The fairy snoozes, the human scrounges.

With Pippi trying her hardest to get a few more minutes of rest in, her human could wrap up scouring the room in the meantime. One pile of must haves. Two piles of maybes. Uncertain number of other items she'd want to take as well. An unknown amount of space in the end.

6:36 AM.

Anne could look into the latter at least.

Her ticket covered one hold bag and one carry on, but both of those were defined vaguely enough to where there was some wiggle room. Travel suitcases would be too obvious- the right moment for anyone to realize just where she'd gone off to would be a week later, and not a second earlier. Need plausible deniability. There was one particularly viable excuse, and she was gonna use it for all it was worth.

A handful of pets on snoozing Pippi's side later, Anne was off towards the bowels of the mansion once more. Father was still practicing, thank God. Forceful shout. His Drapion's Growl. Barked out command. Target dummy's parting words, delivered in syllables of shattering wood and shrieking steel. Rest of the house clear, for now. One closet scavenged after the other to the tune of student-to-be's annoyed grumbling. Where did she put those in this time.

Almost nothing ever stayed put in this house, not anything outside the safe haven of her four walls. If there was ever an excuse to change things around, however flimsy, her Mom inevitably took it. Annoying each time. Anne couldn't begrudge her though, not that much. She just clung to whatever control she had left. Basically nothing outside of housemaid duties. There, finally, camping backpack and a duffel bag. Not the first time she and Pippi head out for a hiking trip on their own.

Most of those didn't last forever, though.

Two bags around her shoulder, two eyes constantly scanning for others, two minutes till she was back in her room. Silence coming from Father's court. Done? Paused? Busy with a cane? As long as he was anywhere but here. Another bang, finally, reprieve. Might as well swerve towards the kitchen. Plenty useful things she could cram in from there, even if just to not have to buy them on her own. A couple utensils, a couple cups, maybe a pot as a treat. Each cabinet gouged open and interrogated. Too big, too unwieldy, not too useful-

"Good morning Anne!"

Gaze snapped over at the sound, the teen at its other end flinching slightly in response. Slightly darker skin, slightly curlier hair, closer to Mom. Smaller in height, posture, character. Brief flash of fear at her sudden glance, rest of her forcibly trying to unwind herself from it afterwards. Fright giving way to feeble, innocent hope.

Twelve.

"Hi Marie. Quite early for you."

The cabinet got sutured together with a light swing, young adult facing away from her sister as she walked towards the fridge.

"Y-yeah, couldn't sleep well. What about you?"

Nightmares of having been forced to do the unspeakable.

"Same. Sun woke me up early."

"Ooh, I see! G-grabbing breakfast f-for yourself a-and Pippi?"

Light nod, the rest of Anne continuing to face away as it continued its newly conceived pretense. Pippi was spiritually incapable of complaining at more food, might as well play along. Her own throat was so tight it could barely swallow her own spit.

"A-are you gonna b-be packing for a camping trip?"

Another nod as she closed the door of the fridge, glancing at her younger sister. An instant of excitement lit up her eyes, corners of her mouth ever briefly flinched upwards. Mouth opened to ask, request, plead, something, anything more. Seconds of silence, expression gradually creeping back down to pretend neutral. Moment of thought, another idea-

"I-I see! I-I, umm... I-I'll be having a b-biology exam n-next week at th-the summer s-school, c-could you h-h-help me s-study later?"

The question hit Anne right as she was buttering up more bread for her pretend breakfast. She tried to keep her reaction as down as possible. She reeled forwards as if struck.

"I'm- I'm sorry Marie, I'll have a busy day today."

Anne didn't need to look to know just exactly how her sister looked. Again disappointed. Again self conscious. Again afraid she's said something wrong, did something wrong, asked for something wrong. All she ever did was be someone wrong. Be her family. Be an enabler of the horror that went down each time a new semi truck full of eggs from places unknown or unidentified pokeballs showed up. Be a part of it.

Marie was neither. But she could be. More than likely would be.

And there was nothing Anne could do.

"O-oh, i-it's okay. H-how has P-Pippi b-been l-lately-"

Screech of brakes, whine of tires, both alive only for a heartbeat. Mechanical click, heavy, barely dampened slam. Rapid steps from nearby, over towards behind her. Whining doors, haphazard steps, slurred mumbles.

"Morning Dylan."

He tries to slur out a response, but can't. Ill-fitted designer clothes hang heavy from him, each in worse state than the last. Body tired from the latest night club venture, head rattled by all the prohibited goods one could find there. Son of a Gym Leader, heir apparent- there's never a 'no' for a client like that, there's only ever a price.

No price Father wouldn't pay to prop up his excuse of a trainer career.

Three pokeballs on his belt, one missing, location unknown. Father's annoyance, a couple calls to the right places- no matter what, it'll be replaced. Tools get insured for accidental loss, after all. To his sisters' reprieve, he doesn't speak, gaze only briefly lingering on them both before it disappears behind a doorframe, up the stairs and away.

All that will repeat tonight too, but Anne won't be there to see it.

Marie was still behind her, squirming in place. Dylan wasn't there anymore, Mom was barely ever there to begin with. Each word with their father felt like being eyed for a trophy. Steered towards whatever was the most prestigious, be it with a carrot, fake praise, a myriad threats of conditional love, conditional acceptance. Towards whatever would make her look best as his daughter, pampered and successful. Learning difficulties were to be paved over with as much money as was needed. If that didn't work, then scolding, more money, more private tutors, a dozen more clear instructions on how to fill in the steps he'd planned for her exactly.

Anne sometimes felt like she wasn't there anymore either.

There was nobody cooler than her big sis and her Cleffa, and then Clefairy. So many play sessions together, adventures of ninjas and knights and princesses and everyone in between. Uncountable evenings spent cuddled watching movies on big cassettes. She was smart, she was cool, she had a rare, special pokemon, even if they were deaf. She was there for her, no matter how scared or stupid or unremarkable she was.

And then, less and less so.

Tiny changes added up. She smiled less, talked with everyone less. Looked paler, looked shaky. Sometimes she'd catch her staring at something for minutes, only for Anne to deny she did anything like that. Began spending less and less time with her, with anyone. At some point, she felt like she was never home- fencing club, theatre group, library, or just fenced in inside her room, away from them all, only with Pippi. She felt angrier each time she did spend time with them. Pippi evolved again and Marie had no idea until a couple weeks later, Anne kept her away that entire time.

Marie was afraid it was her fault.

Stupid, annoying, childish, of course Anne wouldn't want to interact with her as much anymore. She just wished Anne would at least say something, tell her what was wrong with her, let her change for the better.

She wanted her sister back.

Her sister wasn't there anymore, long since back in her room by the time Marie shook loose from her dissociation.

The alarm goes off at six.

So much to take care of before then.