"...do you own a calendar?"
"What?"
"A calendar. A diary? A collection of dates spread out in monthly blocks-"
"-no. But that was cute. Why do you ask?"
She yawned, "I just feel like we need to schedule sex. We need to decide on a date a time and just-just knock out the dullest, least erotic, most boring session ever known to man"
He kissed her neck and she shuddered, feeling his lips brush the fresh wound.
It felt amazing, the skin tingling wonderfully, but she herself felt boneless.
"Again. Why?"
"I just feel like this is unsustainable"
He chuckled.
"I know I'm not exactly a shining beacon of experience but, you know, if magazines and movies and stuff are to be believed then we're definitely due-"
"-what?" another little graze of his lips, "definitely due an underwhelming fuck?"
"Dwayne!" she laughed, swatting his arm, embarrassed by the crudeness of his words.
She could feel his grin.
"That's what you were thinking, right?"
"That" she admitted with a smile, nestled tightly in his arms, "but also how I don't think I can keep, you know...cumming...like that"
"Sorry, baby. We're just that compatible. This is your lot in life, now"
There was amusement in his voice and she smiled warmly.
She briefly thought about her friends back in Arizona, only a handful of them had gone all the way with their boyfriends but a few had had other experiences. As a group, they spent a long time talking about it, gossiping and giggling, those who knew were comparing notes and those not in the know were reciting magazine articles, all of them chatting in nervously scandalized whispers.
Of those who had experience, though, the consensus seemed to be the same. They had all agreed it was pretty underwhelming, that they didn't get what the big deal was about sex. None of the girls had an actual orgasm, though one, Sarah, had said she felt like she had been close. Another said maybe she'd had one but she couldn't be sure.
Their stories were all sort of the same.
Sex was enjoyable and it was fun but there were no fireworks or anything. One of the more confident girls had grinned and told them the shower head in her bathroom was better than her boyfriend. That confident little comment had propelled them all from giggles to laughter and then to heaving breaths and tears.
Those conversations had sort of shaped Elizabeth's expectations for sex. And sure, while she hadn't cum her first time, Dwayne had certainly taken care of her.
She couldn't say he wasn't an excellent lover.
Every time she was with him, it was better than before.
There was certainly no doubt in her mind; with him, she'd known nothing but orgasms, nothing but fireworks.
She really was living in a dream.
She just didn't see how it could carry on that way, it felt like it was impossible...but then she felt the way Dwayne was holding her close, the pleasant tingle in her neck, the way his body just fit so perfectly against hers.
Maybe it was possible.
"Poor me" she sighed, "I guess I'll just have to kiss goodbye to my brain cells since it looks like I'm going to be forever cumming them out"
"It's not so bad. Paul does just fine without his"
Elizabeth laughed.
"I love you"
She could stay there, nestled in his arms indefinitely but she could already see a shift in the darkness.
Evidently, he saw it too.
"I have to go"
She nodded, murmuring a disagreeable "yeah"
She clearly heard the regret in his voice and so she carried on, offering a hopeful little whisper.
"...but give it a few more months, we'll be together all the time..."
"Don't get me excited" he warned her, sitting up with a grin, her body following his, "I still have enough time to steal a few more more brain cells"
She laughed and pushed away from him, thinking she may genuinely faint if she had yet another orgasm. She rolled off him and onto the roof with an uncomfortable grimace, "ow. I think my body molded to yours"
"Stretch it out" he advised her somberly, helping her stumble to her feet.
They had both been lying on her dressing gown, Dwayne covering the majority of it with her pressed flush against him, his arms wrapped around her, keeping her warm. It was strange because he was cold, he was dead yet his body often felt like fire against hers.
The torn cami hung uselessly down her chest, "can you trash this for me? I think it'll raise questions if I dispose of it here..."
He grinned, watching as she slipped out of it and handed him the crumpled material.
"And those" she said, pointing to the torn underwear tossed aside.
"Yes, ma'am"
He diligently bent down and scooped them up, stuffing all of the scraps into his back pocket.
It was kind of hot, seeing the torn material but she didn't need anyone other than her or Dwayne to be party to their activities.
"Hey, make sure you trash them" she warned him, ready to tell him if anyone other than him got even so much of a flash of them, there would be hell to pay but his chuckle cut her off, "I'll trash them" he assured her, "you've changed so much, you know that?"
