The Silva Household

"Oh, yes of course, Aunt Elle!" A name that started when it was first Aunt Libby, then Aunt L, then Aunt Elle. "Is she outside?"

[[here you guys have a steaming mess of something that goes nowhere and acts as beautiful filler k]]

Matilda is bored.

This isn't a particularly unusual situation. She has high standards, and she's just hard to entertain. She sits upside-down on her bed, which is the position she normally assumed when she has to think. Most people have to sit a certain way to be truly comfortable and think about things. Matilda has to be upside-down. She doesn't know why. She doesn't particularly care why. Perhaps it's the blood flow to her head that gets her brain working. Perhaps it's just seeing the world from another perspective. Perhaps it's some other reason.

Who knows?

Matilda reaches and grabs a shiny copy of Teen Witch Weekly, which is, as the title suggests, a "teen-friendly" version of Witch Weekly, off of the floor. Matilda actually doesn't like it very much. It seems like the articles are aimed at ten-year-olds. The topics are boring, the writing sounds like it should be on a kid's television programme, and it's overall just a terrible magazine. At least, that's what Matilda thought--until she realized what narm was.


You see, narm kind of changed Matilda's perspective on things. It made her see Teen Witch Weekly in a new perspective. Much like she sees her bedroom from a different perspective when she hangs upside down. She actually likes Teen Witch Weekly in a sense, because now she sees it in a funny way.

Oh, narm.

Matilda eyes her room. She sees the floor like it's now the ceiling--and the "ceiling" is rather messy. There are clothes scattered about, pyjamas hanging over furniture, and a few editions of Teen Witch Weekly (some opened, some closed). It is a rather messy room, but it wasn't like Matilda cared about that. She feels cozy sitting on her bed in nothing but a tank top and short-shorts (no bra, but at least she wears underwear), with those fuzzy house slippers that are more like boots than slippers. Her hair is unbrushed, and since it's pretty long it gathers up on the floor in a big brown mess.

At least when she's upside-down her bangs don't get in her eyes. They're at that annoying length where they aren't quite long enough to be tucked behind her ears, but long enough to be in her eyes all the time.

Eventually, Matilda tosses the copy of Teen Witch Weekly off to the side, and it lands on her desk, which is full of old school papers, empty ink bottles, and dull quills. Basically, it's coated in junk from the bottom of her trunk that was, rather unceremoniously, dumped onto her desk. Her mum's been nagging at her since she got home from Hogwarts to clean her room, but like any good rebellious teenage girl, Matilda hasn't gotten to it yet.

It is at this very moment that the doorbell rings and Matilda realizes that the Sawyer clan, minus the adults, are all going to be over at the house tonight.

Well, shit.

As soon as the Sawyer family-no, they weren't even a family. They were more like some sort of clan. Some sort of strange clan that always came to crash the Silva's fun and usually ended in uncomfortable episodes of awkwardness.

But anyway, as soon as they stepped into the house, they all immediately 'assumed' their positions.

~

"You know, it's been scientifically proven that people who hang upside down while reading magazines tend to be chronically cranky, irritable, and have awful bad PMS."

Will had quietly sneaked up into Matilda's bedroom, intending to scare her. But, the tilted tanned face with the light freckles and teasing blue eyes wasn't particularly scary. Nah, he gave off pretty boy, you can snap me in two with your hands vibes. But, that didn't stop him from being a great annoyance, like any other fifteen year old boy.

~

Anthony on the other hand preferred much more subtle entrances. He just thought it was generally polite to knock at a shut door and wait for an answer, instead of barging in like Will.

This was especially true when that person with the shut door was angry at you.

But, he thought Victor was wrong. Maybe he SHOULD move on, but Josiah would listen to an apology and move on.

Right?

~

Hayley, on the other hand, just wanted to play with her friend Isaiah. She could leave all the 'drama' to her older siblings.

"Show me the extensive research put behind that scientific theory that isn't you with your head up your ass and maybe I'll believe it," said Matilda, who didn't really flinch. She'd seen feet coming through the doorway out of the corner of her eye.

