𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐀𝐫𝐞 | 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚎𝚛 𝚒 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚢

𝚃𝚆𝙾 | 𝙶𝚁𝙴𝙴𝙽 𝚂𝙼𝙾𝙾𝚃𝙷𝙸𝙴𝚂 𝙰𝙽𝙳 𝚆𝙷𝙸𝚃𝙴 𝙳𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚂𝙴𝚂

Matilda hadn't been able to sleep well after Conrad had come into her room at night. It was now morning, and the girl had just finished getting dressed. She was walking down the stairs, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her fingers. Matilda hadn't even bothered to brush her hair that morning, too tired to function properly.

The young girl arrived to the living room, finding her oldest brother laying on the couch, clearly hungover. Matilda pursed her lips at the sight, he had started drinking a lot this past months, and it worried her. It really, really worried her. What if he was alone one day? Too drunk to drive but he still has to get home? What if he gets in an accident?

She dismissed her thoughts, plastering a smile on her face, "Morning." she muttered to no-one in particular. The girl heard many replies, but she didn't properly acknowledge them, going to sit on one of the couch's arms, next to Conrad's head. Matilda would've definitely messed with him, by ruffling his hair, or poking his shoulder, but she didn't. She didn't have an actual explanation, she just didn't feel like it.

She was tired.

Matilda saw Steven, Laurel and Jeremiah in the kitchen. The two boys were wearing their work uniforms, seeing as this was their first day. Steven was wearing a white dress-shirt, and Jeremiah was wearing a white shirt with red imprinted letters. "Lifeguard" it read. Her expression morphed into one of uncertainty.

If people had to rely on her brother to save them, they were doomed.

Her smile turned a bit more genuine as she stood up from next to Conrad, moving to stand next to Laurel by the kitchen island.

"Well, Conrad does not have hope, actually." Jeremiah started, making Matilda's lips tilt slightly downwards. "He's hopeless- but, my hangover smoothie, it cures all."

Matilda tilted her head to side, "Why do you know how to make a hangover smoothie?"

Jeremiah dismissed her with a shrug, sending her a slight smile over his shoulder.

"Can you please just hurry up?" Conrad spoke from the other room, holding his head with both his hand.

"Just go back to bed, alright?" Jeremiah answered him, while Steven started approaching him more and more, "Alright, seriously Steven, get out." his tone was serious, but by his face Matilda could tell he was joking, "This is a delicate science, and your heavy breathing is going to break the yolk."

Matilda let out a short laugh as Steven walked away, "Okay, okay, okay." he continued saying.

Laurel brought up another topic, "She hasn't painted you since you were little, I think it'd be nice to have these portraits for when you're older."

Matilda figured this is what they were talking before she got out of bed, so she didn't interfere with the conversation, not until Steven started talking about holograms. The little girl smiled, "Holograms would be so cool."

She had barely finished talking when Jeremiah started up the blender, the loud noise echoing all around the room. Matilda scrunched her face up. She had never liked the sound of blenders, it made her think about things being destroyed, and it almost always interrupted her reading.

"Just sit for your portraits." Laurel stated firmly as she tucked Matilda into her side with one arm, she looked to the right, the young girl soon mirroring her actions, "I don't see Conrad complaining."

Just as Conrad's name was mentioned, Jeremiah placed a cup of his smoothie on the counter, signalling for Matilda to bring it to their older brother. She nodded, picking up the glass of greenish liquid, walking to where her oldest brother was half-conscious.