Darkest Dawn

Westferry Riots

"Emily?" Dalton asked sticking his head around the door, "what are you doing?" 

Briana smiled fondly at Emily's little brother.

"Having my ear chewed off by Troy," she joked. They'd perhaps been in total silence for two hours now.

"Really?" Dalton questioned, sceptically.

"I'm considering duct taping his mouth for my sanity. If you distracted me - you'd be his saviour."

"Want to play a game?"

"Sure we do." Cheerfully she closed her text book. The words were only merging together anyway. She'd read the same line about fifteen times.

"We?" Troy questioned at the same time Dalton whooped. Briana grinned at him.

"Yes, and that's an order."

In the end, they played a game of giant snakes and ladders in the garden. She thought Troy enjoyed himself - however much he tried to pretend otherwise. Klaus interrupted them halfway through the game.

"Hey Klaus." Briana greeted cheerfully - once she'd seen that Andy wasn't with him.

"Hey. Can I join in?" He asked.

"Sure - you can start there."

"He should start at the beginning." Dalton protested and Troy looked ready to second this.

"He's still at the back." She pointed out - trying to appease them.

Klaus had come to Eros House with his parents for an extended Erebus family meal. His dad and Emily's were cousins. Briana immediately liked Klaus' family - they were funny and his dad even teased the Princeps. He called him Richie and got him to take off his tie. Smiling made the Princeps look ten years younger. Without the intimating scowl at the head of the table Briana felt able to relax. 

She'd never enjoyed a meal so much in that room. Nathaniel and Briana cried laughing at a story Klaus told about the spoon that fell into a hotel swimming pool and the ridiculous saga that followed. Reflecting afterwards in bed, Briana realised that it was the first time she'd seen the Erebus' as a normal loud and happy family.

"You keep making excuses," Andy accused Briana. It was the end of classes and like every other day Briana was trying to get out of any alone time with Emily's boyfriend.

"I'm sorry. I've just got a lot going on lately." She knew how lame it sounded. Andy exhaled through his nose. Crap. "You're mad."

"I'm mad because I love you so much." She struggled not to roll her eyes. They were teenagers for frigging out loud!

Maria froze at her desk, listening to every word. "If I loved you less it wouldn't hurt me so much." Andy continued passionately. Briana crossed her arms to make space between them, recoiling from the idea of having to say 'I love you' back. Andy gripped her arm. "Don't push me Emily." She frowned.

"I don't like your tone."

"Neither do I." Troy had appeared at her elbow and was glaring at the threatening teen.

"Are you ok?" Klaus asked softly to a tearful Maria. She didn't hear him. Red in the face she fled the classroom.

"I hear you and Andy are having issues." Antonia sat in her dressing gown on the end of Emily's bed that evening. Briana hugged her knees - feeling like a trapped mouse. She nodded meekly. "Arguments happen in every relationship. It's healthy." She patted Briana's arm, smiling sympathetically. "Patch things up with him tomorrow." Briana frowned.