"Is she asleep?" Viki whispers.

"Dunno. Seems to be." Jilly whispers back.

They shift around on the bed till they're both on their knees, their heads almost touching in the dim, filtered moonlight. The sleeping form of their little sister lies between them, her nightie softly rising and sinking.

The girls did not plan this earlier. They did not decide till when to stay awake. Things like this just happened and they did not question it.

"So," Viki whisper-screams over some annoying bird adding to the constant cacophony of the crickets. "You want to go with Kevin."

"And you want to go with Jonny." Jilly says this with a sort of enforced finality. She so wants it to be true.

"I just want to go, love." Viki giggles. "So here's the plan. It'll be dark the whole festival through. You want to be sitting inside for the whole stage thing, right?"

"Yeah, I suppose." Jilly ponders this. "Yes. Okay. I want to be inside the auditorium."

"Right, well all the lights will be focussed on the stage obviously so you don't have to worry. He won't be able to tell the difference."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive." Viki smiles. "I've thought this whole thing through so trust me. I'll be outside with Jonny and Annie."

"Annie?" Jilly hisses.

As if upon hearing her name being called, Jilly begins to stir. Both sisters immediately grab each of their sister's earlobes and begin massaging them. Jilly hums softly. Annie falls back into deep slumber.

The girls slowly let go of her ears and look at each other. They want to laugh but cannot wake her.

"You're taking Annie with you?" Jilly asks.

"What else are we going to do? Leave her? Papa'll be busy."

Jilly is quiet for a long while. The only sound they hear is the soft puff of their own breaths and the bleat of the neighbour's goat.

"Why do you even want to go, then?" Jilly finally asks. "You don't even like him."

"I don't have to like him. I just like the idea of him. The idea of being out at the festival with all the stalls all around and someone to share in all that joy with. That's all I'm after."

"You're really weird, you know that?"

"Yeah. I think too much." She leans over and kisses Jilly's cheek. "I love you."

Jilly closes her eyes and shakes her head, a wide smile on her face. "You have to stop doing that. We're in ninth."

She huddles down under the blanket and closes her eyes.

"Jilly," she hears from behind her. "You didn't tell me you love me back."

"You know I love you back." She says.

"Yay."

Silence prevails for a few moments. And then Annie's quiet voice pipes up.

"What about me?"

The girls fall asleep in a cuddle of limbs and hair.

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