Unedited. Point out the mistakes please

「 e l e v e n :  "You cowardly older brother." 」

"Give me my sandwich back, Jake Brendon Cooper Adams! Don't you dare even sniff it! You've had your share!"

"What will you do if I eat it, huh?" Jake challenged as he ran, his voice teasing.

Katie's voice turned cold as she threatened, "I'll kill you! Or worse, I'll tell your future girlfriend all the embarrassing things you did when you were a kid, and show her your photos."

He gave a booming laugh as he swiftly entered a guest room and closed the door. "There's still time for that, and there's no way you know what I did when we were kids."

"Don't test me! I have a good memory!"

"I don't care!"

"Open the freaking door, stupid Jake Adams!"

"Yeah, I'm not doing that."

"Greedy fool!"

"Whatever."

"You cowardly older brother."

He snorted from behind the door. "Guess you'd call me that now."

"You're a boxer, dude!"

"You can throw a punch as well," he replied.

Katie opened her mouth to spew out a few threatening words, but a thought came to her. Turning her voice into a sweet tone, she said, "I can't punch as good as you, though."

Jake raised an eyebrow. He leaned against the door. I know all of her tricks, was the first thought that crossed his mind. "Flattery will get you nowhere, dearest sister," he replied with the same tone as hers.

"What makes you think that? It's true, Jay-Jay. You're an amazing boxer."

He stayed silent. He knew she could use those words with such conviction that he would succumb to them, but he also knew better than that.

"Come on, now," she whined a bit. "Aren't you going to say anything? I was hoping you could show me the new kind of uppercut you mastered last week."

"I don't think I will, though."

"Aww, come on, Jakey. Please show it to me. Please? I won't even complain if you show it off for the rest of the week."

This is a trick, Jake. This is a trick. This is a trick. This is a tri-

"It's an amazing move!" He swung the door open with an excited smile on his face.

"Gotcha, dumbass!" she exclaimed and with a jab in his stomach, took her sandwich back.

Jake pouted. "That's not fair! You cheated!"

"I didn't. You were open, that was my chance. You stole it from me in the first place, you animal!"

"But I'm still hungry," he whined.

She threw a calm look at him. "Doesn't mean you steal my food. I thought you knew better than to touch my food."

"Fine," he huffed.

"We have food in the kitchen, too, you know."

"It's too far away."

Katie shrugged. "Well then, suit yourself."

Katie realised that she still wanted to see his new move. After a long moment of silence with him sitting on the couch, sulking childishly and her eating thr sandwich in peace, she looked at him. She narrowed her eyes as curiosity got the best of her.

"If I give you one bite of my sandwich, will you show me the new move?"

"Five bites."

"Two."

"Four and a half."

"Three."

"Half of the sandwich and I'll teach it to you."

Katie recoiled in surprise. She certainly didn't expect that. Licking her lips, she nodded. "We've got a de-"

"You lazy cheapskates! I can't believe you two!"

"Mum!" The siblings exclaimed together and went to the door where their parents were standing. Katie hugged them both, kissing their cheeks. Jake stood two steps behind her and waved at them.

"Hey, you two," Katie's father waved at them.

"You came earlier than expected! Do you want some water or food?" Katie asked, her eyes shining brightly.

"Water would be fine. We'll be down in five minutes. Thanks, honey," Brielle told her.

"Alright."

"So, what were you two idle kids fighting about?"

"She didn't give me food!"

"He stole my sandwich! And don't lie, Jake!"

They went into the big living room. It was furnished beautifully, with couches to complement the sky blue colour of the walls. The windows were open, allowing the breeze to enter the room. A glass table was kept in the centre of the room, right in front of the television. Family photo-frames, pretty vases and different trophies finished the room's look.

As the siblings continued shouting, trying to overpower each other, Brielle sat on the couch and folded her arms. An amused expression flashed on her face.

"... so, the conclusion is that she finished every bit of her 'precious'-" he put his fingers as he quoted the word, "-sandwich and now she won't be getting to see my new punch."

"I offered it to you, though," she complained.

"I didn't listen to either of you," their father said, "but we got food on our way here."

"Yayy!"

"You guys are the best! What did you get?"

"Italian."

Katie clapped her hands, excited. "After ages! Why didn't you tell us sooner, though?"

"Because we wanted to hear what you were fighting about this time," Brielle explained, smiling sarcastically.

