#promptmio3

He was scrolling through the pictures on his phone with a cigarette hanging from his fingers. A lot of the snaps were from a while ago. All these wide smiles, huge grins and twinkling eyes - still hopeful, full of life. Asher hoped he hadn’t lost all of that. All of him and Zoey’s adventures in Switzerland brought a fond smile to his lips, especially a shaky video of him and her tipping head first into the snow after trying to tackle a difficult slope. Then there was pranking Isaac, Nina’s yoga, stealing Em’s wash basket, all these great friends and yet he always felt like a burden to them. Here he had fucked it all up again and there was not a chance of catching up unless he worked with no sleep and with a lot of-...

The door of his house suddenly swung open, Asher’s mother stood on the doorstep, glued still in surprise. Asher shuffled to his feet, ‘sorry’ etched into his guilt trodden gaze and tightly pressed together lips. Backpack trailing behind him he eased slowly into his mother’s arms, sobbing into her shoulder. 

Lights, h a h a, sparks, h a, crowds, pressure, h a a h a a a a a a - Asher woke with a start suddenly things were familiar. Warm rugs, family photos. Seeing the time it was he trailed up to his bedroom, nothing had changed, everything was exactly the mess he had left it in. It was a while since he’d been home. Sitting at his desk he ran his fingers over the small list of things he had carved clumsily into the wood with a compass when he was maybe eight years old. 

1 bE SUPER MEGA RICH

2 get a dog/cat/duck/owl

3 fix mum’s broken vase and dad’s radio

4 !make music!!!!

His eyes watered again when he stared at the last one. Digging his pencil case from his bag he rummaged for something sharp and frustratingly found nothing. Pulling open drawers he went through tape, billions of lead-less pencils, ironically a sharpener and eventually a pair of scissors. Asher wasted no time in running over the last number on the list till it was unreadable and small twirls of wood started to curl over the blade. 

Done and somehow feeling significantly better he retired to his bed and curled up under the covers. On his desk, there was a corrected number on his list.

“Perhaps b-because I haven’t seen you in ages,” Jenna replied in a small voice that was more abrasive than she had intended. “It’s Thanksgiving in the states, and campus got something desolate.”

Watching her mother cross her arms in stern judgment, Jenna knew that she was not going to like the sound of that reply. “Well perhaps you might have come back last holiday too, then. Where were you for Christmas? Summer holidays? You hardly return my calls, dear.”

Jenna bit down on her lower lip. “I g-got b-busy...”

“I thought we got rid of that awful stutter ages ago, Jenna,” her mother tutted, moving forward to fix her daughter’s collar. “You don’t even have your own practice, they give you summers off...” It only occurred to Jenna then that she had not been invited in. Feeling something like an un-sexy vampire, she peered through the doorway to see if anybody else might come and rescue her. Alas, it seemed her father was absent and her siblings simply not visiting.

Ignoring her mother’s critical but not altogether unwarranted comments, Jenna mumbled, “N-needed to get away for a bit.”

Forced to recoil when she felt the grip tighten on the lapel of her jacket, Jenna could only listen when she heard her mother’s hissed reply. “Do you know how worried we were about you? Our grown daughter couldn’t bother to let us know if she’s safe at that American school.” Jenna looked downward, almost regretful. “People are talking about Roanoke, Jenn. We’ve heard things.”

“I c-can b-be back for Christmas, Mum,” Jenna said, pleading. She wanted so much to go back in time, to fix all of this. And here she had been worried that her mother would be more worried about marrying her off to some mediocre healer boy. She would take the matchmaking if it did not mean this fuss and guilt.

Kara hated family gatherings. She ​especially​ hated family gatherings after she dishonored her family. And just like that, as she was in the middle of stirring the mashed potatoes, did the scene from Mulan flit through her head. All she could see was Lauren as Mushu, telling her about all the dishonor she'd done. Dishonor for choosing to be Dark. Dishonor for what she'd done at the Halloween event. Dishonor for almost killing her friends. Dishonor for being bisexual. Except.. Well... No one knew that last part.

