Claire watched Brooke leave the room, a smile plastered on her face. When Brooke got out and closed the door, Claire's smile fell and sorrow clouded her eyes. She walked silently across the floor after slipping off her ballet flats, and walked into the closet. Her mouth dropped. This was almost as big as her old room! She gasped as she looked around. She didn't have this many clothes.... She looked for the door Brooke had metioned, and noticed it. She walked into the bathroom, still carrying the bag. She gazed around at the private bathroom, her eyes wide with shock. All of this was hers now? She pulled her things out of the bag, and set them in place, right where she wanted them. She made her way quickly back out to her room, and started unpacking her things. She let Sassy and Coco out, and they both started to explore. Claire shut the doors so Sassy wouldn't disturb the giant dog running around the trampoline, still. She grabbed all her clothes, and walked into the closet to hang them up on the numerous racks. She would have to get more clothes to fill up this closet, or maybe she could share with Geenie. Which room was Geenie staying in? Or Tobi? Claire continued to pick up her shirts, and hang them on the racks.

Geenie finally made her way up into her new room, huffing under the weight of her luggage. She smiled gently and managed to slip past Brooke without interrupting. She listened as Tobi sang, feeling overwhelmed with the memories it unlocked. The feeling only intensified as she unpacked, having to touch things that she had not touched in years. She felt the hotness in the back of her throat, but she shoved it aside hastily and kept her back turned to Tobi and Brooke just in case. She wasn't going to cry in front of them. That wasn't her place, she wasn't that girl.

She took a deep breath and took a deep breath, grabbing up her clothes and turning to the closet. She kicked the door open, expecting to see a tiny walk-in (which would be bigger than she had ever had anyway...) and was instead confronted with a room that could have been another bedroom. Her eyes popped wide and she turned, eyeing Tobi's suitcases. He'd done a lot of unpacking already. The place was crazy! The family of four had shared a space that was twice-- hell, three times-- as big as their house for five had ever been. Again, abrubptly, the anger and bitterness struck her.

She immersed herself in her task, in unpacking, and waited for it to pass.

Tobi stopped playing his song and put away his guitar. Geenie entered shortly before and began unpacking. He got up and walked over. "Big place, huh? Want some help unpacking, Geenie?" He offered.

When Claire finished unpacking, she gazed around at her room. The closet was the size of her apartment had been at home, and the room was even bigger. How could someone have afforded this, after just starting over? Claire felt the anger that had built up in her heart for all those years, and wanted to let it out. She had kept it hidden for so long, to make sure Geenie and Tobi wouldn't be afraid. She felt responsible for them, and if she had lost it, what would have happened to them? Tobi would have been much worse off, and probably Geenie too. Thinking of it that way, it only made Claire even more angry. She loved her siblings, but she wished she had been able to let out her anger all those years ago, so she wouldn't still have it now. She walked over and sat delicately on the edge of her new bed, and the anger felt more pronounced now. This bed had belonged to her dad's new wife. The one he had used to replace her mother. And now, this house belonged to his new children, the ones he had used to replace Geenie, Tobi, and her. She felt a tear in the corner of her eye, and got up suddenly. She walked over to the door, and made sure it was locked. She walked to the bathroom, the farthest place away from the door, and let the tears loose now. It wouldn't take long, and she felt she should let those built-up feelings out, or they might never leave her. She shut the door to the bathroom, locking that too. She slammed her fists against the wall, letting out a silent sob. Why her? Why her family? Why now?

Brooke continued to silently stare into the room where Geenie and Tobi were. She watched as Geenie's expression changed when she opened the closet door and couldn't help but to quietly laugh at how surprised she had seemed. Brooke slowly sat down in the doorway as her eyes continued to move from Tobi to Geenie, over and over again.

"Why didn't I ever meet you guys before?" She asked suddenly.

Tobi stood still, as though paralyzed. All he could think of was their father and how much he disliked Geenie, Claire, and him. How he was such a drunk. How ashamed he must have been... "I.. I don't... Know..." He lied, his voice soft and cracking. He loathed Brooke even more... Loathed everything more. He hated being reminded of all of these memories. He hated how badly his flesh felt the need to be severed at that moment... Even more than usual. He turned around and left for the kitchen...