"You know that most parents wouldn't bother in knowing their children's fights, right?" Jake asked.

"Oh, we know," she answered. "It's fun to know what level of fights you two have. We are lucky it's never anything."

George Adams nodded. "Agreed."

Katie and Jake shared a look. "I don't know if we should be offended that you two have fun in our banters or be kinda relieved that you do think of it," Jake worded out slowly.

Brielle waved her hand. "Doesn't matter. Bring out the food, George. It must be cold now."

"Aww man," Katie grumbled. "Now we'll have to heat it."

"No shit, Sherlock."

"Jake," Brielle warned, "no cursing."

"Sorry."

Katie laughed in his face and went into the kitchen with her dad. The aroma of the food was mouth-watering. They heated up the food and sat in the living room instead of the dining table, as a change. They ate in peace as the siblings kept their bickering to a minimum. After eating and putting the dishes in the dishwasher, they fished out ice cream for dessert.

"Wanna watch a movie?" Katie's father asked as they sat in the living room again.

"Yes!" Katie cheered. "Let's watch something Jake doesn't like-" he shot her a look and she smirked, "for example science fiction. What say?"

Their mother smiled innocently, hidden ice in her eyes. "Or we'll watch horror, which neither of you likes, huh?"

"Mum..." they drawled out and she smirked in satisfaction.

"A Marvel marathon sounds good, then," their father concluded, high-fiving Brielle. Katie shrugged and settled beside her father, sticking out her tongue at Jake. He rolled his eyes in reply.

❇ ❇ ❇

"It's the perfect weather to be here right now, isn't it?"

Katie nodded, gazing at the stars above. Her mother came to sit beside her on the rooftop, her long black hair flowing in the summer breeze. She had changed into comfortable clothes, unlike the work suit she would be in most of the time. Despite liking her professional demeanour, Katie preferred the laid back attitude she had. It defined who her mother really was; not the inevitable but faux work attitude they had to maintain.

"The cloudless sky is perfect for stargazing," Katie agreed.

She had always liked stargazing and studying the stars and constellations. She would come on the rooftop with her mother on clear nights and just stare at them, occasionally trying to put the constellations. The hobby had been passed down from her mother and also her father to an extent.

Brielle hummed, leaning back on her elbows. "Do you remember what we went through last time?"

"Yeah," she nodded. Stretching her hand, she pointed far north. "There's the Polaris, above the Plough, as always. It's pretty easy to spot it now, especially since I was able to find Dubhe and Merak, too." her face broke into a smile. "This is so interesting! I wish there were more clear skies like this one!"

Brielle laughed. "It does seem easier now, doesn't it? Well..." her tone turned into a teasing one, "it's not like you're able to spot it after what- ten years?"

Katie scratched her head sheepishly, blowing air through her mouth. "Yeah... I didn't focus on it before. It became easier after you helped me out last time," she muttered and pouted. "I was a fool to not take much interest in it before."

"It's fine. Better late than never, huh?"

"Yep!" she nodded and then pointed a bit to the south. "I see Canis Major today. And also Sirius."

"Ah, yes. Sirius is the brightest star, of course. It's prominent this time of the year. I knew you'd find it."

"Mhmm," Katie murmured. "Sirius. Reminds me of Harry Potter."

"Right?" Brielle jumped in sudden enthusiasm. "I like the star especially because of Sirius! And it's even more interesting because, you know, Canis Major- or the constellation where Sirius is, translates to The Greater Dog, the star means the 'Dog Star' and Sirius Black's animagus is a dog?!"

A cheeky smile coated Katie's lips. "Pretty amazing, indeed," she replied. Turning her head, she looked at her mother with amusement. "You're such a fangirl, mum."

Brielle gave a laugh and scratched her head. "That I am, aren't I? Between the two of us, I can pass in your school as a high-schooler better than you," she smirked and winked.

Katie gasped. "Are you implying that I'm old school because I don't fangirl over books?!"

"Hey, you said it, not me."

Katie's mouth dropped, making her mother laugh more. She closed Katie's mouth and planted a kiss on her cheek. Katie shuffled closer to her and put arms around her shoulders, hugging her tightly.

"I'm obviously kidding, baby. You fit in school just fine, don't you?"

"I do. And it's not like I'm 'bland' or something, you know? I've seen plenty of shows."

"I see no problem with it, then. You are cooler than me, of course. I was joking earlier."

