Sister

"Elise?"

Elise starts at the voice, shifting slightly as she turns around from where she's huddled atop the sea wall.

"Why are you sitting here alone?" Adelaide's tone displays obvious concern for her sister. But Elise would much rather be left alone.

"No reason."

Adelaide raises an eyebrow. "You expect me to believe that? It's cold and dark out, and I expect you'd be freezing, but you're just sitting here, doing nothing."

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"You're obviously not."

Elise grumbles. She hates how well her sisters can read her. Or maybe she's just too easy to read.

"Okay, if you really don't want to talk about what's making you mope around, I'll leave you be. But Elise…" she smiles a little sadly. "I hope if you need someone to listen, that you can trust me."

"I do, Addie. I just—" What was it that he'd said before?

Would it be so bad if you let them in?

She sighs. "Give me a minute. Then… I'll explain."

~~~~~

Elise is admittedly quite cold, and she needs a few minutes to clear her head before explaining what happened, so she says she'll go grab a jacket before returning here and starting the tale. She makes her way back to the beach house and her hand is on the doorknob when she hears Aiden playing the piano, and she stops. She can't face him yet, so she turns around and heads back, jacket forgotten.

Adelaide is perched atop the wall, legs crossed as she waits, occupied with a book Elise assumes she brought out with her. When she hears Elise's return, she snaps her reading closed. "Good, you didn't try to run."

"I wouldn't—" Elise stops, resigned. She probably would have.

"What happened to getting a jacket?"

"I… warmed up with the exercise. Didn't need a jacket anymore." This could be considered a half-truth, she supposes, given her accelerated pulse from almost meeting, then avoiding Aiden.

Adelaide looks at her skeptically.

Elise sighs. "Long story. Kind of related to this." She gesticulates wildly.

"Okay. So, explain what 'this' is."

Silence. Then Elise mumbles something, and Adelaide's only barely able to catch it. "There's…um, this guy."

"Huh. I don't know if I'm surprised or not."

Elise jerks up. "What does that mean? I've never talked to you about boys."

"Yeah, it's out of character for you, but… never mind."

"What?"

"I don't think you want to hear what I'm going to say."

"Pssh. You're a year younger than me, what would you know about romance?"

"Well, I, unlike you, have actually dated people before."

It's a true statement, and Elise doesn't have a retort.

"Anyway, I don't have to know romance to be able to figure out what's going on," she continues.

"What do you mean?"

"You're not going to like what I say."

Elise makes a face. "Maybe not, but I'm telling you what's going on, so out with it."

"Well, it's about Aiden, isn't it?"