Extend the Story - Add a Room

You fix Blake with your best scowl. Blake is blatantly using the situation to give himself some sort of authority over you, and you don't like that. "Go soak your head, Blake," you announce, pushing past your indignant brother and into the upstairs landing. "I did more than my fair share last night." He gives some small, insignificant protest, but knows that you'll get retribution from Mother eventually and lets you go without any further protest.

You look around. The doors to your siblings' and parents' rooms are shut and there is not one door in your house which does not creak when opened, so if you felt like snooping you'd be caught fairly quickly because from the sounds of it, most of your family is downstairs eating breakfast. The smell of freshly baked bread hits you, and it is tempting to say the least.

Well, you could go downstairs and chance getting cuffed by Mother for shirking your chores. You'd have to eventually. As you ponder your options, a light tap on your shoulder brings you sharply back to order.

The smiling, freckled face, blue eyes and curly blonde hair are that of your sister, Vivian. "Someone was looking for you, James," she says brightly, her hands glowing with arcane energy. You watch enviously. If you inherited the gift of magic, it hasn't surfaced yet.

"Who was it?" you ask her. She shrugs, her curls bouncing on her shoulders, and the smile becomes something of a smirk. "Go find out," she suggests just as the spell she was casting ends. In her hands sits a small, perfect cupcake, which glitters with arcane residue for a moment before she places it in your hands.

"I heard what happened with Blake. Seems a bit unfair to me," she explained, offering you a sympathetic look which made you feel as if you were a homeless puppy. "If I were you, I wouldn't risk breakfast. Just climb down from your window and meet your visitor out front. Come back later with something to tide Mother over when she's cooled down a bit."

"But what's the cupcake for?" you ask, looking at it curiously. The sponge is soft and, well, feels exactly like sponge should, and the helping of icing atop it is hearty and smooth on your tongue. Thankfully, the little cake no longer glitters with the odd dust.

"What kind of sister would I be if I let my little brother go hungry?" Vivian chuckled, and began to head downstairs. Her voice dropped to a whisper as she took the first step. "I'll go and distract Mother. You go escape out your window, okay?"

Before you can give protest or thanks, Vivian ducks downstairs where you hear her calling loudly for Mother, obviously meaning to keep to her word and create a diversion. You're not sure what angle she's playing by doing all this for you, or if there even is one. Either way, you have a clear exit now if you want to go and see this visitor.

You decide you'd rather face Mother sooner than later, so you head down to the kitchen.