Tessa sighed and snapped closed the eighteenth book she'd found unsatisfactory in the last half hour. She knew she ought to get home as Nate would be back soon, expecting dinner after a long day, but she couldn't decide on a book, nor bear to purchase anything less than the promise of a fantastic new world to enter. Tessa loved re-reading her favourite stories, but having only managed to bring with her from New York a small collection of them, she needed something a little different to stimulate her brain. Glancing at her watch, she picked up two of the better-sounding options and made a quick decision between them. Normally, Tessa would simply leave the store until new stock meant a choice she was happier with, but Nate had managed to scrounge a few extra quid for them this week and wanted Tessa to have a new book with it although, she knew, it would go farther put to more practical uses.
She bought the book and hurried home to the cramped apartment she and Nate were renting where she forced the cronky oven onto full power and placed a stale pie onto the highest shelf. She had just decided she ought to make a start on dusting - the dirt seemed to gather so much more rapidly in this musty city of London than it had in the home she had known and loved - when she heard a key rattling in the lock and a minute (and a few choice words that would have made Aunt Harriet shriek) later, Nate came barging into the kitchen. Her elder brother had blond hair and blue eyes and the sort of looks that made adults think he could do no wrong, and made girls think he must be a wealthy businessman in want of a wife. In truth he was just a kind-hearted but simple boy who needed someone to take care of him. Tessa was happy to do the job, needing to know Nate was safe, yet some part of her yearned for adventure, independence, no matter how hard she tried to smother it. She hoped he would meet a nice girl to take over the role, with whom he could be happy, and find a job that interested him - and perhaps that paid a little more.
Nate came through to the living room and gave his sister a weary but warm smile. Tessa felt some of the ball of worry inside her ease as she saw him home safe - he truly hated his job, and found his boss a very sinister character.
"Hey, Tessie." he murmured, pulling her into an embrace. She put her arms around his waist and sniffed in his scent; partly because the familiarity comforted her, but also because recently he'd begun to arrive home smelling of alcohol. Sure enough, it looked like Nate hadn't come straight home after all - spending time at the pub wasn't a crime, it even made Nate's stresses lesser, but when money was so tight, Tessa could hardly believe he would do that. Not that this was any moment to start lecturing him on it, having just splurged on a new novel herself. Instead, she forced a smile onto her face and talked animatedly about the book until the oven's ding meant that dinner was ready. Nate complained about how stale the pie was and Tessa had to fight very hard not to point out that they would be able to afford in-date food if he wasn't pissing away his earnings at the bar each day. Instead she simply apologised and asked him how his day had been.
"Horrendous." he told her, mid-bite. "Mortmain made us work on designs for coffee filters. Coffee filters!" Nate's job involved designing twiddly bits on kitchenware which Tessa didn't understand. Sometimes he would come home and consider his day's work beneath him, and apparently his new project made today one of those days.
"I'm sorry, Nate. Soon I'll be through college and when we're both working it'll be easier. You'll find a better job soon, anyway." she soothed. Nate didn't appear to be paying much attention, so Tessa abandoned the attempt and began to clear the plates. The evening routine was that Tessa would wash up and Nate would kick back and watch crappy TV - neither of them knew anyone in the city, and besides they didn't really have the money to go out much. "I'm going to sort my things out for tomorrow, and then get an early night. Don't stay up too long." She kissed her brother's forehead and retreated to her room, carefully packing the school stationery she'd acquired into a bag. She was worried that it wouldn't be enough; she had only the essentials as she hadn't wanted to buy anything and have it turn out that it wasn't necessary. She switched off the light and crawled into bed, beginning to envisage what college here in London would be like. She knew she may be an outsider because of her unfamiliarity with the customs of her new home, as well as her reserved disposition. She had made friends in America at school, but no relationship had been one she'd been particularly upset about saying goodbye to. She'd decided to make a real effort to fit in; after all she didn't want to go through college with half-arsed friendships.