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Delia leaned against an old telephone pole only a short distance away from the town's festivities. Definitely not far enough to avoid the sounds of screams and whatever crappy cover band had the stage before hers. She took a long drag of her cigarette that sat between her fingers followed by a longer release of the smoke. She watched it dance in the air before fading to nothing and regretted leaving the weed at home despite the risk of getting caught. 

Delia never knew what to make of the festivities. On one hand at least there was [i]something[/i] to do in Pines but on the other it seemed subpar at best. The gravity drop too short for a well timed thrill, the pendulum rides too slow. All of which were thrown together by whoever was jobless and bored enough to pick up the work. She wasn't confident she could trust that. Honestly, she wasn't sure if she would've come if it weren't for her band performing tonight. The rodeo felt more like a cry for help or misleading proof that the town was ‘totally still active’. Delia took another long inhale of her cigarette and a subsequent exhale, watching the smoke rise once more. Surely fun would find her regardless.

Elias spotted her before he realized who she was. Leaning against the weathered and worn telephone pole just beyond the gates of the fairground, the girl looked like she wasn’t sure if she was coming or going. The cigarette between her fingers burned, the curl of smoke drifting upwards and away from her face. From a distance, he wondered if it was one of the students from his senior English class waiting for some friends, or maybe avoiding the same.
For a second, Elias almost kept walking. Then he recognized the bracelets on her wrist, and the dark hair falling past her shoulders. Even under the flannel shirt she had wrapped around her waist, he noticed the familiar sight of bruises scattered along her legs.
Delia.
Someone who usually knew where his sister, Lila, had disappeared to.
Gripping the beer bottle tighter in his hand, Elias stepped off the curb of the parking lot at the edge of the fairground and moved toward the pole and the girl standing nearby.
[color=#00aeef]“You look like you’re trying to figure out the best way in without paying for admission.”[/color]
His sister had orbited Delia and her group for years now, disappearing for days at a time, turning up half-drunk on someone’s couch or wandering back home with some vague explanation that never actually explained anything. His mom hated when Lila spent time with her. Elias wasn’t sure he blamed her.
The two girls were inseparable half the time, and Elias wasn’t sure if he blamed Delia for Lila’s falls and failures or resented her for being the one person his sister always seemed to come back to, time and again.
Elias glanced past her toward the crowds moving between food trucks and carnival rides, then back again.


[color=#00aeef]“You seen my sister lately?”[/color] he asked finally, more calmly than he actually felt.


Delia saw the man long before she showed any signs of recognition. Often, fun [i]did[/i] come in the form of driving him to his wit’s end but some moments, such as this moment, she just wanted to be left the hell alone. Unfortunately, Elias had other plans. She didn’t offer a gaze in his direction as he beelined toward her. Only at his greeting- if that’s what you’d call it- did she offer him a prolonged irritated side eye followed by a dramatic roll of the eyes as she slowly exhaled her most recent puff. [color=90EE90]”C’mon now, El, you underestimate me.”[/color] The young woman taps the side of the cigarette twice, tiny pieces of ash and even smaller sparks fall toward the rocky ground, seeming to disappear before meeting their destination. [color=90EE90]”You and I both know I figured out how to do that when I was 12,”[/color]

At his next question, Delia turns her head to look him directly in the eyes as she takes another puff of her quickly depleting cigarette. Delia hadn't seen the man since he ran away from Pines all those years ago but he had hardly changed. He'd managed to grow somewhat of a beard and maybe gotten slightly taller but he was very much still Elias. Despite not seeing the man she'd definitely heard stories- particularly from her best friend who has the misfortune of being related to him but also from his high school seniors. That was enough to know he acted the same as far as Delia was aware. After some time of contemplation, Delia exhales the smoke in the same leisurely fashion she had earlier before gracing the man with a response.