She smiled a little and nodded.
He was watching her, his eyes warm and fond.
He looked proud.
She felt proud, too.
She felt like a better, more confident woman.
He bent down again and handed her the dressing gown. She slipped it on gratefully, still smiling. It was a cold night and now that she was away from his body, the chill was back with a biting force, "thank you"
He opened his arms and, as she tightened the sash around her, completely naked underneath, she collapsed gratefully into them.
"I hate leaving you" she told him, chin resting against his chest as she looked upwards before correcting herself, "no. I hate that you're leaving me"
"Me too" he murmured, kissing her nose softly.
"Just to confirm, you know, a hundred percent clarity, sunlight-"
"-is bad" he interrupted, nodding.
She sighed, "yeah...well, it was worth a shot"
He gave her another kiss and then she was in the air.
Floating, flying.
Happy.
"Have an early night tonight, OK? Don't come looking for me, I'll come here"
She bit down a yawn and nodded.
This time, she wasn't going to argue. She always felt like she was fighting to stay awake and stay up for him, eager to get to the boardwalk to see him. She was always desperate for time with him but now, she was tired. This one time she was going to agree with him. An early night was definitely on the cards.
"Yeah. I'll probably be out of it" she told him, using his body, the firmness of his chest to push herself a little clumsily through the window frame. She had no doubt that when night came again, she would be curled up in bed. She didn't think she could push herself to stay awake, "you don't have to visit me, it's OK. Have fun with the guys"
"I'll come" he insisted, "even if it's brief"
"Thanks"
He looked around her room briefly and Elizabeth remembered, "oh. You took my book and the petals, right?"
"Yeah" he confirmed, "ages ago"
"That's good, I forgot to ask you"
"You shouldn't have kept the petals"
She smiled at him, "I feel like that's the only nice thing David will ever do for me. I'm keeping them. Lost a few though, I had no idea how hard it is to preserve flowers"
She yawned involuntarily and Dwayne squeezed her hand, "go to bed"
"Yeah" she gave him a small kiss, smiling as he pushed his torso through the frame to meet her lips, "but teeth first"
He smiled, nodded.
"Night, Liz"
"Love you"
She tilted her head at him, watching as he disappeared from the window. She wanted to look out, to watch him go but she was equally quite ready to collapse into her bed.
It had been a long night.
Tapping the frame a few times, she gave another little smile and nod and then closed the window, leaving it open a fraction as usual. Grabbing some clean underwear from her closet, she slid them on under the dressing gown. She didn't care at that point; she was fully intending to either sleep topless or still in the gown. Bra and pajamas be damned.
Quietly and gingerly, she made her way down her little staircase.
It wasn't often that she stayed up this late - basically the whole night - and without her mate keeping her busy, she could feel it.
She was happy and content but damn, the tired had crept up fast.
It was going to be a lazy day for her, no doubt.
She passed by Michael's door, trying not to think about how it always open. She knew it was just Lucy airing the room out but thinking of her brother always threatened to fill her with worry and sadness, so she tried to block it from her mind. Besides, there were times and places to think of such things and as she was sneaking down to brush her teeth after an obscenely late night, she thought she could forgive herself for not thinking about it this once.
She heard a shuffle, a scratch and she glanced at Sammy's door as she passed.
It was Nanook.
He was sniffing the crack at the bottom of the door.
She could hear him but couldn't see his nose though it really must have been digging into the small space given the speed of his breaths. She thought that if the light had been on in the room, she would have easily seen his shadow blocking it. He was sniffing almost aggressively and she blinked stupidly for a moment.
Why was he even awake?
Shaking her head, she padded silently to the bathroom. All she wanted to do was brush her teeth, sleep and then spend the day napping deeply.
If Nanook wanted to pass his twilight hours exploring his master's room, that was on him.
She didn't think of the dog or either of her brothers as she brushed her teeth, she just stared at her reflection, marveling at how - despite all of the bites and nips and nibbles and kisses - her skin was unblemished. Her mark was still there but the fresh bite he'd given her, the bite she could still feel, had left not even the dimmest of scratches.
As she spat the toothpaste into the sink and splashed some water on her face, she sighed.
Not bothering to fight down another wide, jaw stretching yawn, she gently closed the bathroom door.
"Lizzie?"
