Flaws And Feathers [PUBLISHED]

Chapter 2

"Good morning," Mum replied, eating an apple as she had already finished her pancakes.

"Hey," Gwen half smiled.

She was making her and Mum tea (probably Mum's second), and she didn't add a mug for me because she knew I didn't drink it. Hot drinks weren't really my thing, unless I was sick. I sat down at the table, eyeing the still steaming pancakes. My stomach was rumbling just from the smell of them.

"Thanks," I said to them both as I put one on my plate.

I drizzled it with lemon and sprinkled sugar on top, before rolling it up and eating it in slices. It was the quickest way to consume them, so that I could eat more whilst they were still hot.

"How's the week at college been?" Mum asked as Gwen came to sit down with us, placing her mug down in front of her. "Thank you, Gwen."

My sister smiled, "You're welcome."

"Only had detention twice this week," I told Mum between my mouthfuls.

"Only?" she arched a brow at me, her brown eyes showing some disappointment.

"It's a lot less than it used to be, you know that," I was determined to avoid a lecture that would really bring down my mood.

"Keep trying harder Vienna," Mum said as she sipped her tea. "I don't want to hear any complaints from your teachers."

"Yes, I know," I refrained from rolling my eyes.

"What are your plans for the day, Mum?" Gwen asked, smoothly changing the subject.

Gwen was what you'd call, a star pupil. She was excellent in academics, whereas I was just scraping a pass in each of my subjects. Mum used to make Gwen tutor me, but it got to the point where I refused to do it anymore. I disliked being forced to study things I had no interest in, especially in my free time. It wasn't as if I'd spent the whole day studying already. My interests lay in creative things like Art and Photography, but my college was structured in a way that we could only take one or the other, not both. So I was stuck with Art, English and History. I hated writing essays, but it was better than Maths.

Gwen liked the Sciences, and she studied Chemistry, Biology and French. She had never landed herself in detention once, and my sharp tongue got me into detention every week. I was pretty much a regular. I could have sworn that some teachers liked to test my short temper.

"I'm going into town to do some shopping and pay some bills. The usual," Mum replied to Gwen's question. "This afternoon, I might get round to emptying the junk room, so don't go too far away. I would need all of your help."

"Nooo," I groaned, pulling a sour face.

That had not been part of my agenda for today. Mum smiled and shook her head at me, just as my younger brother appeared in the kitchen doorway. Joe was wearing an old fleece and a pair of fitted blue jeans. His brown hair was tousled and damp from his shower, and his blue eyes were fixed on the table like a hawk.

"You're eating them all without me," Joe complained as he hurried to join us.

He sat down at the table opposite me and next to Mum, grabbed a pancake with his hand before squeezing maple syrup over it. I was on my second pancake by then, this time choosing to spread it with Nutella.

"Good morning to you too," Gwen scoffed at him.

"Morning," Joe grunted, his eyes on his pancake as he began to cut it into pieces and devour it.

Being the youngest of the family, and the only son, Joe got it easy. Mum didn't nag him to do half as much chores as she did with me and Gwen, but then there were certain things she would make Joe do, like help her carry in the shopping if Gwen or I wasn't around. She often called him to reach high places, seeing as he was about 6 feet tall, at only fifteen.