Selene slid her bag off her shoulder and dropped into the old velvety chair. This corner of the library rarely got any visitors and most people didn't talk her anyway, so she hoped those factors added together would mean she'd finally get to read her book. She cracked the book open, staring ruefully at the already messed up spine. Much to her mother's delight, she was already finished with both Cinder and Scarlet and was almost halfway through Cress. She marked her page in her book, set it down and dug around in her bag until she found her hoodie. She slipped it on, chewing on the strings. Sev would just roll his eyes at her when he found out she had already started chewing on them. She settled back into the chair, picking Cress up again. She really hoped Thorne would get to Cress before something bad happened to her.

"Hey!" Hands slammed onto the table in front of her and she looked up, her ruby eyes finding probably the only person who saw her. Adalwolf, that was his full name and he was from Germany. He hadn't been there since he was a child, but he didn't care. To most people, he was Aaron and he'd had her call him that until her birthday nearly a month ago. That was when she'd gotten The Lunar Chronicles and after borrowing Scarlet, he'd insisted she called him Wolf.

She still refused to.

He was breathing heavily, as if he'd just run all over the school looking for her. Maybe he had, it sounded like something he'd do. She raised an eyebrow at him and he took this as a silent cue to speak. "I. Have. Been trying to give this to you for the past three weeks." He stuck a wrapped package out at her.

Selene sighed and gingerly took the package, as if it were fragile or would explode in her face if she wasn't careful. Truthfully, she just didn't like it when people spent money on her. With her parents, it was different. They were her parents and she wasn't a legal independent adult yet. Situations like this? It was just awkward. She carefully unwrapped the package, revealing a package of gel pens and a sketchbook. She smiled and looked up at Aaron, silently wondering once again how he'd gotten Aaron as a nickname. Maybe his parents had suggested it after moving. "Thank you."

He smiled at her, a lopsided grin that would've made her nervous or annoyed if it were anyone else. "I found your hiding spot."

She looked at her lap. "Damn. I guess I'll just have to try harder next time."

He sent her a fake look of hurt. "You know you love me."

And despite the fact that he could be a bit obnoxious sometimes, he was right. She didn't say it, but she enjoyed his company. She knew he considered her a friend, but she was still a little uncomfortable with the idea and couldn't refer to him as a friend, at least not out loud. She wasn't like Brittany, who made friends like people breathed oxygen. It was involuntary and always happening, even if she didn't stay friends with them for long. The albino scratched at her arm absentmindedly, snapping back to attention when Aaron dragged a chair over and sat in front her. "You okay?"

She nodded, despite the growing pit of dread in her stomach. His constant concern still made her uncomfortable. She wasn't sure how to handle someone outside her family being as concerned as he was. Brittany was convinced it meant he loved her, but Selene didn't agree. Friends worried about each other, right? Why did being worried about someone have to mean you loved them? Besides, there was no way he could love her. They hadn't been friends that long. She shook her head and went back to her book, her thoughts racing. Aaron settled into his chair and laid his head on the back. He usually just sat with her when she read, enjoying the silence. The bell rang and they both jumped, having been lost in their thoughts. Aaron helped her gather her books and insisted on carrying her bag, despite her protests. He walked her to class and escorted her to her seat before he decided he could leave. She sighed and hid her bright red face as girls around her tittered jealously and others told her she was lucky. Still, others told her she shouldn't "lead him on" in such a way, but she ignored them. Aaron was handsome, there was no argument there, but he was also the subject of most of the girls fantasies in this school. She hated it. Why did he have to be so nice to her? She liked it better when she went unnoticed.

The bell rang again and the substitute started attendance. Selene raised her hand when he finally got to her name and she tried to ignore the whispers throughout the class. She knew what her peers thought of her and Brittany. Unlike her twin, she ignored it. For the most part anyway. She tried to throw herself wholeheartedly into the lesson, but her mind kept wandering, leaving the school entirely. She fiddled with the hem of her gloves. She'd cut the top half of the fingers off them, but left them the length they'd been when she'd ordered them. The gloves went most of the way down her forearm, stopping just before reaching her elbow. Tugging at her hoodie, she considered taking it off. She was getting warm. Maybe if she left her gloves on..? No, that would look strange and she tried not to draw attention to herself. Unlike, her father who hated going unnoticed and her mother who simply didn't care, she actively tried to be invisible. That was partially why she didn't always like how much attention Aaron paid to her. In the end, she kept her hoodie on, despite her growing discomfort. She hadn't worn a long sleeve shirt today and she didn't want people staring at her arms.