Kara grimaced as she looked down at the mashed potatoes that seemed to be a little ​too​ mashed for her liking. Quickly she went over to her grandma's "special pantry" and pulled out a bottle of wine. Within moments she had a glass full and was taking a large sip. "Oh Kara dear. There you are. How's my favorite granddaughter!" Kara about screamed into her glass before plastering on a huge fake grin as she turned to face her Grandma Maggie. "Grandma! I'm... Great." Where the ​fuck​ was Lauren when she needed a goddamned buffer.

Lauren didn’t hate family gatherings. She didn’t particularly like them, and they never failed to actually make her miss school, but she didn’t hate them. Or, at the very least, she wouldn’t admit it out loud. She rarely spoke at family events unless spoken to, although that never used to be the case. Now, she fears that anything she might say might make the family begin to turn on her and cast her out. Besides, the only thing they ask her about is school, and that happens to be Lauren’s least favorite subject to discuss, so she just succumbs to not saying a word. 

She was standing by her mother, who was bragging to her aunt about something that Lauren had apparently done at school, even though she knew she hadn’t, when she spotted Kara across the room with a look of panic on her face as their grandmother began to talk to her. Lauren saw this as a perfect opportunity to escape, so she excused herself and walked over towards her sister. Matching the older girl’s fake smile, she grabbed a hold of Kara’s arm. “Kara, can you come with me for a second? I need your help setting up something for dinner,” she said, sending an apologetic look towards their grandmother. “Sorry, Grandma. We’ll be right back!” 

She guided Kara away until they were secluded enough from the rest of the family, then dropped the older girl’s arm and sighed. “We’ve barely been here for an hour and you already look like you’ve seen the Ghost of Thanksgivings Past,” she said, leaning against a wall. “Don’t worry, mom said we should be eating soon. Then we can fake an illness and go home."

Kara felt herself brightening up immediately when she saw her younger sister. Things had been different between the two of them after Lauren had said that she would be there for her after what had happened at Halloween. Things weren't amazing but... They were most certainly not like they were before. Luckily she was led away from her grandma, Kara trying to not drop the bottle of wine in their haste to get away. Once they were away from their family, Kara quickly downed the rest of her glass, rolling her eyes as she looked down at it and put it on a shelf of a bookcase as she chose to drink out of the bottle instead. 

"It's just a hot mess. Everyone is wanting to either talk about school, know if I've changed my mind. Oh and my favorite thing? One of our bratty little cousin's asked me if I was planning on killing people again." Kara threw her hands up in the air, one of them clutching the wine bottle, not noticing as a bit of it sloshed out. "​Again​. Like what the hell is Uncle Jeremy telling his damned son."

Lauren rolled her eyes as she heard about her family’s antics. “Uncle Jeremy’s a whack job, we all know that,” she said, trying to reassure Kara somewhat. She didn’t miss how the older girl ditched her wine glass and began drinking out of the bottle, but she wasn’t worried yet. She wished that she was old enough to have some alcohol to help her survive family gatherings. Yet she knew how Kara could get when she drank, especially when she was drinking while she was upset, so she knew it was only a matter of time before she’d have to take the bottle away from her. That moment came when it started sloshing out of the bottle while Kara waved her hands around in the air. 

“Alright,” she said, reaching out and carefully grabbing the bottle from her sister’s hand. “This is not a prop, so I’m just going to hold this until we have to go back out there. But you have to bring the glass, too.” She shrugged, then spoke again when she figured Kara was about to protest. “Can’t let you be as much of a hot mess as it’s guaranteed to be out there. I heard Chad’s got a new girlfriend again, and you know everyone’s going to be all over him for that."

Kara couldn't help but pout when Lauren took the bottle from her hand. She may or may not have already started drinking before that bottle of wine so it was no surprise her sister caught on fast that she needed it to be taken care of. Not that that would stop her any when it came for them to all actually sit down at the dinner table and have to eat for a good hour. 

