1.1 | daunting medleys

fifty-five | confide in me

Tabitha and her father talked, for most of the day. Tears were spilt, mostly from her dad. Talia had joined them at a point, her boyfriend clearly gone. Tabitha's room a meeting spot for them. She had, with shaky limbs, told them what she had gone through with her mother and her father stormed out. She watched him leave, knowing he had every right to be upset with her.

Talia was sitted beside her, just as silent as she'd been since she came in. "Can I see it?" Tabitha paused, hands stilling before she nodded slowly. She took off her sweater, leaving the sport bra she was wearing underneath. Talia, with cold fingers, pulled up the material. Tabitha's eyes were shut firmly, and she had to constantly remind herself that it was Talia, not her mother. The older woman was far away, and would hopefully never come back.

Her fingers skimmed the scar on her back, and fear, disguised as chills gripped her bones. Talia released the material from her grip, and was silent for a while.

"How could you?" She questioned quietly, crying. Tabitha was shaking. "You kept this from us, from dad, from me?" She was sobbing. Tabitha felt horrible, she wanted to console her sister, but she couldn't. She did keep from Talia, because she had to. She didn't want to burden her, Talia didn't deserve to be weighed down with Tabitha's issues.

Tabitha pulled on the sweater instantly, hands shaking as they fumbled to put on the clothing. "I'm sorry." She said softly, as her sister cried before her. "I... I didn't want you to-"

"No. You don't get to make it seem as if you were saving me from her! Our mother had been abusing you, Tabitha and you didn't say anything. I'm supposed to be your twin. Your sister. You are supposed to confide in me."

Tabitha stared at her intently, as she struggled to look into the angered, reddened eyes of her sister. "Like you do with me?"

She paused. "That's not the same thing." Talia argued.

Tabitha could feel a headache coming on, she fiddled with the end of her sleeve, looking for anything to distract her from the impending argument. "Yes. It is. And you know it. We don't talk the way we used to. We aren't as close as we used to be and you know it. I'm sorry that you're hurt. But you had things going on for you. Scouts were coming to your games and you have an amazing athletic career ahead of you. I would feel horrible if you ended up being distracted and losing any chances because of me." Tabitha admitted, her eyes glancing at the pink in her sweater's sleeve.

"That wasn't for you to decide." Talia said, all the fight seemingly sucked dry. She leaned against Tabitha. "It hurt when the police asked me if I knew anything about it, and I said no. I'm supposed to know. I'm supposed to be your confidant. I want to help find her and put her away, but I'm no help if I don't know anything."

Tabitha was tired, and she let her sister hold her. Her head was in Talia's lap, and her fingers soothed the incoming pain in Tabitha's scalp. "I'm sorry."

"I know. I'm sorry too."

Tabitha didn't say anything. They sat in silence, as she let her eyes dart to the door, hoping that her dad would come in.

He didn't.

Talia glanced at Tabitha, and brushed hair off her cheeks. "He feels guilty that he didn't know, or that he didn't notice."

Guilt pricked at her insides, and let out a shaky breath. She sighed softly, knowing he was too upset to come in again. "I know. I'm sorry."

Tabitha got up, and gingerly went to her dad's office. Growing up, her father's office was always off limits, where she'd never enter because she wasn't allowed to. Perhaps because it was his safe space from the chaos that engulfed them all, just the way her room was to her. Now, she could knock and know that she'd be let in. Because everything had changed. Tabitha knocked, and hearing a faint come in, she walked in. "Dad? I'm sorry." She apologized, not daring to meet the older man in the eyes. He was seated on the chairs by the bookshelf, head in his hand.

"Come here, sweetheart." He lifted his head to look at her with reddened eyes. Tabitha could feel her heart squeeze in pain. "I'm not upset with you. I'm upset with myself. How fucking stupid must I have been to not realise you were being abused under my roof, and I couldn't even tell. God, I'm so sorry." He said, finally breaking down in sobs.

Tabitha let out a tear, and went to sit beside him. He stilled as if he expected her to be upset with him. "It's not your fault. I should've said something but I didn't. She said it was best for me, and that it would help me. She said the violins were wasting my time." He was shaking, and his hands shook as they fixed his watch. "I didn't want to be a disappointment." Tabitha added quietly.

"You can never be a disappointment. I've always been so proud of you." He said, his voice barely above a whisper. "When your mother told me that you decided to stop playing, I was confused because you've always been so talented with musical instruments. I was so tempted to check if you were a prodigy." He chuckled, and the warmth in his voice made her tear up, not that she hadn't been crying. The uncomfortability was pushing into her skin, and scratched the skin on her wrist. "But you stopped, and I was fine with it. If you want, I could buy you another one. I can convert your mother's room to a music room. I can get you a piano and any other instruments you want."

Tabitha's giggle was light and airy, completely different from the heavy tones in the room, and she leaned on his shoulder. She wanted to, desperately wanted to, but she didn't deserve an instrument. Not when she couldn't protect the one she had. "I know, and I'm so grateful, but I'm not ready to play the violin yet. I am fine with teaching the kids at the orphanage to drum but not anything else."

"Okay then." That was all he said, and they fell into silence. Tabitha knew that there were still wounds that festered, but they'd spoken and that was fine. She would go for her sessions, so she'd would overcome everything that plagued her mind, for herself and her family.

"Oliver seems like a good boy." She, with burning cheeks, whipped her head up to look at her father. Tabitha, then remembered that she had seen them talking when she had initially gone downstairs. "Don't look so surprised. He asked me for my permission to take you out on a date tomorrow. He's very polite so that's a bonus point, but I'm your dad so I'm supposed to hate everyone that's interested in you."

Tabitha's fingers caught the thick clothing of her sweater, nervously tugging on it. "Oh. He didn't tell me that he asked you for your permission." Her cheeks must've been hot enough to roast anything. "What did you say?" She asked, her focus darting to see the amused twinkle in his eyes.

"I said your curfew is 11. Now, go back into the kitchen and get something to eat. I noticed you didn't eat much. While, I need to call the police about their progress on finding your mother."