Now

Pendo's room was right next to Ivy's. Just like every other door, it was varnish coated with a brass handle. When they were younger, Pendo had a massive 'Don't Enter' sign which she insisted was not being followed. It was true. What reasonable parents with unreasonable streaks actually ever listened to their child screaming for privacy? She had pulled it down with a grudge because it hadn't made a lick of difference.

Ivy knocked twice, tapping at her right foot, rubbing her arms shivering, not necessarily with cold. She didn't even know what she was going to say to her. She'd just assumed it was her sisterly duty to follow after her sister.

The door swung open, an annoyed Pendo looking up at her. Growing up, Pendo had despised the fact that Ivy was taller than her. A giant, she'd called her. She'd hated that instead of people seeing the obvious nature of her firstborn-ness, everyone just assumed Ivy was because she was taller.

"I should have put a sock," Pendo said as she let the door swing even wider, allowing Ivy to come in.

It was neat in the style that, you could see the obvious mess but it was arranged so it didn't really bother anyone. It was so much like her. The walls were as a brilliant white as her bedding. A suitcase was open on the floor, most of its content black. Pendo hadn't been back home for long, Ivy gathered.

"I don't think anyone in here would have understood that."

Ivy made herself comfortable on her sister's bed, behaving as though she were a visitor and was trying to see everything in this new room.

"What do you want?" Pendo sat on the floor, chucking her clothes from her suitcase and trying to stretch out the creased t-shirts.

"What were they talking about?"

Pendo stopped with her t-shirt ministrations and narrowed her eyes. She looked positively scary but Ivy had had years upon years of getting used to the glare. It was going to take a lot more to make her squirm.

She cleared her throat. "None of your business."

"I'm your sister. I think that makes some part of it my business."

Pendo hrmped. "Just because you don't know what to do with Storm over there doesn't mean you get to be in my business. I am not going to be your pity project."

Ivy was annoyed. Pendo's absolute superpower was angering just about anyone without even trying that hard. "You are not a pity project. You're home. You and I both know you despise being here. Mum and dad want you to go back to school. You had a church shut down. In the midst of all this, you say you're in love. Seriously, this just sounds like business little sisters butt their heads into."

"Well," said Pendo as she folded a pair of black jeans, "it seems like you already have the whole picture. I don't know what exactly you want to talk about."

"Don't be a cow!"

"Don't be fucking nosey!"

Ivy got off the bed and made herself comfortable on the ground, picking up stray clothes and folding them. "You really are in love?" Ivy could see Pendo gulp. Obvious signs of almost surrender. "What's her name?" She prompted.

Pendo sighed. "Flora." Pendo's airy laugh was so utterly resigned. "She hates that name but then she says it's kind of unique so she uses it."

"She sounds nice."

Pendo snorted. "Because her name is Flora?"

"Because only a miraculous event could have ever pushed you towards loving someone and they loving you back."

"Yeah, well, a miracle did happen alright. Fell for a fucking nun, I did. Blady facken, yeah? Maybe I really am a cow."

Ivy laughed as she moved closer to the suitcase, pulling out more clothes and folding the ones that she could see Pendo folding. "I'm not going to disagree with you about being a cow." Pendo released something that was equal parts a snort and indignant laughter. "But I am happy for you – that you fell in love that is. Were you at least happy?"

Ivy didn't miss seeing how tightly Pendo held the pair of jeans she was folding. "I was. I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay."

They went through her clothes, folding and hanging them. They cleared her suitcase at which point realized it was nine pm.

"What do you plan on doing with her then?" Pendo asked as she moved away from her half-filled wardrobe.

"What with who?"

"Don't be so obviously dim." Pendo threw a pillow at her.

Ivy picked it and hugged it tightly. Shrugging she said, "Nothing. We are friends and that's that."

"God, you annoy me. Leave!" Pendo moved towards her, took her arm and pushed her to the door, not caring for the objections then slammed it after her.

So much for being a good enough sister, Ivy thought as she made her way to her room. Only she didn't stop once she was there and continued on until she was mysteriously at the stairs, then downstairs, then at the door of the very occupied guest bedroom and knocking timidly.

Chastity was already prepared for bed. Unlike how she got ready for bed in her flat, she was in long pyjamas and her hair was secure in a silk scarf. Her face was bare and in the harsh lighting, she looked younger.

She let Ivy in.

"So?" she asked as she jumped onto the bed. "Did you get anything out of her?"

"Nope," said Ivy with an emphasis on the 'p'. "She doesn't want to talk about it but at least I know she was in love with a nun called Flora who hates her name."

Chastity looked impressed. "That is way more information than I thought you would gather."

Ivy laughed. It was half hollow. "I wish she would talk to me though. She looks hurt and I want to be there for her."

"I think you have been there for her and in her very Pendo way, I'm sure she's shown you that you have. Maybe she'll decide to open up even more and then we'd be swimming in the story of the century." She threw Chastity a dirty look. "Not that that's the main point of all this."

Ivy made her way to the bed then threw herself on it without any decorum. Just a sack full of blood and fat. This in turn made Chastity screech and Ivy curse out at the thing that jabbed her side.

"What the fuck..." she let her hand go under her as she tried to reach for the thing that poked her. It was long, soft and when she finally laid eyes on it, much to her suprise, it was very much a purple dildo. "Uhmm..."

The best way to describe Chastity's movement would have been lightening because one minute Ivy had been admiring the contraption then the next it was hidden under the covers, a mortified Chastity shifting left to right. "You weren't—" she began. "This is totally embarrassing."

"What's embarrassing about a dildo?" Ivy was impressed by the fact that she had not stumbled over her words.

"I-I don't know? I'm at your parents' house for one. For another, well..." she looked away, folding in on herself.

"Well?" Ivy prompted.

Chastity looked back up. From absolute abashment, she had turned into a creature that only ever existed in Ivy's always recurring sex dreams. Her brown eyes had become blown out to black and it was obvious from where Ivy was seated that her breathing had gone up a notch.

"I don't think you want me to answer that," Chastity said calmly. This made Ivy very much want to know what the answer to that was because she was going to do it. Just one push and she was going to buckle on her own agenda.

She cleared her throat when she realized none of them was talking. Chastity continued looking at her like she was going to jump her bones and yes, they were at her parents' house. She had to remember they were at her parents' house.

"Okay," she said, voice hoarse. "I'll leave you to it then."

She hadn't walked. She'd sprinted more like from the bedroom, up the stairs and then straight to her room. She'd shut the door with such finesse the house must have surely shaken. For what felt like an hour, she leaned against the door, trying to catch her breath but nothing was happening.

Shit.