"Chad got another girlfriend? And here I can't even manage to get ​one​!" She said with a bark of laughter, not realizing the mistake she'd made until she realized that her sister wasn't laughing along with her. Her brow furrowed in confusion as to why Lauren was looking at her like ​that​. Going over the words in her head, she finally realized her mistake and could only blink as her jaw dropped. "I uh... The uh...Alcohol is strong?"

Lauren nodded in response to her sister’s question, but wasn’t expecting the next thing that Kara said. She froze as Kara laughed her own joke, trying to register what the hell she had just said. Did she just…come out to her while drunk on Thanksgiving Day as they hid in a corner of their aunt’s house? She didn’t know what to say—not because she wasn’t okay with it, but just because this felt so similar to the moment Kara told them about her alignment. 

She felt trapped because she feared the response from their parents, yet she knew that this time she could actually reach out to her sister and tell her that it was okay and that she would be there with her through it. Their parents weren’t there; it was just the two of them. 

“You—“ she began, before being cut off by their mother’s voice announcing that dinner was ready. Lauren looked towards the voice, then back towards Kara. She saw the look on her sister’s face and immediately knew that she needed to say something in order to reassure her, but all she could do was shake her head. “Timing like this would only ever happen to you,” she joked with a smile. 

“But, honestly, you’d be able to keep a girl a lot longer than Chad can.” She grabbed the wine glass from the bookshelf, then handed the glass and the bottle to her sister. “Come on, oh sober one,” she joked, wrapping an arm around Kara’s shoulders to help steady her as well as let her know she was there for her. “Let’s go eat and suffer with the family."

Kara really wished that she hadn't said it but then it was just out there and boy, did she feel like an anchor had actually been lifted off her chest. She hadn't even been able to tell the word to Harper or Zoey, not to officially say in a coming out way and, well, to say it to her sister was completely freeing. Before Lauren could say anything, however, their mom was calling them for dinner and she let out a breath she didn't know she'd been holding. "Yeah... Lets just go eat." 

With a sigh she followed her sister as they headed towards their spots at the dinner table. Sitting down next to Lauren, Kara waited with baited breath as they began the usual start to dinner with grace. Quickly she shoved in a lot of mashed potatoes, not wanting to talk at all. And thankfully no one ​was​ talking. To her, at least. The family seemed to think she was invisible after she'd chosen the 'wrong' alignment and for that she was okay. Well, as okay as a person could be when they were now on their fourth glass of wine. 

Unfortunately for her, her grandma Maggie decided that now was the perfect time to say what they were all thankful for. And, even more unfortunately for Kara, she was right next to her grandmother. "​I'm thankful for this lovely family of mine. That we are all honest with each other and that we all have chosen the right path. Well.... Most of us. Some of us, will find it again.​" Her grandmother said, placing a firm hand on Kara's shoulder before smiling and sitting back down. The grimace that was plastered on Kara's face most likely could have been seen from space but she pushed it all down as she stood up next, glass of wine in hand as she took a big sip. 

"I uh... I'm thankful that we're all here and alive. You know... That we can all come together and be a family. And be, ya know... An accepting family. Despite how we might disappoint each other sometimes." Kara pushed on through, despite her mother's narrowing gaze and the way she knew Lauren was now probably visibly making motions with her hands to cut it out. "I never once thought that I'd be able to sit at this table and not feel judged by all of you. I mean... I chose to align Dark and you're all Light. Except for Aunt Diane who you all kicked out of the family. Hope she's having fun." Kara took another sip, missing the way her dad facepalmed. "So lets see. I've got three things I'm thankful for. One. I'm thankful that no matter how much you all hate me for choosing the 'wrong side', I've got Lauren here who still loves me." 

Kara beamed down at her sister for a moment, the smile definitely sloppy from all the alcohol. "Two. I'm thankful I didn't kill anyone when I got possessed by a crazed Light preacher that wanted to kill my friends ​and​ me. And third? I'm thankful that I can finally say.. With alcohol as a help because boy, I need it right now. That hey... I'm thankful you all have another thing to hate me over. Guess what folks? I like boys. ​And​ girls. I'm... I'm bisexual. And if that's the final push I need for you all to actually start saying the shit you say behind my back to my face, then hot damn, I will be ever so thankful. So yep." 

