help me polarize | claire

[addilyn elara slater]

template by punki of adoxography

you know where I'm coming from

though I am running to you

August 27, 2025
Claire Evangeline Slater

Seventeen. She was now able to use magic outside of the confines of the ancient walls of Hogwarts. It was convenient but still strange. The idea that it was forbidden lest she breaks a cardinal Ministry rule regarding underage magic was ingrained in her mind, and after all the warnings from her parents. The warnings had been repeated more often when her sister had become an Auror. Perhaps the idea of embarrassment was at the top of their minds, not that Addy would have broken that rule if she could help it. This year had been a bit of a struggle for Addy. She had been vying for Quidditch captain's spot, and she had been playing consistently on her team since her second year, she thought she had a chance. She knew it was possible, but it wasn't to be. The heavy sense of disappointment she felt through her parents' gaze and also of what she expected from herself hung over her. Much as it had done for some time before her fifth year when she was not made a Prefect.

She supposed she could always claim 'Chess Club Captain' when she looked for jobs after graduating the following spring. She sat down at a table at the Ice Cream parlor, not sure if she even wanted ice cream just yet. She was trying hard not to mope. It wasn't in her nature to do so. There was always something to push towards and something to achieve, but all she felt was the comparisons. With the fall term about to start in less than a week, she had decided to venture out to Diagon Alley and quadruple check her supplies list for her seventh-year courses. Naturally, she wasn't missing anything, but she wanted some fresh air that wasn't near her family's home. She was meeting her sister today since the Ministry wasn't too far away, and it was nice to catch up before school would begin. While she waited for her, Addy arrived a few minutes early. She played with one of these newer converted devices. Addy was fascinated by muggle technology, and this was something that could be used to communicate with others who also had a device, but of course, it was magical. So far, she had managed to stop herself from taking it apart.

She unlocked the screen and scrolled through the few apps she had downloaded, not noticing that she had started slouching a bit in her chair--nobody was around to correct her here.

[Claire Evangeline Slater]

never enough.

THERE WAS A DELICATELY WRAPPED GIFT IN Claire's magicked handbag. Her coat wrapped to keep out the chill of instantaneous travel. Disapparating in to the middle of Hogsmeade with a crack and flick of her bleach blond hair. It was fairly common for Claire to keep in touch with her younger sister, even after moving out. Mostly, she did not like the idea of her sister being overwhelmed by the prospect of her seventh year at Hogwarts. Often comparing Addy's time there to her own, solitary and pressurised as it was.

Summer had been busy, with the threat of Hag's Fever emptying the wizarding shops and putting everybody on edge. She walked across the village purposefully, entering the shop and seeking out her sisters familiar head of buttery blond hair. Her shoulders hunched over whatever trinket she had in her hands. It had only been a couple of Christmas's before that Claire had given her a toolbox for her tinkering. Still, as she crossed the shop, she lightly prodded at Addilyn's shoulders.

"Don't slouch," She whispered with a smile, channelling their judgemental faced mother as she swept around the table and took the opposite seat, her bag thunking on top of the table between them. "Happy belated birthday..." She declared first, unclasping her expensive dragonhide purse and pulling the pristinely wrapped box and handing it to Addilyn's. "I know I missed the party, but work has been... well, a lot." She smiled thinly, her shoulders tense as she sat back in her chair. "How's your summer been then?"

addilyn elara slater

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[addilyn elara slater]

you know where i'm coming from

though i am running to you

August 27, 2025
Claire Evangeline Slater

There was a significant age gap between Addy and her sister Claire, seven years. Now that she was older, it was easier to keep in touch and even find topics to talk about. Mostly, Addy poked her sister’s brain on what their mother and father might do or think about certain things, and Claire had been the first to experience it all with them while Addy would be the last. She supposed she should consider herself lucky that she was on good terms with both of them, unlike some of her classmates. Fortunately, Claire had been supportive of Addy’s unique knack for taking things apart and putting them back together (most of the time). Their parents hadn’t been entirely supportive but not wholly dismissive either. It left Addy in a strange place of deciding whether her career out of Hogwarts would be something she would enjoy or something to appease them. She had the academics to be an Auror as her sister was, and her brother had trained for though he ultimately went to work for the paper, his dream job she supposed.

