Elizabeth looked around at her new room with a small smile.

It was small and worn, with sun-bleached, white paint peeling off the old wooden walls. The bright white room definitely had a different vibe compared to the rest of the house, its light and airy atmosphere strongly contrasting against the dark and dim wood of the rooms downstairs. There was no clutter, no decorative bones or stuffed animal heads...just a sweet little space. She was pleasantly surprised.

Leaving her suitcases in the doorway, she stepped into the cool space, noting how the thin lace nets covering her window moved in the breeze. She thought that her room would be very pleasant in summer but had the potential to be icy in winter. As she observed an old and beautifully tiled fireplace built into the wall, she realized it must have been out of use because a small electric heater had been placed in the grate.

"Still cute though..." she muttered to herself, liking the royal blue pattern of the tiles. It looked like something from a Victorian House and she wanted to ask Grandpa just how old the building was. There was a simple little bureau near the window and the inbuilt closet was deceptively spacious with a nice, full length mirror thoughtfully propped against the wall.

While the bed frame was an ancient, wrought iron creation, the queen sized mattress was new, the sterile white material looked out of place in comparison to its surroundings. A bedding set with a thick and soft duvet was waiting to be dressed and there were two fluffy looking pillows placed beside it. She was touched by the thoughtfulness of the gesture, of the room at large.

Grandpa had obviously scrubbed the room up in advance of her arrival and he had clearly gone to the trouble of getting her set up with new, clean and comfortable looking necessities. The room was definitely a bit weather worn and must have been unused for a long time, but Grandpa really had given it a good once over. She wondered how long it had taken him. It was old and tired but she could feel the effort he'd made with it and she knew that with the right decorations, some lighting and lots of blankets and throws it would be the perfect space. She could definitely be happy here, tucked up in the attic room, away from the craziness her brothers brought.

Running her hand along the wall, Elizabeth winced as the delicate pad of her finger caught a splinter. Tutting and rolling her eyes at the sheer stupidity of it, she sat on the plush mattress and worked at pulling it out. Of course she would get a splinter after heaping praise upon the room.

"Hey, nice penthouse!" her brother, Sam chirped from the doorway. He took Elizabeth's silent nod of agreement as an invitation to enter and stepped inside. He lacked even a small degree of subtlety as began inspecting the room, pursing his lips and shrugging as he observed the area.

"There's a rocking chair in my room, I could bring it up?" he offered, noticing how empty the place was, "rocking chairs are spooky, used exclusively by ghosts or clowns. I'm never gonna touch that thing and there's no chance Mike's having it..."

Elizabeth grinned lightly, always amused by their brotherly rivalry. She nodded, still concentrating on dislodging the splinter.

"My room's huge" Sam stated as he opened the door to her closet, "I really thought I'd have to share with Mike. Maybe this won't be as bad as I imagined"

Elizabeth finally glanced up, flicking the newly removed and very tiny splinter on the floor with a thoughtless motion.

"I think it'll be fine, Sammy" she assured him with a little smile, moving on to a different topic, "how'd you two decide on the rooms, anyway?"

Mike and Sam had both taken the divorce pretty hard but the youngest Emerson brother was an open book and in the early days his sadness was almost palpable. He always tried hard to be chirpy and positive for Lucy's sake but when the move actually began, it seemed to be less of an act. It was as if the further away they drove, the further away from the divorce and Arizona they traveled, the happier Sam became. He was able to see the potential bright side to a fresh start, even if he still grumbled a lot.

"Let's just say the best man won the best room" the stylish blonde said with a playful vagueness, smirking happily.

"You fought, didn't you?" she laughed, knowing exactly how they were.

"I won" he shrugged, his eyes glittering with mirth. He made no move to comment further. Elizabeth shook her head with a happy little roll of her eyes. She could imagine exactly how their fight for the better room went down. Michael would have been the stronger, more powerful opponent but Sammy would have played dirty, probably landing a bite or even a hasty flick to his older brother's balls if that's what it came to.

