It's freezing! That was her first thought as she burrowed deeper under her blanket, seeking any source of warmth she could find. It was barely October, for God's sake! How was this even possible?
Finally giving up the futile attempt at staying warm, Ashling steeled herself against the cold and threw her blanket back. Springing from her bed, she made a mad dash for her sock drawer, pulling on the fuzziest socks she owned.
Deciding that coffee was just the thing she needed to warm her up, she walked downstairs, pausing quickly to wrap herself in the throw blanket from the couch in the living room. As she approached the kitchen, she could hear clanging, letting her know at least one of her brothers was awake.
Although they were all full-grown with relatively stable lives and jobs, Ashling and her three older brothers had decided to live together. This allowed them to save on expenses and keep their tight family bond, at least until one of them decided to venture out on their own. Besides, leaving the house that they had grown up in was not appealing to her in the slightest.
Turning the corner into the kitchen, she was greeted with the smell of bacon and the face of her brother, Cian, the second eldest.
"Good morning," she chirped, grabbing a mug to pour herself some coffee. "Are the other two still sleeping?"
Cian, always good-natured, turned from the stove to smile at his sister, green eyes sparkling, and pushed a bit of his short red curls away from his forehead. "No. Declan already left for work. Seamus is still asleep."
"I wish Dec would get a job closer. Driving into the city every day must get tiring after a while," Ashling said, frowning into her cup as she sat on a stool at the kitchen island. Declan was their eldest brother at 30 and worked as a book editor in Toronto. It was an hour and a half drive from their little town of Erin, pretty much in the middle of nowhere.
"You know how he is. He would never admit it. He's too stubborn for that!" Cian laughed, scooping bacon onto a plate. "Just like Dad!"
Ashling smiled at the thought. Their parents had died in a car crash when she was fifteen. She had strong, happy memories of her mother and father. "You're right, though I think that it's a trait all of us inherited from Dad. I don't know how Mum put up with us for so long."
Cian laughed around a piece of bacon, swatting at his sister's hand as she reached for a bite from his plate. "The woman had the patience of a saint."
It had been hard for the four of them when they passed. Declan had just turned 21 and was graduating from university. As soon as he could, he got a job and tried to provide for his siblings. Cian had been 18, and Seamus, the youngest boy, had been 16. Cian, of course, tried his best to help. He was never the greatest at keeping one job for too long, a fact shown by his current bout of unemployment.
"How is the job hunt going?" Ashling questioned, sipping from her mug. Cian just shrugged, continuing to eat, not looking at her. She knew that Cian always felt ashamed when he lost a job. It wasn't entirely his fault. Sure, he was kind of airheaded and tended to daydream a bit too much, but some of his bosses were asses. "That good, eh?"
Cian sighed, shoulders slumping a bit. "I'm pretty sure word of my poor employability has been spread around all of Erin."
"Have you tried Caledon?" Ashling asked. Caledon was the next town over and was much larger than Erin. Hopefully, he will be able to find something there.
"That's my next step."
"Don't stress too much. You'll find one!" Ashling reached to pull her brother into a one-armed hug, laying her head on his arm, his shoulder being too high for her. If there was one thing that her brothers inherited from their father that she had not, it was their height. They were all giants, over six feet! She was lucky to make it past five.
"Thanks, Ash," Her brother smiled at her. He seemed to regain some of his confidence, at least a bit. He reached over to fluff her bright red hair, another shared family trait.
"Hey!" she cried in agitation, reaching out to smooth her hair. She had a hard enough time taming the natural curl she had without her brother adding to the problem.
They heard a sudden bang from the living room followed by a blue streak of curses reaching their ears, causing them to laugh.
"You ok, Seam?" Cian called, their brother's clumsiness never failing. They didn't get a response, just the sight of a disheveled Seamus stumbling into the kitchen, hobbling slightly on what must have been a stubbed toe. He had never seemed to grow into his gangly build. He was very skinny and all limbs with a penchant for flailing, hence the clumsiness.
His hair was a mess of red curls atop his head. His deep green eyes were still groggy, his pajamas were all over and wrinkled. It was a sight that, while hilarious, they were all used to. Seamus was not a morning person.
He stalked grumpily over to the coffee maker, poured himself a cup, and flopped onto a stool next to Ashling, reaching across her to steal some bacon from Cian's plate.
"Hey! Get your own!" Cian cried, glaring at his brother, who just sent his look back, silently daring his older brother to do something about it.
Ashling just laughed, sliding off her stool. "Now, children, no fighting! I have to get ready for work." Simultaneous replies of "Fine!" were answered behind her as she walked upstairs. She shook her head at their antics. They never change!
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Two figures stood by a car parked outside a small motel. The shorter of the two was digging through the trunk, apparently looking for something, grumbling slightly.
The taller, standing by the driver's side door, called back to his companion. "Oi, Eamon, hurry up!" His thick accent cut through the air, annoyance clear.
"If you want me to move faster, you could get up and help." The other clipped in agitation. "Besides, why are you in such a hurry? It's not like she is going anywhere. Plus, we don't even know that it is her."
"It's her, to be sure." The taller man put his arms on the roof of the car, dark eyes sparkling with something Eamon might have said was close to arrogance.
"Oh really, Eoin? And you that for a fact, do you?"
"I've got a good feeling this time, Eamon!"
"Ok. And what are you going to say to the girl, then?" Eamon looked up from the trunk towards his friend, whose arrogant look suddenly fell away. "Well, big man?"
"I haven't thought that far ahead."
"No? I'm shocked!"
Eoin blinked at him for a moment, face blank before screwing up in annoyance.
"Oh, shut it," he muttered, before moving up to fold his large frame into the driver's seat of the small car, effectively all but admitting defeat in their argument. Eamon smirked before turning back to continue rummaging through the trunk.