Addy had become engrossed at looking through her phone, trying to memorize every little thing about it visually from the outside. And then she felt a tap on her shoulders, and as if a button had been pressed, she sat straight up and looked to see who had approached. The voice gave her away though the word choice was certainly not by accident. ”You sound exactly like mum when you say that.” Addy noted, putting her phone down and locking the screen. Though at this point, if the three of them wanted to, they could probably mimic their mother and father’s tone and usual phrases with remarkable accuracy though they usually didn’t dare. Claire handed her a gift, and Addy’s eyes lit up. Unlike the boring gifts her mother gave her and only pushed forward what she wanted Addy to do, Claire knew her well enough.

”Thank you.” She said happily, though she didn’t open the gift right away. She could still hear her mother’s snide remarks about children who ripped open presents like a starving child being given food. She would wait a moment and carefully unwrap the gift. ”They keeping you busy?” Addy wondered curiously. An Auror's life was fascinating to her, even if it wasn’t her top career choice. Claire asked about her summer, and Addy paused a moment before answering. Of course, the first image that popped into her head was a particular boy with soft brown eyes, but she pushed that away quickly. ”Not too bad. Brígh is still in Ireland.” She began, she missed her friend dearly and hadn’t seen her since the previous year. ”They picked one of the transfers for Quidditch Captain…mum and dad were less than thrilled.” It was still a sore spot and would be for some time, but she’d stay on the team.

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[Claire Evangeline Slater]

never enough.

WITH A CACKLE OF LAUGHTER CLAIRE ACTED AS if it didn't sting to be compared to her mother. Shela Slater was a tour de force of ambition and judgement. A social entrepreneur who had often held her children by the ransom of expectation. Claire loved her fiercely, but she'd never wished to be somebody less than Shela Slater. She felt she had to be warmer. "Dread the thought," She commented, a little too seriously as she took her place.

The gift was obscenely well wrapped. Having scraped three separate tries before she was satisfied with the end result. Inside the box within was a pair of fine, black dragonhide gloves for Quidditch. The inside luxuriously soft, with Addilyn's initials hand sewn in gold alongside the precise emerald stitching. There was a ridged stamp on the palm of both in the shape of the Slytherin emblem, the crafter claimed it improved a Chaser's grip. Claire didn't know well enough to argue, but they looked a fine enough gift.

"Mm," Claire hummed tightly, pairing it with a stiff nod. "The world is ill at ease, after all." She heaved a sigh and shook her head, only half joking as she shifted in her seat. Claire much preferred to talk about Addilyn, better that then to lament about her career misfortunes. "The Gryffindor?" She said by way of acknowledgement. Crossing one leg delicately as she narrowed her eyes. "They have to, you know." She said, as if all knowing. "So much is going on right now, it looks better if they favour the displaced." Claire shrugged, though she felt for her baby sister. The Slater's couldn't abide by failure. "Doesn't mean you're not the best." 

addilyn elara slater

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[addilyn elara slater]

you know where i'm coming from

though i am running to you

August 27, 2025
Claire Evangeline Slater

Claire didn’t seem to mind the comparison to their mother, though Addy had clearly been kidding. But, unlike their mother, Claire was at least supportive of what Addy did in her life—even if it meant not being Head Girl. The gift of a toolbox in previous years had been a supportive gesture, and it hadn’t gone to waste, of course. But, Addy had planned on finding a way to talk her parents into the idea of a Ministry career that wasn’t Law Enforcement related but not being picked as a Captain was a setback to those plans. There were still many months before graduation, however, and time to adjust her plan. Carefully, she unwrapped one side of the box, careful not to rip the paper, but it wasn't difficult after many years of practice. She could already imagine Brigh’s sigh of frustration in taking ten times longer to open a present simply to preserve the paper and have some decorum, but Addy had always been the patient type.

