"Beth," I mumble, still barely awake. "No, Beth..."
I jolt awake, rubbing my eyes. My peace is interrupted by a loud scream from Beth. I gently grab her arm and she sharply pulls away.
"Beth. Beth! Wake up!" I yell.
"Please don't hurt me! I'm sorry, Via!" she whimpers. I shake her shoulder, trying to wake her up. She starts to thrash around, kicking at me.
"Jesus, Beth," I mutter. I wince as she kicks the side of my calf, her toenail scraping my skin. It happens before I can stop it.
"Mmm, Via?" Beth mumbles, waking up. I feel myself fall off the bed, but I never register actually landing. "Via!"
I'm choking. I can't breathe. I can't move. Shit. Fuck. Beth leans in to kiss me. I'm faintly aware of the sound of screaming. I sit on the floor, gasping.
"Via? You there, kiddo?" Groff. My vision slightly clears and I see Beth holding up her phone. She's avoiding eye contact with me, holding her cheek. I can't get my voice to work. I can't talk to him. "Beth, can we have a minute alone?"
"Yeah." Beth quickly leaves. I stare at the floor, unable to say anything.
"You're probably mute right now, so I'm just going to talk." I sit against the wall, trying to get my breathing back to normal. "So, Mark and I have been talking. Umm, what would you say if we adopted a new kid?"
Wait, what? What about me? What about Beth? I can't actually say any of these things, though. I hang up the phone, unlocking it. I go to Beth's messages, tapping on Groff's contact.
V: What the hell is wrong with you?
G: I'm assuming that means you're not a fan?
V: Aren't Beth and I enough?
G: You're not being replaced, Via. Don't think that you are. Mark and I just want to help another kid have a good life.
G: I still love you. I always will. You'll always be my child. We just want to start a new chapter.
I turn off the phone, tossing it on the bed. There's a knock on the door, and Beth walks in with a cup of coffee. She kneels down, handing me the cup and wiping off tears I didn't know were there.
"Can I have a hug?" she whispers. I quickly nod, pulling her towards me. "I'm guessing the call didn't go well?"
"He wants another kid," I mumble. "Because, apparently, I wasn't enough of a burden."
"Well, isn't that good? He's adopting more kids that need help."
"It's just- I'm worried about being replaced. I've gotten so attached, and--"
"Via, you're an adult."
"No, Beth. You don't get it. This isn't about my independence, or my age. This is about the fact that everyone I've ever trusted in my life has betrayed me."
"We're human, Via. We make mistakes. Besides, when have I--"
"Senior year of high school," I snap. Beth blushes, looking away. "Sorry."
"And, still, we're married."
"My foster family's out of jail," I mutter. "Just found out."
"Don't you have, like, six of them?" I pull up my pant legs, looking away as I show Beth my scars. "Those are the people who kidnapped Olivia? And they're being released?"
"I mean, they're in Britain, but they're being released." Beth sharply exhales. "Beth, I'm terrified that they'll find me again. That they'll show up at the stage door, that they'll take you."
"Calm down," Beth whispers. She plays with my hair, smiling softly. "How'd you find out?"
"Google. I've been looking them up once every few months." She shakes her head, kissing my cheek. "I guess that's why I lost it when you kicked my leg."
"Oh, I did? I'm sorry, handsome." She kisses my cheek, smiling softly. "I love you."
"We should go back to bed." She nods, holding out her arms. I pick her up, carrying her to the bed. She falls asleep quickly, wrapping herself around me. "I love you, beautiful."
She relaxes in her sleep, resting her head on my arm. I close my eyes, trying to calm down from my panic attack.