Alice sighed and adjusted her grip on the steering wheel as she thought about the busy morning she was about to have. She’d been living with Fritz and Sapphire for almost a month now, sleeping on the couch, living out of a backpack but, before she could start packing up their mother Elizabeth’s things and have her own belongings moved in she had to take her siblings to school. More importantly she had to fill out all the paperwork that would log her into the school’s system as their legal guardian and emergency contact and to collect any make up work they might have.

This being their first day back since their mother’s death Alice was worried they’d have a hard time adjusted. She was a little unsettled at how silent they were. But, she supposed she was quiet too. She never had the chance to get close to her younger siblings due to her rocky relationship with Elizabeth. She’d left home when Fritz had been only five and hardly saw him after, really only on Holidays, Birthdays or occasionally to babysit. But, the last time she saw either of the kids was when Sapphire had been born.

From what she understood their mother had changed for the better not long after Alice left for college and truly became a mother her children deserved. It’d only come too late for Alice. Being a teen mom wasn’t easy Alice was sure but, she could’ve at least been decent. The woman she knew and the woman Fritz and Sapphire knew were two very different people.

As she pulled up to the main campus of the school she looked into the rearview mirror to gauge Sapphire’s level of comfort and then over to Fritz. They both belonged to the large local private school that took kids from Elementary all the way to High School, it even had dormitories for the older kids and looked... really nice. “Fritz... I-” She started but then found she didn’t know the words she wanted to express to him, stammering for a minute she finally put the car in park and pulled the key saying, “Don’t forget your lunch. You have my number if you need me, I’ll be working from home once I’m finished up here.”

Getting out of the car Alice realized she didn’t exactly look the part of a parental figure. Dressed down in cut off denim shorts, a loose fitting grey T-shirt and leather ankle high roman sandals. She’d piled her unruly red waves into a bun on the top of her head. Messy locks falling down to frame her face. She must’ve looked more student than legal guardian. “Come on, Sapphire.” She said with a smile to the young girl as she opened the car door. “I’ll walk you to class.” Alice held out her hand to her younger half sister. Not expecting her to take it but, she wanted the young girl to know she’d be there for her. For both of them. Despite not being there in the past.

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Milo stood in the front office of the school, leaned over the desk of the secretary, he was the newest teacher, just brought in this year, however he was already starting to settle in, his classes were pleasant and he was fitting in pretty well with the teachers. He was trying his best to really hit it home with the principal here seeing as he wanted the high school kids, and to be fair, this school pays much better than the last one, and with the rent on his apartment now much higher than his previous one back home, he needed it.

"Come on Tori, they don't listen to me, I mean if they could at least give me the bulb, I could replace it myself." He asked with a bit of a southern drawl, he had been having issues with the lights in his classroom, and as of yet the maintenance team has been less than willing to work with him on the issue.

The older secretary looked over the young new teacher, "Don't you Tori me, you know it isn't fair." She eyed the man up and down as she contemplated the request, "I will get the order through... but coffee is on you this week, from the nice cafe." Milo grinned and gave his thanks as the older woman smiled and looked past him, "Oh dear, you best run along, looks like I have some buisness." Milo turned and saw as he looked out of the front windows to the parking lot, a young woman with two younger children.

Sapphire was unsure of what to think as she was driven to school by her older half-sister. She wasn't a fan of the word 'half' being put in front of the word 'brother' or 'sister', as it made her feel different to her siblings. Then again, it was perhaps just a little hard to place someone she had barely ever seen as her older sister. She had seen her in pictures that had been in the house, placed by their mother, but she couldn't recall a time she actually saw Alice face-to-face. Alice had apparently been there when Sapphire was born, but Sapphire couldn't really remember anything that happened when she was born.

It felt strange that Alice was the one taking Sapphire (and Fritz) to school, rather than their mother. Sapphire was used to her mother being there, taking her the whole way and comforting her when she needed it, whereas the girl could not help but feel almost like it was a stranger taking her. Yes, perhaps it had been a month that Alice had been living with them on the couch in the same house as them, but there was still an underlying worry in Sapphire despite the new acceptance of Alice that she had gained in the past week or so.

Sapphire still wanted her mother back. Still missed her mother. The lack of her mother somewhere in the car almost brought the tears back rolling back her face, but for some reason they did not come.

Perhaps it was the fact that there was too much else to worry about. Sapphire was worried about how things would be returning to school. The kids who didn't know why she was gone would all ask her why, and those who already knew would all try to ask how she was feeling. The one or two bullies that she was too scared to tell anyone about would most likely use her being gone or her mother's death as fuel to add to the pile of things they had to bully her about.

Sapphire's gaze moved from the back of the seat in front of her to the window beside her, staring outside with uncertainty of how the day was going to be. She was smart enough to know that being gone for so long probably meant there was going to be work that she had to catch up on, and she was going to be behind in the class. She didn't like school, so Sapphire knew it wasn't going to be fun catching up.

