"Sorry, Lahey, but I'm more of a cat person."
Vera Pérez is no stranger to the supernatural. Growing up alongside the Hale family has kept her fairly well-informed about the creatures that lurk in the darkness. However, she didn't become one of thos...
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( frayed, pt. ii )
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"DEREK!" VERA CRIES, stomach aching with both strain and giggles as he holds her upside down. His hands are supporting her legs that are wrapped around his waist, her short locks of hair nearly brushing the floor. Laughter bursts from her mouth. Her hand resists the pull of gravity and rests on her aching stomach, but soon falls victim to the ever-insistent force and flops down beside her head again. "Put me down!"
"Nope," Derek says with a grin in his voice, playfully swaying her from side to side so she giggles even more. "You unplugged my Playstation and made me lose my progress. This is what you get."
At fifteen, Derek has been seizing every opportunity to show off his strength to everyone. He's taken to slamming doors much harder than necessary and lifting heavy objects just because he can. Sometimes that means picking up the sofa when Cora and Vera are trying to watch television and then shaking it around until they fall off. Vera, aged nine, does not see the importance of such trivial displays of strength and has decided to annoy him in every way she possibly can.
This time, it had backfired. After Vera had unplugged the Playstation, she'd had approximately three seconds to start running before Derek had chased after her. The defeat had come too easily. Vera has always been short, making it more difficult for her to flee from her brother's rapidly-growing limbs and supernatural speed.
A series of footsteps causes Derek to turn toward the source, making the colors of the kitchen swirl in Vera's vision as she moves with him. Her eyes meet a familiar pair of expensive black boots. Knowing immediately who it is without having to look at their face, Vera stretches her arms out toward the person and begs for salvation.
"Uncle Peter!" she exclaims gleefully, hoping that he'll tell Derek to knock it off. Her favorite uncle has always been one to speak in her favor when she's being picked on by the other Hale children. "Help me!"
"Put her down, Derek," Uncle Peter commands exasperatedly. His hands are shoved into the pockets of his leather jacket, dark brown hair swooped away from his face. He's always been effortlessly cool; it's one of the things Vera admires about him. When his nephew hesitates, his sky-blue eyes harden. "Now. Before all the blood rushes to her head and you have her passing out."
With a sigh, Derek shifts his hands to support Vera's back and flips her to an upright position. He gives her a moment to re-adjust to the new orientation before letting her slide to the ground. Both of them know that arguing with Uncle Peter is futile.