"So you want help unpacking or what?" Sam asked, looking at the suitcases on the floor with a little frown, "not like you need it though, you've always packed light, you little weirdo"

"Well, it's a lost skill these days", Elizabeth said pointedly in mock seriousness. Sammy's items had taken up a huge amount of space in the car, especially compared to the minimal items she and Michael had packed up. Deciding not to poke fun at his materialistic ways, Elizabeth instead smiled up at him, grateful of the help.

He had already opened one of her cases and had flung her simple, white bed sheets in her direction.

"...this place looks like an asylum" she realized, speaking out loud. White walls, white bed, white nets, white curtains.

Sammy snorted a laugh, "perfect fit for you!"

"Shoot..." now that she had seen it, she couldn't unsee it. White on white on white, "...I really need a splash of color here..."

"I don't have that problem" he replied with a grin, "packing light is a lost skill for a reason..I have everything I need. Posters and blankets and..posters" he repeated, coughing a little as he moved to continue unpacking her clothes. A lot of the stuff he bought was similar but she wasn't going to call him out on it. He was right so there was no point. She wouldn't win against him, not this time.

She was a light packer and despite having saved enough money from her part time job, she was incredibly frugal. It would probably take her a little while to decide what to spend her money on, to decide just what she should buy to break up the blankness of her room. It was just the way she was. She was careful. Frugality wasn't something that came naturally to Sam - he blasted through his pocket money, buying comics and clothes at a steady rate. It was something she and Michael teased him about but he seemed to enjoy it, to relish in it. He liked being flash with his cash.

While their parents had been together, the Emerson's were pretty well off and Sammy had enjoyed it very, very much.

Elizabeth was used to having to save, so the cutbacks and money saving caused by the divorce hadn't been a particular challenge to her. Michael stepped up pretty well, too. He'd taken a part time job during school and he was going to look for a full time summer job here in Santa Carla, or so he said. She trusted that he would.

Elizabeth had been adopted by the Emerson's at a time when Lucy's marriage had been at the height of its stability and happiness. She had been welcomed into their family and had pretty much wanted for nothing. Clothes, shoes, money to see a movie - all she had to do was ask.

Despite growing up in a children's home, she'd had a pleasant early life. Elizabeth knew that she was lucky in that regard. Lucky to have a good childhood and lucky to be taken in by Lucy and her husband. Horror stories always circulated among the children in the home, stories about abusive foster parents and cruel home directors. Rats and roaches and bread for dinner. But that wasn't Elizabeth's reality. She'd had no trauma, no abuse, no horror stories to tell. Just a somewhat stable if unconventional upbringing.

Her children's home had been well run and her life was normal in almost every regard. She'd had her own room, she attended school. Naturally, it was all state funded and while the money allocated to the children was minimal, the staff managed it well. The children had three good meals a day, snacks, had clean clothes and got their school meals paid for. Each child also got a small amount of pocket money and were taken on trips. Being in the children's home had felt like being part of a family unit and then, amazingly, she'd been adopted by an actual family.

Elizabeth learned at a young age that while the basics – and they were good basics – were there, if she wanted to go to the cinema or to buy a new dress, she had to pay for it herself. It was a lesson that had served her well and she was thankful for it. Even though Lucy had given her lots of pocket money and vouchers and taken her shopping, she'd always saved what she didn't need to spend. Michael seemed to have been instilled with common sense regarding money anyway. The two of them had a nice little rainy day fund...it was Sammy who lived life like he was a big earner despite never having had a job and not particularly wanting one.

Elizabeth looked up, jolted out of her thoughts as Sam slung an empty suitcase onto the floor of her closet. She was putting the covers on her pillow and without needing to look, she knew that he'd dumped the contents of her suitcase onto a pile on the floor. She closed her mouth, biting down her protest.