~

"Who is it?" Josiah called. He had been writing a letter to a school buddy at his desk, and didn't even bother looking up. His desk faced the window, and his back was facing the door.

~

Isaiah was in the living room where Max and Libby were talking. The chess set was in there, and he loved chess. Therefore, he was playing when Hayley arrived. "Hi, Hayley! You wanna play Wizard's Chess with me?"

"What." Will stood up up normally, and gave her a fake cross looking look. "Who's to say that I'm actually Hogwarts student at day, and psychologist at night? Everything's possible!"

~

"Um... Victor." Anthony lied, hoping Josiah wasn't paying enough attention to actually tell who it was. Josiah was often the type who would stay completely out of a conversation if he didn't care about it.

~

"Okay!" Hayley said, racing after him. She crouched and stared at the Chess pieces in fascination. "I've only played this once, so I don't really remember the rules."

"That doesn't answer me. I said to show me your research. Saying that you're a psychologist at night does nothing to show me your research to prove said theory."

~

Which was true. Besides, they both had about the same voice pitch, anyway. "Come on in, Victor!"

~

"I'll teach you!" Isaiah said, and launched into a big discussion on how to play chess and all that.

"Well, you see. I can't show you the research, as I don't have it with me right now. I left it on my desk in my secret research center under the Black Lake, you see." Will explained, wondering if Matilda is the kind of person to go along with such a ridiculous story.

~

And Anthony rushed right now, and stood beside Josiah's desk in order to get his fullest attention.

"Josiah, I REALLY wanted to say sorry for the other day ago. It wasn't right of me." he apologized.

~

Hayley frowned at the pieces, and looked slightly intimidated by it all.

"It seems very complicated." she said, unsure of herself.

"Yes, because YOU'RE smart enough to build a secret lab under the Black Lake without any of the professors knowing." Matilda visibly rolled her eyes and read some article about how to tell if your boyfriend was cheating on you.

~

Josiah looked up from his letter. "Oh. Hi Anthony." Josiah sounded a lot less enthusiastic. "Listen, don't worry about it. And... don't do that again, please."

~

"It seemed like that to me at first, but then I just kept playing it and playing it and it became really simple!"

"Of course I am! I'm Will Sawyer. I can do whatever the hell I want." And Will hopped up beside, and scanned over the article. "Matilda, I didn't know you read this kind of rubbish. I just thought my little sister did."

~

"Oh, I won't. I just felt really bad about it, that's all."

~

"Are you a super genius or something?" Hayley demanded to know.

Matilda sat up, so she was sitting up straight on her bed. Her face was flushed a deep red, and her hair was a little wonky. She combed her fingers through her messy hair as she explained. "It may be rubbish, but it's hilarious rubbish. They think they're being so serious and speaking out to young people, but it just comes off as a joke."

~

"Good. How are you?"

~

Isaiah frowned, thinking. "I... I don't think so. I mean, practice makes perfect, right?"

Will laughed. "Oh God, I know! Back at Hogwarts a couple months ago, Emily was trying to flirt with some blonde kid, and she was trying 'exude confidence' like those magazines talk about. I know it's mean, but I'm sorry it was so hilarious. It looked like that poor kid just wanted to run the opposite direction."

~

"Um.. how am I?" Anthony looked rather confused. "I'm alright, I guess... what about you?" It seemed weird to think what a year of separation does to a pair of friends, Anthony realized. You suddenly seem to run out of things to talk about very quickly.

~

"You're right... but my brothers Victor and Anthony have been playing probably longer than you and THEY aren't very good."

Matilda laughed audibly. "Oh God! That's hilarious!" Matilda snorted. "God! I'd never try to follow any of the advice this piece of crap tells me. I'd much rather follow my own advice. Not that I'd flirt with any guy anyway."

~

"Great. I'm sending a letter off to my friend right now." Josiah signed the letter. "I'll be right back."

About five minutes later, he came back without the letter, and sat down on his bed. "You can sit at my desk, if you'd like."