Once the car rolled to a stop, Sapphire waited for her mother to open the door, only to see Alice being the one doing it and once-again reminding the girl that her mother was gone. That's what brought the tears dripping down her cheeks, and though not fully crying, she was still upset that she still wasn't used to her mother being replaced by Alice. That didn't stop her from taking Alice's hand and holding it tightly for what comfort it could give as Sapphire tried to control the tears as they rolled along her cheeks.

Fritz looked out the window of the moving vehicle; not because he was watching the scenery pass by though, despite how soothing it could be, but because through the reflection in the glass Fritz could manage keeping an eye on all the occupants in the car all at once without seeming too obvious. Mother had told him that staring could make others uncomfortable and that he should try not to do it. He had never really listened to her about it before but now…

Fritz’s fingers clenched brutally; mother was gone now, gone in an instant and never to return. The weight of the truth made Fritz feel like every lesson she had imparted on him needed to be fulfilled to the best of his ability; it would be a way, the only way Fritz could manage, to honor her. But could Fritz truly manage? At times it felt like she expected too much of him; like she thought just because he was in different classes, and got the best counselor insurance could grant them, that he would become “normal”. Well, something deep down told Fritz that becoming normal was an impossibility, but he would try, even if it was only a little bit.

All he wanted to do now though, was go to school. He could see the outline of the building coming up along the road. Fritz didn’t have many friends at school, but in a way school was his friend. A place where knowledge was king and structure was the primary goal. In a time where the teen’s world was crashing down all around him, that was exactly what Fritz needed. To disappear within books and equations.

Because then, if he could disappear, he wouldn’t be that much of a bother to Alice or Sapphire. Fritz doesn’t remember much from before Alice left, but he can only assume she left for good reason; and now, she was back in a place she never wanted to be in, with a family she never wanted to be with; it didn’t seem right.

The car stopped abruptly, snapping Fritz out of his introspection. When had he gotten so involved with his own thoughts to have lost touch with his surroundings? He blinked owlishly as he looked towards his sister. Lunch? Did he even make himself a lunch? Oh dear. Still though, he nodded anyway, pretending that he understood what was going on. “Affirmative,” he replied while quickly making his way out of the car, pausing momentarily before rushing off. “H-have a nice day Alice, you too Sapphire.” And with that, he made his way into the school.

After a wave of goodbye to Fritz Alice was quick to take note of Sapphire’s discomfort. “Oh sweetie...” Alice sighed down at her tears. Feeling a distinct pull at her heart strings. Her free hand came up to stroke the girl’s blonde hair. Crouching down to be eye level with her younger sister. “It’s okay to cry.” Alice felt her own eyes tear up in response to little Sapphire’s pain and she continued, “Let’s go to the office together then I’ll walk you to class.”

Standing up she took Sapphire’s hand once again and was more than happy to keep the girl at her side a little longer. Sapphire needed some time to compose herself and Alice wasn’t about to deny it. Pulling out a blue and white hankerchief from her back pocket and handed it to Sapphire to dry her eyes.

As the sisters entered Alice looked up into the faces of a handsome teacher and a the older secretary. She gave them both a bright smile and stepped up to the desk. “Hi, I’m Alice Hawthorne. I called yesterday and was told to come in to pick up paperwork and get any school work for Fritz and Sapphire.” Alice felt shame almost rise into her throat. She was their sister and the look the secretary was giving her was one of confusion. “I’m their sister.” She handed over the required documents, Driver’s Licence, Birth Certificate etc. Alice could almost regret not being in their lives before.

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Milo watched as the young red haired woman walked into the office and introduced herself, Alice, she looked about his age, far too young to have kids as old as Fritz however when she said that she was their sister, it made far more sense. "Ahh, Fritz, the kids told me he was out for a bit. I'm Milo Ventri, I am Fritz's new history teacher, taking over for Mr. De'rolo." He held out his hand to shake the young ladies, his voice staying low and slow, accent heavy. "Glad to have him back to class, no need to worry 'bout the missed work from me, we will handle that in class."

Milo looked down to the little one at her side and knelt down, "Well hello there little miss, and who might you be?" His smile was warm and inviting, a tactic he learned from the time spent teaching children in the middle school back home. He used to deal very well with children, however it was difficult to teach them history the way he wanted to, his passion for it was not translatable to smaller children. However he did have a good time teaching them, they rarely misbehaved in the ways that the older kids can.

Sapphire clutched her older sister's hand, struggling to come up with anything to actually say her. It wasn't as if she was trying very hard to think of something, not when her mind was focused (once again) on the fact that the mother was no longer alive, was no longer there for her. When Alice offered her a handkerchief, Sapphire took it gingerly and tried to dry the tears away, with limited success; those that were already present were dried swiftly, but that didn't stop a few more coming out.

