alternate perspective

Liam let out an annoyed sigh and shook his head back and forth. “Just because I may have done it, doesn’t mean you should.” Liam was not a good influence at all but he was trying to be with his little sisters. It was much harder than when he was younger. He paused in step and loosened his grip on her hand. “She doesn’t?” That wasn’t something he had thought. He had assumed that Lu told Lucie reasons why she couldn’t do certain things, or why she protect her from certain people. 

“Hey now, I never said–” Liam began and shut his mouth as he noticed Lu flicker in and out of view beside Lucie. “Lucie, I don’t dislike Lu. I actually like her. More than you know.” More than he’d care to admit. “She protected you when I couldn’t and I’m eternally grateful for that.” Even if Lu was Lucie’s power, it didn’t matter. She was still her protector, just as much as Liam was.

As soon as Liam loosened the grip on her hand, Lucie pulled it from his grip. Her night was no longer fun, now she was just pissy. “No, she doesn’t. She hasn’t told me why I need to avoid some people, why Point is ‘safer’ in her mind, or even anything Killian did or tried to do.” As soon as his name left her mouth, she cringed. She knew she shouldn’t have brought it up. 

Clearly, her regret was enough for her power to spring back, Lu solidifying in front of her, forcefully grabbing her shoulders. Lucie gasped at how angry and flustered the other girl looked. She’d never seen those emotions directed at her before. “Lu-” Before she could speak anymore, Lu shushed her. 

“Just stop talking! Jesus.” Her tone was incredibly short as she scanned Lucie’s face. “Stop asking about shit thats going to hurt you more than not knowing.” Looking at Liam over her shoulder, she spat, “She’s too drunk to keep me here long, but do NOT tell her anything.” 

“Language.” He warned his little sister. Yes, she was an adult now, but that didn’t mean anything for him. He glanced over his shoulder again, waiting for his little sister’s alter to somehow come out. “Is she?” Liam asked, glancing towards Lucie. “Looks like me and her have at least one thing in common, then.” Liam smirked. He knew that technically Lu was also his little sister but he didn’t really see it that way. Lu was part of Lucie’s power. Nothing more. He couldn’t let himself get attached to more than one version of her when this version, the one in this universe, was the one that really mattered. “Is that why you come over here? So she’ll leave you alone?” 

Once again rolling her eyes at her brother, she knew he’d done a lot worse than cursing and drinking at her age. “Don’t act like you never did this when you were my age.” She huffed, her tone obviously frustrated. Whether it was Lu fully fed up with Lucie’s bullshit at the moment, or her inebriated state, the girl couldn’t feel her alternate form. Shrugging, she answered her brother again, her voice growing loud as if she was shouting at Lu. “Yes and she never tells me why I need to avoid things.” Lucie was looking around as if she was trying to summon her other self. “She just says ‘No, don’t do that.’ or ‘Trust me, avoid this.’ and I’m sick of it!” Lucie’s steps were not steady, she was stumbling slightly as she was yelling, frustrated with Lu. Looking back at Liam, she huffed again. “Why do you even care, it’s not like you like her.” 

“Yeah, well, they should.” Liam grumbled as he held her hand tightly in his. He glanced towards her other hand, noticing her drink. He let out a sigh, reached out, and snatched the drink from her hand. He knew she would probably protest, but he didn’t care. “You don’t need anymore.” And with that, he held the cup in his hand as he tossed the contents onto the street. “Where’s Lu?” Liam asked, mostly because he didn’t feel like having the alter sneak up on him without him knowing. 

Rolling her eyes at his comment, Lucie tried to keep pace. In doing so, she lost focus on her drink for just a second, which was enough time for Liam to pluck it from her hands and toss the contents into the street. “Hey!” She exclaimed, “What the fuck was that for?” Her lip was slightly pouted at him wasting the rest of her drink. Granted, she didn’t pay for it, but still. Scoffing lightly at his next question, Lucie waved her hand through the air. “Pouting. She’s mad at me for coming over here. She doesn’t like it when I’m at Park.” Of course, the alternate version of herself never explained in detail of why she didn’t like some of the things Lucie did, which is part of the reason Lucie does them. “She’ll show up if I’m dying, but when I’m over here, she leaves me alone.”