Her whole body jerked and she muffled her scream by slamming her hands over her mouth, one on top of the other. Stumbling to the side, she spun, stumbled again, and saw her grandfather. He was stood just off the top of the stairs, dressed in full camouflage with a red cardigan, yellow bandana over his head. He was holding a huge mug of steaming something. He almost glowed in the darkness and he put his free hand over his mouth to try and muffle his laugh.
"Grandpa!" she hissed, lowering her hands carefully as she gaped at him, eyebrows furrowed and heart absolutely pounding, "you scared the bejeesus out of me!"
He laughed again, shaking his head.
The cup he was holding tilted dangerously and he righted it, eyes bright.
"Sorry kiddo, sorry" he whispered, still chuckling, "I didn't mean to scare you"
She scoffed, leaning against the closed door of the bathroom as she rubbed her heart.
"Sure"
He laughed again and ambled towards her, "you alright?"
"No"
"You're fine" he grinned.
"Uhuh"
Even if he hadn't intended to scare her, he sure was enjoying the result.
"You're up early, kid"
"No" she protested, still breathing heavily, trying to recover, "I'm not up. I was just using the toilet"
"..well, you're up now, huh?" he was smiling widely.
"Not funny"
"Blood's pumping, hey?"
She nodded.
That was an understatement, her heart was going like crazy.
"That was such a mean trick"
"Promise it was an accident" he told her, the two of them still whispering, "you OK?"
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine" she looked at him. Even in the darkness he looked energetic, "what are you doing up?"
"Coffee"
"Ah"
He grinned, "I was heading back to bed but c'mon. I'll make us some French toast. Let's sit out on the porch and eat it, we can catch the sunrise"
She laughed softly and shook her head.
Only he would wake up, get dressed, get coffee and then head back to bed.
"That's a nice idea but I'm beat-"
"-aw, you're young" he grinned, "what's an early morning to you?"
"Um"
Of course he didn't know that she hadn't even been to bed yet.
"I'm pretty tired" she offered but he was eager, apparently, to spend the morning with her. He wheedled, "I put on a pot of Nicaraguan coffee. It's the best, I keep it in my shelf but I'll share with my favorite Granddaughter"
She shook her head.
He was offering to make her breakfast, share his nice coffee and watch the sunrise with her.
She was exhausted, she was tired but she loved the old man and she couldn't think as to how she could say no to that.
"OK. Alright" she nodded with a smile, "that does sound good. Just let me change"
He waved his hand, "S'OK. The coffee's hot and there are blankets on the porch"
"Ah-yeah-" she squirmed a little. He didn't know she was all but naked under the robe and while she could push back on her sleep for him, she kind of drew the line and being braless sat next to him, "-I'll just be a second but-"
She turned to the side, Grandpa's head also snapping in the same direction, as the sound of a creaking door interrupted her. For a second, she thought it was Sammy coming to tell them to shut up and let a boy sleep but, with a frown, she knew that wouldn't be it because they'd been speaking in hushed whispers. There was no way they would have woken him up, he slept like a corpse. Sometimes his alarm clock didn't even stir him. She inhaled sharply when she realized it was Michael's door being pushed open.
For a moment, every single horror movie she'd ever seen came flooding to her.
The door had been pulled inwards with one motion and then left to swing of its own accord but, of course, there was nobody there.
Just darkness, an empty room.
She looked over at her Grandfather but he was looking at the room too, a confused frown on his face.
Despite her fear, it was comforting to know that she wasn't alone.
"Nanook?" he said loudly, sounding confused, jerking his head backwards as he spoke.
"Huh?"
Elizabeth looked down, following the old man's eyes and sure enough, half obscured by shadows was the elegant husky. He must have used his snout to edge open the door and then step back into the room as it moved inwards. She felt a sense of foolish relief, images of ghosts and poltergeists and masked killers leaving her, but it was short lived.
Nanook did not look like the friendly, warm and sweet dog that he was.
He actually looked very, very much like a rabid, angry dog. His body was tight, taught and his lips were curled up in a silent snarl.
She understood the old man's confusion now.
She could see Nanook's teeth clearly.
They almost shone in the darkness.
The book she had liberated from Grandpa – Cujo – sat upstairs in her room and she was reminded instantly of it.
This wasn't Nanook. This wasn't the family dog.