It was in that moment, when Kara finally let out the truth in one long breath, that everything in the dining room came to a halt. Aunt Joyce's fork clattering on her plate, after several minutes of quiet shock, was what brought the room to life once more. Her mother let out a noise akin to what Kara could only assume was what a deer sounded like after it had been hit by a car, her father was choking on his turkey. Her grandpa was red in the face. Her cousin Alice was smirking into a spoonful of mashed potatoes and her Uncle Jeremy's son Darren was asking why Kara was a bicycle. Maybe this was a bad idea.

Lauren was desperately hoping that someone would just say grace once they all sat down, then they could all just eat and move on. Unfortunately, things never seemed to go the way she wanted them to in this damn family. When her grandmother began to tell them all what she was thankful for, Lauren fought the urge to roll her eyes. With their parents watching, she tried to keep as much of a neutral face as possible. Yet the moment Kara stood up, Lauren prayed for the ground to open up beneath her because she knew that this wouldn’t be good. 

The second the word “disappoint” left her sister’s mouth Lauren looked up at her with wide eyes, trying to motion her to sit down with her hands in a way that wasn’t so obvious that their parents could see. She stopped when she realized it was no use, and that Kara was going to continue no matter what Lauren did or said. And maybe this wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Maybe she would just let out some of her bottled up anger about the family, they would begin to see Kara’s side of the story, then Lauren could just come in and clean it all up when she stood up to say what she was thankful for. 

Lauren was still on edge when Kara began listing off what she was thankful for, but managed to smile up at her when Kara said she was thankful for her. She could feel their parents’ eyes on the pair of them, but she tried to ignore it as she watched Kara continue. 

Her hand almost shot up to grab the older girl’s when she mentioned getting possessed, knowing that it probably would only get worse from there. Yet she completely froze when, once again, Kara came out while drunk on Thanksgiving Day at their aunt’s house. Only this time in front of their entire family. She couldn’t believe this was happening, and that now she was going to have to follow that and attempt to clear it all up. 

She carefully stood as the rest of the family began to react to Kara’s confession, and she immediately felt the weight of the world on her shoulders. Or, at least, the weight of her parents’ expectations in that moment. She looked at Kara and sighed, before turning to face the rest of the family. “Since I started school, I've learned a lot there,” she began, intertwining her fingers together in front of her so they wouldn’t start shaking. “And I’m thankful for that. I’ve learned a lot about potions, transmutation, the history of magic, and, you know, other stuff. But I’ve also learned a lot about people. I’ve met a lot of people who align with Dark— my roommate included—and…I get along with them. And…that’s okay.” 

She paused, looking down at the table and reaching over the grab Kara’s hand and hold it in hers. “And this doofus right here is my big sister. She always has been and she always will be. That isn’t going to change, and I’ve learned that. And I’m thankful for it.” She looked up at Kara and squeezed her hand. "And I’d be even more thankful if other people could understand that, too.” She immediately sat down when she finished speaking, and dragged Kara down with her. She kept her eyes glued on her plate, not willing to meet the gaze of anyone in her family.

Kara felt out of place immediately but before she could so much as try and rectify the situation, her sister was speaking up. As Lauren grabbed her hand and held it firmly in her own, Kara knew that maybe, just maybe, she'd be okay. That this whole situation would be a lot better with just a kind word from her sister, from her family. "​Well isn't that just... Something.​" Grandma Maggie started to say before, luckily, Darren shrieked loudly. "​Nobody move! There is a snorlax on the table! Just--​" 

Before anyone could react to what the hell was going on, Darren had winked in Kara and Lauren's direction before launching himself onto the table, sending a platter of sweet potatoes flying onto Aunt Joyce which caused the whole table to start screaming as food began to fly everywhere. Kara's eyes widened before she managed to excuse herself, pulling Lauren with her as she went to grab her coat and car keys. "Come on. Let's go make a pizza at home and watch a movie. Anything to be away from this mess." Kara swayed once and realized that this was not a good idea. "On second though... You drive." She said as she handed her the keys to her jeep.