"I know."

"While that's being said," her mother said, "if your friends accept you despite your shortcomings, you should consider yourself lucky." A satisfied sigh left her lips. "I'm sure Rose and River, and also Lillian now, love you very much. Don't be the reason to let them down, okay?"

Katie closed her eyes, feeling a slight flurry of air blow past her. "I won't. I promise."

"And if... God forbid this happens, but if someone hurts you in some way, be sure to give them a second chance."

Katie furrowed her eyebrows, blinking rapidly. "I can't do that."

"Why not?"

"Because it doesn't make sense. If they hurt me, intentional or not, it means that they might do it again. Giving them another chance just means that they get a loophole from me, to just end up hurting me again," she bit her lip. "It just doesn't seem right to me."

"You're mistaken, Katie."

She broke free from their side hug. Incredulously, she asked, "How so?"

"Firstly, because the same thing might happen to you. Look at it from your perspective. Even though you say you won't hurt anyone, it's not 100 per cent possible. You might end up hurting someone unintentionally and regret it later on. You know it was a mistake, the other person does, too. Does it mean that you don't deserve forgiveness?

"You do. And so does everyone. From the way I look at it, it takes guts to be the bigger person, but it also feels liberating at the end of the day. Isn't it right? What do you think?"

"I never thought of it that way," she admitted.

"I figured as much. But it's fine. You're just 15, you'll learn through experiences. This is just a word of advice your old woman has got to give, though," she grinned at the last part, winking at her daughter, "Never take anything for granted, and don't look at things from only one perspective. There are always two sides of a coin, and both are equally important."

Katie smiled briefly. "That's kinda easy for you to say."

"But that doesn't mean that you won't be able to incorporate the ability to think from every standpoint."

Katie didn't reply, letting the comment sink in. There was so much to think of, so much to hope for, but the thought of even getting your heart broken by a friend or anyone dear to saddened her. It also angered her, and the fact that they deserve a second chance was perfect by theory. Was it possible practically, though?

"There's the Polaris," Brielle pointed out to where the star shone brightly. "Search for it and it'll take you home all right." Katie's thoughts broke away and she smiled.

The Polaris will always guide you home.

Katie remembered the exact words. She had engraved them in her mind since the day her mother worked them out. It had been 10 years since they went on open ground for stargazing. She had guessed it wasn't only the star she was talking about; it held something deeper, a hidden meaning.

"You say the same thing every time we look at it," she smiled.

"Of course," her mother nodded. "Because the fact would never change. You can take the deeper meaning or take it literally, it doesn't really matter."

Will you become my star, mommy?

That's what she had wanted since she was a kid. "You're my star, then." She believed it to be true.

Brielle gave a small smile, resting her cheek on Katie's head. "If so, you can search for the North Star when I'm not here or you're feeling alone. If that gives you strength, I'll be happy."

"Now that's just becoming cheesy," Katie laughed. "But I like the concept, no matter how unreal it seems."

"I'm glad," she replied and looked at Katie, giving her a grin.

Katie hugged her from sideways again, pressing her cheek against hers. "Never leave me."

"Never. I promise."

Privet! (Russian)

Long time no see, huh? I kinda sorta had a writer's block and I got bored and stuff happened, but I wrote this! Tell me your thoughts--

It's fine. Not my best and certainly not the worst. I happened to completely delete the first half of it I had previously written and completely wrote the new part today :)

Alrighty, I have a few things to say *clears throat*:

I fangirled too hard in this. I can't even lmao. Especially the Harry Potter references. I'm afraid I have to lessen their use now.

Firstly, I know this story is going somewhere. I do know it. I knew beforehand that the first part of the story would be fast-paced, and believe me, the next chapters have to be a bit fast (bear with me).

It's got a few loose ends and t certainly isn't the most perfect story out there, but this is just the first draft. I want to know how it would look once finished, too. I realised that I missed out on many important points I should have covered in the earlier chapters and I am gonna add them once I complete it. So if you guys hang on with me till the end, I'll be very happy! ಥ‿ಥ

The vine above has got me wheezing for days now. That's almost how Katie would look when she's hungry lmao

Okieee I'm done now!

QOTD: If you're a writer- what makes you struggle the most while writing?

If you're a reader- which parts, according to you, are the best in a story?

Hope you're having a crap-free day, week, month!

Love, Cas