Opening the box that was now free, she paused and looked at the contents, grinning as she placed the box on the table as she removed one glove to examine it. Beneath her fingertips, she gently felt the material—dragon-hide like the professional Quidditch players and she noted the green stitching for her house along with her initials. ”These are fantastic Claire, thank you!” She slipped on one of the gloves to see how it felt, a perfect fit—but she knew Claire would have never brought gloves that didn’t fit exactly. They were comfortable as well, and Addy couldn’t wait till their first practice now. ”Quidditch gloves—mother would have never bought these for me.” Addy commented, removing the glove as she gave Claire a look. Despite everything about her sister and the pedestal she sat upon with their parents—she certainly was not Sheila. Plus, her mother had gifted her a book--A History of Magical Law Enforcement. 

Something in Claire’s response told Addy not to push the topic of her work, though while alone at school, Addy often found out information as fast as everybody else did. Except when Claire did something fantastic, and she would receive a letter from home. ”Yes, her father isn’t well—but she said he was doing better. Hopefully she can return this year.” That was the hope, and Addy couldn’t help but show her eagerness in her tone at her best friend returning for their final year. It wasn’t that Addy didn’t have friends, but there was a void, plus she had things she needed to discuss with her. It had been a complicated summer. ”I suppose you’re right, but I don’t see why it had to be my team.” It was tempting to brood and sulk over something that wasn’t going to change. Addy shifted in her chair to fix her posture that had slumped a bit in the few seconds talking about this. ”Well, I was appointed Chess Club Captain—the previous Captain graduated last year.” That was something, though not entirely a surprise considering she had been co-captain since fifth year.

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[Claire Evangeline Slater]

never enough.

CLAIRE WATCHED HER SISTER UNRAVEL THE wrapping paper with a care. They were alike it many ways, and Slater's didn't become rapid over shimmering paper. It was all about restraint, after all. Though she preened smugly and with hungry interest, watching as Addilyn uncovered the gloves within and pulled them on experimentally. "They should be a perfect fit, but they're charmed to adjust just in case." Claire explained as she pulled one of them on carefully. "They'd fit your average troll with a little effort." She smiled with self-satisfaction.

"Hm," Claire hummed with a distant interest. Her mind still ticking over her dissatisfaction with work and everything in between. "That's a shame." Sitting back in her chair, she frowned delicately as she added as an afterthought. "Can't you portkey to visit?" She wondered, but then realised that maybe their parent's would not approve of such an excursion. Shela could be overbearing in her control over her children. A jaunt to Ireland might not be considered necessary, even to see a friend in need. "Never mind, she'll be back soon I'm sure." Claire brushed across the topic, a slight twist in her gut.

"Then whose?" She asked with a slight laugh and a tilt to her head, knowing that her sister was overreacting, but allowing it nonetheless. "Chess Club is good," Claire nodded her approval, despite the fact that they both understood that it would not satisfy their parents. They wanted unmeasurable success from their children. With high placing jobs they could gloat about to their friends over countless glasses of mid-line wine. "I'll be sure to let mum and dad know you're learning invaluable strategies and discipline." Her face very stern before she let a small smile curl the corners of her mouth. She joked, but Claire actually would. Even if only so Shela would relax a little. 

addilyn elara slater

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[addilyn elara slater]

you know where i'm coming from

though i am running to you

August 27, 2025
Claire Evangeline Slater

It was the perfect gift and something she would certainly use this year. Claire seemed pleased at Addy’s response. She wiggled her fingers and opened and closed her hand a few times before she felt satisfied—though Claire confirmed they were charmed for a perfect fit. Then again, anything less than a perfect fit would be very unlike her. Addy placed the glove back with its counterpart in the simple box it arrived in, replacing the lid. She couldn’t help but smirk a little at the mention of ‘average troll’—maybe she’d ask their new Captain to try them on and see if the charm worked after all.

