return • theo raeken [2]

fifteen. all my exes live in texas

"Where's Charlie?" Jonah stares off above Luna's head, watching for their brother to come walking down the drive.

Luna smiles a sad smile and says, "He's not coming."

Jonah's eyebrows furrow and he looks back down at her.

"What do you mean? He was just supposed to go let you know about..." He trails off, not being able to finish his sentence. "Then, he was supposed to come back. Dad won't be happy to see you."

"Yeah, well, I'm not happy to see dad either," Luna replies, not being able to hide the bitterness in her words. Jonah lets her go when he notices her tone. "I've got some news of my own. Where is he? And Asher? Mom?"

"Dad and Asher's out working with the horses. Mom's in the house. What's this about? Why didn't Charlie come back?"

There's a hurt in his voice and in his chemosignals that saddens Luna.

"Charlie told me. About the branding. About how dad got worse."

Jonah turns his face away from her, and she can smell his emotion change from hurt to anger.

Before he can say anything, Luna continues, "I saw the branding and made him tell me. He didn't really need to tell me the rest because I could've figured as much. Dad has never been a patient man."

Jonah scoffs, "Not that you would know. You got lucky. Even if we didn't leave, you were his golden child."

Luna stays calm, knowing he was angry and knowing that he was saying things to rile her up.

"I didn't get lucky. I lost my family. I lost my brothers and sister. I didn't have anyone to lean on. I'm not saying my pain compares to yours because it doesn't. But at least you had Charlie and Asher there for you. I was alone."

Jonah side-eyes his little sister and says, "Doesn't seem like it bothered you too much."

"What makes you say that?"

"Because you're here. You're alive. You're...happy."

Luna laughs, "I think you're confusing living with surviving. You know, I couldn't control my shifts until this past year?" A look of shock crosses his face. "Yeah, no one was there to teach me and not to mention the overwhelming guilt of killing my best friend's sister didn't help. I wasn't happy until this year. I pushed everyone away until a group of friends shoved their way into my life. It wasn't what I wanted—I would've much rathered to have you and Asher and Rosa—but it's what I got, and I'm so grateful for them coming in when they did because who knows where I would right now. I definitely wouldn't be here. Charlie would've already been back. Probably bringing back news that I died, too. Jonah, I'm sorry that you had to stay with dad. But you don't have to anymore."

"What do you mean? I can't leave."

"Go get dad and Asher. I'll meet you in the house."

Luna didn't specify any more before stepping around her brother and heading inside of the house. The first room she sees is a cozy living room with dark hardwood floors and mahogany accents among the brown leather furniture. It transitioned into a decent sized open kitchen that matched the color scheme of the living room. A sharp intake of breath was the only thing she did when she saw her mother standing in the kitchen, staring out the window as she did dishes. It was a sight Luna had seen too often when she was younger, but the woman standing there didn't compare to the woman in her memories. The one in front of her was thinner, and all Luna could see is the broken pieces of her mother. The chemosignals tells her that she hasn't been okay for a long time. Since way before Rosa's death.

"Jonah, did you get the water like I asked?" Her mother, Leslie, asked before glancing over her shoulder. The sliding of dishes in the soapy water stops as she realizes that Jonah's not standing there.