Always Okay | (Adopted By Elizabeth Olsen)

Chapter 13

Word Count: 1895

Scarlett's POV

I looked down at the young girl who was still holding herself in a ball. Her eyes flickered up at me briefly before returning her gaze to the floor. I gave her shoulder a small squeeze before getting off the floor. I pulled the door open just a smudge before sneaking out to talk to Lizzie.

"Hey Liz," I whispered causing her to give me a questioning look. 

"What, what's wrong?" Lizzie asked quickly not wasting a second.

"She's okay, well as okay as can be expected," I told her quickly. 

"Did she tell you why she's so scared of me?" Chris asked cutting in.

"Oh my god Chris, you can't just scare people like that!" I scolded him as I punched his shoulder.  I honestly didn't know he was here until he spoke up.

"Scarlett, please focus," Lizzie hissed waving her hands dramatically since I was still blocking the door. 

"She's afraid to talk to you Lizzie, and Chris, you remind her of Josh," I told them bluntly. There was probably a more elegant way to say that but I thought it'd be easier to get straight to the point considering I just left Alexis in there alone. 

"Oh," Lizzie breathed out shakily, while a confused expression spreads across Chris's face.

"She'll get there in time," I said trying to reassure her. 

"Yeah, I know," Lizzie weakly replied. I moved out of the way so she could go in, while Chris and I waited outside. 

We stood in front of the door in an awkward silence before he turned to me to look at me with his eyebrows furrowed, "Who's Josh?"

"Her kidnapper," I told him solemnly. 

"Oh," he said turning away, obviously distraught that he looked like someone who had truly damaged Alexis. I mean I would too, but this isn't something that can be fixed in an instant. Chris can't just change his appearance completely. It's part of what makes him, him.

"She just needs some time," I whispered trying to comfort him in some way but I didn't know if there were any words in the English language that could even help. 

"I feel terrible. You saw the look she gave me in the hall, she was terrified of me," his voice cracks. 

"I know, she has a long road to recovery," I said pulling him into a tight hug. 

Lizzie's POV

I walk into the bathroom to see my sweet, Alexis huddled on the floor in a ball. Her whole body seems calm but I know her and I can hear her hiccuped breathing noises. I cautiously approach her and sit down next to her, making sure my footsteps are loud enough to be heard but quiet enough to not scare her. 

I sit close enough to her that she's only inches away from me and she instinctively leaned into me, searching for comfort. I happily obliged moving my arm to pull her closer. She doesn't lift her head but I can hear her breathing becoming more rhythmic and less hitched. 

Once I'm sure she's calmed and her breathing sounds normal, I move to pull her hand away from her body to hold it within my own. "Talk to me, please," I begged desperate to know what has upset her this time and why had she opened up to Scarlett so easily. Why couldn't she do the same with me? What was she scared to tell me? Have I done anything that would make her fearful to tell to me?

"I can't," she mutters with her head still glued to her knees. 

"But you can, I'm right here, please talk to me," I tell her firmly. She shakes her head no, but this time I can't just ignore it. In the past twenty-four hours, there has been a series of breakdowns, one after another, and I'm supposed to be her parent, her Mama. She needs to be able to tell me.