Standard Disclaimer: Don't own Hey Arnold, etc. Inspired by HA - Keep on Praying by ~SquirrelTamer
Summary: Meet Helga Pataki and her 9-year-old sister Olga Pataki
Helga straightened Olga's dress and finger combed her hair. "Alright, one more round and I'm taking you out for ice cream at Slausen's."
Olga beamed and then glanced away shyly, "Big Sister, if I don't win- will you be upset?"
Helga snorted, "Heck no. Just do your best, have fun, yadda yadda. Win or lose, trophy or no, you're still my little sister and I love you."
Olga's smile lit up the room and she twirled away, sprinting onto the stage. "I'll win Big Sister! Watch, I'll win!"
Helga's lips curled in amusement and she arched an eyebrow. Olga didn't need to win, but Helga suspected that her little sister wanted to win so that she could have a trophy to put in the living room next to Helga's city-wide spelling bee trophy. Helga sighed and leaned against a stage prop as she watched Olga from the wings. They were down to two contestants and watching Olga and that other little girl trying to out spell each other was like watching a slow-mo tennis match. Finally, the other girl fumbled her word- forgetting the crucial and silent 'g'. Helga straightened up and gave Olga a smile and thumbs up when her little sister cast an excited but uncertain look her way. She couldn't help the pride that filled her heart as Olga took a deep breath and spelled out her last word. Helga mentally recited the spelling to herself as Olga recited aloud on stage, E-G-A-L-I-T-A-R-I-A-N, egalitarian.
"Correct. Congratulations, Miss Pataki. You are the city-wide champion for our junior division. Please come collect your trophy and prize money." The official spoke over the applause and whistles.
Helga carried the large trophy past the living room and upstairs into Olga's bedroom. Eyeing the available surfaces, Helga elected to put the trophy on top of a small bookshelf.
"Big Sister?" Olga trailed after her, face pinched with upset. "Big Sister, how come my trophy can't sit next to yours?"
Helga frowned, "That's not my trophy, Olga. Yours deserves better than to be put next to that."
Olga's upset shifted to confused. "I don't understand, Big Sister. It has your name on it and Daddy told me the story of how you won it- you spelled 'qualm' and really nailed the silent 'l'."
Helga gazed off into space with a troubled look for a moment, then with a shake she sighed. "I'll explain it when you're older Olga, but just know that I didn't deserve that trophy."
Olga continued to give her Big Sister a confused look but didn't push any further.
"Wear this one Big Sister." Olga held out cheap looking costume jewelry that held a large pink 'stone' shaped like a heart. "It'll look really pretty with your dress."
Helga raised both her eyebrows in disbelief. "Listen kiddo, this is prom. I'm not wearing your plastic princess jewelry." That said, Helga turned way and continued to search through her jewelry box for something appropriate to wear with her prom dress. She held up a necklace with a small diamond decorated heart and held it up to her throat. Perfect.
"No, Big Sister!" Olga whined. "This one is prettier! Wear this one."
Helga sighed. Tricking Olga probably wouldn't be a nice thing to do, but she didn't have time to deal with her little sister's dramatics tonight. "Ok, Olga. I'll wear your pretty necklace-" "And earrings!" "and earrings. Hand 'em over." Helga held out her hand and Olga happily dropped her toy jewelry into her Big Sister's hand. Helga quickly fastened the necklace and earrings on and in a swift movement, turned, swiped her chosen jewelry and slipped them into her purse. Helga tucked the purse under her arm and adjusted the strap on her shoulder. She smiled down at Olga, "So, can I knock 'em dead or what?"
Olga looked up to her with big blue eyes and tiny hands clasped under her chin. "Big Sister, you're so pretty."
Helga grinned, ignoring the nagging voice in her head that insisted on reminding her that she had no date. "Course, and now my precious little baby sister, 'tis time for you to go to bed."
Olga pouted.
Later that night, Helga limped her way into her bedroom. She dropped her purse and, squinting at the bed, dully noted that Olga was curled up in her bed again. Helga, with some difficulty, took off her wet prom dress, the fake toy jewelry that she'd forgotten to swap, and donned a night gown. She carefully eased into her bed, curled up with Olga and waited for the urge to cry to pass and sleep to claim her.
