Hello everyone! Welcome to my very first multi-chap fic!
You all cast your votes, and after an unexpected tie between two stories, I finally decided on Sisters and Other Strangers. The reasoning behind this choice is simple. Kill of The Night, the other option, is going to be a much larger production than this story, containing hopefully over thirty chapters. However, this story will, at the very most, reach the twenty chapter mark. It will probably be the shortest out of the three options given on the pole.
I apologize in advance if updates are slow, as I am already having a bit of writers block, but I promise to post one-shots as frequently as possible to make up for lost time.
Finally, I hope you enjoy the story! Don't forget to REVIEW, FOLLOW, AND FAVORITE!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harold, Scarlett, or any other Total Drama characters/locations/events. All of that belongs to Jennifer Pertsch and Tom McGillis.
"Siblings that say they never fight are most definitely hiding something."
- Lemony Snicket
On the day that she came home, Harold's job was to water the flowers in the front yard.
For the entire week, Mrs. McGrady had been feverishly running throughout the house, dusting every square inch of her property in preparation for her daughter's return home. It had been over a month since Scarlett had left to be a competitor on Total Drama. The redheaded siblings hated it when their parents gushed about Scarlett following in her brother's footsteps, even if he was younger than her.
While their parents disliked having to spend so much time away from dear little Scarlett, Harold was ecstatic.
After his experience on the show, he never would've expected someone like his older sister to sign up.
Both McGrady children were extremely smart, and had the brains to go anywhere the wanted in life. Harold later learned that Scarlett was desperate for the monetary gain so she could have her pick of any university in the country. Plus, having a but of money tucked away never hurt.
Harold then learned that his older sister was so desperate for the money that she was willing to kill an entire inhabited island for it.
As much as he would've liked to have been surprised by this sudden change of heart, Scarlett's evil persona barely even fazed him. In truth, he'd been dealing with the same girl since the age of six.
Yet, even now, no one believed him.
When she was rescued from a desert island after her elimination, Scarlett had articulately explained to their parents over the phone that the entire reveal was simply a publicity stunt the show had forced her to pull. They instantly bought into this, just how they'd been doing for years, and forced Harold once again to stop blabbing nonsense when he attempted to convict Scarlett.
Now she was finally returning home, and Harold's blank face as he tended to a plot of peonies was all you needed to know about how he felt.
"Harold," A chipper voice called from the doorway. "Do you need me to refill that can for you yet, dear?"
The boy turned to face his mother, half-empty watering can in hand. "It's fine for now, but thank you for the offer, Mom. I'll have enough to get through the rest of these peonies and the lilies."
Mrs. McGrady was a tall, unnaturally thin woman who had large cheekbones dusted with freckles. Her auburn hair was shoulder length and her eyes a lovely shade of hazel. Unlike her husband, daughter, and son, the woman didn't wear glasses. If she wasn't so frail, she would've looked almost just like her daughter.
"Oh, these peonies look wonderful! Have you ever considered becoming a botanist, Harold? You have a real green thumb!" The mother gushed.
"A botanist?" Harold set the can down, inspecting a recently watered flower. "Uh, I don't think so, even if gardening is one of my many skills. I'd rather apply my wide array of talents somewhere else."
Mrs. McGrady let out a bellied laugh. "Oh Harold, you kill me, darling! Now, make sure to finish up quickly, your sister will be home soon!"
"Yeah," The skinny boy began in his husky voice. "About Scarlett, I really think you and Dad should listen when I say-"
Just like that, he was cut off. His mother was usually a very understanding person, but she had a mental blockade that prevented her from thinking that her first born was anything but an angel.
"We've spoken about this already, Harold. Those vile producers forced your sister into doing those awful things."
"But she's been like this forever! She really is that evil, Mom!" He countered as he stood up from the flower patch.
His mother's voice was uncharacteristically sharp, and she wiped away a bead of sweat as she spoke. "I think you of all people should know that Chris McLean is the evil one. He tortures you kids every season! You know, both you and Scarlett are very lucky I even let you on the show." Her voice became shrill. "Harold, you were on that show for three seasons!"
"And I met a lot of people!" His heart swayed at the thought of LeShawna. "Sure, some of those people were total jerks, but it was an amazing experience!"
"Things on that show have changed! Neither of you are ever participating ever again, and that is final. Now I need you to stop accusing your sister of things she clearly would never do!" With that, his mother sighed deeply, and dusted herself off.
Harold finally decided that trying to enlighten his parents was of little to no use anymore. A long sigh escaped his lips.
"I'm sorry, Mom. I'll also apologize to Scarlett when she gets here..."
Mrs. McGrady's hard exterior softened, and she returned to her normal, smiley self. "Oh, Harold, I'm so proud of you." She extended her arms, taking her son in a hug.
He accepted her affections, but frowned behind her back. Someday, Scarlett was really going to get what was coming to her. Alas, that day was not today, as mother and son then heard the sound of a car pulling up the driveway. Harold's heart leaped up into his throat.
