Dirty deals

Seraphina knocked on the door of the room the Philip shared with some people. With her hair hidden under a hat, and a shapeless coat on, Sera might well have been male.

Michael answered, half way through shaving. "Yah?"

"Phil in there?" Seraphina asked lazily.

"Yah, come in."

Seraphina moved in, taking off the hat and coat.

"Whatcha got, Phin?" Phil asked, sitting up.

Seraphina passed over the chocolate, postcards and cigarettes. She had no sue for them, but Phil used the for trading.

"How much?"

"Twenty," Seraphina said.

Michael watched as he shaved.

"Fifteen."

"Twenty or nothing," Phin said firmly.

"Deal," Phil sighed, and passed the money. Seraphina turned, hilighting her feminine profile.

Michael laughed. "Phil you are pathetic!"

"She's bigger than I am!" Philip moaned. Seraphina nodded, and sat next to Phil, getting out a book and a torch.

Michael shook his head. "She's also a she."

"Second cousin," Philip said. His head was at the pillow end of the bed, next to Phin's feet.

"And a she."

"And?" asked Phin, irritated.

"I dunno...boys should be stronger. I'm not criticising you, I'm criticising the dude that calls himself a man!"

"When did I ever call myself a man?" Philip asked.

"Fancy an armwrestle?" Phin asked from the bed, reading a book. It, by Stephen King.

Michael was still shaving. "Nah, I try not to wrestle after three."

Phin shrugged, going back to reading.

Philip sighed.

"Phil, some girl came looking for you earlier. Said she was from your maths class..."

"I need more details. Half of the maths class is female," Philip said.

Phin stopped reading, getting out a pen ans writing herself a ntoe on ehr hand. Eva arriving in 2 days!

"Mousey brown hair...shy...uh...new?"

"Maggie?" Philip asked. He wondered why she was looking for him.

"Yeah! That's the one!"

"Did she say why?" asked Phil.

Phin sat up, stretching and writing something across her other hand.

"Something to do...with...needing your help?" Michael grinned.

See, Maggie was his sister and he was wondering how long it would take Philip to figure that out.

"But I'm terrible at maths!" moaned Philip. "I just copy Phin."

Phin kicked him.