Hello everyone!

Thank you very much for the reviews and the compliments on my English!

I'm really sorry it took so long to update, I'm just too busy :(

This chapter is also a lot shorter, but the previous one was actually more chapters together...

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this and please keep checking my language and tell me if I'm mistaking.

ps. (I'm pretty sure the word 'dough' is not right in this meaning. I was looking for a word for a more fluid mix of all the ingredients, but I couldn't find... please tell me?)

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Ephram stared at the sausage-pan on the stove, then decided it was hot enough and put some butter in it. He could see it melting and hissing as a sign that the pancakes were ready to be made.

He turned around and looked at Delia who was sitting at the kitchen-table with her back towards him. She didn't seem to have noticed that the stove was finally ready.

A frown appeared on Ephram's forehead. Only an hour ago his sister had been practically bouncing through the kitchen when they had been looking for all the ingredients.

In her enthusiasm she had knocked over a bag of flower which had caused a huge cloud to cover the kitchen and herself in white dust. Ephram hadn't been able to hide his laughter and after they had admired Delia's 'instant-grey' hair, they had cleaned it away, both still laughing.

When they had been mixing the ingredients, she had been chatting merrily about a project she was working on at school, and about Brittany having a birthday party.

Ephram had been relieved that her disappointment about cancelling the lake-trip seemed to have vanished. Though, by the time the dough was ready – Ephram assured her that the pancakes would be best, if the dough was left to rest for twenty minutes – Delia's good mood seemed to falter.

Sitting at the table and Ephram telling her about Juilliard she had become more and more quiet.

And now she was sitting there and bending low, apparently reading one of her books. Judging by the still form of her back, she hadn't even noticed that the next stage of the pancake-making was about to begin.

"Alright Delia," said Ephram cheery, "the stove is hot enough and the butter is ready, shall we start?"

"Err, yeah ok.", came Delia's rather dull response.

Ephram stared incredulously at his sister's back; she hadn't even turned around!

Trying to hide his surprise Ephram turned towards the stove again.

"Hey, are you gonna bake the first one or shall I do it?", he said in an enthusiastic voice.

"Err... no thanks, you can do it if you please.

Ephram couldn't believe his ears, Delia sounded polite but uninterested!

He poured the dough in the sausage-pan.

She was probably still mad at dad, he thought to himself while turning the first pancake.

No wonder, he thought, she really wanted to go on that lake-trip. He shoved the first pancake on a plate and poured a second one.

And he never keeps his promises to me or to Delia, so it's naturally she's upset. He turned the second pancake, then shoved it also on the plate and prepaired for a third one.

Yes she was upset this morning, but she cheered up afterwards, said a voice in his head. So why would she still be upset right now? What changed her mood so suddenly? Ephram turned the third pancake.

I dunno, maybe... she's only ten years old. And kids can often be cheery about something in a moment but actually being sad afterwards. He started a fresh pancake.

And she's a girl, he told himself.

Girls are complex, even small ones.

He had had some experience with certain girls in the past and he knew better to watch out for mood swings. The small pile of pancakes grew.

But, he told himself, Delia was certainly wasn't old enough for that kind of mood swings. Or was she?

He shoved another pancake on the plate and glanced at his sisters back.

It's just the disappointment, he decided. And maybe her school project doesn't work out well.

He turned down the stove and picked up the plate which was now laden with pancakes.

With the air of a magician showing one of his tricks, he put the plate on the table right in front of Delia.

"Voil" , he said, "The very best, and famous New-York-Style-Pancakes freshly made by the one and only Ephram Brown!

Delia looked up at him and then looked at the pile of pancakes in front of her.

"They look nice." she said, talking as though she was looking at someone's new shoes which she found clearly the ugliest she'd ever seen.

Ephram couldn't help but staring at her with his mouth open. Delia, who watched his glare, tried to give him one of her big grins, but it failed and all she managed was a faint smile.

She looked away from her brother and her eyes rested on the pancakes. An hour ago, the thought of pancakes had made her mouth water. Right now, they did not seemed half as tasty.

"Well, go on! Don't you want to taste the first one?", Ephram's voice was ringing in her ears.

In an instant she was absolutely sure that she didn't wanted to taste anything, let alone a pancake. She had already opened her mouth to tell Ephram this, but then she looked up at him. In his eyes she saw his pride about the pancakes, disbelief about her lack of enthusiasm and she saw his concern for her. She swallowed the words she was about to speak.

Ephram saw her hesitate for a moment. Than she said: "Sure, ok.", and took a pancake from the plate.

Ephram took one himself and began to eat both hungrily and angry. How come, his father always found a way to spoil something! Delia would now be upset for the rest of the day, until dad came home and give her some feeble excuse. It was worse enough that his job always came on the first place, when they lived in New York. Now that they were in Everwood, nothing had changed.

Immersed as he was in his thoughts, he didn't notice Delia picking at her pancake. She toyed a while with it, pretending to eat, but not feeling the slightest temptation to taste it. In fact, she felt a bit queasy and the thought of eating this pancake only made it worse.

She glanced at Ephram, who had almost finished his pancake, and wondered how she could leave the table.

Ephram had by now finished his first and reached for a second. Looking up, he saw Delia tearing her pancake in pieces, though she didn't appeared to have eaten as much as a crumb.

"What's wrong?

Delia didn't dare to look at him. "Nothing. I'm just not hungry.", she replied flatly.

Ephram laid down his second pancake. "Come on, Delia. I know you're upset, but that's no reason to let him spoil your whole Saturday!'.

Delia kept staring at the table. She wished Ephram wouldn't talk so loudly, it made her head throbbing.

Ephram had now completely forgotten about his pancake. He was getting really angry. Not at Delia, but at his dad. "We don't need him Delia! We're just gonna have fun without him! I know you can never count on him, but you can count on me!

Her brother's shouting only made Delia's head throbbing worse and her stomach churned slightly.

"We can do whatever you like today! We can go to two movies if you like!", Ephram yelled.

Delia stared at the table, trying to block out the headache and ignore the nausea. She felt awfull. She desperately wanted her brother to stop yelling and to leave the table. A tear trickled down her face.

"Come on Delia!", Ephram continued to yell. "I'm really trying to make some fun of this! I'm trying to cheer you up, making pancakes! But you just sit there in silence! And I know your disappointed, but don't let him spoil everything!".

He hadn't meant to shout at his sister, but anger was still throbbing in his veins. "Now eat your pancake!"

Delia didn't hear Ephram's words exactly, she only heared his voice thundering in her ears.

But she did hear his last words and she too was suddenly boiling with anger. She wanted him to shut up and she wanted to leave.

"I SAID I'M NOT HUNGRY!"

And with that she flung the remains of her pancake at the table, stormed of and slammed the door shut.

Ephram sat dumbstruck and watched her leave.

to be continued...

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Please let me know what you think!

-x- Zimra