”What did you do to your sister?“ As much as she tried to make that sound like a joke, there was some concern behind Elodie’s words. Things have… change once she came back home. Elodie’s been gone for four months only talking to her daughters via text messages but she didn’t think they would be mad. At least she wasn’t expecting Amelia to be mad since… there was nothing to be mad about. Well, that’s only what she thought because she didn’t know her daughter was there that day she left. Hearing everything that went down. She wasn’t expecting Amie to be unhappy once she saw her mother was back home but that was all she could see. Unhappiness, disappointment and this unbearable tension. No matter how much she tried to talk to her, there was nothing she could’ve done to make Amelia talk to her for more than a few seconds before finding an excuse to leave.
All Elodie could do was joke about that in hopes to figure out what was happening, and she did. Standing behind Phoebe who was sitting in front of her vanity mirror, Elodie forced an optimistic smile, hiding her confusion. [color="e0ac8c”]”Making your senior year hard for her?“[/color] Putting bobby pins in Phoebe’s bun, Elodie watched her fake gasp, “offended” that her mother thought she was the reason Amie was, supposedly, acting weird. For a second that’s all she did - she was just looking at her mother in the mirror, before jokingly placing her hand over her heart and mouthing, ”Wow, really?” That’s when Elodie noticed her smile falter for a second, what she didn’t know was the reason behind it. All that Phoebe could think about was what she found in Amie’s room, something she yet has to talk to her about but didn’t know how to approach that topic. "Sorry mom but I have no idea what you’re talking about… you know I’m there to make sure she has the best senior year?” No matter how much something would worry her, at least there was Phoebe to make her smile. She was always there to do that. And recently Elodie felt like she was the only person she could talk to in that house, besides Xander. But he was often out with his friends and Elodie would stay all alone with Lexie.
[color="e0ac8c”]”I know, I know,“[/color] Elodie spoke softly as she sat down on Phoebe’s bed, now watching her daughter picking up her things and walking towards the door. ”Have fun tonight… And be safe,“ the last word she spoke before Phoebe left and all Elodie could hear was the sound of her boots, running down the stairs. The moment she was out of Elodie’s sight, that slightly forced smile she had on completely disappeared. Soon she was sitting in complete silence, nothing but the sound of her own breathing. God knows how long she’s been there, just sitting and blankly staring at the door in front of her before getting up and walking out of Phoebe’s room, closing it behind her. It might’ve been silent but she wasn’t alone. Lexie was sleeping in the master bedroom while the rest of her family was out. Phoebe, Amelia and Xander were out for Halloween but Riker… honestly, she had no idea where he was.
It was like she wasn’t even there, at least that’s what she felt like and it… hurt. She knew it was her fault but it still hurt. Just like Amie, he wasn’t talking to her much, refusing to sleep in the same room so she would spend the nights alone in a room they once shared. A room that didn’t feel the same without him there but there was nothing she could do about it. She could simply tell him what really happened, what was still happening but… she felt ashamed. Almost scared. How could she even try to find an excuse for the way she behaved? Sure, she wasn’t feeling like herself but her actions were still her actions and she was ashamed of that. Eventually, if she wanted to fix everything she’d have to tell him and her kids but now she just didn’t know how. It was not a secret she didn’t know how to approach problems, it’s not a secret that she runs away from her problems… this was just not the time for her to do that again. Was she getting better though? Yes, she was. She was getting help and now, standing in the empty hallway of her house, she didn’t feel the same way she felt before she left.
Flashback
Elodie could feel her hands shaking as she stood in front of her house, keys in her hands. It’s been four months since she has seen her family or heard their voices and she wasn’t prepared for what was coming, what she thought was coming or what she was hoping wouldn’t happen. As she stood there unannounced, many bad thoughts went through her mind. Endless possibilities. What if they don’t want me here? What if they hate me? What if… there’s another woman here? What if I messed it all up and they never forgive me… but my kids don’t know why I was gone. It’s alright… yes, it’s fine. They don’t hate me… or do they? What is Riker going to say when he sees me walking in? What if he tells me to leave? And so on… She was praying they would welcome her back with open arms even if she knew that wasn’t likely. Even she wouldn’t do that to herself so there was no point in hoping but she still did. It was making her calm down but it was also preparing her for a big future disappointment.
Turning the key as she was tightly holding onto her suitcase, she didn’t even notice she was holding in her breath before she walked in and saw that no one was there. A loud sigh escaped her lips the moment she left the keys on a little stand next to the door, unable to speak up. Too scared to call out someone and make sure she was really alone; she just stood in place as if she was waiting for something to happen. Waiting for someone to come out of the living room with a happy smile, waiting for someone to walk down the stairs and run to her, hug her… This false hope she still had but there really was no one there and in a way, it made her relieved. It gave her more time to think of what to do and say once her family comes back home.
The only thing she could do is bring her stuff back to her room and then just… walk around the house. See how much it has changed. Check Lexie’s room and find all the new clothes Riker bought her, as well as a little mermaid tail in a drawer making her chuckle to herself. Bringing back all those memories from when Amie and Phoebe were little in South Africa… All those happy days Elodie would look back on smiling but now, for some reason, it only made her sad… Then she would go back downstairs unprepared for Lexie’s toys all over the living room.