"She's here!" The older woman screeched with excitement. "Oh honey, let's go greet her!" She then proceeded to grab her son's arm and yank him down the stony path towards the driveway. Considering how little he weighed, this was easy.
Scarlett had requested a chauffeur be rented to escort her back home so that she wouldn't have to drive home herself. Of course, being the innocent little bookworm she was, the McGrady parents sprung onto the opportunity and got her a limo. Harold didn't see how this was fair. The chauffeur himself didn't even step out of the vehicle.
As his feet hit the driveway blacktop, Harold knew he had to prepare himself for anything.
Scarlett was almost a convicted murderer, and he knew that he was most likely number one on her kill list. Maybe number two behind that sniveling Max guy she had encountered on the island. However, it didn't matter since he only had a matter of seconds to prepare himself.
The sleek black door swung open, and out stepped his sister. Much to Harold's surprise, she wasn't carrying a gun or a katana blade, just a singular suitcase of belongings that the officials had managed to retrieve for her. Her glasses were on, fiery hair contained in a neat bun, and that unassuming cardigan-skirt combo sported. Last but not least, was a simple smile on her lips.
"Scarlett!" A shrill cry resonated throughout the neighborhood. In a flash, Mrs. McGrady had already enveloped her daughter in spine-crushing hug.
"Hello, Mother." Scarlett greeted rather uncomfortably. She awkwardly patted the other woman on the back, keeping a tight grip on her suitcase.
Mrs. McGrady stepped back, cupping her daughter's face with one hand. "My little angel, we missed you so much!'
"I missed you too." The girl responded, giving a small giggle-snort.
"Harold!" The mother called, glancing over her shoulder. "Come say hello to your sister!"
Instantly, Harold felt his feet become ten times heavier. His hands became clammy and he anxiously bit his lip, but nonetheless, he stepped forward.
He imagined the scene as a daring quest. Harold McGrady, the mighty warlock ninja, was stepping closer to the fiery pit. Within this fiery pit stood his next opponent, the most daunting one yet. The She-Demon. He had battled swamp creatures, dragons, everything of the sort, but it all came down to this moment. The moment when he puffed out his chest, stood tall, and looked the She-Demon right in the unforgiving emerald eyes.
"Hello, Harold." Scarlett said dully, checking her immaculate nails.
"Hi."
The three heard a bird chirp overhead.
"Harold, help your sister with her bags!" Their mother pressed, ushering her son towards his sibling. "Then you both need to come down for dinner!"
Scarlett gave a small smirk and held out her suitcase towards the boy. "Yes, Harold, would you help me? I'd really appreciate it."
"You only have one bag!" The boy exclaimed.
Their mother looked as if she was about to pop. All she wanted was for her kids to get along. It had only been seven minutes and the two were already beginning to argue. "Excuse me, young man, but what happened to my little gentleman? Help her!"
Another drawling sigh from Harold, another subtle smirk from Scarlett. The skinny boy snagged the suitcase from his sister and began to walk up towards the front door. The girl gave their mother a smile and began to follow. Once the older woman was out of earshot, Harold spoke.
"How's your purple haired boyfriend?"
"How's therapy?" His sister shot back.
"Fine." He announced proudly as he opened the front door. Scarlett would never say it, but she was relieved to see that foyer again. "My psychiatrist says I'm making remarkable progress."
They started up the steps, Scarlett's blood red nails digging into the banister. "And why do you suppose that is?"
"Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you've been gone for so long." The male redhead responded.
"Well, good news for you," They walked down the upstairs hallway. The girl's room was at the very end. "I'm back."
Harold seethed, reaching for the doorknob of his sister's room. Despite living in this house all his life, the boy had never been inside of his sister's room. The only reason he had somewhat of an idea of what it looked like was because Chris liked to play audition tapes after eliminations. Apparently, today was not the day he was going to be able to enter.
"Stop right there." Scarlett ordered just as Harold cracked the door open.
"What?" He asked, not yet setting down the suitcase.
The girl gave a knowing look and stepped in front of her brother. "Did you think I was going to let you in here, Harold?"
"Well I carried your bag all the way here!" Harold grumbled, eyes narrowing.
"And now I'm relieving you of your duties." She side-kicked the suitcase into the bedroom, taking the door in her hands. "Get lost."
With that, before Harold had a chance to react, his sister promptly slammed the door on his fingers. He yelped loudly and freed himself with the sudden jump back. If it wasn't for all the groaning he was doing, the boy might have been able to hear the older girl snickering evilly to herself on the other side of the door.
"I hate you, Scarlett!" His husky voice hollered. "GOSH!"
And so ends the very first chapter of SAOS! Just like all multi-chaps, the story will be picking up within the next few chapters! Introductions are always very hard to write, so I hope I did a good job conveying Harold and Scarlett's relationship.
PLEASE don't forget to review, follow, and favorite!
I'm so excited that this is my first multi-chap fic, so I'm VERY eager to hear your reviews. Thank you all so very much! -Kitty