[color=90EE90]”What's it to ya?”[/color] she asks, tapping the cigarette once again. Not that Delia knew where Lila was in this exact second but Elias didn't know that. She had, however, seen Lila recently. Just yesterday to be precise. He didn’t need to know that piece of information either. [color=90EE90]”She's an adult, she will reach out when [i]she[/i] wants. It's not your job to, like, control her or whatever.”[/color]

[color=#00aeef]“Yeah, I know. Lila does what Lila wants. I’m not trying to control her, Lee,”[/color] Elias replied.
Clenching his jaw and breathing in deep, El resisted the urge to lash out, to demand an answer. He looked Delia up and down and knew immediately from her stance and her words that the conversation was not going to be easy. Tapping the half-empty beer bottle against his thigh, he shrugged and then asked, [color=#00aeef]“Is she okay?”[/color]
Before she could answer, Elias took a step closer. He wished he had another beer to offer, maybe a joint, but he knew that getting angry at the girl in front of him wasn’t going to do any good, maybe even drive the wedge between brother and sister even deeper.
Continuing calmly, he said, [color=#00aeef]“Lia’s been pissed with me since I left home. I know she thinks I betrayed her and left her to deal with all the shit with our parents.”[/color] He took another moment and added, [color=#00aeef]“I probably did, but… Mom misses her. She just wants to know she’s safe, wants Lila to know she can come home whenever she wants.”[/color]
He exhaled loudly, more a sigh than a breath. Not ready to let that sound betray him, he took another drink from the bottle, thinking of the right words to convince the one lifeline connecting Elias to his sister.
Although Delia had probably heard all this before, he continued, [color=#00aeef]“She disappears for days, Lee.”[/color] His eyes flicked down toward the cigarette between her fingers before returning to her face. [color=#00aeef]“And every time nobody hears from her, my mom sits at home convincing herself she’s dead in a ditch somewhere.”[/color]
Delia gave another roll of the eyes as she took her final puff and before dropping the cigarette on a patch of grassless, rocky dirt and stomping it out. She exhaled once more. While Elias' persistence to reason, to be [i]nice[/i] to her, should have tugged on her heartstrings it only annoyed her more. It was boring. By the end of the speech she had her hand in the air making a gesture representing a mouth and opening and closing it as Elias spoke. With another eye roll and a heavy say she places the sole of a foot on the lamp post and leans into the post. 

[color=90EE90]”Well maybe y’all shoulda thought about that before you abandoned her, or before either of you made her feel like an outcast or- here’s a doozy- before you all put so much pressure on her to be what you wanted to her to be.”[/color] Her hand starts to automatically move toward her expecting another cigarette puff or chug from the bottle before she realises she has nothing and crosses her arms over her chest instead. [color=90EE90]”For as much as you say the words ‘you’re welcome home’ y’all sure don’t make her feel it or you wouldn’t be gettin’ all your information from me, would ya. Besides, if she rocked up dead in a ditch the pigs over there-”[/color] she vague gestures toward the officers wandering around the fair looking for troublemakers- [color=90EE90]”would be at your door in seconds to excitedly deliver the news.”[/color]

She gives a sigh as she mentally runs through conversations with Lila in her head. The pair knew Elias would be in Delia’s face before they knew it and Lila had strict boundaries on what she was happy for them to know, Delia had no desire to break that confidentiality. [color=90EE90]”Take this as a consequence of your actions, Elias, for you and your mother. She hardly comes home to a family that wants her around, why would she want to show face?”[/color]

Her eye roll, the look of boredom on Delia’s face, Elias had seen it all before. Like a petulant teen, she opened and closed her hand mockingly, a mouth talking without being heard. He gripped the bottle tighter in his hand and resisted the familiar urging of his dead father to throw the beer, to step forward and end this stupid game. But he wasn’t his father, never would be, and holding the neck of the bottle, he tapped it hard against his thigh and admitted, [color=#00aeef]“Yeah, you’re probably right. I shouldn’t have abandoned her.”[/color]
 Trying to catch her eye, he added, [color=#00aeef]“I left because if I stayed here, I was gonna end up exactly like every other bastard in this town. Working myself half to death, drinking the rest away, pretending I was happy because that’s what everybody here does.”[/color] He gestured vaguely toward the fairgrounds. [color=#00aeef]“This place suffocates people, every one of us.”[/color]
Taking another swig of the honey brown liquid, Elias continued, [color=#00aeef]“You should know that more than anyone, Lee. Sometimes I think you are the only one fighting. The only one who sees how bad things are and points it out with your wall art.”[/color]