Liam folded his arms across his chest as he glanced down at his little sister. It was true that he had done worse at her age, and even younger than her. But he didn’t want her to make bad choices like he had. “How were you able to get drinks?” It was a ridiculous question. It was Park and he already knew a handful of bartenders that didn’t care who they served. “No, I wouldn’t just leave you out here.” Liam moved towards her and grabbed his sister’s hand. “Come on, let’s get you home before you get in trouble.” He tugged on her arm as he began walking towards Grimstone Point.

Before she could backtrack and pretend like she was talking to someone else, her brother spoke up. She hadn’t even realized it was him at first... maybe she was a little more drunk than she thought? Shrugging, she giggled. “They don’t exactly check ID’s, Liam.” She knew that he wasn’t innocent, but he wasn’t scolding her yet. His hand started to tug hers and she nearly lost her footing, causing the drink in her other hand slosh around. “Easy.” She said as they walked, “I still have a little of my drink left and like forty-five minutes until curfew. I’m fine.” She insisted, still smiling. Once again, she could feel Lu grumbling in the back of her mind, but she was getting better at ignoring the other girl. She just wanted to be a rebellious teenager, was that too much to ask? 

Wren was coming back from a training session, sore and achy. He put a hand to his back, jesus he felt like an old man, and peered up at the sky, squinting into the sun. At least it was a nice day. He wondered if he ought to travel into Park for the remainding free hours he had that day, but he just wasnt in the mood. But he did want to kill some time before heading back to the house. Just then, his stomach grumbled and he chuckled to himself. He guessed that answered the question for him. He asked to a person passing by, “Do I want pizza, pasta, or just straight up skip dinner entirely and head straight to ice cream?” 

Lucie had just left the book store, new novel in hand when she noticed Wren walking like an old man. Laughing, she offered him her two sense. “Ice cream, always. Looks like you had a hard workout, so ice cream is deserved.” Being in Point without her brother wasn’t ideal at all, but at least her and Wren could bond over the fact they were missing him. It wasn’t even as if they couldn’t see him every day, but just the notion that he was over there and they were here made it somewhat difficult. “Trainers kick your ass?” 

Liam opened his mouth and then shut it slowly. When did she become so… mature? Liam furrowed his eyebrows as he stared down at his little sister who was now sitting on his bed. He didn’t really want to talk about this, but he had to know. It had been something that was killing him slowly for years now. “Did he hurt you after I left?” Liam asked, his arms folding across his chest as he stared down at her. 

Pulling her legs up underneath her on his bed, Lucie stared at the floor, collecting her thoughts. Sighing softly, she looked back up at him, her big brother, her rock for so many years, taking everything bad in her life just so it didn’t harm her. Shaking her head, she gave an immediate answer. “No.” She shifted slightly on the bed, feeling Lu’s presence grow stronger. “He tried, but, that’s when I discovered my power, is when you left.” She offered him a soft smile, trying to make him feel better. “I wish I could take the credit for being strong enough to stop him, but I can’t.” She shook her head again, refusing to look away. Finally letting Lu through, the other girl showed up behind Liam. “Lu took care of me while you were gone. She takes care of me when I need her.” Offering a head nod to the other girl, indicating to Liam that he needed to turn around. Lu returned the smile, a true warrior standing in the room with them. “Lu is stronger than I could ever dream to be.” She said honestly, expecting Liam to have more questions. 

