Katherine hugged her zip up hoodie tighter around her lithe body as she walked on the wet pavement that was drizzled with raindrops. The hood on her head did a great job of hiding her facial features: her long, straight, cherry red hair; her vibrant blue-ish green eyes and the freckles that marked her nose and cheeks. She walked with her head down and a duffle bag on her shoulder.
She – and her family – were well known in her hometown and if anyone saw her, then she was doomed. She couldn't let anyone see and recognise her for fear that someone would tell her father of her presence. Then her plans to see her older brother would be of no importance anymore.
With a shiver at the thought, she rubbed her gloved hands together, shoved them in the pockets of her hoodie and walked on. The cold, December air hit her face as she looked up at the stars, searching for one star in particular – her mother.
She returned her focus to the path ahead of her; her brother's apartment was not so far from where she was now. The only problem was that the retail store that her father did night shifts in was right around the corner. She held her breath, praying and wishing for her mother to guide her through this. She quickened her pace into a sprint as she ran past the retail store.
There were only a few people out at this hour: a few business men and women working late and a group of drunks messing about on the opposite side of the street. There were not many cars to spot her – that was a blessing as far as she was concerned.
After getting past the retail store without any mishaps, she finally reached her brother's apartment block. She stood at the bottom of the steps, looking up at the apartment. Well, it's now or never, she thought as she placed her hand on the rail.
She walked up and opened the door. Walking in, she saw the lights were all on on the ground floor. She winced at this; it would make it harder to get to her brother's block unnoticed. But to her relief, the ground floor was empty. Now all she had to do was get into the elevator, hoping that no one was using it.
She held her breath and entered the elevator, pressing the third floor button. She found her way to his door and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, the door was opened and on the other side stood a man taller than Katherine by a few inches. She lifted her head to look up at him, and smiled softly when his eyes lit up – which was a rare occurrence for him. Katherine put her hood down and studied him. He has the same facial features, except his hair is black and curled, stopping below his ears rather than cherry red, long and straight.
She threw herself at him, wrapping her arms round his neck. "Sherlock!" she cried as he hugged her back. This was another rare occurrence with her brother. He tried avoid human contact as much as possible.
The older of the two held his sister in a hug as he led her in and closed the door. They didn't move from their position, staying in each other's arms for what seemed like an age.
Finally, Sherlock held her away from him, and looked her up and down. "Katherine, where did you go?" he asked with a sad smile. Katherine sighed and tears started falling down her cheeks. He pulled her into a hug again and didn't say anything, waiting for her to cry herself out.
Katherine let out all of the tears that she had been holding in for eight years. She didn't care that people would hear her; all that mattered was that she was with her brother after so long.
"I… Dad… kicked me out…" she whispered through sobs. "After that fight I had in school," At her words, Sherlock pushed her away gently, looking her in the eye.
"What do you mean, 'Dad kicked me out'?" he asked firmly. He sat her on the couch and sat next to her, holding her close as she explained her story.
"Remember that huge fight in school, eight years ago, with Sasha and Graham and all that lot?" she asked, continuing when he nodded. "Yeah, I told Dad what I had done to them, you know, I got pretty violent trying to stick up for Sasha and Mal. And then he gave me a bag, told me to pack up and be out of the house in half an hour. Didn't tell me why or what he was feeling, just 'I can't believe you would be so careless. I can't stand the sight of you. Get out.' Yeah, I spent a couple months on the streets, then there was these two people who ran a home for troubled teens who took me in. I spent the next eight years there and I loved it." She took a deep breath, trying to control her shaking body.
"And then, I decided to ask permission to come and see you, and here I am," she finished. Sherlock takes a deep breath and shivers.
"He was a preacher. Violence mattered to him. Still no reason to kick you out though," he mused.
They were silent for five minutes, each of them thinking about the other. Suddenly, Katherine threw her arms round his neck and started sobbing, "I missed you like hell, Sherlock," she whispered.
Again, they shared an embrace. As he hugged her, an unusual tear slipped down the other brother's cheek. "I missed you a hell of a lot too, Katherine. And it was harder as I was left standing in the dark." He paused, wiping his eyes. "But what matters is that you're back now."
They are frozen in the moment, enjoying their first sibling embrace in eight years.