His jaw tightened, and this time he looked away first, looking out toward the crowds moving through the gates, the police Delia had pointed out near the entrance.
Elias let out a breath through his nose and took another drink. [color=#00aeef]“And believe me, Lee, there’s not a day I don’t worry about my sister.”[/color]
His voice stayed calm, but there was something heavier underneath it now. Tiredness more than anger.
[color=#00aeef]“Lila always took everything harder than I did. Mom leaning on her. Dad disappearing into himself before he died. Me leaving.”[/color] He gave a dry laugh. [color=#00aeef]“Hell, she’s got every right to hate me.”[/color]
For the first time since walking over, Elias looked genuinely worn down.
[color=#00aeef]“But I’m not asking where she is so I can drag her home kicking and screaming.”[/color] His eyes settled back on Delia’s. [color=#00aeef]“I just want to know she’s alive. My mom just wants to know her daughter’s still alive.[/color]
[color=90EE90]”You're right, absolutely has every right to hate [i]all[/i] of you,”[/color] Delia throws back. If the man was looking for pity he wasn't going to find it in her. Delia made up her mind on whose side she was years ago and no amount of begging, pleadings or pleasantries were going to change that. [color=90EE90]”She's still alive. And thriving. That's all the confirmation you need. You can go pass that message on to your [i]mommy[/i] too. If this place drains you dry what are you doing back then? Obviously there was nothing keeping you here.”[/color]

Looking at the older man [i]something[/i] was striking Delia as odd. Elias was usually done with her antics long before any of their conversations started let alone this deep in. Yet he hadn't succumbed to anger or real annoyance. In fact the opposite, he was being [i]nice[/i] or at least as close as she assumed he was capable of. Her eyes narrow suspiciously. [color=90EE90]”What's your angle here Elias? From what I've heard you haven't changed one bit but you've never been so calm.”[/color]

Delia’s reply didn’t surprise Elias. Every line, every word was filled with truth. He had opened the doors by confessing his sins and the young woman in front of him threw wood upon the fire and let him burn. Coming back to Pines Holler had been his hell and now realizing there was no way to escape the judgment waiting for him here, Elias almost laughed at himself for expecting anything different.
He tipped the beer bottle back and swallowed the last of it before lowering it again. The cold bitter taste lingered on his tongue while he studied Delia, wondering how much he should say..
[color=#00aeef]“My angle?”[/color] he repeated quietly.
For a second he glanced back toward the fairgrounds. Kids screamed from the rides, country music blasted through the cheap carnival speakers, and before he replied, Elias shook his head slowly.
[color=#00aeef]“Maybe, I’m just tired, Lee.”[/color]
His voice stayed calm as he breathed in deeper..
[color=#00aeef]“Tired of fighting everybody. Tired of being pissed off all the time.”[/color] He looked back at her. [color=#00aeef]“I wanted to leave this place so bad and I thought I was out of here but sometimes the ghosts pull you back in.”[/color]
He leaned back against the pole beside her, close enough to share the shade but not crowding her space.
“My mom can barely get around some days. Dad’s dead. Lila’s gone more than half the time.” He shrugged one shoulder. [color=#00aeef]“And whether she wants to admit it or not, she’s still my little sister.”[/color]
Elias looked down toward the cigarette crushed beneath Delia’s boot.
[color=#00aeef]“You know what the shittiest part is?”[/color] he muttered. [color=#00aeef]“I’m back teaching at the same school, drinking at the same bar, standing in the same parking lots talking about the same damn problems.”[/color]
Shaking his head regretfully, he exhaled with a light chuckle, [color=#00aeef]“I just don’t want to have the same fights with you, my sister, even with myself.”[/color]
[color=90EE90]”Sounds like a you problem,”[/color] Delia mumbles simply with a shrug. She shoves her hands in her pockets and eyes the man next to her up and down out of the corners of her eyes. This was no fun. Most days Delia was able to twist a lack of back and forth into a game to see how long it took someone to break. It was a game she'd played, admittedly one-sidedly, with Elias many times in her teens but today she just wasn't in the mood. Maybe there was a smidge of pity for his tired eyes after all. Only a smidge.

