"A-ha! caught you now!
Caught ya red handed in the biscuit tin!
Cost you to keep me quiet

Golden boy boots
Pocket pedestal
Picking shots at my moves
Plastic, tin can, paper, separated
Busy bee wave, wave 'save the planet' flag
But sneaky in suburbia"

Taver felt himself get dumped out of bed.

He groaned loudly.

He cursed out his attacker.

"Get up."

Taver cracked open one of his eyes.

Silver and Cricket stood above him.

Taver was nowhere near coherent yet.

"Wasgoin'on?"

His words were slurred from sleep.

Silver crouched down next to him.

"Family picnic. We leave in one hour."

Taver groaned again.

"Who's idea?"

"Mine!" Yuri chirpped as she walked past the doorway.

Taver cursed and sat up.

Cricket ruffled the youngers hair.

Then he and Silver left.

Taver was alone in the room.

He stretched.

Reaching his arms above his head.

His bones creaking and popped.

Slowly losing their stiffness.

Crossing his legs.

In the middle of the floor.

Taver closed his eyes.

And he listened.

He heard everything.

Everything in and around the house.

Yuri dancing around.

Straightening her and Otto's room.

She hummed a tuneless song.

A mere memory.

The sound of the shower.

Pitter.

Patter.

Pitter.

Patter.

The near undetectable click of Ace's bad knee.

Ace mumbling a curse as she drops something.

Most likely the soap.

Ace always dropped the soap.

Idle chat between Silver and Cricket.

Cricket wanted a piece of cake.

Silver denied him.

A sharp smack.

Cricket tried to sneak a piece of cake again.

Soft singing.

Shifting smile.

Otto talking nonsense to herself.

Shifting soil.

The youngest was in the garden.

A small patch of dirt.

Lovingly tended by the redhead.

Buzzing.

Otto greeting a bee.

Then a yelp.

Taver flinched as Otto began screaming.

Screaming to Cricket.

That she was stung.

Cricket cursing.

Silver trying to stiffle laughter.

The creak of the doorframe.

The doorframe of Taver and Cricket's room.

Taver's eyes opened.

Yuri was leaning against the doorframe.

Yuri was silent when she wanted to be.

Like a shadow.

She gave Taver a small smile.

"Hear anything interesting?"

Taver only shrugged.

"Otto got stung by a bee."

Yuri laughed.

A small laugh.

A silent laugh.

But then her smile dropped.

Concern.

She looked at Taver with concern.

"Are you okay?"

Her voice was quiet.

Taver only looked away.

"Are any of us okay?"

Yuri sighed and walked over to him.

She sat on the floor next to him.

Giving Taver a weak smile.

Taver frowned.

"Why a family picnic? Why today of all days?"

Yuri didn't respond at first.

She just stared forward.

She leaned her head back.

Staring at the ceiling.

Releasing a shaky breath.

"I just needed something... Normal. We haven't done a family picnic in forever and a couple days ago I just began to worry. I don't know where it came from or what triggered it, but I suddenly just couldn't stop worrying. I've been edgy and my sleeps have been dreamless and Silver can't do anything about it and it's been making me really anxious and all of a sudden the shadows have been becoming really frenzied, almost as if they're afraid. I don't know why, I just don't know, but it's scaring me, and I just wanted all of us to do something together before anything happens, and don't say I'm being paranoid, I know something is going to happen, I can feel it in the shadows and they haven't been wrong yet."

Yuri blinked.

Telling Taver all of that,

it had taken some of the weight off her shoulders.

But it exhausted her.

Filling her with dread.

Taver in a breath.

Slowly letting it go.

He wrapped his arm around Yuri's shoulder.

"If I know anything, it's that everyone in this house has been through hell and back."

Yuri stared at Taver.

He continued.

"And if all six of us can go through stuff like that when we are on our own, then if we stick together like we are now, hell will be a piece of cake."

Yuri giggled and laid her head on his shoulder.

"You big sap."

"Only on Tuesdays."

"It's Thursday."

"... Damn..."

Yuri laughed and pushed him away.

"Go take a shower, you goof! You stink!"

Taver stood and held out his hand.

Yuri grabbed it.

Taver hauled her up.

Right into a hug.

"Brother from another mother?"

He mumbled into her hair.

Yuri smiled.

"Sister from another mister."

She pushed him away again.

Holding her nose.

"There's this great thing called hygiene. You should try it out."

Taver stuck his tongue out.

And was out the door.

Yuri sighed and looked around the room.

It was a mess.

Like always.

She smiled to herself.

Family.

The stairs creaked as Yuri walked down them.

Yuri headed into the kitchen.

Grabbed and apple.

Burst out laughing.

Ace and Sil