triple threat - "you're my favorite" plus family
chess - (setting) beach
321 words by gdocs
It's supposed to be a vacation. It's supposed to be the time when they don't worry about getting up for things like school and sleep in until noon.
Despite that, Lily wakes Albus and James up at the crack of dawn to drag them down to the beach.
"Come on, come on!" she says, tugging at their hands with surprising strength for a six year old. The brothers share a glance, neither one of them overly pleased at the idea of getting up before the sun. "There's no beach time to waste!"
James thinks he has to talk to his parents about never bringing them to the beach ever again, because this is the third day Lily's done this to them. They've only been at this rented beach house for three days.
Still, James humors her because he loves seeing her face light up as they play together. He lets her get away with so much because he likes seeing her smile. He's terrible.
"What is it today?" James asks, letting Lily drag him down the hall and to the front door. "You want me to build you another sandcastle?" he asks. Yesterday, the morning was devoted to getting sunburnt and building a sandcastle as tall as Lily herself.
"This is why you're my favorite," Lily says quite seriously, nodding at James. He knows that he's going to be her least favorite brother by dinner, but James can't help but stick a tongue out at Albus. He's mature like that. Albus sticks a tongue back out, still half-asleep.
Together, the three of them head outside. James can immediately feel the sun beating down on him as soon as the sand hits their feet. As the oldest, he knows it's his responsibility to look after his little siblings, so when Lily runs ahead of them, towards the sea, he runs after her, Albus on his tail.
They have a sandcastle to build.