She gave a prolonged sigh. Her hands itched for another cigarette but she knew she wouldn't finish it before having to meet her bandmates. Her hand in her left pocket toyed at the cardboard lid regardless. [color=90EE90]”Look, El, I don't know what to tell ya. You know this place well enough, what would make you think things would change? Don't think anything's changed ‘round here since, like, the 80s. Can't've expected us to change either. We don't do that here.”[/color] 

She gave another sigh, her attention taken by the fair ahead of them for a moment and the crowd that filled out. She wanted to be [i]anywhere[/i] else right now. Preferably not in Pines alas part of her knew she was likely destined to be stuck in this hellhole for the rest of her life. It dragged Elias back, chances are it wouldn't let her leave its clutches. She pulls a black vape out of her right pocket and takes a large puff of it before exhaling a sickly sweet fruity puff of smoke. [color=90EE90]”Y'done moping yet?”[/color] she asks the man, holding the vape toward him out of instinct alone. 

Elias looked down at the vape in her hand before taking it, surprised by the offering. Without even thinking, he lifted it to his mouth. The sweet smell made him wince as he took a short pull and handed it back to Delia.
[color=#00aeef]“Fuck,”[/color] he muttered, coughing once. [color=#00aeef]“What the hell is that? Strawberry battery acid?”[/color]
He leaned back against the pole again and looked out toward the fairgrounds. Kids screaming on rides. Country music blaring through cheap, tinny speakers. Half the town was pretending this place wasn’t slowly rotting from the inside out, the other half too drunk to care.
When he looked back at Delia, she still wore that same expression she always seemed to have around him. Maybe around everybody. Unimpressed. Bored. Wanting to leave.
Elias huffed quietly through his nose. She’d probably talk shit about him to Lila later anyway, but he still continued.
[color=#00aeef]“Maybe I expected too much,”[/color] he admitted. [color=#00aeef]“Or maybe I thought if I came back different, everything else would feel different too.”[/color]
He glanced sideways at Delia and shook his head. [color=#00aeef]“Stupid plan, apparently.”[/color]
For a moment, he just stood there beside her.
[color=#00aeef]“And no,”[/color] he added finally, [color=#00aeef]“I’m probably not done moping, and if the music your band is playing is as bad as that vape, I think I’ll be better out here than inside.”[/color]
Before Delia had clocked what she'd done the man had taken the vape from her hand. She didn't take Elias for a vaper. Then again his response seemed to solidify that. Something between a scoff and a snort escaped her as she took the vape back and took a much longer puff before exhaling it out of her nostrils. In that time Elias had returned to his moping.
[color=90EE90]”I dunno if you got some experience in your seven years over me but nothing's changed as long as I've been alive. Not sure why you thought it would've now,”[/color] she replies dryly, readjusting her position against the pole slightly before taking another puff of her vape. She knew the man's eyes had glanced her way a few times but she didn't bring hers to meet his, instead they remained fixated on the entrance. For a town so eager to remain a small lifeless community they sure did love the event that brought piles of tourists and an [i]attempt[/i] of life.

