“Are you gonna sit there forever?”

Katie grumbled at you, hardly lifting her eyes from her paper and the little bit of soon-to-be robot contraption in her hands. Over the course of the afternoon, she’d gravitated down from working at her desk to sitting criss-cross-applesauce on the floor. This was important to her. She wanted to go to the Galaxy Garrison, and if one thing was going to get her in it would be her engineering and computer science prowess. Maybe she could rely lightly on the connections her dad had, but that’s just not how she or her family operated. She wanted in because she qualified, not because dear old dad works there.

Siblings could be annoying. And it went both directions. Katie would take too much time in the shower when you had to get ready too, items would be ‘borrowed’, the two of you would make fun of each other back and forth, privacy would be broken. It was your turn today. Your turn to be mildly annoying by sitting near Katie while she was trying to work. Not that you were really interfering. You were just breathing and being in her room, the only real interruption was the sound of your phone or a slight laugh at whatever you were doing on the device. It wasn’t really breaking her focus, and she did like you. Your relationship wasn’t rocky or strained, no sibling rivalry that was too extreme.

She moved some of her hair off of her shoulders to stop it falling in her face as she worked over the little component, laptop open and plugged in, set up ona box because it had been on so long it overheated and stung to be left on skin.

“I’m busy, go bother mom.”

She didn’t mind too much that you were sitting there, not really, but she knew it might eventually devolve into a chat, and she had to do this project. She already had a good shot and getting into the Garrison, she was smart and hardworking, but she never stopped. She just knew that she wouldn’t get this done before dinner if you kept sitting there. Eventually, you’d show her something funny or start talking.