If Sapphire hadn't been holding Alice's hand, the hesitation of entering the school might have kept her out for at least a few more moments. As it was, she stayed close to her sibling for what comfort that it gave as they entered the school and were met with a secretary and a teacher who claimed himself to be Milo Ventri. Sapphire edged her body partly behind Alice's to protect herself from the shyness overtaking her upsettedness, especially with Milo kneeling down to speak to her, and used her handkerchief to wipe away a few more tears.

There was a little hesitation before Sapphire spoke, the touch of disconcert in her voice making it all but a little clear (with the rest of the clues) that she was feeling not too happy. "S-Sapphire," the girl responded, simply.

Fritz peered through the window of his homeroom door before entering; surveying the mass of twenty or so students as they talked, joked, and in general made as much noise as possible before their teacher returned and class started for the day. The chaos caused Fritz to inhale deeply and exhale a rather loud sigh before he even thought about opening the door.

He wanted to go in, he had been looking forward to getting back into a routine for over a week, but as he stood here now, something held him back. There was always a chance that when he entered that everyone would notice him, that even though he spent most of his life in the shadows of his peers that somehow, after all that had transpired, he would become the center of attention. Rumors and gossip spread like wildfire among teenagers and so it was a completely reasonable thought that maybe everyone knew what had happened at Fritz’s home; that all the students in the room would swarm him in a variety of different ways. The very thought made a crawling sensation run down his back.

Logically though, Fritz knew that people didn’t even notice him enough to gossip about him; that no one cared about him enough to question his at home situation or his sudden absence. Fritz knew that no one would even notice him if he entered the room at the very second, that he could slip onto the nearest wall and slowly make his way towards his desk in the second to last row without any trouble and sit in relative silence until his teacher arrived. He also knew that if he waited for the teacher to come into the classroom, the likelihood of people noticing and questioning him would increase significantly. Logically, Fritz knew all of this. But anxiety didn’t follow the rules of logic, even if Fritz did.

So minutes went by with Fritz continuing to look through the window and into the busy classroom; resigning himself to the fact that he would be stuck in there for a while longer as he practiced his breathing techniques.

Handsome and had an accent. Milo Ventri is double trouble. Had they met when she'd been in college Alice would've been on him like white on rice but, now all she did was flush in her cheeks and smiled warmly. She had her siblings to think about now and with work being busy she just didn't have the time to flirt with hot history teachers.

“It’s nice to meet you Mr. Ventri.” Alice replied, making sure to stay where Sapphire wanted her, knowing how shy the little blonde was. Smiling down at her as Mr. Ventri introduced himself, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. She was proud of Sapphire for being brave enough to at least say her name. “Ah, actually, since you have Fritz in your class do you think it would be possible for you to tell me if you think he’s alright?”

Alice turned away for a moment to skim over the papers and sign her name wherever it was indicated. “I would really appreciate it.”

With that Alice gave a little wave and a “Thank you.” to the secretary while she smiled back at Mr. Ventri in goodbye. Leading little Sapphire to her class. “I’m very proud of you, Saph. Saying hello like that took a lot of courage, you brave thing.” She gave Sapphire’s hand a little shake in encouragement. Making sure they took their time. If Sapphire was late so be it. The damn teacher could wait.

When the pair got to the door to Sapphire’s classroom Alice knelt down to be eye level with her sister and said, “I put my number in your bag, with your lunch. If you need to come home have your teacher call me. Alright?”

~~~~

“Fritz?” Said a decidedly feminine voice behind him. Sarah one of his classmates tapped his shoulder to get his attention. She was cute, with blonde curly hair and freckles. Her brown eyes warm and inviting like her smile. “It’s nice to see you again but, um... Why are you out here?” She had her bag slung over one shoulder and books pressed to her chest. Dressed in a knee length skirt and a floral printed blouse. She was the quintessential popular girl that everyone liked.

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Milo smiled at the little girl, "Well, the pleasure is mine Miss Sapphire." and he stood back up to look the elder sister in the eyes, he seemed to have flustered her a bit as she went a little red in the cheeks, it was cute though, however something he had to learn early on, it's not good to get involved with your students guardians. Back in his home town of Delta, he saw a teacher start a relationship with one of the dads of her students, it was a quick spiral downhill as the two rush in, fell over, and called it quits, and the one to hurt the most was the student, though this was definitely one of the times he could see why it happens. Milo listened to the request and nodded, "Don't fret, I'll keep an eye on him make sure he gets back into the swing of things." His smile was warm and showed all his southern grace as the the two left the room. Milo gave another thank you to the secretary before heading off the class himself.

Milo pushed open the door to his class and looked about now seeing a few students outside of their seats and Fritz off in the corner seemingly being talked to by one of the other students, the boy seemed a bit frazzled but, from what he understood, that was to be expected, "All right everyone, last one in their seat recites the preamble." The kids began rushing into their seats with one of the popular boys being the last to his the seat, "Michael, let's hear it." The boy stood and gave a horrific recital, "Almost there, maybe if I see your phone less and your books more you might get it. Now if everyone would let's get our books opened back up to section four, Early America."