All for the Plot

f o r t y o n e (part one)

The house was quiet, dark, and cold when I arrived.

The air inside was cold and stale, like a freezer. I could feel the weight of silence, a heavy blanket that suffocated all sound. The darkness seemed to swallow everything, making it hard to see more than a few feet in front of me. I've only lived in this house a couple of months and have only been down here, in darkness, a handful of times. I never quite adjusted to it.

The quietness was oppressive. I strained my ears, but there was nothing - no creaks, no groans, no faint hum of appliances. It was as if the house itself was holding its breath. I fumbled for the light switch, my fingers brushing against the wall as I tried to find it. When the lights flickered on, they cast eerie shadows on the walls, making the space feel even more deserted.

I stepped into the kitchen, the dim fluorescent light overhead casting a glow on the otherwise dark and silent space. The air was thick with tension, and the coldness seemed to seep into my bones. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I saw Ella standing by the counter, her back to me.

We hadn't spoken in days, not since our argument. I'd said things I couldn't take back, and the guilt had begun to eat away at me.

As Ella slowly turned to face me, I saw the hurt and anger in her eyes. My heart sank, remembering the pain I'd caused. Her eyes seemed sunken, her skin pale, and her usual bright smile was nowhere to be found.

"Hey," she said flatly, her voice low and achy.

"Hey," I replied softly, trying to sound gentle. "Where have you been? I've been worried sick."

Ella shrugged, her eyes darting away. "I've been with Penny."

"At her place?"

Ella nodded, still avoiding eye contact.

"Did Uncle Antony know?" I ask.

Another nod.

I took a step closer, trying to bridge the gap between us. "Ella, we need to talk about what happened. I'm sorry for what I said..."

But before I could continue, Ella turned back to the cabinet, reaching for something on the top shelf. As she stretched, my gaze fell upon her arm, and my heart skipped a beat. A series of cuts, some fresh, some healing, marred her skin. My concern and fear surged to the surface.

"Ella, what...?" I started, my voice trembling.

Ella's eyes flashed with a mix of fear and defiance as she pulled her arm back, trying to hide the damage. But I'd already seen it. I'd already seen the pain she was trying to hide.

"Mind your own business, Vittoria," she spat, her voice low and even.

I took a closer step, my heart racing with fear and concern. "Ella, what's going on? Why are you doing this? Is this because of what I said?"

She rolled her eyes, a hint of scorn in her voice. "You think you're so perfect, don't you? You think you can waltz in here and fix everything?"

I felt a sense of frustration at her tone, but I tried to keep my cool. "Ella, I just want to help..."

But she cut me off, her voice rising.

"Help? You call this help? You called me a mistake and now you're trying to fix me?" No thanks. I don't need your help."

Addison stumbled into the kitchen, rubbing her eyes sleepily. "What's all the fuss about?" she asked, her voice husky with sleep.

Ella and I were standing facing each other, our voices hushed but intense. I was trying to get Ella to open up, but she was resisting.

"Quiet down, you two," Addison said, her eyes adjusting to the light. "Antony and Teresa are asleep."

But I was beyond caring about being quiet. I was desperate to get Addison to see what Ella was doing to herself. I grabbed Ella's arm, trying to wrestle it out from behind her back. I unsheathed her arm from her jacket like a sword.

"This is what the fuss is about!"

"Vittoria, stop!" Ella cried, trying to pull away.

But I held tight, showing Addison the cuts.

Addison's eyes narrowed in shock. "Ella, what the hell?" She staggered to take a step forward, not wanting to take what she saw as truth.

Ella started to cry, her body shaking with sobs. "Vittoria called me a mistake," she wailed. "She said I was everything wrong with the family and that I was St. James scum."

Wow.. Did I really say all that? I never realized the intensity of my words. I felt a pang of guilt, but I knew I had to tell Addison the truth. "Ella snuck pills into rehab, Addison. She's been enabling Mom's addiction. Now her sentence is longer."

Addison's face went white, her eyes darting between Ella and me. "What? Ella, is this true?"

Ella nodded, her tears flowing harder. "I just wanted to help her, Addison. She told me she was clean and needed a pick-me-up. I didn't know what else to do."

Addison looked at me, her expression a mix of shock and disappointment. "Vittoria, why didn't you tell me?"

I shook my head, feeling a lump form inside my throat. I brought my hand to it, pulling at the extra skin, hoping it could go down in time for me to form a response.

"I didn't know how. I was scared. And I haven't seen her. And I felt bad for what I said. And I've been distracted. I was gonna tell you before you left, I swear."

Addison took a deep breath, her eyes never leaving mine. "We need to talk about this, all of us. But first, we need to take care of Ella."

She gently took Ella's arm, examining the cute. "These are deep, they'll scar. These here will heal fine," Addison's in premed. "We need to get you cleaned up, and then we need to talk about what's going on."

Ella nodded, her tears slowing as Addison led her to the sink. I watched, feeling a mix of emotions: guilt, concern, and frustration.

As Addison cleaned Ella's cuts, I couldn't help but think about how we'd gotten to this point. Our family was falling apart, and I didn't know how to fix it.

Once Ella's cuts were cleaned and bandaged, Addison turned to us, "Okay, let's talk, please. Vittoria you start." She had an expression on her face like a migraine was coming on.

I took a deep breath, trying to put into words the mixed emotions I'd forgotten about.

"I just feel like Ella's enabling Mom's addiction, and it's not helping. If anything, it's making things worse by having her admitted longer. I don't know about you, but I want my mother back."

Ella shook her head, her eyes flashing with anger. "You don't understand, Vittoria. You never do."

Addison held up a hand, stopping us. "Wait, we're not going to fight. We need to work through this together."

Instantly, I was reminded of when we were little. How Addison would mediate our arguments. She'd get us side by side and make us talk it out. Getting to the root. She should've gone into therapy instead of premed.

But I couldn't help it. I was angry, and I needed Ella to understand. "You're not helping, Ella. You're making things worse!"

Ella's face crumpled, and she buried her face in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. Addison went to her, wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug.

God, the dramatics.