Camden

The people in Camden's life liked to shock him and the next one arrived only four days later. He'd long since gathered the rest of his stuff in preparation to travel upstate with his brother and niece but despite all of East's better efforts, he made it his resolution to stay away from any form of interactions.

It was bad enough his solo trip had already expanded to a trio's and despite any relief that his cumbersome plan to jump trains had been upgraded to a private flight he could freeload on, he just wanted to stave off any talk until absolutely necessary.

He'd been doing quite a good job at the whole avoidance thing. It wasn't that hard anyway. He didn't need to go to work and was more than content to hole himself up in his room with a few good books and his guitar.

He came out solely for food and only when he was absolutely sure East wouldn't be in, at very early hours of the morning when the latter was off grocery shopping or late in the evening when he was passed out on the couch he'd made his new abode.

He bumped into the kid every now and then but he didn't mind her. She was bubbly, ready around the corner with a harmless smile on her face and an exuberant wave and call on the tip of her tongue.

That morning, he'd been working himself to the bone with composing since as early as one a.m and grew so famished many hours later, he decided to venture out to get something to sate his hunger. So, after a quick shower, he quietly listened for any sign he'd be forced into a confrontation with his brother but upon only picking sounds of some TV programme accompanying Willa, promptly headed out.

He traipsed to the kitchen unnoticed, Willa too engaged in the host's commentary to do so, then paused at the way similar heads of brown popped up to meet his gaze.

His face first turned green at the sight of his twin behind the cooker, tempering the flames and then turning an inquisitive gaze on him. He probably hadn't gone grocery shopping that morning and of course, he wouldn't hear any other peep but from the TV. They'd both been as quiet as quails.

Accompanying his twin was their elder sister, biting away leisurely at the red apple in her palm.

"Cam," she called, soft gaze fixed on him. "Long time. How have you been?"

Camden's mouth was suddenly bitter. He ignored the question and went to look for something to gobble up from the fridge. One was already more than enough. What the fuck was she doing here?

"I take it you're no longer hiding away in your room," East said, even if just to fill the silence, growing stagnant with Alex averting her gaze and taking a seat at the island, mumbling continuing to snack on the fruit.

"Don't flatter yourself," Camden's tone had turned scornful. "I wasn't hiding from anything." He'd lie, even if he'd been.

The silence turned even more pressing, cutting into all three of their nerves but Camden simply shook it off and retrieved a can of Dr. Pepper from his fridge. He had some crackers stashed away in his room, somewhere, so that should hold him out on breakfast just fine.

"I'm making toast and eggs," East said, throwing a look over his shoulder at him as he served the eggs into dishes. "It's light." Hence, it wasn't likely is twin could use his dry excuse of 'too heavy, it'll hurt my stature' when between the both of them, he was the one more inclined to pay attention to firm due to his line of work.

But Camden didn't even want to bother. "Good for you," he said without inflection, holding onto the drink he let loosely hang at his side and retracing his steps back to his room where he promptly locked himself in.

He was hiding and he hated it. If anyone should be walking around the other, it shouldn't be him. They were the ones who'd come to impose. It was his fucking house. It wasn't anything he could help though. He breathed a tad better holed up here so if he had to avoid them to have even that, he'd take it.

Camden found himself more willing to converse come the following morning. He glanced opposite him at his sister seated next to his twin, silky hair up in a bun. She was dressed in a white and blue striped collar shirt, sleeves rolled up to her elbows, tucked neatly into navy pants. He couldn't help his lip twitching. She looked more like she was going for a conference.

"Dear sister," he began but the words couldn't be more mocking if he tried. They were in quiet flying first class, Willa doing her utmost to charm the hostesses into giving her a couple more chocolates meters away. They looked to want to say something, anything, but didn't know what. He decided to just put them out of their misery. "How's your one-in-a-million husband? How can he bear you facing hardship out of his sight?"

Alex visibly stiffened but did her utmost to cover the emotion in the next second. Her marriage was nothing if not on the rocks. The fault could hardly be attributed to either her or her husband. They were both happy with their normal. It was just his meddling relatives who refused to let up on a relationship that hardly concerned them.

"He's fine," she said since any other response to his sarcasm would only elicit more ammunition being loaded. "I wanted to leave earlier so I could see you guys, spend some time with mom. He'll be over in a week at most."

"Can't wait."

Alex swallowed and said nothing more, throwing her gaze out the side of the window. East was a social butterfly at events he was obligated to show himself but in the midst of this cutthroat atmosphere, he had nothing left to say.

