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Darkseeker
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Crew sprinted up the stairs, already dreading the sight that was about to meet his eyes. He carefully pushed open his sister's bedroom door, and he flinched. Kennedy was yanking Drew's blonde curls, and Drew was trying to bite Kennedy's arms. They were both screaming horrid things at each other, and Crew could hear his father starting to get even more frustrated. He snatched his cousin back, quickly disentangling fingers from hair, and shushing them as best he could. Both girls glowered at him, upset that they hadn't been able to sort out their feelings by themselves. Crew matched their glares, unwilling to be budged on his role as peacemaker.
"Are you crazy?" This was directed at Kennedy. "You know dad will go absolutely insane if you keep fighting. Do you not remember last summer? You were almost disowned, Miss Kennedy Caroline. It's bad enough that last night he didn't get back until almost four AM, and mum still expects him up at six. No wonder you screeching like a pair of banshees set him off." Crew's words were firm, but he was doing his best to not be hurtful. He knew neither of them were trying to get each other in trouble. No one slept well when Mr. Sinclair had late night business to attend to. Thankfully, Drew left the room a moment later, still in a huff, but nothing Crew couldn't smooth out later with an iced coffee and after the meds had all kicked in. For both of them. He sighed, turning back to Kennedy, who was sulking on the huge bed. Her whole rooms were done in icy blue, reminiscent of a winter's day, and her bedspread was no different. However, at this time, it lay crumpled at the end of her bed, the crisp white sheets all that were showing. He sighed, and walked over to sit next to her. Crew hated that he was the one who had to do feelings with his sisters. So far, with Kennedy, he'd done school drama, he'd done boy drama, and he'd done parental drama, and he was dreading Clementine being old enough to need someone, because he knew Kennedy wasn't going to be the one who could help her through it. She was far too focused on her own goals and ideals for that. He gave her space, but a moment later, she leaned against his shoulder, and he relaxed.
"Tell me what's going on?" He asked softly, not wanting to push her into talking. Kennedy took a deep breath, and promptly burst into tears. Crew winced internally, but wrapped his arms around her, waiting.
"It's dad," she sobbed. "I'm worried for him. He's been coming back with more and more blood on his shirts, and he's been getting threatening phone calls, and mummy is starting to deal with stuff in her job too. But still, they never find time for us. It's like, they wanted something to show off, so they had a baby, and then a few more. And they show us off like a necklace, or a purse, and then we get home, and they hide us away in a closet." Crew waited another moment, making sure she was done, at least for now. She seemed to be, so he gave her his best bittersweet smile. "I know, Dee-Dee. Life isn't fair sometimes. You're one of the richest people in the world, but you're not happy? How does that work?" He teased. "Look. We'll all go out later, okay? It means a little extra work for us, with the paparazzi and all, but it'll be good. Who's that boy you're dating? He can come too. And Drew can stay here and hold down the fort."
He hated to throw his cousin under the bus like that, but close family would come first always. Kennedy's spirits had been bolstered, and she sat up.
"Okay. Is Capri going to come to?"
Crew paused at the mention of the pretty Italian girl he was supposedly dating.
"Um...don't tell mum, but we broke up..."
Kennedy gasped. "Why?"
"You knew we were only stunting," Crew said defensively. "She got mad that I was...exploring other options?"
Kennedy slapped him.
"I can't believe you. A pretty girl is willing to date you, and you still find a way to blow it."
He shrugged. "It's irrelevant. Come on. Get ready to go out for lunch." He patted her shoulder, and walked briskly to the door, pulling it open, where he was startled to be met with the maid he'd helped earlier.
His cheerful smile dropped slightly, the corners of his full lips turning down.