The bell rang yet again and Selene jumped. She hadn't realized class was over, she'd been too absorbed in her thoughts. Her heart sped up as she realized she'd missed the entire class. She hadn't gotten any notes! She resolve crumbled, how was she supposed to get a good grade on the test now? She went up to the sub and asked for notes, claiming she'd been in the bathroom because she hadn't felt well. Apparently, he believed her on the spot lie, because he handed a couple papers over to her. She thanked him profusely before turning and rushing out of the room. She needed to get outside and find Brittany. She stumbled out into an overcast greyness, zipping her backpack up to keep her papers and books from flying everywhere. Someone grabbed her shoulder and she twisted away, grabbing the foreign wrist and wrenching it behind the person's back. She held on with an iron grip, her pulse pounding in her ears until she realized just who she was pinning and released her sister. Brittany rubbed her shoulder, glaring at her. "What the hell was that?"

Selene smiled sheepishly at her twin. "Sorry. I panicked."

This didn't seem to be a good enough answer for the blonde girl as she continued to scowl at her. "That hurt."

"I said sorry."

"You pinned my arm behind my back!"

"I said sorry!"

"Don't argue." They both jumped at the new voice and turned to find Severus standing a few feet behind them. He was smirking at them. "It's not very ladylike."

Brittany's scowl intensified, but Selene had to keep herself from squealing. "Sev!" She shrieked instead and launched herself at him, enveloping him in a tight hug. He stumbled under the sudden assault, but chuckled and hugged her back anyway. "No need to shout Selene, I'm right here."

Selene hugged her brother for a few more minutes, then let go of him and stepped back. "How is Bell? Is she okay?"

He sighed. "She's gotten better. From what I could tell, she's getting kinda flirty with one of the mafia people."

Brittany rolled her eyes. "Bad decision on her part. That's nothing new."

Selene turned to her sister, not able to stop the disappointed look from coming out. "Britt…"

The blonde rolled her eyes again and huffed, "Can we go please?" She sent Severus a disdainful look. "What are you even doing here?"

He matched her distaste with his own. "I told mom I'd come pick you up."

She scoffed. "Of course you did. You're such a momma's boy. I bet you'd jump off a cliff if mom asked you to."

He rolled his eyes. "Mom wouldn't ask me to jump off a cliff. Why don't you just walk if you don't want a ride?"

"I never said that."

"Well, I'm not driving someone as cruel as you around."

"Is that the best you've got?" Brittany strode up to Severus, closing the distance between them and leaned close. "You wanna go, pasta boy? We can go."

Severus held eye contact with her, his gaze blazing. "Let's go then."

The staring contest went on for a few more minutes, before Brittany huffed and turned away, her ponytail smacking against his cheek. "You're not worth the time."

Sev glared at the back of her head. "Not so tough without your little lapdog, are you?"

Brittany stopped, her free hand clenching into a fist at her side. No one insulted her little brother, not even the man who tried to be her elder brother. "Take it back."

He crossed his arms and replied cooly, "No."

Brittany turned, her fist flying toward his face. "Brittany, no!" There was a flash of white and suddenly, Selene's head jerked to the side, her hand coming up to her cheek. Brittany stared at her twin in shock and stepped back. Her knuckles were red, her hand hurt. Selene was hunched over, cradling her face in her hands while Sev held her shoulders and glared at Brittany. "I told you, I'm fine." Selene stood, a bright red mark taking up a little less than half of her face. She rubbed it, her eyes on her feet.

Brittany's mouth was hanging open. "Selene, I-"

The albino held up a hand, causing her sister's mouth to snap shut and her brother to fall silent. She was shaking, just slightly, but she took a deep breath and picked up her bag. "We should go." She started towards her brother's car and kept her back to her siblings. They held another glaring contest before joining her by the car. Sev helped her into the passenger seat, even though she didn't need it and Brittany meekly climbed into the back. The only brunette started the car and drove to his mother's house as quickly as he could without breaking any laws. They got out when it stopped and Brittany hurried into the house, hoping to get away before her mother could see her. She stepped inside, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw her father. Standing next to her mother and… laughing? It was a few moments before they noticed her, but when they did, they both sent her luminous smiles. "How was school?" Her mother asked.

Brittany adjusted the strap of her bag and tried to smile. "Fine. School was fine, great even!"

Neither of her parents seemed convinced. "Is something wrong?"

She opened her mouth to reply, but was suddenly shoved forward. "You're in the way. I need to get Selene some ice, thanks to you."

"Sev, I told you, I'm fine. I can get ice myself."

"What happened to your cheek?" Her mother's voice rang out as Selene came into view.

"Nothing, mom, I'm fine."

