"While the rest of the species is descended from apes, redheads are descended from cats."
-Mark Twain

Lisa woke up from the sound of her alarm clock, still half asleep, she threw a glance at the clock, it was half-past seven. With a sigh, she stood up and got dressed.
Lisa put on her favourite - and only - dress, a light blue one with lace. She had to look a bit decent when they received the guests. Lisa approvingly looked at herself in the mirror. She was still a bit exhausted from yesterday, but she tried to smile.

Lisa walked to the kitchen and saw that Jonathan was already awake, no matter how hard she tried, he was always awake before her. He still had his pyjamas on and was baking a pancake. Lisa threw a doubting look at the pan, it could also be an egg. They greeted each other and Lisa automatically began to set the table.

"I'm going to wake up the little ones," Jonathan informed. He always calls his brother and sister the "little ones", even though they are only five years younger.

"Wouldn't you put on some clothes first?" Jonathan took a confused look at himself.

"I don't know what to wear," he said breathlessly.

Today, their parents came back from Idris, the homeland of the shadowhunters. They often had to go there for business. That wasn't the only reason everyone had to wear their best clothes, today two new shadowhunters arrived. They had been normal mundanes - people - with the Sight. Some mundanes had the Sight, which meant they can see the shadow world, all the demons, elves, werewolves... They were traced by the shadowhunters and were allowed to attend the Academy in Idris, to be trained. They learned the basic knowledge from this world for two years. When they had finished their education, they were allowed to drink from the Mortal Cup, to become a shadowhunter. Drinking from the Mortal Cup was dangerous, if you weren't "worthy" enough, you could die.

There are two students from the academy who came to the Institute in Antwerp to complete their training. They hadn't really gotten much information about them.

"But can't you to wear something decent?" Jonathan shrugged.

"I will see. And could you wake Anna?"

"I have to do the nasty work again," Lisa threw her arms in the air and walked to the corridor, "by the way, your eggs are burning." She threw a sideways look at the blackened substance.

"It's a pancake!" Jonathan said and he quickly turned off the stove.

*

Anna loved sleeping way too much and Lisa usually had some tricks up her sleeve, to wake her up. She opened her door, it was still dark. She pulled the curtains wide open, sunlight shining through the Gothic window, but Anna kept sleeping. Her room was full of books and her own paintings and drawings, she was a very creative person. She played piano and violin and she was a good fighter too.
Lisa felt sorry for her, because she had to wake her up so early, after what happened yesterday. No mercy, Lisa, she strictly said to herself.
You could play the trumpet - no wait, a with a whole orchestra - in front of her bed, she wouldn't wake up. But if you dare to touch her, she immediately wakes up.

Lisa poked with her finger in Anna's cheek, she immediately woke up and jumped in karate position out her bed, knocking Lisa down with the sudden movement. Let's say it's a shadowhunter instinct. Anna's bad leg just couldn't retain and she fell back on her bed.

"Do you have to wake me up like that every time?" she complained. Lisa had no intent to get up and kept laying on the ground. In that position, she looked up at Anna.

"You could also buy an alarm clock, oh no wait, you sleep through the alarm." Anna gave her an angry look.

"Sorry," she said, "how's your leg?" Despite the angry glances, Lisa found it quite amusing.

"It doesn't hurt anymore." Lisa saw that she lied, she always saw it when Anna lied to her.

"Let's have a look." Lisa took off the bandage, which the Silent Brothers had done around Anna's leg. It still looked a bit blue and swollen, but the wound was better.

"Too bad, now I can't wear a dress for our guests," Anna said it with a sarcastic smile. Lisa knew she hated dresses.

"As long as you wear something decent."

"Always." Anna winked at her.

"We have breakfast in fifteen minutes. Can you walk?"

"I'll be fine," Anna got up, staggered a little, but didn't fall, " you see?"

"Just draw another iratze, okay?"

"I will," Anna assured her, while she walked to her bathroom.