"You wouldn't have possibly been eavesdropping, would you?" He said coolly. |
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(Now realizing I got Liane in a bit of a pickle because that was not at all the route I expected things to go XD.)) Staring at the back of the door, she could still be muttering to herself whether this was a good idea or not. Maybe she could try to push out when things quieten down and they wouldn't notice? She could hear Crew talking to his sisters, she presumed. She actually didn't know how everyone was related, just that they were. She could also hear the agruing of two girls, but everything was rather muffled. Only being able to collect bits and peices, especially after one of the girls and it sounded like just Crew and one of the girls. She could hear sobbing, her hand eased onto the handle, like she wanted to turn it, just couldn't will herself to do it. Then what she heard next caused her to stop dead in her tracks. Of all the peices she managed to snag from their conversation, how did it manage to be that one? 'He's been coming back with more and more blood on his shirts' Her mind flicked back to the load of laundry she just started. That shirt... that wasn't a design. That was the shirt Mr. Sinclair came home in last night. Her stomach dropped and she felt sick. Did she just agree to clean up after criminals? Taking a step back she scrambled to grab her phone, unsure what she was supposed to do so her mind panicked and made her check the timer on her phone. You know when you get startled by something and don't know what to do with your hands? Yeah, that's what happened. But about that time, the door was pulled open, startling Liane only that much more. Crew stood in the doorway. The unsureness, but equally as ominous look on his face caused Liane to immediately brace herself for a quick getaway. Her heart was racing, but she had to play it cool. She could feel her anxiety welling up but she had to act like how she's had to do forever: fine. "Mr. Sinclair...err Crew. I apologize for how this looks, but I promise I only heard about you inviting...Miss Sinclair?" She arched a brow with the question. Her poker face could be considered near perfection, as long as he couldn't tell how much she was sweating and how pale she was. On a lunch date, oh and something about... Caprisun?" she tilted her head with a finger placed on her chin as if asking a question. Learning how to lie was apart of the customer service job. "I'm so sorry about that wait on those fajitas, we were really busy this morning and they had to prep some more fajita meat." (knowing fully well She forgot to ring them in.) "But I was coming up stairs to do some cleaning while I wait for the timer on the laundry to go off." She continued with a normal expression now, holding up her phone to show the timer ticking down. "51 minutes" Slipping her phone back into her pocket, she fixated her amber gaze back on his. As if awaiting a response, only for the phone she just placed back in her pocket to start buzzing. With an annoyed expression Liane glanced down to check her phone only to see the words: "KARA" writting on the screen. Her eyes went wide and she clutched the phone in her hand, "I am... I am so sorry...Please, I have to take this, it's my mom, something could be wrong." she stammered her words out as her hands began shaking. She had to get away, her eyes frantically searching for any escape route. She couldn't go back down because there was no service, and she didn't want to just push Crew out of the way. Sure, he might be a criminal but he's been nice so far. Besides, she needed this job right? Maybe it's just a misunderstanding. |
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Darkseeker
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Crew's eyes only darkened further at her attempt to cover, but didn't say anything, watching her do her best to make it seem alright. She waved her phone in his face, but he could barely see it with how quickly she snatched it back as the screen flashed to a call. She seemed desperate to take it, and he raised an eyebrow, his gaze icy cold.
"Take it. I don't care. I didn't hire you."
He pushed past her, heading down the hallway, shaking his head. It always happened this way. No one ever actually wanted to be a maid for the Sinclairs. All of it came down to the pay, and the fact that most girls would kill for a little bit of gossip, especially from a family like Crew's. Either that, or they wanted to get a chance at him or his father. Taft was still too young, thankfully. Most of the maids were fired after the first week, and the others quit because of all the stipulations about what they could and couldn't talk about. Crew rolled his eyes, pausing beside a large family portrait. He ran his fingers down the edge, and triggered a tiny latch, and the picture swung forward, revealing a small passage. That was the best part about the Boston Home. It was full of secret passages, hidden rooms, and other various secrets and treasures. Crew stepped into the cramped little passage, and made his way down a small flight of steps. On all the walls were more portraits, most of them done of the early Sinclair men and their wives. Finally, Crew pushed open another portrait, this one of Dixie, which led into his own sprawling bedroom. The dogs were all there, Goose and Dixie playing on his bed, and he winced. The maids hated it when he let the dogs on his bed, they often made a mess with their dirty paws and fluffs of hair. He wandered to his closet, and was going to pick something horrendous to wear, just to annoy his sister, but decided against it, going with his usual attire of designer jeans and a button down with half the buttons undone. To be a bit of a help, he stripped the sheets off his bed, and left them in a neat pile next to the door to grab later. He didn't normally sleep at the Boston House anyways, so if the maids didn't get sheets back on that night, it probably won't be a problem. Once he was finished getting ready, he picked up the sheets, and headed down to the laundry room, starting a new load in the auxiliary washer, and headed up to face his father. Crew normally would've just told his mother what they were doing, but at a time like this, bringing up Kennedy's concerns might warrant a moment of rare affection from their father to her. He took the normal staircases this time, and paused in front of his dad's office door. He could hear voices inside, and knew better than to knock during one of his meetings. Instead, he waited patiently outside, doing his best to eavesdrop but not enough that he would get caught if his father tried to test him on something. "That's what I said," Preston was saying. "He's gotta go, whatever it takes. I can keep it off the police radar. Nothing too bloody though."