"No you're not! Brittany punched you!"

"Sev! It was an accident. She was going for you!"

"Why's everyone yelling?" Alfred strode into view and spied the three children, his face paling slightly. Brittany squirmed under his gaze, her heart hammering against her ribs. This wasn't going to be good.

"You punched your sister?" Her mother said after a long silence. Her voice suggested calm, but Brittany knew there was a storm brewing behind that calm facade.

"She was going for me, mom." Severus interjected.

"Why?" Matthew asked, holding an ice pack out to his stubborn albino daughter.

"They got in a fight." She mumbled, taking the ice pack from her father and holding it against her cheek. "It's not a big deal."

Brittany dared to look up from her feet and something in her broke. Her parents were giving her a disappointed look, but so was her uncle. Disappointing her parents? That she was used to, but her uncle? That stung. He was usually so happy to see her and tried his hardest not to be overbearing or act like a third parent and more like a friend.

"I think it would be best if you came home with me for the weekend." Matthew said finally, sending his ex a questioning look. She nodded and he turned back to his daughters. "Selene, you can stay if you want." He gathered up the few things he'd brought over and made his way to the door. "I'm going to go start the car."

Severus led Selene upstairs, muttering to her the entire way. For once, she simply allowed herself to be led away, mostly ignoring her older brother's chatter. Brittany sighed and sat down, her unfocused gaze locked on a spot on the floor only she could see. A few minutes later, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, into the sad eyes of her father. "Go apologize to your brother and sister and then we can leave." Brittany's anger flared again. "He's not my brother."

Matthew sighed. "Yes he is, Brittany. Go on."

She scowled and went upstairs, knocking on her sister's bedroom door. Sev peeked out and then slid out of the room, closing the door behind him. "What?"

"I need to see Selene."

"Are you going to punch her again?"

Her fingers dug into her crossed arms. "No, but I missed last time. I could always give you your daily beating."

He didn't take the bait, as she'd hoped. Instead he scoffed and opened the door. "My parents don't beat me, I wouldn't know what that's like."

"Well then, maybe the feeling is long overdue."

"Guys, please don't fight." Selene said quietly from her bed. She hated it when her siblings fought. Brittany slowly made her way over. "Hey. I just wanted to apologize. Y'know, for hitting you." Selene looked at her lap, fiddling with her comforter. "It's fine. You should go. Dad won't want to wait very long." Brittany could tell she wasn't going to get anything else out of her twin. Admittedly, it hurt a little. "Alright. I'll see you when you get home on Sunday." Selene nodded, refusing to look up. The blonde sighed and stood up, leaving the room before the tears she could feel welling up could fall. She hadn't meant to hurt her sister, she'd been aiming for Severus. Maybe this was karma though, for trying to punch him in the first place. She got downstairs and found that both her bag and her uncle were gone. Her father walked out of the kitchen. "Ready?" She nodded and looked around again.

"Your bag is in the car. Al left."

Without saying goodbye? Okay, that really stung. She wiped at her eyes to keep the tears away and walked out of the house. It had gotten colder while she'd been inside. The wind whipped around, stinging her eyes and drying them all at once. She got in the passenger seat of her dad's car, her arms crossed. She wouldn't even have Chris at the house. It would just be her and her dad, since her brother was visiting their grandfather. She sighed and sunk lower into the seat. The drive home was silent. At some point, she fell asleep.

Selene watched her father pull out of the driveway, taking her twin sister with him. Her cheek still stung and was a bit tender, but it felt a lot better than it had before. She sat down on her bed, leaning against Sev. He wrapped an arm around her in a half hug and sighed. "Why'd you jump in front of me?"

She looked up at him, expecting him to be joking. Nope, he was completely serious. "You think I'd let you get hurt?" They fell into silence until they decided to watch a movie. A few hours later, their mother knocked and opened the door just enough to poke her head in. "Are either of you hungry?"

"A little." They replied in unison, then exchanged an amused look. Selene would've laughed if her face didn't hurt.

"I was thinking something small since it's just the three of us. Soup and sandwiches maybe."

"Tomato soup," Severus replied instantly.

"And grilled cheese." Selene finished.

Maddy laughed. "You two haven't wanted that since you were little. But okay, sounds good to me. I'll let you know when it's ready."

As the door closed, they exchanged another knowing look and scrambled off the bed, chasing after their mother. "Mom, can we help?" Dinner was put on the table about an hour later, because they started fencing with butter knives and had to have a referee. They both came away with shallow cuts where they'd accidentally nicked each other, but nothing major. It was dark before any of them got to bed.

silverfang493: picky, picky.