At Elias' last statement Delia puts a hand on her chest as she looks at the man with mock offense. [color=90EE90]”Oh no, whatever will Mountain Static do without our tasteless hater around? And however are you going to hear any [i]decent[/i] entertainment here?”[/color] she says mirroring her pretend hurt. She holds onto the image for a moment before giving a small chuckle at herself. She shoves her hands back in her pockets while settling back into her last position against the telephone pole. She returns to her current trend of avoiding looking at the man.

[color=90EE90]”Too bad you don't understand good music. Or good taste for that matter. Guess your sister got all the good taste. Pity.”[/color] 

Elias let out a short breath through his nose, almost a laugh, but not quite. He didn’t take the bait right away. Instead, he kept his eyes on the fair entrance, like he could lose himself in the noise if he stared long enough.
[color=#00aeef]“Yeah,”[/color] he said finally, a faint grin tugging at his lips. [color=#00aeef]“Lila’s got plenty of taste. Just… not in people.”[/color]
The words came out too easy, but he didn’t look at Delia when he said them. When he finally glanced over, his gaze lingered on her  longer than he expected. He looked away again, like he was deciding what  to say next.
[color=#00aeef]“Mountain Static…”[/color] Elias repeated, quieter now.
[color=#00aeef]“Guess it fits,”[/color] he added. [color=#00aeef]“Static’s just unwanted noise most of the time.”[/color] He huffed, then chuckled. [color=#00aeef]“Is static describing your music… or just this place?”[/color]
He exhaled through his nose and shifted his weight from one foot to the other, restless and unsure.
A moment passed before he spoke again. [color=#00aeef]“You going in there,”[/color] he asked, nodding toward the fair, [color=#00aeef]“or just planning to haunt the parking lot all night?”[/color]
Delia gave an exaggerated scoff at Elia’s initial comment. Part of her wasn’t even sure if it was just for show or not. The young woman wraps a hand around the vape in her left pocket. The once cool metal had already become unrelievingly warm in the heat of the evening. [color=90EE90]”You discredit the people Lila surrounds herself with. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with her taste in friends.”[/color]
As Elias continues his jestful digs Delia pulls the vape out of her pocket again. She gives an unamused sarcastic laugh before taking another puff. [color=90EE90]”Think we might be the only not static thing ‘bout this place tonight.”[/color] There was a small moment of silence between the pair. Delia used the time to watch the fair entrance but it wasn’t long before Elias’ had pierced that silence with his question. [color=90EE90]”If I had it my way I wouldn’t be anywhere near this parking lot to start with.”[/color]. Delia gave a sign as she took another puff of her vape before slowly pulling her phone out of her pocket to look at the time. The band’s settime was quickly approaching and she still had things to set up beforehand. [color=90EE90]”But someone’s gotta be the best entertainment this town’s got so I should make an appearance. Could ask you the same thing. Just gonna hang out here and nurse that empty bottle all night?”[/color] 


Elias let out a short laugh and shook his head. [color=#00aeef]“And here I thought this parking lot conversation was going to be the highlight of the fair for the both of us.”[/color]
He glanced over at her and smirked. [color=#00aeef]“Maybe next time.”[/color]
When Delia checked the time again, he followed her gaze toward the fairgrounds. The lights were beginning to glow brighter against the darkening sky, and the noise from the rides and midway seemed to swell with every passing minute.
[color=#00aeef]“So that's it then?”[/color] he asked.[color=#00aeef]“You think Pines Holler's ready for Mountain Static and the best music they've ever heard?”[/color]
Before she could answer, he pushed himself away from the telephone pole and stretched his back.
[color=#00aeef]“As for me?”[/color] Elias looked down at the empty bottle in his hand. [color=#00aeef]“Yeah, I should probably find another beer before I start sounding even more depressing than I already do.”[/color]
He held up the bottle briefly before dropping it into a nearby garbage can.

Looking at Delia one last time, he adds, [color=#00aeef]“Tell my sister I was looking for her... and Lee?”[/color]
He hesitated, the silence holding longer than he meant it to.
Then he exhaled, [color=#00aeef]“Have fun up there. I’m sure you guys are going to be great.”[/color][/center]