Been traveling in packs that I can't carry anymore
Been waiting for somebody else to carry me
There's nothing else there for me at my door
All the people I know aren't who they used to be
-Say Amen (Saturday Night); by Panic! at the Disco
Sy felt her fingers tapping against the tabletop, her fingernails giving a soft clicking sound. Her mind, however, was elsewhere. She barely processed the sounds her nails were giving off. Letting out a soft sigh, Sy felt her eyes scan around the room in front of her, but she wasn't actually seeing them.
"Damn it," she murmured. Her fingers stopped tapping, her nails no longer clicking against the tabletop. Sy felt her chest tighten and her throat closing. Her eyes had tears brimming on the edge of her lashes for the last half hour, and it took everything in her to not let them fall. Everything was going wrong. Everything. In fact, the entire month had been a complete mess. It started when Sy's car broke down while she was headed to work, and it only got worse as the month dragged on. Two weeks after her car broke down — and only a week and a half after it was repaired — Sy found out her grandmother had died of cancer. The young woman's twin sister had been the only one in her family to tell her. By the time she'd been told, her grandmother's funeral had long since happened. And to make matters worse, only three days after finding out about the passing, Sy lost her job and only two weeks later she was being evicted for not being able to pay rent.
Sy had nowhere else to go. Her landlord had given her a somewhat reasonable amount of time to get her belongings together and leave, but. . .
A hot tear rolled down her cheek, causing the young woman to flinch. Quickly, Sy wiped her eyes and her cheeks. She only had five days to get everything in order and find a new place. It would be difficult, and Sy had no idea where to go. For the last five years, she'd lived in Arizona, working as a registered nurse. Sure, she made quite a few friends during her five-year stay, but the idea of asking any of them for temporary housing was embarrassing.*
Can you imagine what they'd think? Sy thought. She let out a shaky breath, sniffling. They'd think there was something wrong with you. That you're incompetent.
Shaking her head, Sy took a deep breath and let it out. She couldn't let her troubles get the best of her. She needed to calm down. She had to think of something, and she had to think of something quick. She couldn't go back to her parents, that much was certain. They wanted nothing to do with her. It was heartbreaking, honestly, how fast the ones you love could turn you away, just because you turn out a little different. But at the same time, Sy didn't expect anything less. Her parents were very particular about certain things, especially in regards to their children. If there was even one thing that they found unacceptable, well. . .
Standing, Sy winced when she heard the sound of the chair screeching against the wooden floor. She had to start making calls. She needed something sorted out or she'd be in a world of trouble. Going to her cell phone, Sy turned it on. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, her hands getting clammy. The first person she thought to call was her twin sister, Greta. The two always had such a good relationship, even after the fallout Sy had with their parents. Greta had been the more understanding one, trying to be as open-minded as possible, considering their upbringing.
Once her phone was on, Sy typed in Greta's number and pressed 'call'. She waited, her heart-rate picking up with each ring.
"Please pick up," Sy murmured. "C'mon, Greta."
"Hello?" Greta said. Her voice was soft but firm, holding a gentle confidence that Sy recognized.*
"Etta?" Sy stammered, relief evident in her voice. She didn't expect her sister to answer. Sy knew how busy Greta could be, and phone calls were usually in case of emergencies only. But the fear of homelessness was a pretty big emergency.
"Sy?" Greta exclaimed. "What's going on? Is there something wrong?"
"I. . .Look, I need your help." The hesitation was obvious, and it made the young woman wince.
"With what?"
"I lost my job," Sy sighed, "and I'm getting evicted from my apartment."
"You need a place to stay." It wasn't a question, more of a statement.
"Yeah."
Greta let out a long sigh. "I'm not really sure if I could let you in, Sy," she said. "I'm remodeling my home right now, and I'm limited on space. . ."
"No, no I get it," Sy murmured. "I shouldn't have put you on the spot like that, Greta. I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize, sis." The firmness really came out in Greta's voice at that statement. "If I could, I'd let you live with me. But I'm in a tight spot right now."
"It's fine, I can give Bela a call. I just thought I'd ask you first."
There was a long pause before Greta spoke again. "Are you sure you want to ask Bela?" she asked. "You know how she is. . ."
"I might as well," Sy murmured. "She's my next best option."
"Why don't you try Gavin?" Greta asked. "He's in New Mexico, last I heard, so if he lets you in it'll only be a couple hours by car."
"You think he'd let me stay with him?"
