"I wish someone had
told me I'd be doing
this by myself."
California. Somewhere they hadn't visited in the last five months, yet the house still felt just as familiar and welcoming, a warm hug in the freezing cold weather. The two spare bedrooms had been vacated of its usual occupants, which included anything that had stepped foot through the door and had been shoved in there for safe keeping- in other words, to never be used again.
There was playful shouting coming from the kitchen of the McCall residence, rain pattering softly against the window. It was January fifth, the evening before the three teenagers had to venture back to school after spring break. For Jade and Max Pierce, their first day was daunting upon them, the reality really starting to hit. Being the new kids on the block wasn't easy, especially not when people had already formed their cliques and were determined to shun anyone who tried to interfere.
"You're a cheater! Nope, you're a cheater, you counted that wrong!" Jade yelled, pointing an accusing finger at her cousin as she counted out her money another time.
Monopoly was a competitive game in the household, everyone desperate to have the glory of winning- that was, if Max didn't get bored and decide to quit halfway through. Lasting an hour and a half was a new record, the unusual thing being that no one had flipped the board yet and then stormed off in a huff.
"You conned me out of my money!" Scott yelled back, the corners of his lips tugging up into a smile as he gestured for his mother to side with him. This was why he never played with his family; a whole lot of them were cheaters! It was even worse when Sean and Elizabeth joined in on summer holidays, teaming up to bankrupt everyone on the board.
He knew that his cousins were taking the loss of their parents a lot harder than what they were making it out, but he hadn't wanted to pry. The pair had been living with him for the last two weeks, and considering the twins' parents had left Melissa as their legal guardian, it was looking like a full-time thing.
Even though they had been brought together through a heartbreaking loss, it was still nice to have Max and Jade back. Seeing them every summer just wasn't enough, yet maybe seeing them every day would make them hate each other. Although, he couldn't see that happening; the three of them had been best friends since they were toddlers and a bond like theirs wouldn't be broken that easily.
On the subject of people hiding their grief, his mom fit right into that category, too. She was trying to be strong for the three teenagers, but they all knew that she was in excruciating pain. She cried late at night sometimes, when she thought no one could hear her. They could, though, as clear as day, her sobs as she mourned the loss of her brother.
Well, her adoptive brother, but she didn't see it that way. They had grown up together, squabbled like normal siblings, Sean had walked Melissa down the aisle in their father's place. All of that 'blood is thicker than water' was bullshit. Family wasn't defined by blood, not in the slightest. Family was the people who were always there for you, the people who would get on stage and dance with you because you didn't have a partner, the people who never gave up on you and the people who loved you for you. Not for some fake version of yourself that was made to please the people around you.
"She gave you the right amount, you just can't count," Melissa covered her mouth with her cards as she laughed lightly, nudging her son gently in the side to show she was only joking.
The night aimed to have some fun and forget about their troubles for as long as humanly possible, while simultaneously not upsetting anyone. Believe it or not, but when the three kids were as sensitive as they were, both goals overlapped paths, making it hard to do the two at once.
Max pumped his fist in the air in triumph, wiggling around in his chair. "You don't have enough to pay us, so we want your dark blue property and you can be debt free," he challenged, small tufts of blonde hair peeking out as his head moved up and down, eyes drifting from the board to his cards and back.
Technically speaking, they were Jade's cards, but he had gone bankrupt and teamed up with her. It beat being cooped up in his room and having a panic attack, thanks to everyone's anxiety piling up on top of him.
He hadn't learnt how to control his empath abilities yet, hoping that it would kick in on instinct if he was put through enough mental and physical torture. He didn't even know where he was supposed to start, let alone get it under control!
Did he start by trying to compile a list of things that he could do with these newfound powers? Or by thinking back on memories of his dad's experiences? Perhaps by reaching out to other empaths? He hadn't the foggiest, and frankly, it was the least of his worries right now.
Melissa didn't have enough to pay off her debt, being the next one to get kicked out of the game. Leaning back against the countertop as she raised a cold glass of water to her lips, she couldn't help but feel pity form in her chest.
She didn't know if she could be the one to look after these kids. It wasn't that they were bad, actually quite the opposite. She was honestly worried that she couldn't give them what they needed- not physically, but emotionally. A roof over their heads, food on the table and financial stability she could just barely provide. But emotionally, the pair seemed rightfully traumatised by the car accident.
They tried to mask it as well as they could, but every now and then their façade slipped. Sometimes it was just a glimmer in their eyes, as if they were being forced to watch a nightmare on a repeated loop. Other times it was more extreme, like the full-blown panic attacks when there was a speed bump on the road.
