Newspapers Are Evil ((Closed))

[Merry Garwin H6]

((This is related to the 'Rumour Has It' article released 21st July so if you haven't read it, you might want to go and read it now.))

“Meredith Amber Garwin!” The shrill voice rang through her ears and made her wince but Merry mumbled an incoherent response before snuggling deeper into her bedcovers. “Merry!” The voice was now whiny rather than incredulous and demanding so Merry opened one eye and focused on her older sister sleepily. “What? What could possibly be so important that you’re waking me up at some unholy hour of the morning? And on the only day that I don’t have to wake up early, no less!” Merry snarled at Kali furiously, sacrificing her pillow by aiming it at her sister’s perfectly groomed hair before disappearing under the covers again. Kali rolled her eyes, caught the pillow and swiftly pulled the covers onto the floor before shoving a newspaper at Merry demandingly. “I can’t believe you’d keep something like this a secret from your sister. From Reid and Tyler, yes. But me? I’m so disappointed in you, Merry! Didn’t you even consider that I’d like to know what my own sister was doing?”

Merry covered a yawn with her hand, still staring at Kali uncomprehendingly. “What are you talking about?” Kali smacked her over the head with the newspaper before shoving it at her again, this time flipping it open to the correct page. “Honestly, you’re so slow in the morning!” Kali huffed impatiently. Merry looked at the newspaper dubiously. “Why would I want to read a gossip column? Was Reid caught kissing one of the heiresses again? I have told him to be more subtle, honestly I have.” Kali started laughing, earning a wary look from her younger sister, and gestured for her to just read the page already. “Rumour Has It – you actually read this trash? Merry Garwin...Asteroid Café...Rister Graas...” Merry snorted and tossed the newspaper on the floor dismissively. “That’s ridiculous. As if I’d ever break my rule for anyone I met while I was working in the café. These people don’t know me at all.”

Kali smiled patiently, silently counting down the seconds it would take her currently oblivious sister to actually register what she had just read. Five, four, three, two, one...Yep. “Rister Graas?” Right on cue, Merry spluttered disbelievingly. “No.” Kali nodded her head with a grin. “No way. Not possible. No!” Kali frowned thoughtfully, putting an arm around Merry’s shoulders companionably. “You’re not taking this very well. Have you really learnt nothing from me? Darling, he’s handsome, charming and you could have him in a second if you wanted to. So it won’t last forever – what does? Have some fun, enjoy life, annoy Reid. I’m sure even he would think twice before trying to threaten one of the Graas’.” Merry buried her head in her hands, determinedly trying to block out her older sister’s advice. “That’s not what I meant,” she wailed unhappily. “I knew he was rich but he wasn’t supposed to be that rich!” Understanding slowly dawned on Kali’s face, mixed with grim amusement and empathy: “Oh Merry, you...? On him...? ” Merry nodded silently and Kali immediately hugged her tightly. “Men are a waste of time, darling. I don’t know why we date them. We should just kill them all. They’re useless. Even Jack. Especially Jack. Do you want me to hex him? We can pretend that he’s Rister.” Merry finally laughed quietly at the idea of hexing Kali’s current, and longest lasting, boyfriend. “Don’t be absurd,” Merry answered haughtily. “Now get off me so that I can eat breakfast since you woke me up this early just to tell me that Mordred is actually Rister Graas. As if I care. What difference does it make to me?”

[Merry Garwin H6]

“Meredith Amber Garwin!” That, Merry thought darkly, was the second time in three hours that someone had felt it necessary to use her full name and her temper was beginning to fray. Reid burst into the garden, his dark hair tousled and his face still showing evidence of lipstick marks. “You...and him...and not telling me and...why?” Reid was positively incoherent in his babbling so Merry eyed him lazily as she gestured for him to join her on the bench. “From your appearance I can guess that one of your dates read the gossip column to you and you promptly proceeded to kick her out of your apartment?” Her brother flushed awkwardly, never comfortable with the ideas that his little sister could guess exactly what he had been doing before his date had decided to read the newspaper while he had a shower, before pointing a finger at her accusingly. “It doesn’t matter where I was or what I was doing when I heard the news. The point of the matter is that you should have told me immediately so that I could kill him. Why do you never do as I ask?”

Tyler appeared at the opposite end of the garden but Kali instantly pounced on him and dragged him away, loudly scolding him about interfering in one of Reid’s lectures. “Nothing happened,” Merry snapped, not entirely sure whether she was happy or not that she was telling the truth. Certainly, Mordred – or rather, Rister as she now knew him as – had been polite and charming and she had enjoyed his company. It had only been after they parted that Merry had come to a rather disturbing realisation. He had been polite and charming and enjoyable company, to be sure. But perhaps too charming and too enjoyable. “Stop being so annoying and so overprotective. You’re my brother, not my bodyguard. I can look after myself.” With that said, Merry stood up and glared at her brother fiercely before storming into the house.

Reid chased after her hastily, grabbing her elbow before she could enter the house. “I know I’m not your bodyguard. I know that you can look after yourself. But is it so wrong that I care enough to want to make sure that you’re safe? That’s what older brothers do. When Kali and then you were born, Tyler told me that we had to look after both of you and he, as the eldest boy, decided to exert special protection for the eldest girl while still looking after you. You, Kali and Rosa are all my little sisters but you’ll always be the one I look out for most. You’ll always be that little kid who curled up in my lap and told me that you wanted to be a pirate one day and serve under Captain Hook. And I’ll always be the guy who stares threateningly at any guy who even dares to look at you because no one can ever be good enough for my little sister, no matter how rich or pure-blooded he is.” Merry turned and hugged her brother warmly, feeling comforted by the familiar way his arms tightened around her protectively. “Now come on,” Reid suggested cheerfully, slipping an arm around his sister’s waist as he kissed her forehead. “You and Kali had your little girl talk thing this morning so I think it’s time for our annual night out. You, me, Ty and Kali; a nice restaurant, all of us dressed up and then we can go back to Ty’s apartment – mine is always messy and I bet Kali’s is too so we’ll have to rely on the only tidy man in the family – and watch some movies, eat ice-cream and tease Kali when she slathers her face in that green facial stuff. And yes,” Reid responded to her silently asked question, “Kali did talk to me before I found you and, yes, she did tell me. Silly child. Who gets a crush on some guy they’ve only talked to once? ” Merry frowned and swatted her brother’s arm. “You date girls you haven’t even talked to. Don’t be such a hypocrite.” Reid laughed, ruffling Merry’s hair and darting away before she could swat him again. “The difference, dear sister, is that I rarely like the girls I date. I’m never so foolish.”