All That's Hidden

Beneath Wood and Stone

AN: oh my GOOD GOD THIS FELT LIKE IT TOOK FOREVER MAN. it's only 4.1k but this took me longer than it should have, sorry about that.
All That's Hidden is now on Tapas, by the way! I'm trying to update it every Wednesday, to try and have a consistent upload schedule! (Note that it's a bit behind since I only started recently, sorry about that.)

"And she showed me this super adorable cat cafe in the area! Their tea is pretty good, though they mostly sell coffee, but they have open mic nights every week!" Basil drummed her hands on her lap, bouncing slightly as her older brother Bentley brushed out her hair. "Sam said most of the participants are high school kids who're in comedy or drama clubs, but I could read my poetry there!"

Bentley chuckled, combing through a part of his little sister's hair with his fingers. "You're rambling again, sis."

"Am I? Sorry, I..."

"No, no, it's fine. More than fine, really." Bentley gathered his sister's hair in a loose fist, reaching for a scrunchie. "I haven't seen you this happy in a while. And I don't think you've ever clicked with anyone as fast, either. I'm happy for you, sis."

Basil quickly noticed the slightly melancholic tone in her brother's voice. "You okay, Lee?"

"'M fine. It's just..." Bentley's grip loosened a little. "It's not that I'm upset about moving here, but...I can't put it into words that well, but I feel bad that you haven't been able to make friends until now."

"Bentley, I keep telling you. It's not your fault."

"I know, I know. But some part of me feels guilty about not being able to do anything. I know it was out of my control, for the most part, but..." Bentley trailed off with a sigh, flopping back on the bed. "...maybe I'm just...relieved, y'know? That you don't feel alone anymore."

"Yeah, it's nice. Sam lives near our new neighborhood, so she can probably show me around town and introduce me to other people before school starts in the fall." Basil turned to her brother, folding her arms as she rested her head on them, deciding to change the subject before Bentley got all mopey again. "So, I heard there's some historical society in town?"

"Oh my God, the historical society—I went there with Mom earlier today and it looks cool. Did you know that most of Hatchwood's counties were named after constellations? It's one of the main reasons why a lot of mythology from this area of Ohio has astronomical and astrological roots..."

~~~~~~~

"And she told me that her mom's family came here from Russia during the Second World War—she even taught me how to say some things in Russian! And a few things in another language called Yiddish? I've never really heard of it, but Basil said her mom told her that not many people speak it these days..."

The Thornbury siblings were hanging in the library, Samara sitting upside down on the couch as she rambled about Basil for the third time since she'd gotten home, the twins sitting on opposite sides of her. They were doing their own things; Peyton was doodling in their sketchbook while OJ fiddled with his glasses, but it didn't mean they weren't listening. After all, it wasn't the first time their sister was going off like this.

"You should have seen how happy she got when we passed the planetarium—apparently she loves stargazing, but it was tough for her to see them back in her hometown at night—" Samara paused, blinking slowly as eyes slowly darted around the room. "Hang on, I feel dizzy."

"This is why you take breaks, little sister," Peyton chuckled, looking up from their sketchbook. "It's like you're trying to make yourself pass out sometimes."

"Sitting like that probably doesn't help either," OJ pointed out. "I don't get how you can sit upside down like that for so long. I get a headache when I do that for even a little while."