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>Lola was too tired to put up with her twin’s shit.
>Not even multiple pillows surrounding her little head could block out the noise of Lana’s blubbering.
>The little princess was sick of hearing Lana whine and cry over a missing cat, Cliff was not worth all this lost sleep!
>Lana’s sniffling was interrupted as a pillow gently slammed into the side of her head, as Lola stood up in her bed.
>”I’m not missing another night’s sleep! If you’re going to stay up and cry then do it somewhere else!”
>Tiny hands bundled up the little girl, and before Lana could protest this harsh treatment, she found herself sitting in front of her own bedroom door, as Lola slammed it in her face and twisted the lock shut.
>Her sisters cruelty only made Lana cry louder. It felt she was the only person in the house who cared that Cliff hadn’t come home for three whole days! Not even shaking a baggie of cat treats had been enough to call the tomcat home this summer.
>Lana wrapped her blanket tighter around herself, desperate for comfort as she shuddered in the night air.
>The little girls crying could be heard throughout the house, and one of Lana’s older siblings could never allow the baby sister to be this sad for this long.
>Lincoln’s bedroom door swung open, and the big brother strode towards Lana and picked the girl up in his arms with ease.
>”Hey, hey…you should be in bed.” Lincoln tried to speak softly and rock the little girl in his arms. Lana’s hands clutched to the boys shoulders and his kind words only prompted her to cry even harder.
>”I wan ma kitty…I wan Cliff baahack…” Lana blubbered into Lincoln’s pajamas, getting tears and snot everywhere.
>Lincoln did sympathise with his little sisters misery, but he was better at coping with it. Lana, meanwhile, was too young to be able to keep herself from falling apart over a loss like this.
>The big brother stood stoically in the hallway as the little sister cried herself to sleep in his arms. As Lana quieted down, Lincoln turned on his heel and carried the little girl into his bedroom.
>Lincoln set his baby sister on his bed, and quickly wiped her face dry with the bottom of his shirt before letting her head hit the pillow.
>The big brother almost got into bed with her, but was stopped by the gross feeling of how damp his shirt had become. With a grimace, Lincoln peeled the wet pajama top off of himself and threw it aside.
>Lana’s eyes were screwed shut, but she was vaguely aware that she was in a comfortable bed again.
>But something was missing, as it had been missing for days. Lana had been so accustomed to the warmth of Cliffs fuzzy little body in bed with her that it’s absence was a constant discomfort for her.
>But then she felt something make the mattress sag and jump, and then a radiating presence warmed the bed next to the little girl.
>Lana sought the warmth, and crawled in the unfamiliar bed towards it.
>Lincoln was getting ready to fall back asleep, when he felt Lana’s little head bury itself in his armpit, and her arms clutch for his chest.
>The older brother wrapped a protective arm around the small body, and pulled her closer. The two siblings shared their body heat and the soothing sensation allowed them both to fade off into the embrace of sleep.