Claire heard footsteps out in the hall. She was crying silent tears, tears that she had been saving since before her drama-filled teen years, where she had saved up even more. She jumped up, and sat on the counter next to the sink. She stared at the blank wall in front of her. She felt the need to stop. She needed to be strong, for her siblings. They need her to be strong, or there was almost no way they could be strong. They needed her to be there for them, something she hadn't done since she left to live on her own as soon as she could. She wiped the tears from her cheeks, and climbed down swiftly, nimbly. She looked at herself in the mirror. She had only messed up her makeup, but that didn't matter. She grabbed kleenex, and wiped off all her makeup. Her face was now pale, lacking the color her makeup had given her. But it didn't matter. All she had to do today was take Brooke to dance, then the mall. And Claire would buy clothes at the mall with her own money she had saved up, all on her own, and use the clothes to fill up her over half-empty closet. Claire smiled a fake smile, and it looked almost exactly as it would if she actually meant the smile. She pushed her way through the bathroom door, and looked down at her outfit. Her shirt didn't have any salt-water stains on it. Good. She walked through her closet, and out the door, into her room. Coco and Sassy immediately surrounded her ankles, Coco rubbing against them, Sassy barking and racing around them. "You two, stay here. I will take you out when I get home," Claire said strictly, then walked out the door of her room. She shut it, making sure her pets were safely inside. She sighed, relieved, then pulled her cell phone from her pocket. She called a number she had found on the internet while she was at Tobi. "I would like to rent a car, until I can buy one," Claire said formally.

Geenie quickly arranged her face into an open smile. She was well practiced at it, after all, and she was happy that her mask had not cracked just yet. She touched Tobi on the shoulder, softly. "This place is huge. It's a little bit ridiculous actually," she said, managing a chuckle. "Anyway, I'm almost done. You don't have to--"

And then she asked teh question. She was a sweet kid, Brooke. Innocent. What would she do if she knew the truth? That she was a Geenie's or Tobi's replacement and that Kerra was Claire's. That the daddy she loved was the same man who had hit her over and over again, had starved her and made her watch as she did the same to her brother and sister and mother.

Geenie's face went slack for a moment as she struggled with herself again. She finally hitched a weak smile onto her face.

"You know how parents are, Brooke. Between their work and taking good care of you and your sister and all of our schooling and our mother's schedule... well, we just never got the chance, you know? It's just..." she coughed and pulled anxiously at the hem of her shirt. "Life's just crazy that way."

Lying for him, to protect his memory, left the taste of bile in her mouth.

Brooke's face fell to a frown. She wasn't quite sure that she believed what Geenie said. Why hadn't her dad ever mentioned having other kids? Why didn't he ever invite them over? Why didn't he have any pictures of Geenie, Tobi and Claire like he did or her and Kerra? Brooke had started to ask herself these questions.

"Why didn't he ever talk about you guys or invite you over on Christmas?" She asked as her head fell slightly sideways and her eyes gazed upwards towards Geenie.

When Claire hung up the phone, she heard Brooke asking questions. Questions about her "father". "Brooke? Shouldn't you be getting ready to go to dance?" Claire asked, coming up behind the girl. She saw Geenie's relieved face as Brooke looked up at her. "We have to leave soon," Claire reminded her. "Do you want to show me your room? And your dance outfit?" Claire asked. She was desperate to get Brooke away from Geenie, so she wouldn't have to answer these awkward questions. It was hard for Claire to listen to, so it must have been even harder for Geenie to answer.

Tobi felt uneasy. Off-balance. He washed the red stain off of the knife and covered the wound on his wrist. His off-balanced-ness got to him. He fell on the floor and hit his head. He coughed and hurled. "Too... Deep..." He struggled to an upward position and used his arms to support his body. The last time he cut that deep, Claire had to take him to the hospital. He hoped that wouldn't happen again. Now all he had to do was clean up his mess. He coughed and vomited again. He managed to his feet. "Great.."

Brooke shook her head as she looked up at Claire. "I don't want to go to dance today," She replied. Her answer had surprised Brook herself. She had always loved dance and had rarely passed up her classes no matter if she was sick or not. But today when she was not even sick she didn't desire to go to dance. She wanted to continue to ask her new family questions. "Maybe tomorrow," She added, hoping she wouldn't be foreced to go.

"Are you sure?" Claire asked doubtfully. "Well, how about you show me your room," Claire suggested. She wanted to get Brooke away from Geenie, make sure Brooke didn't root up their now-brought-back past. "You've seen my room, I want to see yours," Claire said. She didn't want to sound whiny, because that was just childish. And she hadn't acted childish since she was 7.

Brooke shook her head and layed back on the floor. "Make my mom and dad come home," She suddenly ordered as she crossed her arms against her chest. "Make them come home right now," She repeated once more.

Although Brooke was requesting something of the impossible she did know that it wasn't going to happen but eh sane part of her wasn't what was acting right now. She missed her parents and was still confused about their deaths but now she was beginning to understand or suggest the ideas to herself about why she rreally hadn't ever met these people.