“Oh, so you’re really into books, huh? Do you have a favorite one?” She loved meeting young people who enjoyed reading, it was a rare sight, and Katherine found herself more willing to befriend people who shared similar interests as her. It wasn’t long before Lucie brought up a subject, that was screaming that she was indeed the girl Katherine was afraid to meet. Fuck. She mentally cursed herself, and the world, and even destiny, for bringing them together now. If this was truly the Lucie she was thinking of, and by that time already, she was almost certain that the blonde was, indeed, her half sister, then she was absolutely screwed. Liam and her were not even on good terms, and her life was a mess, she drank too much, and she smoked too much, and everything was too much in general. All those thoughts caused for a headache to form in he back of her head, and she let out a shaky breath, to avoid a panic attack that was threatening to happen. “That sounds lovely.” She offered her a small smile, as she closed the book in her hands, “Yeah-…Uh, almost 6 years now. “ She forced a smile, as she allowed for her gaze to look around for the door, once she spot it, she’d be calmer. She needed to know there was a way out.

After Lucie was sure that this was the Katherine, the girl watched with curiosity. It was clear that she put two and two together as well, figuring that she was Liam’s sister. As Katherine closed the book in her lap, Lucie leaned back against the stacks. The other woman was visibly uncomfortable, maybe the dancing around the subject wasn’t the best way to go about it? Literally having nothing to lose, Lucie shifted her tactic to straightforward. “Alright.” She sighed, her tone even, no hint of disdain at all, “I think we both have figured each other out. Liam’s my brother. Which makes you my sister.” Offering the other girl a warm smile, she continued. “Plus, it’s clear that this is making you uncomfortable. I can leave if you’d like me to.” Her words made her sound much older than she was, it was a trait she’d picked up from Liam growing up. Nothing about her tone was accusatory, she just wanted to put everything on the table. 

Liam hadn’t exactly wanted to have a conversation about the past with any of his sisters. He was happy that Katherine hadn’t experienced what he had, but he was afraid knowing that Lucie probably had. He was taken from their home and couldn’t protect her from Killian any longer. He was honestly scared to know what she went through but he knew they did need to have some sort of conversation. He also knew it would include him apologizing profusely to her for leaving, even though it wasn’t his choice.

He let out a sigh and opened the front door for her. “You do realize that the front door is usually unlocked, right?” He asked as he moved back towards the kitchen. He opened the fridge and got out two soda’s and then some potato chips. “Let’s go to my bedroom.” He muttered as he carried the snacks and drinks up the stairs to his room.

Lucie was more nervous about this meeting than she wanted to admit. She wanted so badly to pry, to figure out what he and Lu had been hiding from her all those years. She was a big girl, she could handle it. Although, she couldn’t make him tell her anything. And she definitely couldn’t make Lu tell her anything either, she’d tried. 

Rolling her eyes at his comment, she was about to answer but he was quick to guide them both upstairs. Once they were in his room, Lucie wasted no time getting comfortable, flopping onto her brothers bed, sighing deeply. This wasn’t going to be a fun conversation but it needed to happen. “So.” She started, sitting up to look at him. “I’m going to let you ask any question you want first. Don’t argue with me, please. We can go back and forth, asking questions that need answers.” 

Lucie approached Liam’s place with determination. They had never actually sat down and talked about what happened in their childhoods, hell, Lu never told her specifics either. In addition to that, Liam didn’t even know what Lucie’s power was. They were in as safe of a place as ever right now, and they needed to set it all out on the table. 

Knocking on the door, she called out, “Liam, it’s Lucie. We need to talk about everything and I’m not leaving until we do.”

“Well, all of my family is out there but I’m just trying to stay positive, you know?” Sophia shrugged, trying to keep a smile on her lips despite the uncertainty she was feeling about her family’s fate. “And distracted by books and music. I just… I think I’d know if they were gone, you know? I think I’d feel it, or God would let me know somehow. I have hope.”

Lucie immediately felt bad for bringing up Sophia’s family. She didn’t have the luxury that Lucie had in that regard. Nodding, Lucie offered the other girl a soft smile. “I got it.” Lucie didn’t have that same kind of hope, she didn’t believe in any sort of god, but she was glad Sophia had some sort of hope to hold on to. “Hopefully they figure out a way that you can contact them sooner rather than later.” 