When Willa came to show off her spoils of chocolate, East indulged her only a bit and made to confiscate the excess chocolate. In the end, she pouted and said she'd only collected a little more for her darling aunt and uncle. She was fibbing but East still let himself but it as Willa stuffed a chocolate each in the palms of her darling aunt and uncle before running off gleefully.

Camden's gaze dropped to the chocolate in his palm, a thousand and one emotions seeming to flash in his downcast gaze, lashes shadowing his expression. In the end, he unwrapped the piece, crinkling foil soothing his ears as he popped the milk chocolate in his mouth.

He chewed quietly and was about to return his gaze to the clouds outside when he met the needling stares opposite him. "What is it?" he said, more willing to savor the taste of the chocolate from his niece than indulge in conversation with them. Still, better conversation than being on the end of stares like those.

"How's work recently?" she tried, not knowing what other thing she could bring up to maintain the peace and attempt to get conversation flowing.

"Good." Camden was nothing if not a conversation killer when it came to them.

"Good?" Alex echoed.

"Pales in comparison to your nationwide enterprise," he said. "So, good."

Alex stiffened and didn't say anything to that.

"She's just trying to be civil," East said from the side and Camden's cold gaze shifted to his, wanting to rip his disgusting face off. "It's been a long time and we're just trying to catch up. It doesn't always have to be. . . comparison."

Tell that to everyone else always trying to find something to nitpick with him, their parents most of all.

"Who fucking wants to catch up with you?" Camden scowled. "Just shove it." The rest of the flight passed with him tuning out on the when they both started to make conversation, starting from their lives, work, then turning to Willa.

He saw his sister's gaze soften even more as she spoke then he glanced at his twin, who just happened to be looking at him out of the corner of his eye. Their conversation was light, easy, something that'd only be made hard with his prickly attitude. It wasn't something he could do.

He sneered and shut his eyes, not wanting to even see them. In the end, he really slept off, waking up to East's tapping arm that he was using to try to get him awake. His mood soured and he followed, grouchy, into the private car waiting to take them the rest of the way.

He felt a headache pounding in his skull at the sight of the looming two-story building in front of him and steeled his nerves to just take it one at a time. He could only survive this next month if he took it easy on himself.

The last two women in the household were standing on the front steps, his sister slightly lower down the steps and basically a ball of excitement as she bounced her feet and then, seeming to make up her mind, ran over in her parka.

"How long have you been here?" he asked when she ran over her to help him with his luggage. Not Alex or East. Just him. Or, well, their steward was already helping out his siblings so there was probably no need for that.

"Just two weeks," she smiled but Camden couldn't help noticing how hollow it seemed on her face. She looked slightly gaunt, cheekbones prominent. She was too thin. "I thought mom might be lonely by herself in such a big house. Decided to come accompany her."

"How sweet," he sneered and her turning her inquisitive gaze to him seemed to give him the go ahead to load on more. "What? Aren't your artworks selling well enough? You seem to have a lot of free time."

"Camden," he stopped walking over at the sound of East's tone, his siblings stopping alongside him and his mother looking over curiously like she wanted to fly over.

"I told you not to fucking call me that!" he spat, incensed.

"Fine, Cam," East's derision rose to match his and Camden just looked like he wanted to spit in his face and send him flying across the compound, in no particular order. "Would it kill you to keep that attitude in check? Is feigning civility too much for you?"

He pursed his lips to curb the hate stewing in him, fermenting, threatening to burst free with just another poke.

"It's alright," Rae butt in with an easy smile. "It's nice to see he hasn't changed."

"Let's just not keep mom waiting anymore," Alex said quietly, looking ahead at their mom who Rae was the staunch copy of, same flowing milky strands of brown hair, lovely ocean blue eyes and thin lips.

Camden said nothing more and just fell backwards, walking behind them. He watched, gaze hooded, as their mom, Jules, gave each one of them a hearty hug, hardly able to hold off on the teary smile that struck a chord in him and just reminded him of one too many unwanted memories.

He wanted to survive a month of this? They might as well just kill him.

She finished with Alex and East and finally turned to him, gaze watering even more. "Camden," she called softly and his heart was hardening right back to stone.

He sidestepped her hug easily, ignoring everyone's colorful expressions and hijacking his luggage back from his little sister. Without another word, he went to find his room.

(a/n - 1.9k words. they just run with me, I swear.)