bed and got in next to his sister. Jenny put her arms around his shoulders, pulling him close to her.
"I’m afraid Peter. Will we be able to do this?" she asked.
"We have to try. Tomorrow we have to see if we can find work. Now, I think we need to sleep." He offered.
Peter was fighting the feelings he was now realizing. He and his sister had often held the other, but this was the first time they had done it without being fully clothed. Jenny was soft and warm in his arms and he held her close, feeling her against him as if for the first time. She had also noticed the change, peter was only wearing his boxers and she could feel his heart beating inside his chest as she pulled herself against his body. She wanted to continue like this, but thoughts that their mother would find this totally wrong caused her to let Peter go, pulling back to her side of the bed. He also felt the presence of his mother’s guilt, understanding why jenny had let go of him. Peter turned onto his back, allowing his body to slip into sleep.
*****
Peter was the first to wake, the early morning light starting to brighten the room as it came in through the thin curtains on the windows. He was holding Jenny as she held onto him, each seeking the comfort and familiarity of the other in their sleep. Peter lay still, not wanting to wake Jenny. He looked at her softly breathing and was glad they were together, having a chance to sleep in a real bed for the first time in several days. He looked down to find that her nightgown had slid up and he could see her naked buttock as she lay against him. He remembered back to their childhood and bathing together but did not attach anything more to the bare skin now than he had then. It was just part of his sister, but a part his mother had been certain to prevent him from seeing as they had grown older. He felt a pang of guilt about what he was seeing, but did not want to do anything that would wake Jenny. He was also aware of her breast crushed against his chest, firm but strangely soft and yielding at the same time. His awareness was barely conscious, just something else to notice as they lay there together. Peter slowly moved his arm and tried to pull down the cloth that had been covering his sister’s behind, moving it some, but not enough to fully cover her naked cheek.
Jenny felt him moving and awoke, realizing as peter had that they were lying very close in the same bed. Thoughts about what Irene would say coursed through her mind and she quickly let go her hold on Peter and slid back away from him. Even though she wasn’t there, their mother still held them captive to her wishes at some level. As she pulled away, peter got a quick flash of her pubic hair before she pulled her nightgown back into position, not embarrassed, but more for the fact that is how it was supposed to be worn. Jenny looked at peter, now feeling a bit awkward, but slowly remembering where they were and that their mother wasn’t controlling them any longer, at least not directly.
"We should get dressed." Jenny started. She got out of bed and went to the drawer to find something to wear. She had few clothes and what she did have was mostly t-shirts and jeans, with a few pair of shorts. Taking the clothes she decided on, she went into the bathroom and got dressed. Peter followed her lead and both were dressed shortly.
"What now?" jenny asked.
"I guess we have to look around and see if we can find jobs. It’s still early, but we will have to start looking soon." He answered.
Peter folded up the sofa bed and Jenny started putting things away, doing a bit of cleaning and straightening as she went. Both jumped as there was a knock at the door.
Peter opened it and saw Mrs. Simmons standing there, a plate of cinnamon rolls in her hand.
"Can I come in?" she asked.
Peter stepped back, not saying anything at the moment.
"I know you still haven’t had a chance to get to the market to find anything for your meals, so I made some rolls