Another Day..., Sydney.

[Zaak Fulke]

this is set in the past, at the Fulke family home. Set six years ago.

Standing on tiptoe, the 15 year old aimed at the basket, shot, and scored. The basketball bounced off the concrete and then was pounced on my an excited dog, chased around, promptly bitten and then deflated.

Narrowing his eyes, Zaak pushed his hair out his face, picked up a rock and threw it at the dog. Tongue darted over his lips and the youth sighed, glancing about.

Their house was aveage. His sister had her room, he had his, his parents had theirs, and frankly, it was an average lifestyle. His father worked all the hours god sent, and his mother did cleaning on the side. And his sister, well. Hrm. The youth sat down, and their dog trotted over and shoved the wet, icky dog nose in for a snuggle.

Zaak patted her thoughtfully, turning his dark eyes upright. The sky was clouded over and the clouds looked like rain.

But that one over there looked like a rabbit. And that one looked like a basketball. And that one there looked like a cock, and that one on the right there looked like....A tree or something.

Oblivious to the rain drops that began to fall on his head, and the dog running indoors, Zaak stared at the early evening sky and made shapes out the rain clouds.

[Sydney Fulke]

With both parents at work Sydney was doing some chores around the house. There was nothing better to do after all. Right now she was in the kitchen making a little something for dinner for her and Zaak to eat. Their dad wouldn't be home for hours and their mom worked far and was probably in transit home, so she planned on leaving a bit in the microwave to be easily reheated later.

As she was stirring a pot of stew (left overs in the fridge and some brooth) their dog came bounding in the kitchen. Promptly shaking all the rain off of her and soaking Sydney.

"Thanks girl..." She said jokingly.

She then glanced out the window, it was a downpour. So after wiping her hands and turning the stove down she went to the side door and poked her head out.

"Zaak...come in. It's pouring out and I should have something edible in a couple minutes." She wasn't the best cook in the world and knew not to refer to it as dinner, that was just false advertising.

[Zaak Fulke]

With the sound of his sister voice, Zaak's attention was divereted from the clouds and fixed on his sister instead. He offered her a smile and got up obdiently, standing up and heading indoors.

The boy was soaked through, dirty blond hair straggley and in rat tails, and he was literally dripping on the kitchen floor. Without thinking he headed over to the table and sat down at it, dark eyes watching Syd.

"So whats for dinner then?" He asked, not really thinking past his stomach, which hadn't been hungry until she mentioned food, was now growling and starting to consume his own insides. A slightly daft lopsided smile curled over his lips and he watched his sister. Syd was more like a mum to him than his actual mother. Ok, she provided, but she didn't take care of him the way 17 year old Syd did.

[Sydney Fulke]

She moved from her stance leaning on the door post as he entered, locking the door behind him. Something in her always told her to make sure the windows were shut and doors were locked. One of those things...like having to sleep with a blanket covering you. Let's be honest, a blanket will protect you from nothing but a breeze, yet it could be so comforting.

Sydney watched as he dragged a lake in with him and across the kitchen. 'Lovely' she thought watching the newly cleaned floor get tracked with mud. But she didn't say anything. Instead she went into the next room, the laudry room, and grabbed a clean towel and sweat shirt off the pile. When she came back in the kitchen she threw them at Zaak. "Here bro, dry off."

She then grabbed some bowls and spoons, a couple of glasses, and set them on the table before answering him. "Just my famous leftover stew...sorry." She said with a slight shrug. "I know it's not the best, but hey, it's food at least."

She moved the pot from the stove and brought it to the table, placing it on a folded towel.

"So you were gone a long time today. Whatcha up to?" she asked curiously. She liked knowing what went on in his life. He was her brother after all and she cared about him a lot.

[Zaak Fulke]

He caught the towel and the sweatshirt without thinking. It was a swift, easy manover and the boy coped with it surprisingly well. The sweatshirt he settled over the back of the chair, before biting the towel and then hauling off his shirt.

Even at fifteen years old the boy was well muscled, tending to spend most of his time...well. Exercising.

His shirt was dropped on the floor, and the towel set on his head as he began to vigriously dry himself off, the youth listening to his sister.

Sydney was in fact one of the few people he did pay attention too, and then he offered a little nod a smile, "no need to aplogise." Zaak said, when Syd aplogised for the food. "S'more than I can make."

After all, what 15 year old boy could cook?

Settling the towel over his shoulders, Zaak dug into his foot, the dog padding over and resting her head on his lap, begging quietly and being just as quietly ignored.

"Not much, went for a long run, wanted to get to the edge of the plate but I didn't make it. Ended up getting dragged into a game of street hockey with Kieran and Jimmy and that lot..."

