Lucy I

Sigh.

Lucy felt the weight of the world crushing her. She was alone with her problems. Lucy fumbled with the camera she had borrowed from Luan, rewatching her taped seances on the small built-in screen. Her incantations echoed back to her in the poor audio quality of the camera. For a moment, she had been hopeful that Lincoln would understand her. But as it turns out, even he didn't want to hear her out. From the looks of it in the bathroom this morning, it seemed like — like Luna was near-passed out on the floor...

Maybe she was wrong about it all. Maybe it was merely wishful thinking, a hope that one of her siblings could understand. Maybe she was just too weird, to be having these feelings. Sigh. She moped across the hallway. She couldn't go to her room now. She didn't have the strength to remain stoic and composed in front of Lynn. Not this time. She dragged herself downstairs to the kitchen table to draw.

While Lucy is midway through a drawing, Lincoln passes through the kitchen. He's headed out the door and doesn't notice her. He never does. Lucy moves to the window, and stands on her tippy toes to see him off. She sees Lynn tackle him, unprovoked. Lucy watches Lincoln, and Lynn lying on top of him, having pinned him down. She felt that feeling again. She felt it often, yet she was unfamiliar with it. It was a sort of — powerlessness, but, mixed with excitement? It made her feel weirdly hyped up. She never got noticed, but her siblings would end up wrestling without even trying. All Lincoln had to do was walk outside.

And that was it. That's how simple it could be. Lucy had hatched a plan that second. She didn't have it in her to confront her feelings directly, but this would help her soothe them for a while.

As Lucy is having these thoughts, Lincoln turns to look at her through the window. Just her luck, he notices her when she's being weird. She quickly stoops down, ashamed.

After a little while, however, it was time to execute her plan. Lucy walks out the kitchen door onto the yard. She pretends to be inattentive. And sure enough...

"Dodge!"

Lucy doesn't dodge. In a single strong movement she is swept off her feet. She lands in the grass with Lynn on top of her. Lynn's body weight landed mostly on her collarbones. It hurt a little, but not in a way that she minded. Lynn is pinning her down on her small, frail shoulders. She can feel the strength of Lynn's arms holding her — they were muscular, especially for a girl her age. It makes her go limp. She can only stare at her sister, helplessly. No amount of struggling could ever get her free from this grip — not that she had intended to struggle. She was now completely at her sister's mercy.

"Ha, gotcha Luce!" Lynn looked at her mischievously.

Lucy liked her mischievous smile. Like Lynn, Lucy liked to be mischievous, albeit in a totally different manner. Lynn was rowdy, like her other sisters. Lucy was weak, and timid. She could only respond to her sister with the tiniest smile — and blush.

"The blood's running to your head Luce, let's get you up." With Lucy's pale skin, her blushing had quickly made her look feverishly red. A healthy colour looked unhealthy on her. Lynn got off of her sister, and stuck out her hand for Lucy to help her get up. Was it already over? Lucy felt like she had forgotten to enjoy the moment, like she forgets to enjoy every moment. Reluctantly, she clasped Lynn's hand with hers. Lynn pulled Lucy to her feet in a single, powerful motion. The sisters stood opposite each other now. Lynn was barely an inch taller than she was, but she made her feel small nonetheless. She liked feeling small.

"Sorry Lucy, I know you don't like playing rough. Are you alright?" Lynn asked because her face was still red like fresh vampire blood.

"Oh, no, it's okay. I'm fine. I don't mind it." Lucy didn't want to sound too eager. She succeeded.

"You sure? Looks like you got yourself a bruise there, Luce." With her index finger, Lynn repositioned the cloth neck of Lucy's shirt an inch downward. Lucy involuntary slumped her head an inch in the opposite direction. Lucy feels her sisters finger on her collarbone. The cloth it displaced revealed some blue among all the red. Lynn's pindown had bruised her collarbone slightly, but since her pale skin bruised easily, it looked like a bad bruise. The heavy discoloration made it look more debillitating than it actually was. "Might wanna put some ice on that."

Lucy didn't want Lynn's pity. If anything, she wanted to be roughhoused some more. She didn't care about the bruises. She has a high tolerance for pain, but everyone sees her as weak because of her impuissant body. It always gives in before she does, and it betrays her every emotion. That's why she stoically restrains herself extra hard around others. She didn't want to be seen as weak, especially not now. She wanted to appear tough to Lynn.

"It doesn't hurt, I don't need ice. I just bruise easily, that's all."

Lynn shook her head at her determination. "Jeez Luce. You're red as a tomato, you bruise like a tomato. You sure you're not a tomato?" Lynn laughed indignantly.

Lynn was teasing her. Two can play that game. Lucy smiles.

"I don't know, Lynn. Why don't you try turning me into ketchup?"

Lynn was silent, for a while. Then laughed. Hard. Damn, that comeback sounded better in her head. She was just making a fool out of herself. The tomato reddened further.

"What's gotten into you Luce? You'd turn to puree if I as much as look at you." She was right. Very right, but not in the way she thinks. Lucy needed tactics, quick. The only way this was going to go Lucy's way was to appeal to Lynn's competitive side. It was Lynn's weakness — the only one she knew about. But it was the only one Lucy needed.

"Well, I bet this tomato could beat you in a wrestling match."

"Don't make me laugh Luce, you'd just end up with more bruises."

That was the point. But it didn't matter now: Lynn's head had already turned, swiftly, like a bloodhound to a sound. Lana was walking out of the house. Lynn leapt at her.

"Dodge!"

Lucy watched idly by at the roughhousing she desired. Lana was much better at playing rough than Lucy was, despite being so much younger. There was that feeling again. Powerlessness.

Sigh. Lucy went inside.

...

"Lynn."