Crew grimaced. Hearing about his father's...job wasn't something he loved, especially the gory details. Thankfully, they seemed to be wrapping it up, and Crew moved a respectful distance away from the door. Two men, tall and brooding, exited the office, and stalked towards the door. Crew caught a glimpse of the brass knuckles hiding under the guise of rings. Thankfully, they headed out, and disappeared into the foggy morning. Crew knocked on the door, and heard a terse response, and carefully walked in, ready to risk his skin. His father, surprisingly, seemed in a rather genial mood, and offered his son a cheerful look. Bile rose in Crew's throat, his dad was only ever that happy after making an absolutely disgusting plan. Still, he knew he had to bring up his sister, so he returned the smile.
"Dad? Kennedy is...she's really been worrying about you," he said carefully. "She'd love to see you? Maybe hang out with you for a bit? I know you're super busy-"
Preston cut him off.
"I understand, Crew," he said gently. "I'll talk to her this evening, at dinner. We will *all* dine together tonight." Crew was happy enough with the response and nodded, thanking his father, and exited the office as quickly as possible before hurrying down to the back entrance, waiting for his sister. |
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Liane almost paused as soon as she stepped away, to go back and apologize to Crew but then that would mean admitting she was eavesdropping. Would that be the best course? Explain what she heard and try to explain the only reason she was worried was because of the shirt she found and how they confirmed Mr. Sinclair was up to some shady stuff. Maybe it was just their father? Did they know anything about it? Her mind whirled with questions, some about her mom, some about Crew, some about Mr. Sinclair, but as soon as she stepped foot outside the front door and put the phone to her ear all she could get out was: "KARA?! What's wrong? Did something happen?!" She blurted it out as she paced back and forth. Are you normal if you don't pace when on the phone? A familiar and soothing voice responded, "She's fine Liane. This call concerns you." Liane clutched herself with her other arm as she walked back and forth in tiny lines. The chill from this morning had not subsided, if anything it now felt like a storm was starting to brew. The sky was still dark, despite almost being midday, and the moisture in the air seemed to have increased. "I'm not sure what you mean?" Liane responeded. "You have my phone number down as your emergency contact for any job, correct?" Kara didn't raise her voice, and her tone was always cool and collected so it was often hard to tell how she was feeling. "Umm... yeah?" Liane hesitantly responded. Kara had told her before it was okay for Liane to put her as an emergency contact since her mom wasn't in the state to be it. "I received two very interesting phone calls today. One from Marie's stating you walked out. Then another from a Dorian, who informed me you were working for the Sinclair family now, is that correct?" Liane hated it when she did this. Speaking to her like she was in trouble but wanted her to admit she was in trouble. "Yes. That is correct. I could not stand the management at Marie's anymore, and I overhead a conversation the Sinclair's were hiring and they offered me a job. I'm making good money and they offered a place for me to stay so I don't have to renew my lease in that little apartment." Liane spoke back almost matter of factly. Why was she defending this family? She's been here for half a day. Liane rubbed her forehead with her free hand. Just yesterday she was tending to her plants and eating what little dinner she could stomach and dreading going into Marie's. Now she's some kind of house nanny for potential criminals? She was complaining her life had been boring, guess this is the universe's way of flipping her off now. Kara was quiet for moment. As if calculating her next words carefully. "I am going to be sending someone by to check on you in the next few days. Be careful." was all she said before hanging up the phone. Liane stared at the blank screen of the phone after the sound of Kara hanging up and ending the conversation. What just happened? Kara had never acted this way anytime she started another job, much less called. Usually it was just a quick text to affirm the correct information. Liane checked the timer she had set as she put her phone back in her pocket. Sucking in a breath as she prepared herself for whatever wrath was going to come down upon her. After all, Liane might mess up sometimes, but she normally takes accountability for her actions. Keyword is normally. Allowing herself back into the home, she glanced around. Maybe she could just try to hurry and get busy with something. Her timer still lacked 45 minutes, so she went ahead to finish the living room area she had started. The seating area had already been cleaned, so she just went about straightening up the decorations on shelves and tabletops and began sweeping the floor. Just do your job, keep your head down, and avoid contact with anyone unless they speak to you. She kept reminding herself. This was the best course. What did she expect? She'd be friends with them? No, they are from an entirely different world than yours, all they care about is their precious money and reputation. But she still couldn't get the expression of Crew's face from her head. She had just expected him to disregard her completely, pretty much acting like she didn't exist. But for some reason stomaching the fact he was upset with her was worse than that. But what was she supposed to do? Would it be considered unproffesional to apologize? Her brow furrowed with frustration as she argued with herself, completely losing awareness of her surroundings as she cleaned. |
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Darkseeker
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Twenty minutes had passed by, and Crew was getting impatient and bored. The most interesting thing that had happened was watching a fly attempt to go through a closed window, and since that had been so entertaining to him, he was starting to worry about his mental state. He chewed absentmindedly on his bottom lip, staring at the high, vaulted ceiling in the entryway, considering going in search of his sister, but he wanted to give her some time to get ready. Just because it only took him ten minutes to get ready didn't mean that she could also only take a few. He tapped his foot, wishing that she would hurry up, and was starting to head down the hall when he heard footsteps. Assuming it was Kennedy, he decided to just wait in the hall, but to his dismay, it was Drew, looking like she'd just fought a battle with her bedsheets and lost. He tried to sound nonchalant about what he was doing, but she easily figured out that he was leaving. She sighed, and patted his shoulder.