But it wasn't only that. She knew that some personality traits were a bit extreme, but couldn't tell if it was something to watch out for or a cry for help. For example, how Max always joked about being an orphan and played all his feelings off with humour. Maybe it was a way to cope, she wasn't too sure. It worried her nonetheless. Or how Jade relied so heavily on validation from everyone around her and was constantly pushing herself to ridiculous limits to try and please them. It was just... it was a lot.
But when her eyes travelled to Scott not being able to breathe from laughing so hard, or how the twins were finally smiling for the first time since they had been here, she couldn't find it in her heart to kick them out. She refused to give up hope, repeating her promise to Elizabeth and Sean like a mantra in her mind. She wouldn't leave them cold and hurt, wondering what they had done wrong. She wouldn't do it. She wasn't going to give up on them, not after so many people had already deemed them as too difficult and left.
Because the truth was that they weren't difficult. They were brilliant, creative and bright sixteen-year-olds who had shining futures ahead of them. Scott would go to the college of his choice and become an amazing vet. Max would excel in psychology- she would hope so, given that he never shut up about it. Jade didn't exactly have her mind set on what she wanted to do yet, but Melissa was sure that whatever it was, she would make it her own. She always did.
Max popped the kettle on, rolling his eyes at Scott and his sister's arguing about the game. They were like three-year-olds, yet he wasn't too far off joining them. A cloud settled itself over his head once again, the last few remaining sparks of joy fizzling out to nothing. A snake was slithering underneath his skin, desperately trying to claw its way out.
Anxiety had been a part of him for so long that he didn't think he could name a time when he wasn't plagued by the overwhelming and crushing dread that crashed like waves against the shore. No matter how many different anxiety medications he took or how many therapies he tried, none of them helped at all.
Jade held the piping hot cup in her hands, resisting the urge to cower away from it. It was as cold as an ice box in the kitchen, the drink bringing some warmth to her body. Yet it didn't soothe the gnawing nervousness in her stomach, the feeling that she was being dragged away from the table, still sitting perfectly normal in her chair and waiting for the others to notice that she was drifting further away from them. They were losing her.
"How are you all feeling about school tomorrow?" Melissa asked, snapping on a pair of yellow rubber gloves as she made a start on the washing up from dinner. Sparks flew from the lamp in the corner of the room, specks of light drifting down to the ground. "What the hell was that?!"
"The lightbulb probably went, that's all," Max shrugged, widening his eyes in warning at Jade while Scott was distracted with a notification on his phone.
Jade covered her hands with the sleeves of her sweater, pressing her lips into a tight line as she tried to breathe evenly. God, she needed to get a grip, not let the emotions get the upper hand. Get some control. In through her nose, out through her mouth. Clench her hands into fists, and relax her muscles. "Good," she finally replied, answering the question that her aunt had originally posed. The question that had made her explode- quite literally.
"Good," Scott drawled the words out, rubbing his hands together eagerly, almost as if he was outside in the cold without gloves. He was genuinely really excited to show the twins around the school; even though they had spent the summer in Beacon Hills ever since they were five, they had never stepped foot inside the high school.
It was a new territory for them and he could imagine they were almost as scared as freshmen on their first days. But lucky for them, he knew all the ins and outs of the place- like how the back seats in the cafeteria were always covered in food, or how the lacrosse team was one of the best from the local area.
"Like I would rather be buried six feet below than enter the stupid place. I'm telling you right now, it's gonna be full of girls who think they run the place, quiet girls, nerds, theatre kids, the jocks and everyone else," Max quipped, raising his hands in surrender when his aunt cast a glare over her shoulder. People didn't appreciate entertainment nowadays, huh?
Jade clapped her hands together, grabbing a cookie from the box on the table and pushing her chair in with her foot, wobbling unsteadily on the other. "Right, I'm off to bed," she mumbled through a mouth full of food, ignoring her soaked hair from her shower dripping down the back of her sweater. Kissing her aunt on the cheek and waving a hand lazily at the boys, she trudged upstairs before slamming the door closed behind her. Phew.
Who knew how much energy playing monopoly would take? Definitely not her. Rubbing her knuckles into her eyes, she flicked her wrist before flopping onto the bed. The contents of the remaining boxes that had remained untouched for the last two weeks, flew into their appropriate places. Setting her alarm for early in the morning, she pulled the covers up over her head, refusing to let the thoughts in.
But she could only hide for so long.