This was-
- a snarling, wet growl preceded a choppy, sharp snap of jaws and both Elizabeth and her grandfather jumped.
The old man took a step back, then forwards towards the dog but before Elizabeth could process anything or make any move of her own, Nanook was snarling and growling and barking and launching himself through the air.
She screamed and made the throw herself backwards, to duck, to lunge out of the way of the dog but dimly, dumbly, she realized it was too late.
She threw her hands out in front of her as she tried to turn her body but Nanook had lunged at her with speed and accuracy that was frightening considering they all thought of him as a pet and nothing more.
His front paws thudded against her thighs, dug painfully against them as he sunk his teeth into her hand.
The bite was crushing. There was no other way to describe it, it was absolutely crushing.
She felt the dog's power and she cried out, screaming sharply, trying to turn away from him.
It was fast, too fast to really process what was happing but she could feel the pain clearly.
There was a crash and Elizabeth dimly felt warm liquid over her bare feet.
Grandpa was shouting, scrambling for the dog.
The dog was growling and she was screaming, trying to pull her hand back, trying to pull it away but desperately trying to keep it still, the pain flaring.
Despite everything, the confusion and the panic and noise, she felt Nanook's strength. Nanook was no mere pet; in that bite she felt the promise of his history and lineage, she felt all his loyalty, too. He was a hunter, an attacker. He was a predator, high in the food chain.
He meant business and he meant to hurt her.
Nanook wanted to hurt her.
His body was heavy, the bite nothing more than a red-hot mess of pain.
Through the growls and her panicked shouts, she could hear Grandpa yell again.
Nanook released her hand but, in a flurry of movement went to bite her stomach and hip, teeth latching onto the material of her gown as he tugged and jerked, throwing his head from side to side.
She stumbled with him, falling into Grandpa who half steadied her while trying to wedge the dog away. The old man was trying to move himself between her and the dog and Nanook growled, doing his best to avoid the old man. He released the fabric and made to take another bite, this time too close to her thigh.
Elizabeth felt him graze the skin.
The dog would not let up, he would not ease off.
"Nanook!" she screamed.
"Nanook, stop-ugh-" this time Grandpa stumbled, Nanook having almost butted him away.
She saw the old man raise his fist in desperation. There was thudding from the room behind her, a yell from Sammy's room but as genuine and true fear began to wash over her, a threatening, throbbing fear she'd never felt before, it was over.
It was over almost as soon as it had begun.
With a whine, a wag of his tail, the dog let go.
It was as if a flip had been switched.
Panting, docile, he licked his chops and stared up at Elizabeth, head tilted to the side.
"What the-" Grandpa cursed, hand frozen in midair, mid strike as Elizabeth stumbled to the side, putting herself behind him as she clutched at her hand, tears staining her face.
She was panting and she looked down to the the dressing gown torn at the ends, ripped in places.
She didn't know if he'd bitten her legs or thighs, there was no blood to be seen down there but the pain was throbbing mercilessly, similar but less intense than the flaring in her hand.
She saw that she was standing in a puddle of coffee and realized, dimly, that the crash had been Grandpa dropping his mug.
Nanook was unbothered.
With confusion, looking up at Grandpa in an almost apologetic sort of way, the dog took a step back towards the room he'd lunged from before thinking better of it and sniffing the air.
Head tilted to the side, he continued to sniff.
The old man turned to Elizabeth, hands extended in a caring, protective way and then Lucy burst from the room.
"WHAT HAPPENED?!" she gasped in a shout as she tumbled out of the door, a loose chiffon robe half on her body.
One billowing arm was hanging loose as she gripped the material in fear. She'd clearly been slipping it on and had dashed out, fumbling to find the source of the commotion. She was wearing a silk slip that reached just below her knees, her hair was pleasantly messed up but the panic on her face twisted her beauty a little.
She lurched towards Elizabeth but looked at her father for answers.
Evidently, he had none.
He sputtered, shaking his head.
"Na-Nanook bit me?" Elizabeth gasped, looking down at the blood decorating her hand, oozing out of puncture wounds she couldn't even clearly define. She looked up at her Grandfather, almost looking at him to reassure her.
It was so surreal.
Was that what had happened? It was, wasn't it?
"He…he bit me!"
It was a nasty puncture; the skin that she could see was already red and swollen.