"Oh well. Maybe take me next time. I don't even know where my mom is, and my dad is dead."
"Yeah, yeah," Crew responded genially, his tone gentle. "But Kennedy needs this." Drew wandered off in search of the dogs, and left her older cousin bored and alone again. Thankfully, another person came along to entertain him; however, little did he know that it was about to ruin his whole day. Mrs. Sinclair breezed into the entryway, and frowned when she saw her eldest loitering beside the door.
"Expecting someone?" She asked in her usual, fluttery way.
"No, mum. Waiting on Kennedy. I'm taking her out. She had a rough morning."
Rosamund pinched her pretty pink lips, causing the slight crinkles beside her eyes to deepen. She was clearly upset, and Crew was hoping it wasn't his fault.
"Out shopping? You'll need someone to go with you," she said firmly.
Crew groaned. "Mum, it's fine. I can just carry them for her."
Mrs. Sinclair shook her head vehemently.
"Absolutely not! Not with the cameras that will be everywhere. We can afford to keep a maid, you know."
"Yes, mum, I know. All too well. Please, just let us go? Ivy is busy with Jules, and Margaret and Betty have enough on their plates. Dad needs Dorian to run all the household things, and Luke is supposed to have the day off this afternoon," Crew reminded, hoping to get his mother off his back. Normally she didn't forget they'd hired a new maid for a couple days, but he had hope that with all the turnover and stress in his mother's life, it might slip her mind. Luck was not on his side however, and all he was met with was a glare.
"I hired that new girl this morning. Alli, or something. Take her."
Crew groaned, getting ready to argue even more with his mother, but to no avail, she was set in her decision. Her face told him that if he wasn't going to listen, he would regret it, and he wasn't in the mood for being chastised. Rosamund called the girl, and while she was explaining the situation, Kennedy arrived. She was just as annoyed as her brother that their plans had been changed for the worse. Kennedy hated when she had to be accompanied, and had hoped that her brother would be enough, but it never was. At least her mother hadn't decided they all needed bodyguards yet. Crew was still annoyed when the maid walked into the room, and was still arguing with his mother in a way that wouldn't annoy her to the point of actually getting him in trouble, but the girl's arrival only seemed to cement her decision. Crew scowled, running hand through his blonde locks, his face twisted with dismay. With a huff, he snatched his keys out of his pocket, and gestured for them to go. He unlocked his Range Rover, and they were off. Crew had elected to take his sister to the highest end mall nearby, a sprawling complex full of designer shops and rich kids eager to spend their parents' money. He parked close, still stewing, hands shoved in his back pockets. As they arrived, Kennedy's boyfriend, Maddox, also arrived, and they held hands as they entered the building. Crew rolled his eyes, only half keeping an eye on them. They knew better than to try any risky business, but he wasn't as tetchy about PDA as their parents were. They walked into some designer clothes store, and Crew stared absentmindedly at a shirt display while his sister shopped, happy that her mood Al had peaked. He had also almost forgot about the maid tailing them, and his spirits were slowly rising again. He pretended to be considering some cologne while really eyeing the pretty girl who'd come up to talk to his sister. Maybe the day really was looking up. |
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Spring Month: 2 
Night Weather: 
Light Rain Moon: 