"I don't see why not. Besides, you'd be able to start over, at least until you get a new job and a better place."
"I guess I'll give him a try," Sy sighed.
"I would," Greta said. "He wouldn't be as. . .problematic as Bela would be."
"That's true."
"Give him a try. And I have to go, Sy, I've got to get to work."
"Okay, I'll see you later."
o o o o
Sy decided to wait before giving Gavin a call. While she would admit Greta had a point when it came to him, their only brother, she also wanted to give Bela a chance, too.* At least that way she could eliminate one person while still holding out hope for the other. But at the same time, Sy was a bit nervous to involve Bela. The two women had a very troubled relationship, when compared to how they were with their other siblings. Bela was the youngest in the family, which meant she was spoiled and hard to be around. But it was because of that that Sy found herself unable to give her youngest sister a call. She had Bela's number on her phone's screen, but she couldn't bring herself to actually make the call.
Just take Greta's advice and call Gavin. He'd have no trouble taking you in.
That seemed reasonable. Gavin was trustworthy, he was responsible and knew how to appropriately handle situations. But, at the same time, he tended to avoid any association with his family. The second he turned eighteen, he moved out. He only took a handful of clothes and whatever money he had saved up and just vanished. Sy remembered hearing the news from Greta, who'd been informed by their parents almost immediately. It was a complete and utter disaster, to say the least. Gavin did end up calling their parents to let them know he was okay, but all communications with him dropped after that. He'd made his decision, and there was no changing his mind.
Letting out a long sigh, Sy ran a hand through her hair. Her fingers got tangled in her curls, making her wince as they tugged through. She couldn't bring herself to call Bela, so after deleting the number, she put in Gavin's. Or what she believed to be his number. He was continually changing his number, probably hoping he'd be left alone.
Those few moments it took for Sy's phone to get through to Gavin's felt like a lifetime, and it made her feel almost sick in anticipation. Those rings seemed to last forever, and she sure as hell didn't want to deal with that.
But it only took a few more rings before there was any kind of response.
"Hello?"
Sy felt her heart jump in her throat. Her stomach knotted up and her skin broke out into goosebumps.
"Gavin?" she asked. Her tone was hesitant. She knew that the person who answered was her brother, she just needed that confirmation.
"Yeah," he answered. "Is that you, Sy?"
"Yeah."
"Did you need something?" Gavin sounded almost unsure, like he didn't know where to go with the conversation.
"Uhm, yeah," Sy stammered. "I, uh, needed your help with something."
There was a long pause before he spoke again. "Help with what exactly?" he murmured.
"I've lost my job and I'm about to lose my apartment," she said. "I was hoping maybe I could crash with you for a little bit. At least until I get back on my feet."
"Did you try Greta?"
"You know I did. She told me it's not a good time so I should ask you."
He let out a long sigh. "I guess I could let you stay for a little while," he grumbled. "I've got that spare bedroom, I'd just have to move some stuff around."
"That's fine with me. And thank you, Gavin. I owe you one."
"Yeah, whatever. Do you know when you're coming down?"
"The next few days, probably."
"Fine."
Without another word, Gavin hung up. When Sy put her cell phone down, she let out an airy chuckle. She managed to convince her brother to let give her a place to stay for a little while. It felt surreal. Sy didn't expect him to agree so quickly, but he did! God, that beat having to deal with Bela and all of her bullshit.
Maybe, amidst all the chaos she went through, Sy was finally getting the relief she needed.
(A/N):
Hello, my friends. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. If you feel like I could use some improvement in any way, be sure to PM me or leave a review. I'll take your advice into consideration and add any changes you think need to be done.
Do I own anything in the Marvel fandom? No. No I do not. All I own are my OCs, my subplots, and an excitement for the upcoming Captain Marvel movie. If you've got any ideas for OCs or subplots, be sure to PM me or leave a review. I'll add them in as soon as possible.
For those of you who are excited for any upcoming Marvel movies — like Captain Marvel, Avengers: Endgame, or Spider-Man: Far From Home — leave a review, if you'd like. Actually, even if you're not excited for those movies, you're just scared or unsure or whatever, leave a review. I'd like to know how you guys feel about 'em.
Also, for those of you who are curious, I put out OC descriptions/facts in the "profile" section. I thought it'd be helpful for those of you who wanted a little more information. I'm sure I may not do a good job at describing certain characters or scenarios, so that's the main reason I chose to just get my OCs out of the way first. So yeah, give it a look if you want.
Thank you guys so, so much!
Dakota Haughton