Tobi leaned against the wall for support. The room was spinning like a merry-go-round. His body was weak... His head clouded by memories. His wound throbbed out of control. He began to sweat furiously.

Tobi fell to his knees. This was the worst cut yet. All he knew was his pain and blurry vision. Again, he hurled and rolled over next to his mess. He bled through the gauze and it began leaking through his shirt and rolled down his arm. This is it... I've always dreamt I'd die happily with a smile..

Geenie shook her head, suddenly felt her nails biting into the palms of her hand. Brooke needed to go. Geenie wasn't sure how...

"Hey, where's Tobi?"

It had been a while since she'd seen him... maybe if she found him then they could do something other than play twenty questions. She moved past Claire and Brooke and out into the hall. Faintly, she heard something splat heavilly from the bathroom. She moved toward the sound and the stench of vomit wafted toward her. She frowned, pushing the door open. The poor kid hadn't even eaten much and he was sick already--

"Oh, my God!"

Blood, blood, vomit, vomit, vomit everywhere. The smell sent her reeling, but the image before her kept her firmly in the present.

Her little brother was covered in blood.

'I can't lose him! Not if it's becasue of him!' The idea exploded to the forefront of her mind and everything, which had gone slightly hazy in her shock, shot into focus. She dropped to her knees, stripping off her belt and looping it around Tobi's arm, just above his elbow. She pulled it tight and glanced wildly over her sholder.

"Claire, call nine-one-one!" she shouted and didn't care if Brooke heard. She leaned over Tobi, keeping pressure on her makeshift tourniquet. "Tobi, sweetie, talk to me, okay? You've got me terrified here, all right, you've gotta speak to me. Please don't be dead, Tobi, please, please, please, please..."

Tobi's eye twitched and opened. He was not in the kitchen dying. "Talk to me, Tobi, please, please, please." A blurry figure stood there. It was Geenie. She found him. Maybe saved him. All he thought was whether to loathe her or thank her. "E... I... It's blurry... It hurts..." He mumbled. He felt light, finally leaving his body... But something kept him sealed in. He fainted.

Claire screamed, seeing her bother's body. Not again, oh god, not again. Claire pulled her cell phone immediately, and pushed the numbers impulsively, before her sister had shouted the instructions. "We need help! My brother....he's...he's....he's going to bleed to death if you don't come soon! I think he's unconcious!" Claire said, her eyes welling with tears and her voice filled with panic. "Come NOW!" Claire exclaimed. She must have sounded frantic, but she wouldn't lose Tobi. Not this soon in his life. She had to turn away from the scene, for fear that she would throw up herself. She couldn't stand other people's blood, even if it was Tobi. She blinked the tears away, willing herself to be strong for Geenie. She hung the phone up after they said they would be right there, and Claire had rattled off the address she had memorized from staring at for so long while she was still back home. She needed to do something so she would stop thinking. "What should I get him?" Claire asked, turning back to Geenie and Tobi. Her eyes were filled with panic, she knew it, and it was written all across her face. She remembered something, then spun around. "Brooke, we need to get away. Come downstairs with me," Claire ordered urgently. She grabbed the girl's wrist loosely, and dragged the girl down the stairs as gently as she could. Brooke didn't need to see that, especially at her age. Claire stared up the stairs, willing for Tobi to live. He couldn't die....

((O.o Ooooh... Kitchen. Not Bathroom. Whoops... somehow I saw the word "counter" so I was just like... *cough* well, anyway. lol, my bad.))

"ShitShitShitShit! Claire!" she shrieked, her cool failing her. She dug in her pocket, and clumsily managed to punch in the right numbers.

"Nine-one-one, what's your emergency?"

"I-- my brother! Cut himself-- bleeding-- passed out-- tourniquet!" Geenie gasped and then berated herself. She could barely understand herself. "I mean, my brother is bleeding from his wrists really bad. I made a tourniquet out of my belt, but he's passed out. Please, send help, please!!"

Brooke managed to peer into the bathroom as she was being dragged down the stairs. She could only catch a glimpse of a bit of blood because Geenie was leaning over Tobi's body and blocked out much of the sight. Her eyes narrowed at the franticness and she pulled her arm out of Claire's grip.

She crossed her arms and walked away from Claire and outside. Her bare feet were chilled when they reached the slightly wet grass that she was running on top of. She pushed the small glass, sunroom door open. The sunroom was a room in the backyard which was made entirely from glass. Not wanting to be bothered by Claire or any of the people that she had now decided to hate, she pulled the shades down and quickly opened the door, called the dog inside and slammed the door shut.

Brooke layed on the cold floor and rested her head against the large dog.