𝘽𝙇𝘼𝘿𝙀, 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘺𝘧𝘪𝘤

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐎𝐍𝐄

HOLLISTER HOUSE

"Aves, look at the paper!" Avery's younger brother, Kayden, ran up to her, waving the town's daily newspaper in his hand. 

"I can't exactly look at it when you're waving it around like a crazy person, Kayde." Avery laughed. Kayden rolled his eyes. "Oh, that's... interesting." Avery's eyebrows raised as she read it. After she finished skimming through it, she thrust the paper into her brother's hands. "Do Mom and Dad know about it?" Avery asked. Her eyes pleaded, if they don't know, please don't tell them.

Well, that thought got shot down when Kayden nodded solemnly. "They were the ones to show me and tell me to tell you."

Avery swore under her breath. "Now they're going to make me do it." Avery fumed and sat down on her bed, rubbing her temples.

"It's fine, Aves. Maybe you can get out of it?" Kayden asked hopefully.

"Maybe. But probably not. I mean..." Avery exhaled loudly. Kayden sat next to her and rubbed her back. Then suddenly he got really.... violent with the rubbing her back and grinned devilishly. "KAYDENNN! STOPPP!" Avery giggled and grabbed a pillow from behind her. She chucked it at her brother. 

This kept going until Paige walked into the doorway and rolled her eyes, sighing dramatically. "Why are you guys so weird?" She crinkled her nose in disgust. "Mom! Dad! Kayden and Avery are messing around and being stupid!" She sang. "Have fun." Paige said with a fake smile.

"Have fun." Avery mocked, making a face after Paige left. Avery's parents rushed in to catch... Kayden and Avery straightening Avery's bedding. "Oh, hi, Mom, hi, Dad! How are you?" Avery smiled sweetly.

"We're... just fine, sweetie." Mrs. Hollister said, trying to figure out what was happening. "Paige? Can you come in here?" She called for her middle daughter. 

"Of course, I'm coming, Mom!" Paige shouted back.

Perfect Little Miss Paige. Avery couldn't help but notice how Paige was constantly trying to be the best child and get the most attention and compliments. Paige ran in with a smug smile, but her frown became apparent when she noticed Kayden and Avery sitting on Avery's bed nicely, like there couldn't be a better, more polite duo then these two. Well, they were the best. Most siblings... don't have that close of a bond with their siblings. Especially their little brothers. In Avery and Kayden's case, though, they definitely had the most unbreakable bond you could find with two siblings. Kayden wasn't THAT bad. Most of the time.

"Um, Paige, these two aren't doing anything." Mr. Hollister told his daughter.

"I swear, a minute ago, they were throwing pillows at each other, Dad! I'm not lying!" Paige pleaded.

"Paige... just... worry about your own things. Don't you have to study to retake that math test?" Mrs. Hollister asked.

Paige's face fell. "Don't worry, sis, you'll do great." Avery said, getting up to pat her sister's shoulder. "Not." She murmured in her sister's ear so her parent's couldn't hear. Paige growled. Avery strutted away, with Kayden following her. 

"So, Avery!" Her dad exclaimed excitedly. "Did you see the paper?" He asked her, waving it around. 

"I- I did." Avery's voice faltered. "Yeah."

"Are you excited?" 

"For what, Dad?"

"Well, that you get to do it, that you get to support our kingdom?"

"Dad." Avery stated flatly, showing no emotion underneath her mask. "Who said I'm doing it?"

"Um, us!" Mrs. Hollister chimed in.

"Of course you did!" Avery threw her arms up in defeat. "I'm sorry, I forgot I'm two months younger than 18, so I can't make my own decisions on whether I want to risk my life because the stupid king got into some stupid argument with stupid Growier or whatever it's even called!" By the end, Avery was screaming, stomping her foot. 

Kayden slowly backed out of the kitchen. Paige was grinning smugly as she recorded the outburst. "Ohh, I am so captioning this 'when your sister has anger issues'!!" She giggled quietly. Avery turned in Paige's direction and glowered at her. Paige shrunk a little from her sister's shadow.

"Why can't I make my own decisions?!!" She shouted. "Don't I deserve a say in this!?"

Mr. and Mrs. Hollister stood there silently as they watched their daughter. "No, Rie. I think- I know- you're doing this. You're getting involved. You have to support us. The kingdom. You'd be a great leader, and we'd be so proud of you-"

"You'd only be proud that I'm in charge and no one else is! That I'd succeed and no one else would! That you can say, 'oh, that's my perfect little daughter who went along with everything and became in charge and she's everyone's favorite!' What if because of that, I got targeted? People would hate me." Avery said, slowly running out of breath, "And- they're gonna WANT to kill me, guys. They're going to take down the leader first, slowly make us crumble. Do you really care about being loved by everyone that you'd make me risk my life without giving me a choice, just so people would feel sorry for you?!" 

"Avery, we didn't know you felt this way-"

"YES YOU DID!"

"Avery-"

"Stop. I- fine, I'll do it. I'll be the perfect daughter you want, the one who listens to her parents as she's kind of voluntarily giving her life to the 'enemy'. Sorry I'm not the person you want me to be."

"Yet." Mrs. Hollister whispered.

"SERIOUSLY, MOM?! SERIOUSLY?!" Avery whipped her head back around as she began walking back to her room, probably to use Kayden as a human target for her pillow-chucking skills. (He'd go along with it...) "YET?! I'm literally so freaking done with you." Avery fumed.

. . .

LOCAL AMARIA/AMARIA SQUARE

"Uh, a bouquet of roses, please-"

"Twenty three dollars for that?!"

"I need to get through! Move!"

People bustled about in Amaria's market square. One particular girl, who looked about the age of Avery Hollister, caught her eye. The girl kept to herself, wearing a fitted navy green t-shirt, black sweatpants, and a gold necklace with a J on it. 

Jaeden Griffin.

~ ~ ~ 

A/N: GUYS I AM SO SO SO SORRY FOR NOT GETTING THIS OUT SOONER. IF YOU WANT AN EXPLANATION CHECK MY MOST RECENT ANNOUNCEMENT THANK YOU GUYS FOR UNDERSTANDINGGGGGGGGGG love y'alls!!!!!!!