I apologize for how long it took to get this up. I already had one typed up, but my computer got a virus before I posted it and I had to swipe the hard drive. I know it's a short one; I'll try to make the next one longer. Enjoy!
"Jackson! What are you doing up there?" Miley shouted irritably from the bottom of the staircase.
Jackson, her dearly beloved brother, had taken longer than she had so far, and she had to admit, it was annoying. Finally, after a few more minutes the man of the hour came down, looking better than Miley had ever seen him.
"What took you so long? Our plane leaves for Seattle in an hour!" She scolded.
"So I wanna enjoy a little more time in the bathroom? Besides, I thought it was your plane?" He said defensively. Miley breathed out sharply.
"It's rude to be late." Jackson rolled his eyes.
"Whatever. What's with the wig?" Indeed, she was wearing a wig. One that very much resembled the style and color of a certain hairstyle she used to have.
"Oh, just my secret identity." With that - and a dramatic head swing - she walked out the door, leaving a confused Jackson to pick up the luggage.
* * * * * * * * * *
The ride to the airport was a disaster. The two mistakenly took the freeway and ended up hitting rush-hour traffic. The constant honking of horns gave Jackson a headache he wouldn't forget any time soon. They finally did manage to maneuver their way through the line of cars an hour later and arrive at the LAX entrance, only to go through checks for the next hour thereafter. All ready officially late when they reached the airport, it took half an hour to actually take off. The siblings each relaxed a little as the pilot announced their destination time. The silence in the plane was broken a moment later.
"What's the place like?" Jackson asked nonchalantly. The teen pop star looked at her brother.
"You'll see." She said, letting a mischievous smile slide onto her face. Jackson rolled his eyes. The plane ride was easy and getting out of the airplane and onto the road was just as easy. No matter how many times Jackson asked his sister where they were going, she remained quiet. Deciding to go along with her little game he found he didn't have to wait to long. The rental car pulled up in front of an elite looking building. Your average looking penthouse structure with big glossy front doors.
"Don't tell-" He was cut off by Hannah now Miley.
"Come on!" She quickly led him to through the front doors, disregarding the doorman, dragging the poor teenager to the elevator where the doors slid open. Tugging him through, she slid a card she had produced from her pocket into the appropriate place and punched the penthouse button. Up and up they went, everything going to fast for Jackson to fully comprehend. As the elevator dinged, signaling their arrival, the dazed look on Jackson's face disappeared, replaced by awe.
The large room was brightly lit, showing every detail of the place. The entire back wall alone was magnificent, one hundred percent window leading onto a balcony, giving a grand view of Seattle, a.k.a. Jackson's new home. A black leather couch and loveseat occupied one side, seated in front of a plasma flat screen, while another sat a wood table set for six people. The blue carpet contrasted nicely with this furniture, including the small table with a plant on it here and there. In her mega excitement to show Jackson the house, Miley jumped inside, tossing her bag on the hallway table seated next to the entrance. Not even bothering to look at her reflection in the mirror hanging above said table, she towed her brother through the house.
His bedroom was simple, yet bigger than he had ever had. The same went for the attached bathroom and walk-in closet (though it did no justice to Hannah's, she made sure of). Several other rooms were located in the same hallway just off the living room, including two guest rooms and a game room, which Jackson had already silently promised to come back to later. Coming back to the main room, Miley revealed a small door (compared to the windows) near the dining table leading out to the huge balcony previously mentioned.
By this time, the sun had begun to set and the sky was turning a pink gold-ish color. Miley, for the dozenth time that day, dragged Jackson to the squishy couch placed there. She looked completely proud of herself. As if nothing could ruin her perfect day. Jackson leaned back after a moment of hesitation, finally relaxing for once that day. He still hadn't completely wrapped his head around the fact that this place, the entire apartment right down to the couch he was sitting on, belonged to him. It was his for as long as he lived there, and, little did he know, he would be staying there for as long as he could. These thoughts once again brought him back to memories of his old life and how thing could have turned out differently, which lead him to thoughts of his sister. He looked at her then, who was looking out at the sunset seated quietly beside him, and for just an instance understood exactly what this meant to her. He knew he had to do this, not only for himself, but to see his sister happy, for reasons he would never come to fully understand. Settling back down again, he addressed the latter.
"Ah, Hannah, this is the life. I sure better hold on tight." Hannah laughed lightly, turning away from the sky.
"So you like it then?" She asked somewhat shyly.
"Like it? I love it! How many guys can say they own their own plasma screen!" Hannah smiled again.
"Good, 'cause it sure would be a shame if all this went to waste." She said knowingly.
"Yeah, it would be rude too." He replied with an eye roll.
"See, you're learning already!" They laughed a bit over that eventually leaving the space in a silence.
Miley stood up minutes later, stretching her body as she did so with a yawn.
"Well I don't know about you, but I'm going to sleep."
"Yeah, yeah." Jackson replied, already nodding off.
"You better get to bed soon Jackson." Miley warned.
"Five more minutes Hannah." He drowsed. Said girl rolled her eyes.
"O.K. Goodnight Jackson."
"Night Hannah." Miley stopped for a moment, debating whether or not to correct him on her name.
Deciding it would be too weird and only raise odd questions later, she decided to wait. For what to wait for, she didn't quite know.