Door opening. She finally heard the door, making her heart skip a beat. She was in the kitchen, cleaning everything that was left on the counter when it happened, and soon she heard Phoebe and Amelia talking. As nervous as she was she couldn’t help but smile at the sound of their voice, knowing she was about to see them and hug them after such a long time. [color="e0ac8c”]”No walking around the house in shoes!“[/color] With crossed arms and a big smile on her face, Elodie appeared in front of her girls, not paying much attention to their reaction before she rushed to hug them. Which might’ve been a mistake because if she gave them more time to says something, she’d see that one of her daughters was not happy and her actions wouldn’t hurt her as much. [color="e0ac8c”]”Come here,“[/color] through a chuckle Elodie spoke up again, Phoebe being the first one to run to her mother’s arms and give her a tight hug. A smile not leaving Elodie’s lips, not for a second, as she held her. But before she could do the same thing with Amelia, she left with a lame excuse and words that… left Elodie confused and hurt. Tell dad I love him.
There was not a single reason Elodie could come up with to explain the way Amelia acted. Her mother who she loves just came back home, she was supposed to be elated but she looked like she was far from that. Luckily Phoebe was there to distract her with her own excitement, ”Finally!”
”Want to help me unpack?“ Managing to smile again, Elodie shifted her gaze from the door back to Phoebe, before once again pulling her in for a tight hug.
That night, once again but now back in her house, she slept all alone in her bedroom. Expected but not something she thought would continue happening. She knew her husband was hurt, she saw that when he got back home that day and she knew he would need some time but she wasn’t expecting he’d avoid her like this… That only made things worse because it discouraged her from trying to talk to him and explain herself. She was on his side of the bed, in that complete darkness staring in the direction of the door. Tired but too distressed to try and sleep for a few hours. That was until she heard Lexie crying, making her get up at that same moment but something stopped her when she reached the door, her hand resting on the handle. She could hear footsteps in the hallway and soon after Riker’s voice. He was faster than she was and… there was no point to go and check what was happening.
End of flashback
Crying… that’s what brought Elodie back to reality and she found herself leaning against the railing of the stairs just staring down at the living room. It was difficult taking care of a baby you haven’t seen in four months and never felt a connection to before, but she was trying… She was really trying from the moment she came back and saw her little daughter after such a long time. It would be a lie to say she didn’t feel overwhelmed with emotions because she did… It was overwhelming remembering how she felt about this new situation they were all in, knowing she missed out on Lexie growing up, her twins starting their last year… but it would all come back to this little girl Elodie was now standing over as she woke up crying. It was overwhelming holding her in her arms again and not being able to make her stop crying… To have her husband take that baby from her and immediately do what she couldn’t do. But she was slowly learning how to be patient again, how to care for her baby the way she did with her other kids… ”Heyyy, shh…“ Gently, Elodie picked up Lexie from her cradle, placing a gentle kiss on top of her head before walking to her little room to change her.
Phoebe did not care about Halloween as much as she cared about dressing up - that was the main thing making this day exciting. Of course, when she was younger, she loved the thrill of trick or treating and watching scary movies when she probably shouldn’t have but now there were only good parties, a chance to have the best costume. Who doesn’t love thinking about that in advance, changing around 10 ideas just to get to that perfect one? Phoebe sure does, why else would there be clothes all over her bedroom? She had this idea of what she wanted to be, but some last-minute changes made everything come together. Wasn’t she a lovely swan? Sure, maybe her corset was too tight and her “skirt” was too short but she still looked good.
After Amie walked out, Phoebe was left alone with their mom in her bedroom. It’s been a while since they’ve been like this and Phoebe missed every moment of it, missed talking to her mother and just having her around. Those 4 months she was away would’ve been a lot if Phoebe wasn’t on a vacation with her sister and some friends before their school started. The only thing that made her sad was her mother missing her first day, first senior day but Phoebe knew she was proud. But she was there now, helping her get ready. As soon as their conversation shifted to Amelia, the energy in the room changed. Both Phoebe and Elodie could see she was acting strange at times but Phoebe blamed it on her secret. Yes, she still didn’t know what that was about, and she was still trying to figure it out on her own. Not for a second did she think their mother was a reason for Amie’s odd behaviour.
”This is perfect,” Phoebe mumbled to herself, a huge grin on her face as took one last glance at herself in the mirror. ”But I have to gooo now,” in a bit of a rush, she walked over to her mother, giving her a gentle kiss on the cheek before picking up her purse and phone from the bed.
Was this going to be the first time Phoebe ignores her task and risks getting lower on the list, now when she was first? You can see that it was really bad because she was actually thinking about that. This night was going to be a long one and you never know what might happen but… but that? No. N-maybe. Not now. This was not the time for something like that but will there ever be a time for that? In Phoebe’s mind no, not because she didn’t want to and let me tell you how much she actually wanted it but… it was complicated. And the thought of messing everything up was actually scaring her. It worried her… enough to ignore who she was in a group with. Well… that might be a little lie. She was not happy, at all. Aj was like a God saving her from having the worst night of her life (no but literally, have you seen his costume?), while other two people were some of the last people she’d like to spend the whole night in a “haunted” mansion with.
It was fun walking around the mansion with friends before they all received that awful text. And one rule is that you can’t leave your group? Yeah, that won’t work. Who here is gonna tell her she can’t do that? Who here is gonna force her to stay the whole night with Maxon? Just watch Phoebe leave her friends the first chance she gets or when they start annoying the sht out of her.
Approachable, I guess? But I won’t be active for a while
