Never Alone (Part 2)

Part 1

Stevie checked the time and sighed, seeing it was well past midnight. She wished, she could lie down and just fall asleep. She hadn't been able to rest for months now. Once everyone went to bed, she would sit by herself and write or draw, occasionally enjoy a glass of wine, because going to bed at a reasonable just wasn't going to work, she'd learned that after multiple failed attempts. She liked to lie to herself that it was because her children were not really kids anymore, well, except Dylan maybe, who was 13-years-old, but not Madison or Danielle. Madison was 19 already and while Danielle was 16, only 16 in Stevie's mind, she certainly didn't act it. They didn't need her as much anymore. She didn't have to put them to bed or wake up early and have a wide variety of choice for breakfast ready, while they were just waking up. She had all this time to herself and she didn't know, what to do with it. Or that was what she told herself.

Another hour ticked by and Stevie closed her journal, having decided it was time for bed after all. With her journal in one hand, she scooped up her beloved pet with the other. As she switched off the lights in the family room and turned to head out of, Stevie was met by Danielle, her eyes wide as she stood at the top of the stairs.

"M-mom." Danielle stuttered, she gulped. "I was just-"

"Why are you all dressed up?" Stevie frowned, letting go of Sulamith so she could fold her arms over her chest. "Do you have any idea, what time it is?"

"Uh, yeah." The teenager nodded. She had been caught and she didn't know, how to get herself out of the situation. "I haven't gone to bed yet. It's late, I know, but I was just coming downstairs for a glass of water."

While she listened to her daughter's terrible lie, Stevie climbed the stairs and narrowed her eyes at Danielle. "Were you trying to sneak out of the house?"

"What, no!" Danielle insisted, hanging her head low as if she could hide her made up face. 

"You're lying." Stevie stated the obvious. "What the hell has gotten into you? You've tried this before. Wasn't being grounded for two weeks enough?"

"You've only caught me once." Danielle shrugged, quickly realizing, what had come out of her mouth. "I mean-"

"Are you saying, you have snuck out? And gone where? Where were you trying to go tonight? And at this hour?" Question after question, Stevie saw several different emotions on Danielle's face. "Turn around and go back to your room."

"No." Danielle shook her head. "My friends are waiting for me."

"Excuse me? Have you forgotten that you're only 16?" 

"So what? I'm not a little kid anymore!" Daniele stomped her foot acting exactly as a child. "It's not like you were any better at that age."

"What's with the attitude?" Stevie asked. She used to think that Danielle was just being a teenager, but things had been getting considerably worse lately. "I'm your mother, you can't speak to me like that."

"I haven't even-"

"Go to your room." Stevie ordered again. "You are not leaving this house. You're not going out in the middle of the night, dressed up like that. Do you have any idea, what kind of danger you could get yourself into?"

"Oh my God!" Danielle yelled out, not really considering the other sleeping residents of the house. "I'm going to look so stupid among my friends and it's all because of you!"

"I'd rather you hate me while you're safe under my roof than-" Stevie stopped herself, she couldn't even think about it, a made up scenario or not.

"I do hate you!" Danielle shouted. "I wish, Dad was here!" She added, before slamming the door to her room.