Lauren had never loved Darren more. Her heart sank when their grandmother had seemed like she was about to give a disapproving lecture, this time directed towards her, but the moment that Darren jumped on the table changed the entire mood of the house. She couldn’t help but laugh as the whole dinner table turned as physically chaotic as the family was in every other way. She felt Kara tug her away, and followed her to grab their coats then run out of the house. 

“Pizza sounds perfect,” she said. “Plus there are probably Christmas movies on some channel already.” She grabbed the keys from her sister. “Good plan,” she said as she got into the driver’s side of the jeep. She started the car, backed out of their aunt’s driveway, then started the drive home. “You know, I’m a little bummed we probably won’t get any leftovers. I loved those mashed potatoes."

Kara shrugged as they pulled out of the driveway, yawning as she leaned her forehead against the glass. "I can make us some more before break is over. I can make us a whole damned feast if the parents decide to stay over here for the weekend like they planned. We could get the whole damned house to ourselves." Kara said with a slight smile, biting her lip before looking over at her sister who was taking them the way home, which was about a good hour away. "So... About what I said. Uh... That's okay right? Like... You're not upset with me?"

Lauren smiled at the idea of the two of them having the whole house to themselves for the entire weekend. They hadn’t spent longer than an hour or two together in years, now they were going to have a whole weekend? “I’ll take you up on that offer,” she said. “And maybe we’ll be lucky enough to completely avoid them the rest of the weekend. They don’t really have to see us off to school. It’s not like we won’t be back in a month, anyway.” She could feel Kara’s eyes on her when she spoke, and Lauren nodded at her. “Of course it’s okay,” she told her. “Look, I know before with the whole alignment thing it was kind of weird, but it’s not going to be like that this time. This time, it’s going to be okay. I promise."

Kara bit her lip before nodding. "I just.. You know that I didn't want to--Like it just slipped out and I wasn't ready to... You know. Say it. I wasn't ready. But then again... Maybe I never would have been ready. This family just... Loves to hate you for being different. And I'm different." Kara swallowed thickly before looking down at her converse clad feet, subconsciously reaching over to grab her sister's hand as she started to play with her fingers from the anxiety of it all. "There's this girl I like. Like... ​really​ like. And she's the reason that I figured out that I liked girls, ya know? She was just being so... Infuriating and there was flirting and I just kissed her to shut her up. But it turned into more and now..." 

Kara's heart thudded in her chest as she thought of Harper, still so confused how this had all happened but knowing that she needed to at least make a move that didn't result in her leaving before she actually expressed how she felt. Which had been happening more often than not. "You know Harper Scott?" The older sibling pinched Lauren's thumb softly as she managed to keep her anxiety at bay. "It's her.. I really.. I really like her."

Lauren couldn’t imagine how her sister must have been feeling. Lauren feared the negative and the disapproving reactions of her family members, but Kara was the only that actually had to deal with them. She was about to speak up when she felt Kara grab her hand and continue to speak. Lauren didn’t dare interrupt her. If no one else in their family was going to listen to Kara, then Lauren sure as hell would. She wasn’t sure that she completely understood exactly what her sister was telling her, but she was trying to. It was one of those moments where she needed to remind herself that the world was not as black and white as her parents had made it seem. 

She nodded in response when Kara asked if she knew Harper. She didn’t know the girl well, but she at least knew of her. She couldn’t help but smile when Kara admitted it was her that she liked, and as the older girl’s speech seemed to come to a close, Lauren began to speak. “That’s awesome, Kara,” she told her, meaning the words genuinely. “And I think it’s okay to be confused about that kind of thing. I know that this probably wasn’t your ideal coming-out-to-the-family story, but I’m really glad you told me."