Her hand, her whole hand had a pulse.
"What?" Lucy seemed uncomprehending.
"He-he bit me" she repeated dumbly, pulling the hand close to her chest, gingerly trying to stem the bleeding.
Nanook merely whined again, yawning in stress as he took a tentative step towards Elizabeth, sniffing harder.
The fight, the aggression was gone from his body but Grandpa moved smoothly, keeping his face towards the two women but his body angled so that it was firmly blocking the dog.
"Where in the heck did that come from?" the old man queried in a shocked curse, his eyes in wide horror as he watched the now calm dog.
"I-I don't know, he just-"
But Elizabeth was saved from trying to answer her Grandfather as Lucy snapped into action.
She walked forward, clearly readying herself to brush her father to the side, "let me look, let me-"
But she was interrupted by yet another bang.
This time it was Sammy's door that had been flung open, thrown open so hard it banged against the wall and almost rebounded right back into him. He ran into the corridor, flustered and wild eyed, his hair messier than he would ever allow people to see under normal circumstances and with slippers thrown on the wrong feet.
His eyes were red, bleary but alert.
Nanook greeted him happily, his tail wagging but the first words out of her brother's mouth were an angry, biting accusation of, "what did you guys do to my dog?!"
He threw himself onto the ground and wrapped his arms around the dog, petting him, rubbing him, checking for injury.
Nanook whined a little, nuzzling his master's chest. His tail wagged once, twice and Sammy kissed him on the head, rubbing his fur.
Grandpa was frowning, obviously unsure about Sammy coddling the dog whose attack had been so vicious but it was clear he was in no danger.
In fact, it felt like the danger had passed completely.
Nannook was Nanook again.
"We-we didn't do anything?"
Grandpa was frowning, looking at Elizabeth in confusion. She looked back at him, again for reassurance.
She really hadn't done anything. Nanook had just...he'd just growled and lunged.
From nowhere.
God, her hand hurt.
"He bit me.."
She thought that her brother would ask how she was, perhaps leave Nanook once he realized his dog wasn't a victim of anything but her answer seemed to upset him.
"Bit you?!" Sammy exclaimed before blinking, "well-well what-what did you do for him to bite you? Huh? Huh?"
Nanook whined again.
It was a guilty, chastised sort of whine, Elizabeth could tell that clearly despite the confusion and throbbing of her hand and thighs.
The dog felt bad about it but still, he was sniffing the air, eyeing her in a way she'd never seen before.
She tore her eyes away from the dog, looking furiously at Sammy.
How was it she could tell that Nanook felt bad but her own brother seemed to think she'd done something to deserve a bite?
What was happening?
"Are you broken?!" she snapped, "your damn dog bit me, you psycho"
"You did something to-"
"-she didn't do anything, kid"
Grandpa stepped between the two siblings, still eyeing the dog wearily but if it wasn't for the blood and coffee on the floor, nobody would ever have guessed the dog had done something bad.
"Nanook wouldn't do anything like that though!"
"Alright, alright" the old man soothed, "just calm down, now, we've all had a shock"
"She did something to him, Mom. She must have. Nanook doesn't bite!" his voice was sincere, he was desperate to be believed. He didn't even look at his sister when he cried, "what did you do, you asshole!?"
Elizabeth bristled, hand throbbing.
She loved Nanook too and she understood her brother's frustration and fear. Who wouldn't be flustered at being woken up like that, especially when they were such deep sleepers? But being called an asshole despite being an innocent party to an attack pushed her towards fury.
She was in so much pain.
Couldn't he see the blood?
Didn't he hear her cries, Grandpa's shouts?
She rounded on him, clutching her hand close to her chest, "I did Jack shit! You're the fucking asshole!"
"Elizabeth Emerson!" Lucy gasped, rounding on her daughter.
"He was fine before; he was sleeping with me!"
"He bit me! I didn't do-"
"-asshole! You must have done something?"
"Right, STOP!" Lucy shouted, hand extended towards Sammy, looking at him furiously. She turned to Elizabeth, "no, no you stop, too. Both of you. Stop this right now!"
Elizabeth closed her mouth, frowning angrily.
Stewing, steaming.
Hurting.
She was going to tell her brother that she'd done nothing aside from talk with their Grandpa and that Nanook had damn well launched himself at her. She was also going to tell him to shut the hell up but when their mother was pushed to shout, it was never a good thing.