Zaak talked between mouthfuls, one hand moving animatedly while he talked. If you watched, you'd notice one foot jiggling a little too. Zaak was a fidget. He was nearly always moving, and he did it without realising too.

"What about you? Anything interesting happen today?"

[Sydney Fulke]

Sydney sat listening to her brother, food practicaly flying off the spoon or dripping down his shirt. He was nothing if not lively. She smiled as he talked about his day, barely touching her own food. For someone of her stature she didn't eat too much at all.

"Sounds fun...watch out with those guys though. They haven't, uhm, had the best histories. So to speak..."

She didn't care if her brother hung out and played games with the kids she just didn't want him falling too into their crowd. They'd had their share of run ins with the police and it wasn't necessarily for minor problems.

"Anyway,I didn't do much today, hung around the house mostly. Took a walk in the park." She glanced out the window, suddenly remembering that afternoon.

"Oh! But do you know what did happen? That asshole from next door, Percy?, or whatever." She knew his name wasn't Percy...it was Phil or something. "He came over here with a rose today and asked me out. Promised me he'd get me away from 'this hell hole' and my 'sham of a family.' Uh! I can't stand him."

She let a disgusted look cross her face. "I mean honestly, insulting my family? Does he actually think that will work?"

[Zaak Fulke]

He sucked his spoon thoughtfully. Then snickered and dropped it in the empty bowl. Zaak forgot to eat a lot of the time, so he was normally ravenous when something was sat down in front of him.

"So marry him and have his babies, then say he's an alcoholic and beats you and get half his money and then come home?" Zaak, was of course, joking. Standing up he wriggled into the dry shirt, lifted his empty dish and padded over to the cooker where the pot was still heating up gently. He ladeled more into his dish then wandered back to the table and sat down, pausing to kiss his sister cheek.

"So what did you say, really?" He went on, barely pausing to let Sydney say what she thought about the prick from next door, or whatever.

It was likely that "phil" or whatever his name is would be walking around tomorrow with a black eye for irrtating his sister, but Syd would never know because Zaak would keep quiet about it, and not mention it.

[Sydney Fulke]

Sydney watched as her brother got some more to eat, she was happy that she could do something to provide for him. Their parents worked to their bones making sure they had a roof and food, which didn't leave much time for anything else. She respected her parents for all they did and was very appriciative their life was as good as it was.

Which is why her response was, "I told him to fuck off. Just because he has no idea the meaning of hard work, cause his dad inherited the house and runs a company from his home office that keeps them in a decent life style, doesn't mean it's that easy for everyone!" She took a breath, red in the face, she realized her voice had rose.

Her voice noticeably softened. "Sorry...he's just so stupid." She slumped back into her chair and took a sip of water.

"We're lucky to have what we have and I don't think mom and dad would appriciate someone calling them a sham. Where does he get off..." She trailed off and started swirling her spoon in her soup.

[Zaak Fulke]

"Eat your food." He stated simply, shoveling more of the simple, but tasty stew into his mouth. Zaak was an accomplished eater and talker, which meant he could chew and talk at the same time without spraying his food everywhere.

Whether this was a talent or not, it was hard to disconcern.

"Syd, like you said he's a stupid twat." The boy pointed out, his attention to detail, while at times lacking, could be scarrily accurate. "So stop fussing over the entire ordeal and drop it. Who cares what anyone else thinks about us? Does it really matter?"

The boy shrugged, still eating and reaching for a peice of bread to mop up the gravy. "All that matters is we know that we're amazingly great people." A lopsided smirk. Zaak didn't show it often but he was proud of his parents, and his sister. Family was important to Zaak, in the same way that breathing was important. It was vital to his lifestyle, but at times he forgot completely about it.

[Sydney Fulke]

She giggled a bit, "Yes, that is true."

She didn't know why she let it bother her at all, sometimes she thought it was jsut cause she dispised ignorance and people talking about something they know nothing about. That's what what's-his-name was...ignorant. And she knew that but somehow his opinion and comment still got to her. Maybe it was simply because she knew he wasn't jsut her dopey neighbor, his opinion was one of many that reflected upon her family poorly. Sometimes you just have to shrug things off though, so she pushed it to the back of her mind for the time being and began eating the stew.

"So we got some packets today on school scholarships..." She began what she figured would be a pointless plead. "I really think you could get one for sports. See they basically give them for everything if you're good enough. And you are." She'd seen him play basically everything, he was pretty exceptional.

"They also give academic ones but I don't really qualify, one of us should try for an education Zaak." She gave her best puppy dog face, it probably wouldn't have an effect but she really wanted to see him reach his full potential. He may not be the brightest...hell he wasn't even close, but the boy could play sports and that just might be good enough.

