New Character #10-11: Laura, Blaire

This was not the first time that Laura had seated herself on a train from Boston to New York in an effort to bring her sister, Blaire, with her back home. And thus it was definitely not the first time that she had had to call the library where she worked and tell them that she had to take the day off. Her boss was not happy about any of this, that was for sure, but so far she had allowed Laura to stay on due to her knowledge of the place. If a person came in looking for a rarely borrowed book Laura was the best person to ask about it. However, Laura was not sure how long that excuse would be valid.

"Next stop, New York Pennsylvania Station."

Laura sighed and got out of her seat, pushing a few strands of her short hair away from her eyes as she stepped out onto the platform. Her sister was known for her escapes to the Big Apple and had been conducting these ever since her teens. The girls' mother had soon grown tired of having to pull her back to Boston twice per month while also explaining the rebellious blonde's absence to her school. She had even gone as far as throwing Blaire out of the house when she was seventeen. Laura could still remember the shouting that ended in Blaire leaving Boston for a week. Then, one night, she had appeared with a tear-streaked face outside Laura's apartment door and Laura had let her in, giving her a new home on the condition that Blaire finish school and not run away anymore.

Blaire had managed it and graduated a year later. Not with top grades, but grades none the less. She had been beyond excited about it, as well as having found a place of her own and a job at a local restaurant. Everything seemed to be going well until Blaire's boss called Laura about her missing sister. Apparently this was not the first time she had missed a shift and Laura, worried that her sister might just be afraid to quit a job she did not like, had called the landlord of Blaire's apartment, only to hear that Blaire was an 'exceptional tenant' who was never late with her bills. And that had made Laura think of Blaire's past escapes to New York and caused her to head down there.

She had found Blaire in a studio, posing in front of a camera.

She was heading to that same studio now. It was where Blaire had been every time since that first discovery after her graduation. Laura had hoped that it was just a passing thing, but evidently that had not been the case. Blaire ignored any stabile job she was offered or hired for back in Boston and instead prioritized this thing that would not last many more years. After all, models were considered old when they were 25 or something like that, at least according to what Laura had heard.

Laura took the metro from Herald Square to Prince Street and walked the short way from the station to the small studio in the light rain falling from the grey sky. On the way up she could hear the photographer shouting out instructions.

"Chin down! Lean back! Good! Good! Perfect!"

The camera smattered as Laura walked into the room, but to her surprise it was not Blaire who was being photographed. The blonde stood to the side, dressed properly and enigmatically discussing something with another woman. Laura marched up to them and glared at Blaire, who smiled.

"Babysitter's here again", she commented to her friend. The brunette she had been talking to laughed, before walking over to a table holding some coffee cups.

"You know, you don't have to come find me every time", Blaire remarked and gathered up her things. "I'm 21, you know."

"Yeah, I do", Laura replied, "because your irresponsibility will soon come back to hurt you. Again."

Blaire glared at her.

"This is what I want to do with my life. I'm not arguing about your days inside a dusty tomb of books."

They walked out into the rain and Blaire opened up her large umbrella.

"Let's get a coffee before we catch a train home", she said, "and something to eat; I'm starving!"

Laura frowned at her sister's sudden chipper mood, then shrugged.

"As long as it's nearby."

"Sure", Blaire said and turned a corner. "It's right over there."

She pointed at a white apartment complex on an adjoining street and Laura squinted in order to read the text on the sign outside the door.

"The Enchanted Forest?"

"The most magical cup of coffee you've ever had", Blaire dramatically explained. "Come on, I'm paying."

"Since when do you do that?" Laura asked. Blaire grinned.

"Since now."