Lucy had obviously reached her limit.
It was a bad start to the day, after all,
"But Mom-"
"-but Mom nothing. Sam, I know you're upset but Elizabeth didn't do anything to Nanook. Now take him in the bedroom and drop it"
Sammy frowned and cuddled the dog once more, protectively petting him.
He muttered something under his breath and Grandpa spoke before Lucy could, "good advice. Let's just all take a breather, OK? I'm sure Nanook was just...just spooked is all. He must have thought the two of us were skulking or something" he sighed and rubbed his neck but it was clear to everyone he was speaking to placate the boy. There was no real conviction in his words, "we were talking in the corridor...yeah...we probably spooked him is all..."
Elizabeth wiped at her eyes, clenching her jaw as she looked down at her bleeding hand.
She was so angry at Sammy.
It was the anger more than anything that brought the tears to her eyes. She thought she could deal with the pain from the bite, though she was sure when her adrenaline wore off it was going to hurt even more terribly, but it was hearing her brother's bitter insistence and accusations that really stung.
She knew he loved Nanook, she knew that the dog truly was special to him.
After the divorce, Sammy had become even closer and even more attached to the affable dog.
She understood why Sammy was protective of him but she was his sister.
Shouldn't he be protective of her, too?
Shouldn't he worry about her?
She'd been mauled, for god's sake.
She knew that if Paul or Marko had seen her hurt, they'd be ready to protect her and comfort her. She was sure that David, even, would make sure she was safe.
"But why didn't he attack you, Grandpa? He went for her, she must have-"
"-enough" Lucy pointed to the bedroom Sammy had just vacated, "go. Take the dog, we'll discuss this in the morning"
"It is the morning" Elizabeth said, scowling at her brother.
"And you! Get downstairs, young lady"
"But Mom-" Sammy sniffed.
"But nothing" Lucy said, holding her hand in the air and making it clear that Sammy was to be quiet and heed her words.
Patiently, softening just a little, she eyed the scene before her.
A bleeding, sobbing daughter. An indignant son, eyes clouded with fear and anger. The dog, seemingly uncomprehending of what chaos he'd caused, loveable and sweet as usual and her father, watching the scene with as much bewilderment as she felt.
The coffee pooled beneath their feet.
It was a lot to take in.
Lucy was frowning, her eyes were hard and it was clear she was thinking of damage control and nothing more.
There was no anger or accusation in them.
She was a mother who needed to look after her children, nothing more and nothing less.
She turned to Elizabeth, "we need to look at your hand, OK?" then, she said to the group at large, "everything else can wait"
"...Nanook's a good boy"
"He is" Grandpa assured Sammy, moving to usher both boy and dog into the bedroom, since it was apparent they wouldn't go without an escort, "there's iodine down in my workroom, Lucy"
Elizabeth allowed her mother to cuddle her, to wrap her arm around her shoulder and lead her towards the stairs. She continued to cradle her hand and gingerly, tentatively, her mother reached out for it.
Fighting down her instinct to turn away from the gentle, enquiring hands, Elizabeth allowed her to look.
Blood dripped onto the floor.
"No, iodine will hurt. There's antiseptic in the first aid kit" Lucy breathed, distracted. She grimaced as Elizabeth winced and tugged the hand back, "oh, Elizabeth this is deep. Dad...oh you might need stitches...let's get you cleaned up and, oh gosh. Dad do you have your insurance details?"
"I do, they're here somewhere" the old man replied, "get some antiseptic on there, let's see what we're dealing with"
Elizabeth was barely listening to the two of them; all she could focus on was the pain in her hand.
"I hope it stings" Sammy muttered as he turned into his bedroom, his words snapping Elizabeth to attention.
"You know what they do to dogs that bite?" Elizabeth threw at him in a bitter little murmur.
She saw his face crumple and was pleased. She wasn't a cruel person, she wasn't vindictive but he was out of order, completely out of line and she felt a jolt of satisfaction, knowing that her words had hurt him.
He'd hurt her and fair was fair.
She didn't bother to look again, to watch as he went back into his room, Grandpa following closely.
She allowed her mother to lead her downstairs, the two of them leaving wet, coffee foot prints in their wake.
A/N: I think if anyone reading this has a sibling, they know how anything can spark a fight!