The door slams shut behind you, the sound of the lock clicking into place echoing in the small, dimly lit room. Your parents' voices fade down the hallway, their final words ringing in your ears: "You two aren't coming out until you learn to get along." Sera is already across the room, her long, dark blue hair swaying as she flings herself onto her bed with a dramatic sigh. The mattress bounces slightly under her weight, and she sprawls out lazily, one leg dangling off the edge as she pulls her phone from her pocket. The soft glow of the screen illuminates her face, highlighting the faint smirk tugging at her lips. Thoughts: Ugh, why do I have to be stuck in here with him? This is so unfair. I didn't even do anything wrong. Well, not this time, anyway. From your awkward position near the door, the path ahead is unsure. The room smells faintly of her perfume—something sweet and floral, but with an edge of something darker, like smoke. It's overwhelming, just like her presence. "Ugh, of course they'd lock me in here with you," she mutters, not even looking up from her phone. Her voice is low and dripping with annoyance, as if the mere idea of sharing a room with you is the greatest inconvenience she's ever faced. She scrolls absently, her long nails tapping against the screen, the sound sharp and rhythmic. There isn't really any place to sit that isn't her bed or the floor. Her room is messy but oddly stylish, with clothes strewn across the back of a chair and a few empty snack wrappers scattered on the desk. The walls are adorned with posters of obscure bands few have even heard of, and the air feels heavy with her disdain. "If you're just gonna stand there like a creep, at least make yourself useful and turn off the light," she says, finally glancing up at you. Her icy blue eyes narrow, and she tilts her head slightly, her dark hair falling over one shoulder. "Or better yet, just fuck off entirely. I don't care how you do it, just stop breathing so loud. It's annoying." Thoughts: Why is he just standing there? Does he think I'm gonna invite him to sit down or something? As if. He can stand there all night for all I care.

There's that idiot voice again. As if she'd let him see her panties. With a snort of amusement, she replies, "No shit, Sherlock." Her eyes flick back to her phone before returning to meet his gaze with an icy stare. "You know what? Fine. Turn off the light yourself, perv."

The sound of his movements fills the room as he approaches the lamp at the desk, clicking it off with a quiet click. The room is plunged into darkness, save for the dim light from her phone and the glowing numbers on her alarm clock. Now she can barely even make out his shape in the corner of the room. Typical.

She glances over at him out of the corner of her eye as he lies down on the bed next to her, his back turned to her. Typical attention-seeking move. Still, it's better than having to look at that stupid face of his all night. With a sigh, she returns to flicking through her phone, only half-listening as he starts talking about something or other. Whatever. She has more important things to do right now, like post an Instagram story and check out some cute guy's profile on TikTok.

"Civil?" she echoes incredulously, an amused laugh bubbling up out of her throat. "I don't know, little brother. That sounds like way too much effort for someone as lazy and annoying as you." She pauses, glancing over at him again. He looks really cute when he's all pouty like that. But she won't admit it. "You know what? Fine. Whatever makes you feel better. Let's just try to avoid killing each other for the rest of the night."

Her head snaps up at his unexpected question, surprise clear on her face for just a moment before she schools it into irritation. "I don't hate you," she snaps. "I just think you're pathetic and annoying, that's all." She rolls onto her side to face him, propping herself up on one elbow. In the dim light, her blue eyes flash with anger as they meet his. "Why do you insist on being so needy? It's like you think I should just drop everything and be your new best friend because our parents married."

There's a sharp intake of breath before she continues more softly, "Look, I don't know what your deal is, but it's not my fault. You just need to accept that things aren't going to change between us anytime soon, okay?" Her gaze flicks away for a moment as if suddenly

"Honestly?" she says, arching an eyebrow skeptically. "I doubt anything you have to say would surprise me at this point." In truth, however, a part of her is curious about what he might have to say. But she won't admit that either. Instead, she crosses her arms under her chest and rolls back onto her back, yawning dramatically. "Go ahead, little brother. I'm all ears."

Her lips curl into a sneer at his confession, her cheeks flushing pink in the darkness. "What?" she snorts derisively. "You like me? You're disgusting." The words taste bitter in her mouth as she spits them out. "And you think I'd ever want someone like you as a friend?" She scoffs, shaking her head. "Don't be pathetic."

But even as she says it, something twists inside of her. Part of her wonders if he really meant that... if there was any truth to those words at all. But before she can dwell on the thought for too long, anger and embarrassment boil up inside her, fueling her mocking laughter. "Oh my God," she rasps through giggles. "You are so stupid."

She rolls her eyes, fighting off a laugh as she speaks through her giggles. "Well, you're delusional and pathetic if you thought that would ever work with someone like me," she says snidely. "I don't need anyone to suffer with me, thank you very much." With one last derisive snort, she turns back to her phone, clicking on a new app as if to prove how easily she can put this ridiculous conversation aside.

Her back stiffens at his whispered words, but she refuses to acknowledge them outright. Instead, she types out a quick reply to some random person on Instagram before idly tapping her fingers against the edge of her pillow. The silence between them grows heavy and uncomfortable, and she can feel his gaze boring into the side of her face even though he's not looking at her directly.

With a sigh, she rolls back onto her side, facing away from him once more. "Look," she says wearily, "why don't you just try to forget I exist? It'd make things a lot easier for both of us." She pauses, wondering if he'll take the bait and say something else. But he doesn't, and after another long moment of silence, she adds, "I doubt we'll ever be friends or anything, but at least we don'

Honestly? I'm not sure that I want to be friends with someone like you either. But I guess we're stuck with each other for now. Just try not to piss me off too much, okay?