Startled, you quickly darted away from the door and back toward the main room. Scanning the area, it took a few seconds before you spotted Michael holding Evan above his head, the child was crying and screaming. you grabbed onto Michael's shirt, pulling him aside before taking Evan from his arms.
"What the hell are you doing?!" you snapped, holding the child protectively against you.
"The little brat was hiding behind the stage!" he retorted.
"Okay?! And that gives you the right to pick him up and swing him around like a kite?!" you yelled at him.
Michael had no response, only rolling his eyes and scoffing before making his way towards the exit. You tried to get his attention, shouting,
"Hey! Where the hell do you think you're going?!" But he simply ignored you, walking out and letting the doors slam shut behind him.
You knew it was your responsibility to watch him, but you couldn't be bothered, especially since you still needed to find Elizabeth.
"Hey, are you okay?" you asked Evan, looking down at him while continuing to hold him.
He nodded and you forced a smile back at him, trying to be comforting. You quickly walked around the room in search of Elizabeth, looking for any sign of her...
You went back down the hallway that you were in before but now that you had Evan on your hip, it felt less empty. Even if he was just a child and couldn't protect you in any way, it was still a comfort.
You turn into the kitchen. The fluorescent lights mixed with the smell of strong air fresheners, trying to mask the grease smell were now making you ill. You push through and walk further to see your sister sitting on the counter, her long hair blowing in the small table fan that they had on the counter. You quickly walk over to her,
"Have you seen Lizzie?"
She rolls her eyes and scoffs,
"No 'hello', 'how are you', 'I'm sorry I left you in this gross kitchen for 2 hours with somebody you just met,'?" She replies with a scowl.
"I don't have time for your nonsense right now—" you scoff, Evan started to shift on your hip from your voice getting louder so you lowered your voice. "Have you seen her?"
She rolled her eyes again and gestured over to Rose who was wiping down a counter. She had put her hair in a tight ponytail and she was wearing a stained apron. You walk up behind her,
"Hey—"
She jumps a little but calms down once she realizes it's just you.
"Oh, hey y/n, I'm just cleaning up, putting things away," she replies, trying to get over her startle.
"Oh okay, have you seen Elizabeth?" You ask, completely forgetting to thank her for watching your sister.
"Hm..." she holds back a smile, "nope, haven't seen her," she leans over the counter, putting her head in her hands. You give her a confused expression and she gestures over to a giggling box by the door that you had just walked in from, you mentally berate yourself for not noticing sooner. You thank Rose before moving towards the box with Evan on your hip. The laughter gets louder as you open the crate,
"Boo!" She yells, popping up like a Jack in the box.
You stumble backward, trying not to wake the sleeping child in your arms.
"How long have you been in there?" You smile, helping her out with your free hand.
"Hm...I don't know." She smiles.
"Well...you should probably get back to your father," you put your hand on her shoulder and she pouts.
"Really?"
You nod and start walking towards the door before grabbing your sister's hand and puking her,
"I can walk by myself—" she retorts,
You roll your eyes and walk again, back through the hallway, it was a lot less scary now that you had a couple more people with you, you thank Rose while walking back to the front room.
I completely forgot about Michael...
You walk back to the front desk and see Jenna packing up her things and preparing to leave, it was getting a bit dark so you didn't question if it was time to leave.
"Oh, I'm just leaving," she says with a smile and tired eyes,
"Me too, get home safely—"
"I'll try," she says and leaves through the glass double doors.
You start to walk again, towards the separate hallway that had held the 2 offices. You were walking a bit slower now, it was understandable since you had been carrying Evan for a while, your back was starting to hurt...all the stress was getting to you now, finally catching up.
You walk towards the door and knock, but before you can, you see your sister walk behind you, you look up to see William above you, and you jump.
He has to stop doing that shit—
"I was just looking for you," You force a smile and hold your sister's hand instead of Elizabeth's now. This time she didn't resist, she obviously felt some comfort in it too.
He gives a simple nod and takes Evan off of your hip. You sigh and stretch before slightly nudging Elizabeth who was reluctant to go, but she eventually left your side.
You suddenly remember your transportation problem, your car had something wrong with it and you didn't want to spend another awkward car trip with the Afton family. You shiver at the thought and break the silence,
"You...you uh told me you would help me figure out what was wrong with my car?" You say hesitantly and continue to hold your sister's hand.
"Hm...I suppose I did say that," he scratches his chin before putting Evan on his feet, Gently and holding both of his children's hands now. He starts walking down the hallway, back to the main party room. You quickly try to follow him and your sister doesn't fall far behind,
"Where's Michael?" He asks, not bothering to look back at you.
You panic.
"I- uh...he stormed off not too long ago," you say, your voice trembling. He nods, not letting any emotions show but walks a little quicker, you were now by the exit door,
you hold Miah's hand and walk out the front door, it is dark now, and for a night in the middle of September, it was pretty cold. you shivered and started walking to your car, hoping William would follow, he did. walking a little bit faster than you with Elizabeth and Evan following behind. he opens the hood of your car and looks inside. without even a second thought, he turns to you.
"Everything seems to be in order."
seems extremely suspicious...you look inside too and to your surprise, your spark plug was there... you step back and grab your sister's hand.
throughout your confusion, you could barely muster a small "thanks.."
he nods in response and crosses his arms behind his back.
"I expect you to be here tomorrow?"
You nod and look to the side awkwardly, trying to get out of there as soon as possible, your sister walks into the car.
"I'll be needing help filing some paperwork. Micheal, Elizabeth, and Evan won't be here tomorrow, they'll be with their mother, you won't have to worry about them." He nods again and smiles slightly, it's barely noticeable. That's the first time you've seen him smile,
You smile in response. It would be nice to keep away from them for even a little while, it would probably be better for your mental health too.
Just as you were about to get in the car, you heard Michael walking through the wet grass and towards his family from behind the building. You saw William give him a look before walking to his car with the other 2.
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1320 words
Erm...silly shitty transition chapter!1!1!!1 sorry-