Sammy was careful with clothes, style and fashion meant a lot to him and he always kept his own clothes in great condition, folded and hung with care. She didn't shout or complain. She knew she was in good hands. She also knew her packing didn't meet his high standards.

"Hey, so what's Mike's room like?" she asked him.

"Smaller than mine but he chased me out before I could get a good look at it" he was working with hangers now, "biggest news of the move…."

He paused for dramatic effect.

Elizabeth looked over at him, eyebrows slightly raised and eyes a little wide, waiting for him to continue.

Nothing.

Pushing her face forward a little and raising her eyebrows even higher, further prompting him to continue also got no reaction.

"OK! Spill. Biggest news of the move!?" she said, half laughing at his antics.

"There's no TV"

Elizabeth had already had a quiet tour with Grandpa while Mike and Sam helped Lucy unpack the heavier bits and pieces. They hadn't seen Grandpa all that much before the divorce had struck, they lived too far away for that, but when a visit did happen or letters were sent, he was always careful with her, not overly kind or sweet – that wasn't his style – but definitely more watchful and considerate.

"But Sam, come on…if you have the TV guide, you don't need a TV" she was grinning widely now.

As well as a fashion addict, Sam loved his TV. Especially MTV.

"No TV here. A serious lack of style. No school for months. Liz, my social life? I'm gonna die a lonely death this summer" Sam was shaking his head but she knew he was enjoying the dramatics.

"Grandpa said that most of the kids here visit relatives when summer hits" Elizabeth said, moving towards him and her suitcases. Her bed was now made neatly, the covers crisp and clean, "'school ends and they're out, kiddo', those were his words. He said it's the tourists' town now..." she trailed off with a little shrug. Sammy was right, dramatic, but right - they probably were in for a lonely summer.

There was a strong and determined thudding on the stairs leading up to her room. Someone was taking the steps two at a time and stomping heavily while doing so.

"Hey, you two nerds want pizza?" Mike asked sticking his head through the open doorway. He glanced around the room briefly and nodded, "hey this is perfect for you Liz, you OK up here?"

"I'm great" she assured him with a genuine smile. Mike was a good big brother, there was no other way to describe him. She was closer in age to Sam and it just kind of naturally fell into place that they spent a lot of time together at movies or in the mall. But she was close to Mike, too.

He always looked out for her and she loved him a lot.

When she first met the Emerson family, Sam was nervous and shy. How could he not be? A slow process filled with bureaucracy and paperwork seemingly suddenly builds up to, 'hey mister, you're definitely going to get a new sister, she's going to live with us, let's go meet her, be on your best behavior!'

Mike took to her right away though. He seemed to relish the responsibility of being the big brother to a sister. Over their first real dinner as an official family, he kept asking if her food was OK and did she want anything else? He kept the conversation flowing and told her nice things about their town and about her new house, telling her about the swing set in their garden and about how you could find lizards if you knew where to look. He tried to link her interests to Sam's, bringing him into the conversation too.

Lucy and her husband had looked so proud of him.

Smiling up at Mike, Elizabeth nodded.

"I'd love a pizza, actually" she didn't realize how hungry she was until then, "we seemed a bit out of the way up here, they'll deliver?"

"Yeah, Grandpa said they will. Mom's gonna call now. Sammy, pizza?"

Sam was in the closet, hanging up the clothes and hiding yet another empty suitcase.

"For sure. I was scared we'd sit awkwardly at the table and eat double stuffed oreos and milk or something" Sam replied.

"Nah, Grandpa's got a date tonight so Mom suggested a late pizza lunch. I think she's gonna look around later, scope the place out"

They all knew what Mike meant. She wasn't scoping out the town, that boardwalk they passed or the night life – she was looking for a job.

Elizabeth laughed, deciding to focus on happier things, "wait a second. Grandpa's got a date?" he was so eccentric, she was having a hard time picturing what that would look like.