Claire suggested that Addy could visit Brigh, and the thought had crossed her mind, but there was the matter of logistics and her parents. The same thought seemed to cross Claire’s mind, but they tended to think alike in these cases. ”I thought about it. I’m of age now, but the term is about to start.” The last thing she wanted to do was jeopardize the beginning of her final year at Hogwarts. Despite the lack of titles and achievements, she still could do well academically or perhaps help secure the House Cup for Slytherin. ”If all goes well, I’ll see her on New Year’s Eve.” That was the tentative plan at the moment, but that planning that Addy typically did had been halted for the moment.

Addy tried not to pout. She just simply wished literally any other house had gotten one of the Americans as their Captain rather than her house. ”Rafe’s team—Hufflepuff has the least amount of transfers.” They had spoken about it over the summer, but there were a handful of open spots between all the house teams that had opened due to students graduating. But, their conversation after that had been sparse, with Addy keeping her distance for now. At least there was Chess Club. It didn’t feel as frivolous as Art Club or knitting, so at least there was that. Strategies and discipline were buzzwords for their mother and father and would hopefully keep them at bay for now. ”Did you always want to be an Auror?” Addy had always wondered. And she noted how her mother spoke of Claire and her career and achievements, the glory that came with such a job was undeniable, but Addy wondered if it was for her.

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[Claire Evangeline Slater]

never enough.

ADDY WAS A LOT MORE RATIONAL THAN CLAIRE had been at her age. Though desperate for their parents approval, Claire had been a lot more emotional as a teenager. Terribly anxious and full of woe. Addilyn did not share that penchant for melodrama. She was quite logical, actually, and Claire smiled slightly at her reply. Knowing it would hurt her to be separated from her friend, but seeing how composed she was regardless was admirable. She was only a child by comparison.

"Better to focus on your studies," Claire reasoned, thinking like their mum once again. "You'll graduate soon." As if she didn't already know, Slater's were primed for Hogwart's graduation. Claire remembered those penultimate months and weeks, how much she poured over guides and pamphlets for Auror training. The countless owl's she received from her mum asking if she'd heard from various mentors and offices. It had been stifling. Their mum had relaxed somewhat over time, but Claire doubted she'd eased completely. It wasn't in her nature.

"Hufflepuff's aren't known for their competitive natures." Claire's retort was dry, head tilted with a lift of her brows. She didn't know particularly much about the sports teams at Hogwarts, but that seemed a given really. "You're grasping at straws." Addilyn had an enviable composure and rational mind, but she wasn't infallible. Claire knew how sticking disappointment could be and she sympathised with her baby sister, even if their tastes differed. Though her sister's next question gave Claire pause, her eyes blinking quickly before she frowned.

"Yes, of course." Claire replied automatically, her smile painted and perfect. That was the correct answer, the buzzword for every interview and menial conversation she'd ever head. But, she wasn't speaking to a journalist or her mum - it was Addilyn. Claire dropped her chin briefly clearing her throat with a stiff laugh. "No," She amended herself, feeling as if she owed her some bracing honesty. If anybody understood what it was like to conform for expectation it was Addilyn. "I always... it's silly, but you know how I used to collect muggle tech?" She'd been young, but even Addilyn would have known how Claire had doted on the muggle oddities. "I fancied myself a muggle artefact goon." She snorted at the idea now, rolling her eyes. "I'd have hated it." 

addilyn elara slater

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[addilyn elara slater]

you know where i'm coming from

though i am running to you

August 27, 2025
Claire Evangeline Slater

The Slaters all had their drive and need for success and to meet a certain standard however impossible it might seem to an outsider. Addy had benefited from the age gap between herself and her older siblings as it had given her ample opportunity to watch and learn. There was a patience about her, something that Addy prided on but others saw as a simple stubbornness instead. Brigh called her a mountain, and Addy could hardly disagree. Though she’d like to think that she was more like Claire in most ways, except that Grey never pushed her buttons like he did Claire. Sometimes Addy felt that this was actually more pressure for her, that she should know better because she was the third to go, and that factored into her methodical ways. Maybe that’s why she was chosen to lead the Chess club. One needed to think five or more steps ahead and have backup plans if plan A didn’t work and, most importantly, stay composed to not give away your next move.