Lynn opened her eyes at the call of her name. Through crusty, half-opened eyes she saw Lucy stand over her. She stood next to her bed, with her arms pressed meekly onto her shoulders. Lucy's nightgown partly slipped off of one of her shoulders in the action, exposing some of her still-bruised collarbone. The bruise Lynn had left had partly faded, however, so it was barely visible in the dim moonlight.

"Lucy?" Lynn's voice creaked with weariness. She had been playing in the yard all day, and she was exhausted.

"How about that wrestling match? You're not chickening out, are you?"

Because of the angle Lucy was standing at, Lucy's bangs were pulled some ways away from her eyes by gravity. Lynn could see directly into her eyes now — a rare visage that not many are bestowed. Lynn saw Lucy's eyes glistening fiercely at her. It was a fierceness that was unbecoming of someone so meek, but it nonetheless spoke to Lynn in a physical, energetic language that no words can capture.

"Heh, give me a break Luce, I'm tired." It was an excuse. The truth was that Lynn didn't want to wrestle Lucy. She was afraid her competitive side would play up, and that she would seriously hurt her sister. The pangs of competition were already gnawing at her simply from the way Lucy is looking at her. It was a challenge. But if Lynn gave in to it, it could get her into serious trouble.

"Oh, I'll give you a break." Lucy said it scathingly. She let go of Lynn's shoulders, and instead grabbed onto one of her legs through the blanket. She pulled on it with all of her might, which wasn't much. She had attempted to drag her out of the bed, but she only moved her a few inches. It was enough to dishevel Lynn, however. And more importantly, it was enough to get her to retaliate.

"Why you little—"

Lynn got up, and moved fast. Before Lucy could react in any meaningful way, Lynn had swept her off her feet and brought her to her knees. Lucy's face slammed down on Lucy's mattress, and her right arm got pinned behind her back in the same motion. Lucy let out a sound. Her plan had worked. This is exactly the kind of game she had wanted to play.

"Too slow, tomato." Lynn exclaimed, victoriously. "Ready to give up yet?"

"Never." Lucy spoke resolutely.

"Never huh?" Lynn yawned, and fanned the air in front of her face with her palm. Then she pinned Lucy's arm down tighter. "How about now? Still never?"

"Agh." Lynn was hurting her now, but it was a good kind of hurting. The kind she desperately wanted more of. "A- Are you doing something? I can — barely feel anything." It had sounded unnatural. Lucy tried to provoke Lynn as much as she could, but her nature was docile, and her appearance was anything but imposing. Still, the physicality of it all had unleashed something in her. It spoke for her. "Are you even trying?" She goaded.

A grin appeared on Lynn's face. She shouldn't have said that, she thought to herself. "What's gotten into you Luce?" Lynn restrained her a little more, pushed her deeper into the bed. Whatever had gotten into her sister, Lynn liked it. It was exactly what she had been hoping for. Her other siblings didn't challenge her in this way. It scratched an itch that had long been there, but that she had never been able to scratch before.

Muffled sounds came from the bed. Lucy had wanted to speak more provoking words, but Lynn had now pinned her fiercely down into the mattress. The fabric covering her mouth made it hard to speak. It also strained Lucy's breathing. But she didn't panic — quite the opposite. It gave her a great feeling of bewilderment. It gave her peace, yet made her feel flustered. She felt completely overpowered. She was truly at her sister's mercy now.

Meanwhile, Lynn spotted something from the corner of her eye, and saw an opportunity. As much as she liked playing rough like this, she was also actually tired, so she needed to wrap this up quickly. She reached for her large wooden hockeystick, which stuck out of her sports bag, and pinned both of Lucy's arms behind it. By hinging the hockeystick into Lucy's armpits, she brought Lucy to her feet. Lucy gasped for air. Lucy was maximally dishevelled and flustered — but happy.

"Playtime's over Luce." Lynn made Lucy walk to her bed — her arms still crucified behind the hockeystick — and pushed her face down onto her own bed. "You've got a lot to learn about wrestling, tomato."

It was over as quickly as it had begun. Lucy wanted more. She turned her head towards Lynn. "Maybe I need some more wrestling practise."

Lynn grinned. "Maybe you do." A yawn had started halfway through her sentence, and once it was over she continued. "But not now." She looked over at Lucy, who was still pinned with her hockeystick behind her back. She stared back at her meekly. The challenger in her had been extinguished — for now.

"Tomorrow." Lynn proposed. She removed the hockeystick from her and put it on the floor.

Lucy smiled.

"Tomorrow."

...

Lynn went back to sleep. She fell asleep quick, despite the heat. It wasn't hard to tell, Lynn was a loud snorer. But despite Lynn's snoring, Lucy could still make out some other foreign sound, coming from the other room. It was a high pitched noise. It was followed by talking, but she couldn't make out the words. Who else could be up at this hour?

Lucy quietly went to investigate, and snuck around the hallway. The sounds were coming from Lincoln's room, but they didn't sound like Lincoln. She knew better than to invade her brother's privacy, but — her curiosity got the best of her. Through the door, she could hear voices. Dare she look? She very carefully, very quietly, opened his bedroom door. Through the smallest sliver between the door and its post, she peered inside.

Lucy saw how the back of a girl, sitting upright in Lincoln's bed, convulsed rhythmically. It was as if she was being electrified. Then the body shot up, and hastily removed a piece of clothing from herself and launched it like a projectile. On the floor now, as Lucy recognised it, was one of Luna's shirts. That means that, the girl sitting on top of Lincoln was Luna. Naked. Her body struck Lincoln, and her limbs attacked him with great fury and impatience. The very same fury and impatience that not so long ago, she had felt too. Quietly, Lucy observed from the shadows.

She was learning a lot about wrestling.