~

"Well, you never know!" And so, they played, and naturally, Isaiah won.

"Oh, you." Will gave her a teasing poke in the side. "Trust me, the moment those hormones in you begin to pick up, you're going to be joining Emily, I'll promise you. And your friend Leah, too."

~

"Thank you.." And he went and sat down awkwardly on the chair, looking away, before speaking up again.

"Are you excited for school? It's in a couple weeks."

~

"See! You must be a really smart guy." And she poked his head, for good measure.

"Oh, please. Like THAT'S ever going to happen," Matilda rolled her eyes. "To me OR Leah."

~

Josiah shrugged. "It's really not as great as people make it out to be. It IS pretty cool though, and the feasts are always the best..." Josiah grinned a little, even though it was forced. This was a bit awkward.

~

Isaiah blushed. "I-I'm not really! I was really bad at chess when I started," he murmured.

"Sorry, Matilda. It happens to even the very best of us. You know, the superstars in life, like you." Will sighed a bit. He didn't really seem to remember himself being so... Matilda-ish when he was twelve. But, he guessed that things were just different with girls than boys.

~

"Hmm... yeah, that's what I heard. Hey-" Anthony suddenly got up from his chair. "I'm going to the bathroom. I'll be back." And he left the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. Of course, he never came back upstairs into Josiah's bedroom.

Instead, a half hour later, a bored looking Emily came upstairs, to invade Josiah's privacy.

~

"Oh, you're too modest!" Hayley exclaimed. "You're really good, okay?"

"Whatever. I don't like talking about this, anyway. It's just stupid."

~

Josiah didn't notice Emily. He was absorbed in a script for the next play the theater was doing.

~

"I guess..." Isaiah avoided eye contact with Hayley. This was really embarrassing. "Um, you wanna play again or something?"

"Is it because you're insecure over your own feelings, isn't it?" Will jumped on, with a sly smile. It was pretty fun to make Matilda angry.

~

"JOSIAH! Wake up!" Emily shouted at him.

~

"Of course." Hayley said determinedly. "I want to get better at this, so I can beat you."

"Um... no? I'm not insecure about my feelings at all."

~

"Huh what?!" Josiah jumped back, slamming the script shut. Then he relaxed. "Oh, it's just you. Hi, Emily."

~

And so, they kept playing chess.

"Are you now?" Will looked at her curiously. Somehow, he thought that Matilda was just lying to him. "Have you ever had a crush on anyone, before?"

~

"Hey..." Emily walked over, and sat down carefully on top of his bed. "I had a question. Do you know a boy named... Dustin Atkinson?" she asked, trying to look as innocent as possible.

Matilda shrugged. "I don't think so. Maybe one in early primary school. I wouldn't know his name though."

~

"Yeah, he's a good friend of mine. Why do you ask?"

"Oh..." Will looked a bit disappointed at this statement, but he kept trying to prod in anyway. "You didn't like anyone this year?"

~

"Oh well..." Emily picked at a lose thread, trying to buy some more time. "I was just wondering... because, I thought we could be good friends and all."

"No, I didn't," Matilda said bluntly. God, Will was annoying. "Can't you just accept the fact that I just don't crush on people?"

~

"Oh, okay. I can introduce you guys when we get back to Hogwarts, if you want."

"No, I can't. I think you're just lying." Right now, Will was finished with being serious. He just wanted to annoy the crap out of her, for the fun of it.

~

"Really?!" Emily's eyes flashed with a mixture of determination and excitement. She jumped up from the bed, and dashed over to where Josiah's sitting. She grasped both his hands, and shook them up and down furiously.

"Josiah, that would mean the world to me!"

"Prove I'm lying," Matilda said simply.

~

"Um... okay. Why are you so excited about it? It's just Dusty."

"The only proof I need is the kind written all over your face." He countered.

~

"Just Dusty! He's like an Olympic God! He puts Apollo to shame!" And she even through an extra twirl, for good measure. Hey, she trusted Josiah not to say anything.