Katherine only nodded politely, and returned her full attention back to her music sheet. She wasn’t much for talking to strangers, however she could always help people out, with whatever they needed. As the younger girl introduced herself, Katherine couldn’t help but wonder if Lucie, was the Lucie her brother talked about. Was she Lucie, as in Lucie her half sister, or just a random girl named Lucie? Her paranoia was almost making her chuckle, and Katherine tried her best to quiet down the voices in her head. She was a pretty good bullshitter, she wouldn’t let Lucie see what was actually happening within her brain. “Katherine.” She shook the girl’s hand, and offered her a polite smile. “Do you come here often?” Oddly enough, Katherine did continue this conversation, against her better judgement.

As soon as the other girl shook Lucie’s hand and offered her name, Lucie’s brows furrowed slightly. Katherine. It was a common enough name right? Keeping the smile on her face, she continued on with the conversation, acting like nothing happened. “I try to. I’ve only been at Lake Grimstone for a little over a year, so here and the library and some of my favorite places to be.” She admitted with a soft smile. Lucie figured there was only a couple ways that she could find out if this was the Katherine. “My brother’s been here for a while, so when I came to visit him during family week before I moved, this was one of the first places he took me.” It was a lie, but she needed a way to bring up her brother to solidify her guess that this girl was indeed her half sister. “Have you been here a while?” She questioned with an easy smile, trying to make the other girl as comfortable as she could.

Eli smiled back, nodding. “Yeah, I’d like to think so. Sometimes it’s nice to transport yourself back to those periods.” There was some really great writing back then. The mindset of people were much more innocent and romantic, which was a nice way to look at the world sometimes. “I love fantasy. Though I haven’t read any fantasy books in a while.” He admitted. “I never got much into autobiographies, though.”

Lucie nodded and smiled at his comment. “I agree. It’s interesting to see how much writing has changed since then.” She ran her fingers across all the old book spines, feeling the wear on the covers was something that was oddly soothing to her. “I’ll admit, the autobiography phase was a pretty short one.” She said with a small laugh. “There’s only so much dry writing I can read.” Looking back over to him with a smile, she asked, “What was the last fantasy book you read? If you don’t mind me asking, of course.” 

“I don’t see what reason they have to make it up, and me not being able to get through to the outside it just makes it realer in my mind.” Clark didn’t want to believe it, at all, but he trusted TRP and he didn’t think they would lie about this. They wanted the residents out, it was what they’d been working towards from the beginning wasn’t it? He believed they were the best option for freedom, and if they could be out by now they would be. “Why would a group with the seemingly soul goal being to get out of this place, lie about something on the outside to keep people in? Just doesn’t make sense, in my head. But people have their conspiracy theories, I guess.” 

Lucie really didn’t want to argue with Clark right now. She did not trust TRP in the slightest, Lu made sure she didn’t. And the fact that Lu had mentioned Clark by name? Lucie was constantly on edge around him. Shrugging, she avoided his gaze. “I don’t know. There’s just not a lot of information from anyone about anything. To me it offers a lot of room for guessing and uncertainty. I could be wrong though.” 

liam: got it.

liam: he wouldn't do that. if you don't want to be friends with him, i'm sure he'd respect that.

liam: language!!!!

lucie: liam i don't know.

lucie: *eye roll emoji* i'm not a child, so relax

Elijah looked at her from the floor on which he was reading and offered her a smile. Book people definitely are the best kind of people. “It may be a little outdated, but it’s still a very fun read. It was written by Alexandre Dumas.” Eli’s eyes automatically started scanning the bookcases, as if he could spot it from sitting on the floor. “What do you usually read?”

 Smiling, she laughed a little. “I don’t mind outdated. They’re great ways to learn about how things were written in the past. Plus, I’ve been meaning to get into reading more classics.” Humming softly, she thought about the things that she read the most of. “Recently, I’ve been reading a lot of fantasy. Although, if you would have asked me last year, I would have answered autobiographies. So, I’ll literally read anything that’s put in front of me.” She finished with another laugh.