"Basil!"
Sam's soft voice cut through the suffocating silence of the house. "Can you please get Olive dressed? It's cold out and she needs a jacket."
"Yeeaaahhh, I know!" Basil whispered, grabbing her little sister's jacket from a pile of clothes in the corner. She wrinkled her face up, and stuck her tongue out. "Sam it's all gross!"
"I know, I know!" Sam said as he shoved the little food they had in three separate bags. "I'm going to try and do some laundry today."
"Good, my clothes are all stinky." Basil said, getting Olive's jacket on before grabbing her own.
Sam hurried from the kitchen and handed each of them a bag, keeping the lightest one for himself.
"Okay. Both you guys are dressed, got lunches...all your papers are signed. Let's get out of here before mom and dad can wake up."
Basil took Olive's hand, and they were out the door.
The walk to school was long and very cold. Sam was sure to get Olive to school first, then Basil. Before he let her go in the school he pulled her aside. "-hey how are your arms? I didn't get to see them."
Basil sighed, and rolled up her sleeves. "Here you go."
He took her wrists and gently turned her arms. "...all the bruises still aren't gone…"
"I know…" Basil sighed, her shoulders slumping.
"Well just...keep your jacket on all day, okay?" Sam said. "Teachers won't get suspicious."
"Right...okay. I'll see you after school." She said, and gave him a nervous smile as she turned to leave.
"Hey, have a good day!" Sam called as she left, and then let out a very tired sigh.
Off to school with him too.
The longer Sam was at school, the more he dreaded going home. He hated admitting it, but he liked being here where he didn't have to take care of Basil or Olive, didn't have to worry about working shifts at grizzco, didn't have to worry about upsetting his parents. He just worried about himself.
By the time the last class bell rang, he had a knot in his stomach. He thought about what he could do to NOT go home as he walked to Olive's school to pick her up. Maybe he could just...play a few games at the square.
He walked in the school and to her classroom, waving at the teacher. "Hey," He said as he came to the door. "...how did she do today?"
The teacher smiled a little, and gave him a tired laugh. "A little better. She's been less mean the past few days."
"Oh! G-Good." Sam said quickly. "Good. Were working on it at home."
The teacher turned and called for Olive, and she hurried over to the door with her backpack.
"-oh, one more thing. She has a really nasty cut...it's like...bruised. Right on her upper arm. I didn't see her fall or anything that I know of. I just wanted to make sure-"
"Yeah, it's okay!" Sam said quickly, picking her up and putting her on his hip. "She fell the other day and hit the counter pretty hard. Just a little accident."
"Oh, dear. Alright, at least it was just an accident."
"Yeah, thankfully. Well...we'll see you tomorrow. Say bye Olive." Sam said, and she only waved a little.
As they walked out of the school, Olive just put her head on his shoulder tiredly. "...Sam." She whispered.
"Yeah?"
"I don't wanna go home yet."
He sighed, starting off towards Basil's school. "Yeah, I know. Were not. We're gonna go to the square for a while. You can take a nap while Basil does some homework, how about that?"
"...can I just nap now?" She asked, closing her eyes.
"If you want my absolute honesty, I don't want you to because then I have to carry you the entire way and that hurts my arms." He muttered, but she didn't quite answer. Seemed she was already half asleep.
He walked his way over to Basil's school, picking her up from the front. He handed the now napping Olive off for a little bit. "You got homework?"
"Yeah, of course." She answered, "...why wouldn't I?"
"I was just asking. Were gonna hit up the square, I need to run a few winning games to get enough to get groceries. Olive will just nap if you do homework."
She sighed dramatically, and stuck her tongue out. "I wanna play a turf war!"
"Basil you're eleven."
"Almost twelve."
"Regardless, you gotta be fourteen. So don't even ask."
"Fine." She said, although she definitely pouted. They walked quietly to the square, and Sam took them in one of the little cafes. Putting his bag in the back corner booth where no one would notice two kids hanging out. "Stay here, I'll be half an hour. Don't. Go. Anywhere. You got me?"
"Yessir." Basil said, laying Olive down in the booth and sitting opposite of her. She watched Sam leave, but didn't move to get any of her homework out. She just had to wait about five minutes, and she was clear to walk out of there, and try out a Turf War for herself.