Addy nodded in agreement, she would see Brigh soon enough, and it wasn’t worth missing her lessons or preparing for those lessons to take a spontaneous vacation to Ireland. Perhaps if her birthday had fallen earlier in the summer or even in the spring as Rafe’s did, he had turned seventeen in March. While it had been helpful to them to visit one another as his family resided in Godric’s Hollow along with Penelope’s. Even then, Addy brushed away the thought and sat up again in her chair as she’d begun to slouch again—they hadn’t spoken in a few weeks as their summer hadn’t entirely gone as planned. But her attention was quickly brought back as Claire quickly noted her attempt at excuses. Addy could hardly argue. As usual, her sister was right. But the next topic, Addy had asked without adequately thinking about it. But Claire didn’t shut her down, not initially. The career choice had come up in conversations with her parents, and Addy knew academically she was primed for such a path as long as she received the required NEWTs, but the thought didn’t spark anything in her. There was a notable difference in how Addy felt about other activities such as Chess or Quidditch or her other hobbies that didn’t include homework.

Curiously she watched and listened to Claire explain. Addy nodded. It had always been a common ground for them—muggle technology and items. Still, she couldn’t help but grin. ”Mum once caught me going through a box of your old things.” Addy admitted, she had always been fascinated by how anything and everything worked—including muggle items. ”She wasn’t very pleased.” Obviously as Addy was supposed to have been studying Charms when she’d gotten distracted, but this was during her childhood years before Hogwarts. Addy disagreed with Claire—she might have liked such a field, especially with the rate of expansion now. ”I’d like to think working with the new technology would be interesting and useful. I was going to ask dad, but mum was there, and I didn’t want her to faint.” There was a bit of sarcasm in Addy’s tone, they all knew how their mother was, and any mention would have led to questions and everything, but Addy stuck to the point that something in this direction could meet the same expectation being an Auror did.

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[Claire Evangeline Slater]

never enough.

IT WAS WITH AN ALMOST CHILD-LIKE SURPRISE that Claire recounted that box Addilyn referred to. Her head tilting, a soft smile curling one corner of her mouth as she pictured her little sister. Nose in an old carboard box charmed to the hilt with muggle technology. "I thought..." She shook her head, nostalgia trickling down the back her neck and lifting the soft hair there. "I thought I'd gotten rid of it all."

There had been a time, just before Hogwart's graduation, where Claire had gone through a furious reinvention. She'd just heard back from a few different internships, and a conditional offer to train with the aurors at the ministry had been among them. Her mother's answering letter to confirm it had been at Howler level. Arriving right at the breakfast table in the Great Hall, screaming her glee, smug with delight. Her daughter was going to be an Auror. It hadn't mentioned that Claire had received to other offers to intern with the muggle artefact office and the department of mysteries. It hadn't mattered - she was to be an auror.

"Load of old rubbish," Claire said after a beat, where she'd been lost in the mind of a previous version of herself. Pasting back that indifference she'd worked so hard to maintain, but failed to perfect. "I suppose I forgot to toss it." A part of her was infinitely pleased that she hadn't, and that Addy had gotten some interest out of it. "Mum... she's intense sometimes." Claire rolled her eyes, knowing that they both knew that was an understatement. "She's got one Auror, I don't think she'd lose her mind if you chose something else." Claire shrugged carelessly, but in actuality she really wished Addy would listen to her.