[Zaak Fulke]

Zaak made face like his dinner had just metamorphosed into a pile of maggot ridden shit. School. Zaak wasn't good in school. Being hyperactive, dyslexic and a loudmouth were not a good combination when someone tries to sit you down and teach one calculus.

"Well, instead of putting yourself down, you should go for the academic scholarship." The boy offered up a grin and finished off his bowl of stew, before standing up and padding over to the sink where he started to clean up the dishes.

"Besides, it's not just about the sports." The boy had done a bit of reading, at his mother provocation. "You need to keep up a good grade average with the academic subjects and you and I both know I won't be able to do that. You could, so you got for it. I'll get a job repairng cars, or something."

The youth grinned. Now that'd be a fun job. "Or hunting wildlife, that'd be even cooler."

Zaak had a somewhat crazy imagination sometimes, espically on a full stomach.

[Sydney Fulke]

"Putting myself down and being realistic are two separate things. I know my abilities and I've looked into the academic scholarships, I'd have to be exceptional. Which I'm not."

She twisted in her chair so she was facing him (well, rather his back since he was facing the sink). "But I am good enough to help you keep up your grades." She hoped maybe somehow he could change his mind...but she doubted it. Even if he could keep up the grades he just didn't like the school envirnment to begin with.

It had been hard on him, she knew that. But she also knew that over the years she had learned him, how he perceived things. How she could get things across to him in a way he'd understand. It took one-on-one care but Zaak could be very smart if taught the right way...he just didn't beleive it. Which is why she was trying to get him to go for this scholarship.

"Would it hurt to even try? If it doesn't work out I swear I'll back off...I'll get you a car to work on so you can get a job, whatever you want. Just give it a shot."

[Zaak Fulke]

Zaak cleaned the dishes for several moments, his mind awash with things he didn't normally deal with. School work. The thought of sitting down and studying. The thought of sitting down and doing homework with his sister. The idea physically made the youth wriggle, and there was a brief clatter of dishes.

Shaking bubbles and hot water off his hands, Zaak turned around and leant against the sink, hazel eyes fixing onto Syd, the boyish face canting to the side, and really looking at her.

Zaak loved his sister. He would admit it and then punch anyone who made fun of him for it. He wanted to please her, he really, really did. But he knew he couldn't. It's like someone who has an acute fear of spiders, they just can't look at them.

The youth's face contored into a frown and he rolled his shoulders, looking away because he felt just too damn guilty. There was a brief exhaled sigh from his nose and then he gace Sydney a sidelong glance.

"How about I teach you how to be really good at sports and *you* go for the sporting scholarship?"

[Sydney Fulke]

Her face drooped a bit. She couldn't force him into anything, she was only his sister after all...and only 17. As she turned back around to face away from him she muttered, "Yea, ok.", and begin fiddling with her spoon again. Her other hand, supporting her head.

Soon enough, as much as she didn't want to admitt it, they'd both be working. They would need to be. Their mom wasn't all too healthy from her long hours. They were young and not busy doing anything else, like going to school. It was just a matter of time before they needed to find some medicore jobs that required no real skill and paid no real money. Their parents would never ask them too, she knew that. But their ware would show and their food would lesson...

She didn't want Zaak to have to be working so young, so she had tried for the schooling. It seemed he didn't care about having to go to work though, given he had never had to work before though. Live on a strict schedule and listen to others on a daily basis. He was used to playing with his friends and roaming around basically whenever he wanted. She wasn't all too well informed about the work-world either, but she knew it wasn't something either of them should look foward to.

[Zaak Fulke]

"Don't make that face Syd..." Moaned Zaak. It wasn't the first time they'd had a conversation like this. She'd made the face before, he'd made the same protests, they'd fallen out with each other...and so the vicious cycle went on and on.

They always made up though, eventually aplogising to each other and just dealing with whatever it was that was going on.

Frowning Zaak turned around and finished the dishes, before shifting and hopping up onto the kitchen counter to sit. Lazily he swung his legs, eyes glancing down at the ends of his shoes and his still damp jeans.

"You know even with your help I'd fail at school." He stated simply. "S'why I'm not there right now, isn't it?"

His parents, not having the money to send him anywhere to be offically tested and certified for his learning difficulties, as such had never had him offically "diagnosed." Despite it being clear what his problems were. As a result he'd consistantly failed in school (the free education system that is) and caused trouble, so as a result he'd been kicked out. They hadn't found him another free school to go to, and couldn't afford the private ones.

Teeth bit down on his lower lip and he looked at Syd carefully. "Why don't we just, I dunno. Start a business or something. We could go down to the ground level and pick up scrap, play about with it and sell it to the folk on the third level as art, eh?"

It was worth a shot, afterall.

Course, Zaak just wanted to up and leave the city completely...