Kara leaned over the seat after hearing what Lauren had to say, pressing a kiss to her cheek before giggling and leaning back in the seat. "Alcohol has a way of making me say things and do stuff that I normally wouldn't. But then again... I guess that's the point of alcohol." Sighing, Kara pressed her forehead against the glass of the window once more, still playing with Lauren's fingers. "You know I love you right? Like... I know things aren't... How they were when we were younger but I really do love you. And I'm always going to be around to protect you. Okay?" Her eyes got cloudy, Kara clearing her throat as she chose to look anywhere but her sister.

Lauren rolled here eyes playfully when her sister kissed her cheek, but smiled nonetheless. And while she knew Kara’s words were true and genuine, Lauren had to hold back a laugh when she heard the other girl get choked up after telling her she loved her. She knew it was a big moment for them, but she was also really bad at dealing with and expressing her feelings, especially if they were serious. “I love you too, you big sap,” she said, looking away from the road for a brief moment to smile at her sister. “Nothing is going to change that."

Kara glared daggers at her sister's reflection from the window before pinching her fingers. "You're an ass. Here I was, trying to show my love and affection and you go all walls up. Such a boob." But she knew, despite the way Lauren kept herself guarded, that the love and friendship was there. It just wasn't like it used to be but... She'd wait forever until that changed. "Well good. You're not getting rid of me yet. To the end and back, right?" She asked with a turn of her head as they finally pulled up into their parent's house driveway.

Lauren yelped slightly when Kara pinched her fingers. “Hey, I never said I didn’t accept your love and affection,” she said. “And you know I meant it.” She felt a mix of emotions between relief and stress when they finally pulled into the driveway of the house that had hardly felt like a home to either of the two in years. But maybe, together, they could make it feel like one again. She parked and turned the car off before turning to face Kara. She reached over and hugged her tightly before saying, “To the end and back."

Kara beamed at her sister, hugging her back just as tightly before pulling away. "C'mon, lets get inside. Also don't tell mom but..." She nodded her head to the back of her jeep where a lone pumpkin pie sat. "I kind of stole it out of the kitchen just in case I needed to make an escape." With a grin she reached back and grabbed it before jumping out of the jeep and booking it towards the door. 

"Last one in has to to pay for the pizza!" She called out over her shoulder before heading inside, giggling and swaying like the still tipsy person she was. Thanksgiving dinner may have been a disaster but at least something good had come out of it. Something being time away from her parents and spending time with one of her favorite people on this planet who loved and accepted her, no matter what. Not a bad vacation after all.

Lauren laughed out loud when she saw the pumpkin pie sitting in the back of the car. “You’re a genius,” she said, shaking her head. Before she could even register it, Kara was out of the car and running towards the house. “Hey!” she yelled after her, jumping out of the car as quickly as possible. 

Zoey fell right into a rhythm cooking with Helen while Michael and Richard relaxed.  Ever so often, Michael would come into the kitchen, hugging Zoey from behind and giving her a kiss on the cheek. Her cheeks flushed and Helen gave her a sly smile. “I really do love your son,” Zoey said almost timidly. “He’s easily the best thing in my life.”  She’d already told Michael this on many different occasions and the words kind of just slipped out when she was talking to Helen.

The older woman smiled. “I can tell he really loves you too.”  That made Zoey smile. She never doubted that Michael loved her too, but the reassurance from someone that knew him well did make her feel even better.

“I don’t really have a lot of family, and those I do have aren’t on great terms, so I really do appreciate that you letting me share in your family time. It really means a lot to me,” she shared honestly. Had it not been for Michael, she’d be spending her holidays alone on campus because she really didn’t want to go back to her parents’s version of holidays. With the lack of calls from them, she really didn’t think they cared too much at all.

Helen waved her off with a smile. “You’re important to my son, and he cares a great deal about you, so you’re important to us too.” When Zoey heard those words, she instantly wanted to hug the older woman.  Already she cared about them, asked about their wellbeing and sometimes even hopped on the phone when Michael spoke with them and she was there.

Tess continuously reassured her, doing so right up until they were walking up to the door of Tess’ home. From the moment she stepped in, Tess’ family had been more than welcoming. Vivian fit in immediately, easily sipping into the role of just another family member. She teased Tess’ brother Greg and insisted on helping her father in the kitchen. She had a hard time connecting with Tess’ mother, but from what she understood that was pretty much the norm for the woman.