"Yeah...with a widow" Mike grinned in reply. He was sitting on her table, having forgone the little chair that was tucked in near his swinging legs, "I think he was stuffing something for her..."

Having missed the Texas Chainsaw Massacre room on her earlier tour, Elizabeth didn't get the reference and frowned, "huh?"

Sam and Mike laughed together, "You missed that!?" Sam exclaimed while Mike chortled.

"Grandpa's a taxidermist, Liz. Full on gore – he's got a huge room downstairs. It absolutely reeks and it's covered with dead animals in different, uh..stages of stuffing" Mike explained, his face animated as he filled his sister in.

Sam grimaced, reliving the memory.

"No TV and an animal graveyard. What a life".

Sam had finished with the majority of Elizabeth's clothes now and they were hanging and folded neatly in her closet. He worked fast. She needed to unpack her books and other bits and bobs but it wouldn't take long. Sam had done her a solid favor in helping her out.

"You'll be fine, Mr Fashion, who knows? Maybe you'll find Your People on that boardwalk! Sam finds his social life. And friends with a TV.."

Elizabeth laughed a little, Mike was always poking fun at Sam's fashion choices.

Mike didn't care about the latest trends, he was easily more of a jeans and t-shirt kind of guy. He and Elizabeth shared their simple fashion sense.

"So, if mom's checking this place out are we going too?" Sam asked, looking at his two siblings and swiftly shutting down the chance to expand on the fashion jokes.

"I mean, we could. Mom's gonna drive Grandpa and his date somewhere first and then poke around but we could walk?" Mike said, thinking as he spoke. He looked between the two of them and Elizabeth knew he wished he could just take his bike.

Grandpa had told him it was a quick drive but about a forty minute walk down to the main part of the boardwalk.

"Mom's driving Grandpa and his date? That's so awkward..." Sam mused.

"They're eating at a restaurant somewhere north of the main area…something street. I don't know but he said it's got some good restaurants and stuff and that maybe Mom could find something there. It's a little further out from that boardwalk we passed. At least, that's what he said.."

The boardwalk had looked a little rough, reflecting on it. Not bad or unwelcoming, but a little old and touristy. It made sense for the town to have a nicer area where more well to do people would go...well to do and also, apparently, Grandpa.

The three siblings grinned again, thinking about their eccentric relative and their current living situation. No TVs, no-go fridge zones, dead animals and their Grandpa, with his stubbly beard and hunting, mountain man clothes, potentially going all out for a date.

"Let's go, we'll walk down and back together.." Elizabeth said with a definitive nod.

"Well what else we gonna do? Read the TV guide?" Sam asked snarkily.

"Kids!" Lucy's faint voice called from the bottom floor of the house, interrupting their comfortable chat. She was probably standing at the base of the main stairs and Elizabeth realized how far away her room actually was, "I found the menu. Come look, tell me what pizza you want?"

"Aw man, she didn't order already?" Sam groaned, deflecting a swat from Michael, who was now walking out of the room. Elizabeth followed him, nudging Sam lightly as she went.

"Last time Mom ordered something without checking what we wanted, you complained til you were blue in the face!" she reminded her sulky sibling.

"Did not!"

"Did too.."

Sam closed the door behind him, "who even says, 'blue in the face', anyway?" he muttered, following his two siblings down the steep attic stairs. They had another door to navigate, then the long corridor filled with the everyone else's bedrooms along with the family bathroom, two doors Grandpa had locked - but which Michael thought was just storage - and then they would be at the main staircase, "I'm so hungry, like seriously starving-"

"-first I've heard of it" Elizabeth shrugged, reaching over his shoulder and closing the door at the bottom of her stairs.

"Yeah, you're only hungry 'cause I mentioned food-OH! You're dead-" Michael began, breaking into a running chase as Sammy jammed a slobber filled finger into his ear with a laugh.

Their running filled the house, as well as the sound of their laughter, and Elizabeth grinned happily, watching them go.

As far as fresh starts went, they could do a lot worse.