Lament

Chapter Three

The last thing I wanted to do was wake up in the morning. However, my responsibilities for the day beckoned me to rise.

I groaned as I sat up and opened my eyes. Blake still wasn't on the floor, and his rumpled bedding remained untouched.

It didn't take long for me to notice the pile of clothes on my nightstand. I slipped on one of Maggie's clean dresses before going downstairs. I threw my mess of brown hair up into a binder and groggily entered the kitchen, where the Doctor sat by himself.

"Terra," he acknowledged me as I entered, "why are you awake so early?"

"What time is it?" I asked.

"4," he responded, pointing a finger toward a clock on the side of the room. I was suddenly aware of the dim moonlight seeping in through the window.

"I guess my body won't let me sleep right now." I offered an explanation.

"You can sit if you'd like." The Doctor said. I took up his offer and sat down.

"Thank you for everything. I'll try to repay you in any way." I said, my throat getting tight with emotion.

"Can you convince my son to go with you?" The Doctor requested, looking into my eyes. His strong face displayed indescribable pain.

"I-" I stuttered, thinking. "I don't think Blake would listen to me."

"Nonsense; he loves you. Everyone does. Please just do us all this favor and keep my boy safe."

"I'll do what I can." I said quietly. There was a cold silence. After a moment, the stillness was broken by the Doctor wiping away a few fallen teardrops. Instinctively, I rested my hand on his arm in a comforting manner. He forced a smile up to me before rising from his seat.

"I have to go work." He said.

"Are you sure you can handle this?" I asked, concerned.

"I'll have to," he sighed as he walked out the door, leaving me in deafening silence. I felt numb. I must have sat there for hours, just staring and thinking. What if she did come home? What would she do if she found Violet and I to be gone? I forced the thoughts out of my mind. My mother was not coming home, nor would she care if we'd left.

"Terra?" I heard after a while. Peter was standing behind me, towering over me.

"Yeah?" I said, shaking away my unwanted thoughts.

"Are you ready to go?"

I paused, staring down at the floor.

"I suppose I don't have much of a choice." I said, standing up.

"My Mother will be down soon and then you can leave." He said quietly. I nodded, walking slowly toward the window. What I saw was astonishing.

There before me, standing in the lot that once contained our house, stood my mother. I muttered a bewildered profanity and walked outside. I took a few cautious steps toward the woman, who held a half empty bottle in her grasp.

"Mom?" I called out quietly. The woman spun around, revealing her face to be as ragged as it always had been.

"What the hell happened? Where's your sister?" She demanded, her voice slurred.

"The house burned down. Violet and I are staying with the Turner family." I explained emotionlessly.

"Who the hell are they?" She asked, taking a step toward me. I stepped back reflectively.

"The neighbors. Doctor Turner and his family. You know them." I said coldly. The woman made a bitter face, glaring at the house I had come from.

"I'm here for your sister. I'm taking you both back with me."