Flaws And Feathers [PUBLISHED]

Chapter 2

"Hope you don't have any plans today Joe, we might be sorting out the junk room," I said to him, making sure that if I was being dragged in, so was he.

Joe looked at me with his bright blue eyes, a frown in his features, "I'm going out."

"Mum," I simply called, sending her a look.

"We'll need your help at home in the afternoon when I'm back from town. You can go out afterwards," she said to him as she continued to drink her tea.

I sent Joe a secretive smirk and he glared back at me. He had already finished his pancake and had gone for another. His hand took the Nutella from my reach, just as I was about to use it.

"Hey, I was going for that," I scowled at him.

"Too slow," he sent me an innocent smile.

I responded by kicking him in the shin, just to wipe that look of his face. Joe's face creased in pain, and he wasted no time trying to kick me back, but I had already tucked my legs underneath me, sitting cross legged on my chair. Mum saw what we were doing and she shook her head lightly, not bothering to say anything. Joe and I were at each other all the time.

She got up after finishing her tea, going to the sink to wash up her mug and plate. Her bag was already hooked on the back of her chair, so she picked it on her way out of the kitchen, murmuring goodbye.

"Bye, Mum," we replied, continuing with our food.

"That was a bitch move," Joe muttered at me as soon as he heard the front door close.

"She would have asked you to help anyway," Gwen spoke. "Seeing as you're the one who does the heavy lifting around here."

It was true. He worked out at the school gym nearly everyday, as he was on the team for rugby. I knew that as soon as he turned sixteen, he would join an actual gym with more weight machines to use. He was all about the whole gaining muscles thing. I was more of, eat what tastes nice and maybe go for a long walk...if I ever get round to it.

As Joe was fifteen and had not yet completed his GCSEs, he went to the high school Gwen and I used to go to. Gwen drove us every morning, dropping Joe at school before taking me and her to college a five minutes drive away.

"Still," Joe grumbled under his breath.

Gwen had finished her pancakes and her tea, and she sat there waiting for me. I remembered Raphael, the strange boy, who would hopefully still be in the cabin when we got there. I shoved the rest of my food in my mouth and chewed heavily.

"Well have fun at home, Joe. Gwen and I are heading to the cabin," I placed my knife and fork on the plate once I finished.

"What's the rush?" Joe arched a brow at us.

I shrugged a shoulder as I stood up from my seat, Gwen doing the same. Quickly washing my plate, I walked out the kitchen and to the shoe rack under the stairs, directly across the hallway.

Gwen grabbed her oversized denim jacket from the coat stand and pulled it on hastily, as I shoved on my boots. Joe was still looking at us suspiciously from his dining table chair, but I only smiled and pretended I had no idea what he was going on about.

"See you later, boy," I waved a hand, which Joe reluctantly returned.

"Bye, Joe," Gwen smiled warmly at him, before the two of us made our way to the back door and across the lawn out into the woods.

Gwen and I made it to the cabin in record time, without running, of course. Gwen had not locked the door, as we hadn't wanted to trap Raphael inside, so we walked into the cabin freely.