What happens at dusk

To be an unbrella or not to be an umbrella

Brooke
The rain began to pour out of the sky as if it was trying to wash away the sins committed in the White House.
A large fence around it sent a clear message.
No visitors.
Sadly our four not so friends had taken the fence as an invitation to start snooping around.
James who was wearing a neat and fancy looking suit moped about the bad weather and the fact that Brooke was ruining his suit.
Even though the girl looked tough she couldn't weigh more then 110 pound so that much damage wasn't done by her.
Hayley opened her purple umbrella which she always carried with her as the perfect child she was.
Mike stopped so he could fit under with her.
A small blush appeared on her face. Her joy was startled by a sudden shout from Brooke.

"OMG! There are hundreds of birds in there. All in cages. Yeeeez they look exotic. All those beautiful colours. Do you thing we can take one?" Brooke exclaimed.
"Brooklyn, darling. Please focus. I don't want insult you or anything but you're getting heavy," a panting James said while holding his balance on the gate that surrounded the wire house.
"My name is not Brooklyn neither is it darling. It's Brooke. And if yo-" her complaining was interrupted by James.
"BROOKE! FOCUS, for the love of god."
She grumbled and turned to her task.
"Ok. I see Flamingos, Aras and eagles. Those are the only ones I recognise. Their cages are so small. Wtf! Is that blood! There's an entire slaughter aria. Mike give me you phone!"
As she started to make photos Hayley suddenly noticed the video camera which had filmed the entire ordeal.
She turned with her back to the camera and warned her classmates about the danger.
"Shit!" Brooke cursed.
Mikes head shot up totally forgetting the umbrella above his head.
He hit the object face first.
Somehow his braces got stuck into the umbrella. He started to run around like a chicken without a head and knocked James and Brooke over in the process.
Both landing in the mud a series of cursed came from Brooke's mouth that would have gotten her expelled if she'd be at school.

Defeated by Mother Nature and looking worse then their brownies did the four returned to Mikes house.
Mikes mum, Kate opened the door, took one look at her son and his friends and then closed the door.
"Mom!" Mike shouted.
"No way take the garage, Mike!"
"But-"
"No buts. I'll bring towels."
Not much later they were safe and sound sitting on the couch.
Kate's eyes went from her son to James to Brooke to Hayley.
Mike, covered in mud, drenched and stuck into a purple umbrella with his braces.
James, his suit tore, also drenched and covered in mud.
Brooke, same as the boys drenched and covered in mud but she had the red imprint of Mikes cellphone on her cheek.
And then there was Haley. Almost completely dry, not a scratch on her and clear from any mud.
For reasons Brooke didn't need to know Kate was not surprised by this sight.
"Well how many brownies did you sell?" She asked.
"Three!" A proud Mike said. His voice sounded weird because of the umbrella.
Brooke face planted.

The wind was howling and the rain poured out of the sky. The streets of woodland Forbes were abandoned. Not a single soul dared to leave its house in this weather. Except for the White House around the corner where a lot of movement was going on.
The three friends would have to spent the night at Mikes house.
Looking at of the window Brooke shivered. She pulled her dads leather jacket close to her. This stormy weather reminded her of one particular stormy night eight years ago.
The screams still echoed in her ears. Afraid of tearing open an old wound she smelled her brothers hoody and immediately a feeling of safety rushed over her. Unlike some members of her family her brother would never leave her. Walter was the rock of their family.
Not only gave he their overworked mum a hand financially, he was also the emotional spine of them. Brooke worshiped him.

She was soon joined by James.
"I happened to notice you haven't called anyone yet. Doesn't you family need to know that you're going to spend the night her?" He asked.
"No, they don't. They don't care." She bluntly said and she wanted to turn around and walk away but was stopped by James.
"Hey, I'm sure that's not true. They care about you. They are your family, of course they do. When I still lived in England. My dad constantly wanted to know where I was. There must be someone like that in your family."
"My dad is dead."
And with that the conversation was at its end.

As if the conversation never happened the group sat in a circle some time later.
"Let's play a game," Brooke suggested.
"Never have I ever?"
"Yeah!" They said at the same time.
They stole a bottle of cherry gin from Kate's secret closet.
"Let's start soft. Never have I ever kissed someone."
Hayley was the only one who didn't drink.
After the a discussion about the perfect age for a first kiss was started.
"Next question! Never have I ever looked at a compete stranger and thought: rrrr"
They all drank.
"Never have I ever lost someone close to me."
James was the first to grab the bottle. He raised the bottle and drank.
"To my little sister, Rosie."
Brooke took the bottle from him and did the same but this time twice.
"To my very dead dad and twin sister."
Well after that the little ambiance that was left after James was killed.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Hayley asked carefully, trying not to hurt Brooke's feelings.
"What's there to say? He didn't even die honorary. He killed himself. In front of his wife and children.
I hate him.
For some reason I keep his stuff like his jacket and that stupid pen that doesn't write anymore. And then there is my twin sister."
As she said this she exposed her bare hip and side were a large scare had formed.
"We were born conjoined. When we were six something went totally wrong and she died abruptly. And I couldn't save her.
My kidney could have saved her and then she could have lived. But we had to be separated. If she'd die, her body would give off a chemical and if that would come into my body I'd die to.
So she died and I have been alone ever since."
At the end her voice broke. She held her face in her hands.
Hayley rubbed her back.
"You know my family is bad as well," Mike said. And right their and right then a friendship was formed.