Together we stand

We See

"What does Peter Parker say when someone asks him what he does for work?" Chris asked, the third pun he'd said that afternoon.

Next to him, his sister, Ruth, rolled her eyes. Another action that had been repeated multiple times. "What?" She asked. "That he's a goblin slayer?" Her own attempt at a joke made her smirk, causing the somehow older male to grin wildly from his side of the bench. Ruth always found her brothers interesting, and in some instances, was grateful they weren't biologically related.

First there was Chris, comic book obsessed and the self proclaimed pun-lord. He was a good guy, smart and terrifyingly fast. He was also very annoying when it was just the two of them. Judging by his light blonde hair and green eyes, one would never be able to tell that he could be annoying. At least from a distance.

Then there was her older brother, Kythe. While Ruth herself was thirteen, and Chris was the ripe old age of seventeen, Kythe was nineteen years old. Kythe was the more serious one of the three, and was extremely overprotective. In fact, based on past behaviors, Chris and Ruth even managed to make an appropriate nickname for him; Mama Kythe. Though he was a bit controlling, Ruth loved him, and his never ending rants bout why he wasn't going to cut his hair, apparently it was fine brushing his shoulders. Regardless of everything that she could think about, Ruth loved them both, and only them.

She took a bite of her cookie as Chris continued. "He tells them that he's a web designer!" Like the child he was, he started laughing at his own joke, almost dropping the subway sandwich balancing on his lap. The two were waiting for Kythe to come back from the grocery store. Since neither Chris nor Ruth wanted to wait for Kythe to find the least-beat-up lime, they had decided to order themselves (and Kythe) some lunch. They'd migrated from the sandwich shop to one of San Francisco's lovely parks. It was lovely mostly just because the bench hadn't been occupied by someone's personal belongings when they arrived.

It was Saturday, so no passing police officers would question why they weren't in school, like they usually did. Ruth would even go as far as saying that it felt like the perfect day. They'd managed to pay their first month of San Francisco rent, Chris had gotten a little extra cash by winning a foot race, and Kythe was going to make his famous Ice Burn Avocado soup. Ruth was thankful for the normality of the moment. Their lives weren't very normal often.

Chris's phone buzzed, so he had to stop cackling in order to read it. He relayed what was on the screen to Ruth. "Kythe says he's almost done, think he's gonna melt our faces off, Ruthy?" Chris had a habit of both wiggling his fingers randomly and calling her Ruthy, both of which had just been done. Nobody around them seemed to notice her discomfort, not that anyone aside from Chris even acknowledged her. Others were too busy walking by with family and friends, dogs even. Yummy, a voice said inside her head, a lot deeper and more homicidal sounding than her own. She shifted suddenly, very aware that the target of the remark was a little white poodle. That's just gross, no. She thought back.

"What's just gross?" Chris asked, wiping away some mustard that had made a home on his upper lip. The poodle had managed to make its way down the street without becoming anybody's lunch, the owner having no idea what almost happened. Ruth sighed, giving a subtle point with her thumb towards the animal, her other hand pinching the bridge of her nose. She watched as Chris followed her thumb and nodded, not bothering to move when he leaned in close.

"Scream," His voice was deeper too, nothing like the normal high pitched squeak you heard when Chris spoke. She barley gave him a once over when she saw his eyes had filmed over, there was no need for panic, she knew exactly who was speaking and whom it was speaking to. "We've been over this, we do not eat poor defenseless animals, especially dogs." Another woman in a track suit jogged past, sending a more than confused look their way. Chris backed up again, his eyes returning to their freakishly green color. His face looked like he had bit into a lemon, and he sounded bitter when he spoke next, really Chris this time.