't even try to be a family. He always seemed to withdraw from dad, from her... But it was fine, she had Dad, and that was all she needed. He could leave and sleep the day away downstairs. She could blast her music all she wanted, what should she listen to now? Coldplay? Taylor Swift? Maybe something with a little more base. Bon Jovi? She hadn't listened to him for a while...

NOTES>> outfit
LYRICS>> Fighter - Christina Aguilera
CREDIT>> by Goldy.

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