"Dad's better with this stuff, but he's going to tell mum if you try to be sneaky." Claire explained, and suddenly they were co-conspiring. "They already know what happens when they force it." Lifting her brows, they shared a brief look that simply read 'Grey' in bold letters. "Apply to everything that even vaguely interests you and choose the one you're most excited about." Claire detailed, a hungry excitement in her face as she thought of everything she might have done if her mother hadn't chosen for her. "That's my advice." 

addilyn elara slater

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[addilyn elara slater]

you know where i'm coming from

though i am running to you

August 27, 2025
Claire Evangeline Slater

There was an expression that showed on Claire’s face that Addy wasn’t used to seeing. It wasn’t that she hadn’t, but it had been some time. Due to their age gap, Addy had been all of four years old when Claire had first gone off to Hogwarts. So their interactions had been limited to breaks in the summer and winter. But, in those times when perhaps their mother wasn’t looking, they might giggle over figuring out some contraption or reading through one of the colorful comic books that she’d had a stack of. Addy nodded, a slight smile coming to her own face. ”I think she was more upset about the dust than the items themselves.” Merlin forbid one dust bunny escaped and roamed the halls of the immaculate Slater home.

But as soon as that expression had arrived, it had gone. But Addy disagreed that the items were rubbish, and despite what she may have told her mother, the box was still under Addy’s bed. Recollecting all that dust her mother had frantically charmed away with dramatic waves of her wand. But even then, her parents hadn’t pushed her as hard as her sister, even with their seventh year approaching. But then Claire’s word surprised her. Would their mother really not mind? And Addy had a better relationship with her father, but he was ultimately supportive of their mother, which meant nothing tended to get past either of them.

Addy raised her eyebrows slightly and nodded her head slightly. Yes, in fact, they all knew what the consequence of that was. In a way, Grey’s experience opened a much winder path through the minefield for Addy than Claire’s careful steps. Addy paused to process her sister’s words. ”Do you really think they’ll be alright with that?” She finally asked, finding herself fidgeting in her chair slightly. This past summer had been…interesting, to say the least, but overall had left her confused and discouraged. Not only was the youngest Slater not a Prefect or Head Girl, but she’d also failed to be named Quidditch Captain as well. And to add, there was the distraction of a certain boy to add to that confusion. Addy felt like a failure, unable to achieve those simple goals and let herself be distracted by a boy no less.

While unexpected, this was still encouraging—even if it also added to the confusion and uncertainty Addy had been carrying. Truthfully, the lack of dramatic sighs and questions from her mother regarding all that she had not achieved had been worrying. As if her parents were so disappointed in her they didn’t even bother to yell. It was unnerving. ”I suppose Mum wouldn't mind a Hit Wizard or Cursebreaker in the family?” Addy responded, going through different careers in her mind. With the NEWTs she would no doubt earn, she could qualify for so much. ”There’s Interpol or the Department of Mysteries as well. I read Witch Weekly last month, and The Ministry added a new department…erm—IT. They work with all the devices.” Addy motioned to her cell phone, which she had been fiddling with while she’d waited for Claire to arrive. ”I’ll still apply for the Auror program, though.” She added to the end.

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[Claire Evangeline Slater]

never enough.

AS ADDY GOT OLDER, CLAIRE'S RELATIONSHIP with her aged with it. She had often, in the past, pasted on an almost perfect veneer. Perfect career, perfect daughter. She had always wanted to be an example, though it certainly did not help that their parent's had stressed upon this. Especially their mother, who had dropped the weight upon Claire's shoulders the moment Addy was old enough to know what it meant to be a witch. However, things had shifted over the last few years. Claire had a life outside of their parent's modest two storey home, and Addy was her own person with her own hobbies. So, when she criticised their mother's overt neatness, Claire let herself laugh lowly, shaking her head. "That sounds about right," She drawled, voice thick with humour.

