Happier

Chapter Three

"So, we'll get our bags, and then we will hail a cab and head home," Pippa explained. Evie felt panic rise inside of her. Home? She wasn't quite ready to declare Pippa's apartment as her home. For her, home was still in Libertyville. Her parents may have been cruel, but it was still her home. She wasn't quite ready to just pretend that her parents never existed.

"Where do you live?" Stella asked.

"Washington Heights," Pippa replied. "In an apartment." Stella nodded and followed Pippa to the baggage collection.

The three siblings grabbed their bags and headed outside where Pippa quickly hailed a cab. She told the driver the address and he drove them there pretty quickly.

The three girls pulled their bags out and Pippa paid the driver. They rode the elevator up to Pippa's floor, and Pippa lead them towards the apartment.

"Welcome, girls," Pippa said, opening the door. Evie and Stella walked into the apartment and got their first look. There were lots of windows, giving the place a natural feel.

"So, I'm sorry, but we only have one guest bedroom, so you'll have to share. There are two twin beds in the room, though, so you'll at least have your own bed," Pippa explained.

"Oh, that's fine!" Stella smiled.

"Yeah," Evie agreed. Neither of them wanted to cause their sister trouble. She was already taking them in.

"Okay, great," Pippa said. "Lin? I'm back with Evie and Stella!" A man came running out of a room, which was probably the guest room.

"Evie! Stella!" He smiled, giving each of them a hug in return. Both girls were a bit taken aback, but they both returned the hug. "It's so nice to finally meet you. I've heard so much about you. I'm Lin, by the way."

"Evie," Evie waved shyly.

"I'm Stella," Stella said, much more enthusiastically.

"Was your flight okay?" He asked them all, giving Pippa a quick kiss on the cheek.

"It was fine," Pippa said. "Could you help the girls take their bags to their room? Then I'm sure they'd like to settle in and relax."

"Of course," he smiled at the girls, wanting them to feel welcome. Pippa had told him little about her family life and from what he understood about the situation it was toxic. Pippa seemed so sweet and level headed. She'd turned out successfully and well-adjusted perhaps despite her upbringing.

Lin picked up the girls' two bags and carried them down the hall as they followed. "I've been cleaning it up a bit today," he told them. "It's become a bit of a junk room unfortunately."

New York City didn't have much extra space so the empty room had attracted all their stuff. Lin managed to find some nooks and crannies to move the items to so they'd have some room. None of them were sure how long they'd be staying. Maybe the investigation would be over in a week or maybe they'd never go back. It was anyone's guess.

Evie and Stella stepped inside the modest but inviting room. They had a big window with sunlight pouring in. Two matching twin beds sat on opposite sides of the room with a dresser and a desk. Otherwise it was pretty sparse.

"Here we are," he announced, setting one bag on each bed. The girls could decide who slept where. Lin put his hands on his hips, looking at the two girls. They looked nervous and out of place. He was sure they were overwhelmed.

"I'll give you two a minute. When you're ready, come on out and we'll have some lunch," he said. The girls nodded and said thank you politely.

Evie stood, arms crossed, not sure what to do as her sister sat on a bed. She bounced a little, testing it out as she smiled. Evie watched her sister easily settling into the situation. Sometimes she was jealous of how easy going her little sister was. She didn't seem as bothered by things that completely threw her off.