After dinner, Vivian smiled as she watched Tess and Greg head out back. She stood to help Tess’ father clean up, completely ignoring his protests in the process. Tess’ mother left them alone to go work in her study. Vivian took up drying the dishes once Tess’ father had washed them.

“I want to thank you again for cooking dinner, Mr. Jordan. I know it was kind of a late Canadian Thanksgiving for you all and not just for me, but I appreciate it all the same.”

Tess’ father chuckled and shook his head. “I’ve already told you to call me Tomas. Don’t make me ask again.” He winked playfully before continuing. “And you don’t have to thank me. I was more than happy to do it, especially since Tess didn’t make it home for ours. I’ll take any excuse to cook a big meal, and the two of you coming to visit was the perfect one.”

Vivian smiled softly, focusing on the plate in her hands and trying to mask her sadness as thought back to the events that had brought them there in the first place. Had it not been for the fiasco that was Halloween, they probably would have stayed at RIAP or even gone on vacation somewhere.

Tomas watched her quietly for a moment before reaching a soapy hand out and gently placing it on her wrist. “I think it’s dry.”

Glancing at the plate, she blushed and set it down on top of the stack she’d started. “Sorry. I was...thinking.”

“There’s something troubling you.” It was spoken as a statement rather than a question. While he had the ability, Tomas didn’t need to read Vivian’s mind to see that she was trying to hide her internal struggle. “You know I’ve been told I’m a great listener.”

Laughing and shaking her head, Vivian gave a small sigh. As they continued to clean up, she told him about everything that had happened on Halloween. Further encouragement prompted her to even tell him about the origin of her relationship with Tess - saving him the sordid details of course - including her issues surrounding the subject.

By the time she was finished, tears rolled silently down her cheeks. She choked back a sob and whispered. “I almost killed her. I almost killed your daughter. I’m so sorry.”

Tomas dried his hands before wrapping his arms around Vivian’s shoulders and pulling her in for a hug. “It’s okay, my dear. Everything will be okay.” Pulling back, he cupped her face in his hands and wiped her tears away with his thumbs. He kissed her forehead before looking into her eyes with a kind smile.

“That was not you. It may have been your physical body yes, but the person inside controlling it was not you. You had little to no control, and from what you just told me, you actually saved my daughter’s life. For that I can not thank you enough.”

Dropping his hands to her shoulders, Tomas squeezed them gently and stepped back. Before he could say anything, Vivian rushed forward and gave him a tight hug. She buried her face in his chest and closed her eyes. She imagined that he was her own father and felt tears prick the backs of her eyes again. “Thank you so much. For everything. You’re like the father I always wanted.”

The last sentence was spoken in a whisper, just barely audible to the man in front of her. But he still heard it. Pressing one last kiss to the top of her head, he pulled away and smiled. “How about we take a break from cleaning and head into the other room. I’m sure we can find something entertaining to watch until the other two are finished with their sibling bonding time.”

A Drake Thanksgiving was always a fun one. Morgan’s mother Liza was literally a magical cook, and her dad David was a bartending master -- as expected since he made a living mixing different herbs and concoctions. Jokes were exchanged, but the Drake family was never hesitant to bring up the hard stuff.

“So, sweetie,” Liza began as they ate. “A lot of crazy stuff’s been happening at your school. We’re a little worried.”

Morgan for one hated getting serious, especially about things that affected her so deeply. “It’s getting a little heated on campus. But I promise I’ll be okay.”

“Don’t you ever just want to leave?” Cammie asked. “I know if I was still going there I would’ve transferred ages ago.”

Morgan shook her head. “I can’t leave my friends and my students when all hell’s breaking loose. Besides, RIAP’s like a second home to me. I would never just abandon it.”

“Morgan’s a tough cookie,” David told Liza. “Our baby’s a little badass, getting through everything the way she has.” Morgan smiled. “I wouldn’t get too worried about her. Besides, she’s helping save the world.”

