Chapter 72
"Adria," the girl groaned at the sound of her name, pulling her pillow over her hair she frowned when the hushed sound of her name filled the room again.
"What is it, Benji?" she growled, turning suddenly to see her brother sitting cross legged beside her, her eyes trailed to Sirius who still slept contently in the sofa bed and then to her clock which showed seven am.
"I really need your help," he whispered, almost pleadingly, "like twin lock promise help," the boy spoke lowly, allowing Adria's eyes to widen as she sat up.
"What's wrong, are you in trouble?" she asked concerned. As odd as the saying was, the twin lock promise was a saying the two made up at the age of six when Benji set fire - accidently, of course - to Alfie's favourite toy, and Adria helped him bury the remains, whilst lying for him, after that, the two made up the twin lock promise when they got into a far too extreme amount of trouble and needed help with it. Their deal was that the twin lock promise had to be a large amount of extreme, and a large amount of urgency, and no matter what happened, if either of them declared a twin lock promise, then the other had to help.
"No, well, yes," Benji sighed, "Adria I've done something bad, really bad actually and I don't know how to solve it."
"Benji, what have you done?" she whispered, running a hand through her hair and heaving a sigh.
"I stole something," he whispered, his head bowed and guilt engulfing him when his eyes fixated on Adria, awaiting her reaction. Her eyes had widened drastically, and she felt disappointment bubbling within her.
"Benji," she trailed off, shaking her head, "how could you?!"
He was humiliated with his answer, and if Adria was honest, this was all rather unexpected, the boy hadn't acted any differently since she had come home so to think that when she wasn't here that he was off stealing things was a complete shock.
"Look, It's been different without you and Alina around, Alfie is completely different, we barely even talk anymore, and dad is obviously making sure mum is okay, and I just, I missed you Adria, and I couldn't talk to you so I found friends as quickly as I could, and they were the wrong friends, Ads, I made a mistake, but they told me I could only be friends with them if I stole them beer, and if I grabbed cigarettes. They wanted the beer and then took off, that's all they wanted me for, but now I have these cigarettes and what if mum finds them? Or dad? I need your help to throw them away!" his voice had risen and Adria's eyes snapped to Sirius in case he awoke at the voice levels rising, but when he slept peacefully, soft snores leaving his lips as he snuggled closer to his blanket, Adria was sure they were safe to continue.
"Benji," Adria sighed, "but why didn't you just throw them away when you took them?" she asked, her hand patting his shoulder comfortingly.
"Because they started running so I ran after them, but I got lost in the city for about an hour until I found the train and got it home, when I finally got home I realised I still had them and they've been in my room ever since, I stuffed them in my dresser and I don't know, we need to burn them or something, we can't just shove them in the bin, can we?!" he exclaimed. Adria sent him a warning look, pointing to Sirius to which he quickly apologised.
"Come on, Benji, show me them," she sighed, shaking her head slightly as she stood from her bed. She pulled her slippers onto her feet, walking behind Benji as he shuffled to her door.
"Adria?" she turned at the sound of Sirius' voice, watching as he blinked confusedly in the dark when the noise of the floorboards echoed around the room. She sent Benji a quick gesture of 'one moment' before making her way over to the sofa bed.
She smiled faintly, sitting down at the edge of the bed and running her hand through Sirius' hair, "go back to sleep, it's okay," she whispered softly, leaning closer to press a kiss to his forehead, staying put for a few moments until she felt him nod, and his breath getting heavier as he fell back into a deeper sleep than before.
"Cute," Benji grumbled, rolling his eyes whilst he pulled her along, making his way across the hall to his bedroom. He closed the door behind him, turning his bedroom light on which quickly made Adria shield her eyes when the light stung them.
"Jeez, Benji, a little heads up would've been nice," she huffed, making her way over to him when the blurriness of her eyes adjusted to the brightness.
"Oh no, oh no, no, no," Benji gasped, rummaging his hands through the dresser frantically. Adria took a seat on his bed, watching as he done so and supressing the urge to yawn, "this can't be happening!" he exclaimed, earning a 'shhh' from Adria who stood as quickly as she sat down, making her way over to him.
"What is it?" she whispered, frowning when he turned to look at her with a glare.
"Oh, I don't know, maybe just that the cigarettes aren't here!" Benji exclaimed, still attempting to keep his voice quiet as it was barely five o'clock in the morning.
"You know that means that either mum or dad have found them, don't you?" Adria sighed, shaking her head which was gaining a migraine, not to mention that the taste of the mandrake leaf was making an appearance in her mouth.
"No," he shook his head, "I would've been grounded until I was dead by now." He sighed, his head rested against the wall that he was supressing the urge to punch.
"It's got to be Alfie then," Adria sighed, throwing herself back onto his bed, "if Alina found them then she would've come to me probably, or definitely mum and dad so it just cant be her, and I'm pretty sure Sirius wouldn't just rummage through your dresser, and if he did, then he'd surely tell me, so it must be him!"
"You're right," Benji nodded after a few moments of silence, "but why hasn't he said anything yet?!"
"Maybe he thinks you're smoking, and he's trying to get them away from you?" Adria suggested, "I don't know what's going on with you and Alfie that you two aren't talking much but Alfie does love you, and he cares about you just as much as he does me and Alina, so I wouldn't be surprised if he was helping you out."
