ᴛʜʀᴏᴜɢʜ ᴛʜᴇ ꜰᴏᴜʀᴛʜ ᴡᴀʟʟ | ᴍᴀʀᴀᴜᴅᴇʀꜱ ᴇʀᴀ

xxxviii. call

"Baby, where are you? Mum and Dad are going to pick you up."

"No, no, no. I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm safe. You don't have to pick me up anywhere. But I'm safe."

"Are you home, Callie?" her dad asked.

She hesitated. "N-no. No, not yet."

"It's okay. Mum and Dad are not mad. We just want to know where you are," her mum said as if she thought Callie was scared to get yelled at.

That made her tear up even more. "I know. But I'm not gone, okay? I-I wasn't gone. I didn't run away. I wasn't kidnapped or anything. I've been safe, okay? But I," she swallowed, "I need you to go back home, to Bria. Get rest. I'm coming home soon."

"Okay, okay. Mum will cook your favourite," said her dad as if he was talking to a little girl again.

But Callie shook her head. "I... it's... I... I may not be able to come home that soon."

"Wh-wh-" her mother seemed she wanted to chuckle, but her voice was just straining, "Why- why not?"

"Mum, Dad, I have friends that I need to help. And-and those days that I was gone? I was helping them. Because they need it and-and they deserve it. And you taught me to help people who need it. They need my help."

"Oh, Callie," she heard the disappointment of her father. He wasn't disappointed in her. If anything he was more than proud. He was disappointed in himself for teaching his daughter the very reason she disappeared for weeks.

"Please, don't worry about me. My friend will keep me safe." She looked over the boys. They nodded as they heard what she said. And just as though they made a promise to her parents.

Regulus certainly would. He would do anything in his power, may it be twisted or not, to keep Callie safe. He would never let the same torture she underwent befall her again. Not anymore. He rubbed circles on her hand and stared at her bandaged forearm.

"Who are these friends you're talking about, sweety?" her dad asked. For all they knew it wasn't Sam or her friends in school. They were all helping the Sinclair Family look for her.

"They're... uh...." She looked over the Marauders. "It's really hard to explain especially in just a call like this. But I promise, I promise I'll be back again. I'll come back again." It was an unsure promise. She knew it. Going back to the Wizarding World was already an uncertainty. And if they got back there, she wouldn't know if she could go back again to her world. But she couldn't bring herself to tell her parents "I love you so much, mum and dad." She choked on tears.

"Sweety, Callie-"

"Just, please. Tell me you love me too." So that if she couldn't see them again, at least for the last time, she had told them that.

"We love you, we love you so much, sweetheart." Her dad choked in tears too on the other line.

"Please, please be safe wherever you are, whatever you're doing. We love you more than we can tell you."

Callie nodded, feeling some sort of a block lifted off her chest. "Thank you. Thank you so much."

She spotted their stop. She knew she had to end their call. And she knew the three of them didn't want to end the call. But they had to.

"I have to go now."

"Okay. Okay, sweetheart. We love you."

"Go back home. Go to Bria. I'll be home soon." Hopefully. "I love you." And she tapped the end call without thinking about it. She had to or else she wouldn't be able to let go.