“Dad,” Morgan chuckled.

“That’s true,” Liza nodded in agreement. “Those hunters are going to be running home crying one of these days.”

“How’s that going, anyway?” Cammie asked.

Morgan poked at her mashed potatoes as she spoke. “We’re making some progress. Tess is pretty close to finding something to counteract the red clover. Once she does, the hunters are pretty much finished.”

“Well sweetie, I hope you and your friends figure it out sooner than later,” Liza commented.

Morgan nodded. “Me too, Mom.”

“Now, on to a more important matter.” Liza looked at Morgan for a moment before continuing. “Have you found a nice man or woman to settle down with yet?”

Morgan laughed. “Mom! I promise that if I did I would’ve told you.”

“Well, it’s just that you’re getting older, and we’re a little concerned about grandchildren,” David chimed in, though his tone was clearly playful. 

Morgan shook her head, still laughing. “Why don’t you ever ask Cammie these questions?!”

“Hey, don’t drag me into this!” Cammie said defensively before laughing.

“I’m with the Bryants, Grandma Evie. M-Mason invited me to stay and I figured it would be a nice change of pace.” Nina hated how her voice had cracked, how she stumbled over the name, but her grandmother had known who the Bryant family was, only because she’d gotten wind of  the kissing booth incident, and Nina and Emily beating up purebloods on Mason’s behalf. She knew that they weren’t pureblood, and that they didn’t fit the criteria for friends.

“The poor curs that can’t even afford to pay attention. What are you going to eat there? Wish sandwiches? Two slices of bread and wish for meat in between?” she replied, the tone of her voice utterly repulsed at just the thought. “What next? Consorting with nugs? Don’t bother coming home, Child. It’s best you stay with those that you find you fit with. There’s no way Ryback blood runs through those veins. I don’t know what’s wrong with you kids, consorting with curs and nugs, brining them home even.” She sighed.

Nina could feel anger rolling off of her in waves. “Don’t you dare. Don’t you dare talk about them that way. You know what…Fuck you, Grandma. Fuck you. I am sick of your rules, and your fucking mind games. I’m sick of the way you insult my friends, and I’m sick of being your fucking minion. I’m going to have fun with the Bryants, and I’m going to live my life and I don’t care what you have to say!”

Nina hung up the phone then. She took a few deep breaths and put on a smile, grabbing her things and heading toward the house. It had been easy to forget how upset she’d been with her grandmother once she arrived. The Bryant home was busy and warm and loving, and she felt almost immediately enveloped into the fold. The younger siblings had instantly stolen her heart and she always found herself playing with the smallest. Her cheeks felt as if they were in agony as she smiled and laughed so much it hurt.

Watching the interactions between this family, seeing how loving they were, how happy they seemed made her heart ache because she didn’t have that. She didn’t have this kind of family dynamic. She never even attempted to get down on the floor and color with her younger cousins, but she had with the younger Bryant siblings. She felt so care free, so happy in the moment and it was a completely different world that she sadly never wanted to leave. Her own world was a cold harsh reality. One that would never turn into this.

Later that night, after Nina had helped with washing dishes, her phone rang. She frowned because it was one of her cousins that she rarely spoke with. “Hello?”

“Nina, I don’t know where you are, but something’s happened. It’s Evelyn and Tim…and your parents…They’re…dead,” her cousin informed. The tone that it was spoken in let Nina know that this was no joke.

It was as if she were punched in the gut, the air left her and she was clutching at her chest to get it back. She found the nearest chair and sat, trying to process the words that made no sense to her. She’d just spoken with Evelyn, and her parents days before that. Her mother was in good spirits. She was joking with her about the guests that had come a few weeks ago. She was warming to Nina, and now she was gone.  Her cousin was still talking, explaining the gruesome details and that they suspected murder. Nina couldn’t breathe. She saw red as anger flashed within her. Someone had taken her family from her, but that snarling anger was mixed with sorrow. The only people that she shared close blood ties with were gone. These people, although horrible, were people that she loved, and they’d loved her back in their own way were taken from her.