The laughter did not last long, because Claire found herself looking at the wide-open eyed hope in Addy's eyes and she felt suddenly, and incredibly, sad. It should have been expected, she'd seen it in the mirror more than once when she had been a lot younger. "Addy, you're the baby." She smiled softly, leaning forward to stress her point. Claire reached forward and stilled a fidgeting hand, patting it comfortingly as Addy vibrated with doubt. "They're not going to risk hurting you to make some kind of... example out of you." Claire shook her head with a hard huff of breath, something akin to a laugh without the light-heartedness.

"Don't-" Claire stopped, cleared her throat, and took a steady breath. "Don't choose something because you think it'll make them happy." She thought of Grey, of how miserable and secretive he had become after graduating. Turning in on himself and living there until he was almost unrecognisable. She hated the idea of Addy following the same path. Claire had gotten lucky, she had done as she was told and she had found fulfilment in it - even if it wasn't constant, it was better than nothing.

Watching Addy gush over all the possible career paths she could venture down was charming. Claire sat back in her seat and grinned at her sister, nodding her head cheerfully as she went around every department in the Ministry almost. "Whatever you like!" She exclaimed, holding out her arms in celebration, a heartful laugh shaking her shoulders. "I know... well," She looked down at the table, her smile softening. "I know, whatever you choose, you will be so undeniably great that our parents will have no choice but to be proud of you." Claire said honestly, nodding her head to punctuate her point. "Happy birthday," She said again, leaning across the table to pinch Addy's cheek before she sat down again.

addilyn elara slater

NEVERLAND at ADOXOGRAPHY 2.0!

[addilyn elara slater]

you know where i'm coming from

though i am running to you

August 27, 2025
Claire Evangeline Slater

The habits and patterns of their parents—primarily their mother were topics that the three of them could always agree on. Like a logical formula, one could repeat with their eyes closed or like walking through the Slater house with a blindfold knowing that nothing was out of place so you’d never run into anything. Claire agreed with Addy’s comment on the dust, her mother detested it, and if she were even mildly allergic to it, it would make more sense rather than its existence merely being offensive. It did give Addy the idea of perhaps inventing some kind of charm that got rid of dust, but maybe once she figured out her career first.

The anxiety always lingered in her chest, a constant companion sitting next to the expectations of her. Brigh always encouraged her to find her own way, but it was easy enough for the fiery red-head to say when there weren’t many people that could get in the way of that hurricane. Addy recalled watching Cheese try to stand up to her in their younger years when he was barely taller than Brigh, and she’d watched with slight amusement as he learned very quickly to never try that again. Claire seemed to take her question seriously, however. At some point, Addy had started fidgeting as she drummed a few fingers on the table, but she looked down at Claire’s perfectly manicured hand on her own. Sometimes she had wondered if it was possible to be as put together as her sister and what it was like.

But she listened to the words. ‘Make an example out of.’ Much like they had tried with her brother. Addy loved her brother dearly and still had mixed emotions about his life, but only because it was against what was expected. Still, it was her brother—she more than anyone cared about his well-being. But, in a way, he’d helped carve a new path she could walk on. Though not entirely. ”Right…” She gave Claire a small smile. It was encouraging to have some validation going forward. If Claire said it was alright, it meant the world to Addy as she looked up to her. She wanted to ask, but she didn’t—would things have been different with Grey if her parents had let him choose his own path?

Addy couldn’t help but smile. One reason she enjoyed spending time with her brother and sister was that they were themselves. Claire would hardly be shaking her by the shoulders if they were at family dinner, nor would Grey say more than a few necessary words. It felt more…natural, like she’d seen Brigh with her own brother or her Eggy with her sisters. The anxiety in her chest felt lighter, and Addy even felt herself sit up a bit straighter rather than the unconscious slouching from before. But she grimaced and pulled away her face when Claire pinched her cheek. ”Ow—stop that.” In the end, they were still sisters, after all. But she shook her head, her sister was such a personality when she wanted to be. ”Thanks, Claire. I feel a bit better about it all now.”

[ end addy ]

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