20-year-old Helga Pataki waited patiently for the 3pm bell to ring. As soon as her 8-year-old sister, Olga, was released from class she had to be at her piano lesson within 40 minutes to prepare for the beginning of that day's practice.
Helga blew at her bangs and leaned her head back against the chain-link fence. Bob and Miriam had begun to take active interest in Olga lately. Bob had, after 3 years, noticed all of the trophies Olga had been winning from various competitions from spelling bees to piano concerts. He'd actually begun calling Olga by her name instead of Helga's and had begun to use Olga to push commercial marketing for his Beeper Emporium.
Helga pursed her lips and glared, recalling the recent argument she'd gotten into with Bob over that. He'd accused her of being jealous of Olga! That… that jerk, Helga mentally censored, was an utter moron to think such a thing, Helga was proud of Olga, proud to have raised and taught her little sister so well. And Helga hated that Bob's only real and sudden interest in Olga came from winning competitions and exploiting his youngest daughter.
Helga jerked out of her reminiscing as the 3pm bell rang sharply through the area. Eyeing the hoards of excited elementary children as they poured out of the school, Helga eased through the stampede and over to her little sister and her group of friends. She smiled winsomely at the gaggle of 3rd graders, who beamed back at her.
"Big Sister!" Olga called happily. "I made an 'A' on my science project! Can we go get ice cream? Please?" Olga clasped her hands under her chin and smiled cutely at Helga. Her friends Arnold and Gerald grinned up at Helga as well, little cretins liked to help Olga gang up on her.
She looked from Olga's innocent and cute posturing to Arnold's shy grin and finally to Gerald's toothy smile and wiggling eyebrow. Helga's eye twitched.
A trip to Slausen's Ice Cream Parlor, one missed piano lesson later, and Olga was finishing up her banana split. She glanced up and across the table to Arnold and Gerald. "So, you're both going to Dinoland this weekend?"
"Yeah," Arnold nodded. "A bunch of us are going, almost the entire class in fact. We made plans yesterday after school, do you want to come?"
Gerald leaned forward. "It'll be a blast, Olga. You gotta say 'yes'."
"Oh," Olga glanced over towards the counter where her Big Sister was ordering another round of Yahoo sodas. "I don't know, Big Sister was very sweet to let me skip my piano lesson today but Daddy's probably going to make me practice this weekend with a tutor to make up for it." Unless she could successfully take further advantage of Big Sister's spoiling mood before Daddy found out about the missed lesson.
Arnold followed Olga's glance, "That's too bad. But you know, it was really nice of your sister to buy us all ice cream- she didn't have to do that."
Gerald nodded, "I know. Man Olga, I wish my brother was half as cool as Helga. He never buys me ice cream, just picks on me a lot."
Olga smiled guiltily and looked down at her empty ice cream bowl. "Big Sister gets a lot nicer after she has an argument with Mummy or Daddy. Besides, she's going to be moving away after this summer to go to university so she's been spoiling me lately."
Arnold gave her a concerned look. "Helga's been arguing with your parents?"
Gerald looked aghast and latched onto the later part of Olga's explanation. "Helga's moving?"
Olga nodded and declined to say anything more when she caught sight of Helga approaching their table.
Helga slid into the booth and set down the Yahoo sodas. She gave one to each of the children and took a long drink from her own.
"Olga says that you're moving away." Gerald accused as soon as she'd set down her Yahoo soda.
Helga arched an eyebrow. "What's it to you, bucko?"
"Why?" the eight year old pressed, ignoring her question.
Helga rolled her eyes and looked out the window. These brats never coward before her the way her school mates used to. "I'm graduating from the local community college and if I want to get my Bachelor's, which I do, I have to attend a university. I'm not going too far, I'll be visiting every weekend so don't think you'll be rid of me, got it?"
"Got it." Gerald looked satisfied and Arnold, oddly enough, appeared relieved.