Scott Summers never wanted a sister.
When his mother had come back from the hospital with a pink blanketed bundle, his first thought was if it was too late to take it back. He remebers dad laughing at the seriousness of Scott at four years old. He had wanted a brother. One who would follow him. Who he could show inside the cockpit and roughhouse with. Not a girl who would cry if he so much as looked at her wrong. Who would tell on him if he handled her to roughly.
No, Scott Summers never wanted a sister.
Funny that he got Alex instead.
Alexandra Summers, though don't let her hear you calling her that, was a whirlwind even at four. Even with a tumble of golden curls that spoke of her mother's genes, one could never mistake the too. Alex had none of Mrs. Summers' gentle touches or softness of voice or face.
Sooner to join her father in fixing up the family plane, Alex was sooner to have grease on her cheek and dirt in her hair than a trace of her mother's lipstick smothered on. Sooner to punch their neighbor Billy in the nose for calling her Allie than cry over a scraped knee.
Yet she still finds it necessary to climb in Scott's bed at the end of the day.
Six is when Alex allows herself to cry. In midst of flames and screams, all Scott can focus on is his sister's rare frightened face. Lips quivering as tears fill her true blue eyes, he only holds her close as they are shoved from the plane, levaing their parents behind in a fit of smoke and burning metal.
The home is no different. Alex still punches kids who messes with her and mud still clings to her like a second skin. She still curls up next to Scott at night but instead of slumbering away she asks him why, as if he had all the answers.
He never did answer her, only stroked the blond curls that reminded him of home-baked pies and of happier times.
When he wakes the next morning she is gone. He only watched as they take his sister away, shouldn't feel guilty about letting them. Shouldn't cringe at her tear-stained cheeks or screams of Scott, don't let them take me!
He dreams of flaming cockpits and gap-toothed smiles that night.