"I don't know, Ads," Benji whispered, "he's different now, he done what I done, he tried to make friends quickly, and his friends are terrible, the only thing is, he actually stuck with them. I mean I have Beth now, and she's great and my friend, but if I didn't have her then I'd have no one."
"I'd really like to meet her," Adria sighed, taking Benji's hand and squeezing it comfortingly, "come on, we're going to ask Alfie."
"Wha- no!" Benji protested, shaking his head furiously whilst Adria sent him a look, "it's not even morning, Ads, if we wake him then no doubt he'll tell mum just for the sole fact that we woke him!"
"You know what, you're right," Adria agreed after she had pondered his words, "but if Alfie gets to sleep then so do I!" she huffed, sending him a quick goodbye and making her way back over to her own room.
-
"I don't know what you're talking about," Alfie shrugged, shaking his head with a look of confusion evident on his features. Adria's mouth parted into an 'o' shape as she shared a look with Benji, who looked slightly furious, "what are you talking about cigarettes, what have you done?!"
"Nothing, I promise it's nothing," Adria butted in, grabbing Benji's arm and pulling him away, "look he could be lying."
"I'm not," Alfie butted in, shaking his head whilst Adria let out a groan, "but I want to know what's going on, and if you don't tell me I'll tell mum and dad about these so-called cigarettes."
"You know what, fine," Benji grumbled, heaving a sigh, he sent Adria a look before he proceeded to tell Alfie the full story of why he had cigarette's in the first place.
"Seem it's not his fault but we need to know who has them," Adria sighed.
"Why are you helping him, Addy?" asked Alfie, his eyebrow raised, "you of all people is so completely opposed of the idea of stealing, I don't understand it."
"It's a twin lock promise," Adria sighed, shrugging her shoulders slightly whilst she paced Alfie's room, "look, whatever has happened between you two during the time I've been away better get resolved because I cant stand you two acting all weird, I don't care if youre oh so old and responsible Alfie, now that you're seventeen, but you're still our brother, and we still need your help. We all used to be so close, even though I left for school, I'd be able to come home knowing that the three of us and Alina would have the best time, what happened? Why did you both fall in with the wrong crowd? Who cares if you don't make friends fast, why not just make friends that you can trust and rely on?!"
"Oh I'm sorry, Adria, but not all of us can have perfect friends like you!" Alfie snapped, rolling his eyes whilst he sat on his bed.
"Oh give it a rest, Alfie," Adria huffed, "you know ever since I got friends you've always acted so weird, even in Scotland, and especially the first time Sirius came to stay. Do you hate the fact that I actually was able to make friends or something? I'm so sick of arguing with you every second, it's like you live for it!"
"Adri-"
"No, if you aren't going to help us then we can do this ourselves, I'm sick of it, and I'm sick of you," Adria frowned, pulling Benji out of the room with her before casting another look in Alfie's direction, "if it was mum or dad they would've said something by now, I'm sure of it."
"I know," Benji sighed, wrapping his arm around Adria seeing as she looked like she need a hug, "thank you for helping me, Ads, I know you're a little stressed about it, but if anything happens then nothing is your fault. I shouldn't have stolen in the first place and I really should just face the consequences and own up to mum and dad."
"No, Benji, because If I wasn't off having a great time at Hogwarts then you'd actually have someone here, and you wouldn't have done what you di-"
"Adria don't, don't blame yourself for this, this is not your fault, at all!" Benji exclaimed, "of course I'd always prefer you to be here but you have a life to live too, and I would never ever want to take away magic from you, or your friends, you love it far too much, I could never do that!"
Adria smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist in a side hug, "should we ask Alina?"
"I think maybe I should just tell mum," Benji sighed, "I just don't want to stress her out."
"Well I think it would stress her out if she had found them and you hadn't explained it to her." Adria sighed, patting his shoulder comfortingly, "I'll tell her with you, Benji, don't worry, I'll always stick up for you, and even though you shouldn't have stolen and I absolutely don't condone it, I understand why you done it, and mum will too.
It was safe to say that Judy and Douglas were pretty angry when Benji sat them down in their living room with Adria by his side and the guilt spread across his face, but just like Adria had said, they understood. Of course, that didn't mean he wasn't grounded for two weeks, and even though he was pretty annoyed with it, he still knew why.
He couldn't blame Adria's absence for the reason why he done it, it was a stupid and reckless thing to do, and it was all on his part. He wanted friends desperately, especially since he moved countries entirely, his Scottish accent stood out against the difference of the English one, especially in school he could hear the giggles of girls laughing at him whenever he answered a question and he still had yet to figure out if the giggles were a good sound or rather the opposite.
He just didn't want to be alone, especially since Alfie made sure that they weren't in the slightest associated with each other in school, it was the exact opposite from Adria and Alina at the castle, and Benji wished sometimes that he was magic too just so that he didn't have to endure the absence any longer.
But the fact that Adria had helped him when he needed her most, even though she had to under their pact, she could always say no if she really wanted too, but she didn't, and for that, Benji seriously owed her.
[A/N that oh so repeatable thing when you have no self control so you buy yourself too many things with the mindset of 'treat yo self' 🤦🏼♀️
Ps. I literally just bought nintendogs because I'm feeling nostalgic]