Team8s and Counting Onwards

209. Something Sharp, Something Real, Something Stable

They stood there for a long beat, the weight of it all settling heavy between them.

"How are we going to tell her?" Price Tag said softly.

Book didn't answer at first. She just stared at the floor, like maybe if she looked hard enough, it would give her the words. But nothing came.

"I don't know," she said finally, barely above a whisper. "How do you tell a kid that the person who neglected her for her entire life wants to walk right back in like nothing happened?"

Taggy sat down on the stairs, head in their hands. "We have to tell her upfront, no bullshiting. When you get her and Bookmark from school, we'll ask if she wants to talk to Match, because she should be the one to tell her."

Book nodded. While her and Match weren't always on the best terms, she knew Match cared about Flare, and wanted what's best for her.

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Book pulled into the driveway with the girls, and brought them into the house. Usually Price Tag would greet them with a cheerful tone, but today, they couldn't pretend like everything was fine and dandy.

"Hey Bookmark! ...hey Flare." Price Tag said.

Flare could instantly tell by the tone of their voice that something was up. "You're scaring me Taggy..."

Price Tag sighed. "We heard from your mom earlier today...she wants to talk to you if that's alright."

"Okay..." Flare stuttered, "And you don't mean Pencil, right?"

"No, we mean Match." Book said. "I think it's important that you hear from her if you're ready."

Flare nodded, but didn't like where this was going. "...Okay," she said again, quieter this time. Her hands were already picking at the hem of her sleeve. "Is something bad happening?"

Book sat down beside her, careful not to crowd her. "We're not going to lie to you, sweetie. Something's... complicated. But you're not in trouble. You're safe. We just want to make sure you have all the support you need."

Flare swallowed hard. Her eyes flicked toward Bookmark, who looked equally confused and concerned but tried to offer a little smile.

Book walked over to her daughter, and knelt down to her level. "Bookmark, would you mind just heading upstairs for a little bit?"

Bookmark nodded, although she couldn't shake the feeling that something big was about to happen.

Taggy knelt in front of Flare. "You don't have to talk to her if you don't want to. But we really think it might help. Match wants to be honest with you."

Flare hesitated, then slowly nodded. "Okay. Can she call now?"

Book headed back over to Flare, exchanged a glance with Price Tag and pulled out her phone. She didn't have to say anything—Match had been waiting. One ring. Two. Then—

"Hi," came Match's voice on speaker, breathless. "Is she there?"

Flare sat up a little straighter. "Hi," she said, barely above a whisper.

"Oh, Flare..." Match's voice cracked, but she held it together. —I have something I need to tell you, and I want you to know that no matter what, I love you. That's not going to change."

Flare's eyes were already brimming. "What's wrong?"

Match took a breath. "Pencil... she's trying to go to court. She's trying to get shared custody. Of you."

Flare blinked. "W-what? " her voice hitched. "But...you saw what she did..."

"I know, I know." Match said, trying not to break down. "I can't believe I ever prioritized her over you. I thought I could fix things back then. I thought if I just held it together long enough, she'd get better, and we could be a family again. But I was wrong. And I'm so sorry."