*

Lisa closed the door behind her and went to see if Jonathan had found something to wear. She knocked on his door.

"Jonathan?"

"Come in," came from the other side. She opened the door and almost got a heart attack. Jonathan was wearing blue trousers, with a green T-shirt, a yellow jersey - presumably Anna's - and a blue tie. He held his arms wide open to show his outfit.

"What do you think?"

"I think I have to throw up." He lowered his arms and dropped on his bed.

"I thought you always said you didn't know anything about fashion."

"I don't, but your clothes just hurt my eyes." Jonathan frowned and looked at himself again.

"You are exaggerating, the colours do fit together?" Lisa sighed, sometimes she felt she was also Jonathan and Anna's babysitter. She was the eldest: she was two months older than Jonathan and almost a year older than Anna.

"Don't you have a shirt or something?" Jonathan glanced at his wardrobe, in which T-shirts, trousers and shoes were scattered.
"Maybe you should take a look at your father's wardrobe, you're as tall as him," Lisa recommended.

"Are you going to wake up Lot and Max?"

Lisa smiled. "Only when you take these clothes off."

*

She knocked on Lottes door.

"Lot? Are you up?" The door opened immediately and Lottes redhead appeared.

"Yes?"

"May I come in?" Lotte completely opened the door, to let her in. Lottes Room was a mess, with clothes and drawings everywhere. Lotte sat down on her bed and started to comb her hair, she had already put on a dress herself. Lisa smiled, Lotte was always very happy when people came to visit.

"When are dad and mom coming home? " Her brown eyes were hopefully staring at her.

"Around noon and the new shadowhunters come in the evening."

"Okay." Lotte was apparently done with her hair, she stood up and walked past Lisa to the door.

"Lot, could you clean up your room sometime? We want to make a good impression on the guests, don't we?"

"I'm hungry, I'm going to eat," she said, without looking at Lisa. She closed the door behind her. Luckily Marianne and Richard will be back soon, then I don't have to play the parent anymore, thought Lisa.

Now Maxim, she knocked on his door, which was still ajar and opened up further.

"Max? Wake up." She turned on the light. Max was still in bed, he blinked against the light and turned around. His whole room was full of posters and comic books.
"Come on, get up Max," said Lisa kindly, "We're going to have breakfast." Max put out one leg under his Marvel sheet, as a sign that he was going to get up.

"I'm coming." He rolled deliberately out his bed, fell on the ground and put his hand up.
"I'm almost there." Lisa smiled to herself and closed the door.

*

Back in the kitchen, there was a pile of burnt pancakes on the table. Lotte was cramming one in her mouth and Anna was laying with her head on the table and groped with her hand for a pancake.
Jonathan had found a blue shirt, which was probably from Richard, his dark blue trousers and tie he had kept on. The colour did fit with his light blue eyes, Lisa noticed.

Jonathan and Anna actually look like each other, they were both tall, blond and had light blue eyes. Just like their father's. Lotte and Maxim aslo resembled each other, they both had ginger hair, freckles and brown eyes. Which they had gotten from their mother. Lisa thought she didn't look like her mother, while everyone said so.

Lisa sat next to Anna at the table, her usual spot and poked Anna in the side with her elbow. She had put on a plain blue T-shirt with jeans. She lifted her head from the table.

"What?" she asked sleepily.

"It's easier to see what you eat." Lisa took a pancake and the syrup. Maxim also came in, sat down, and threw an angry look at Lotte, who scowled back at him. Lotte was done with her pancake and got up.

"I'm going to train," Lotte said and she was gone. Jonathan looked from Lotte back at the pile of pancakes.

"Who wants another pancake?" Lisa looked at her pancake with syrup, she hadn't touched it yet, Anna neither.

"Max, do you want a pancake?" asked Jonathan hopefully. Maxim threw a look at the blackened pancakes.

"I'm not hungry," he said wisely and took a sip of his milk. Lisa silently ate her pancake.

______________
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