The Storm Inside

Chapter Three: Trust

A/N: I didn't intend for this to be so long 💀

"I don't look like me," I said softly, looking at my reflection in the tinted mirror backstage.

They'd styled my hair and made it flat and stick straight, killing the curl. And while they'd given me "natural" makeup, I still looked very different. I looked much older and I didn't like it.

"You look pretty," Valerie's soft voice said behind me. They had also tried to make her look older and given her quite mature and pronounced makeup,but she was still clearly a child, so it was jarring. "But we're going on TV. Of course they're gonna style you a bit."

"I wanted to go investigate the orphanage," I complained. "Not to an interview."

"You will," Valerie promised. "When we're done. People just wanna know what happened."

Evianna grimaced as she touched her hair. "Oh god, what did they put in this? I can't wait to go back to your place and wash this all out."

"I can just feel the damage," I complained. "I'm so glad I stopped that lady from using relaxer."

"You're on in five minutes," a stressed looking woman with a microphone headset told us, coming into the small room. "Wait, where's the fourth one?"

"She'll be here," I promised, and she left again. "The fourth one," I muttered. These people were so rude.

"Have you heard from Beatrix at all?" Valerie asked me.

"No," I admitted. "Not after I told her about the interview."

"And when was that?"

"Two days ago," I said with a sigh. "Radio silence ever since."

"Four minutes," Valerie said, looking down at her phone. "We can't keep waiting for her."

"I could go and try to find her," I said. I knew I wouldn't be able to track her down in four minutes. When Beatrix didn't want to be found, she wasn't. But maybe I could use it as an excuse to get out of this interview.

"There's no time," Evianna said. "We'll have to do it without her."

We huddled behind the door in the small room, waiting as the minutes passed. I was already regretting agreeing to it.

"Is it too late to back out?" Valerie asked, echoing my thoughts.

"Yep," Evianna said. "Maybe you guys should do the talking. I don't really wanna tell the whole world about how I was on Thomas's side for a while."

The whole world. I hated how much attention our story was getting in the media. Everyone was talking about the kids with powers, trying to connect the dots themselves though they knew nothing about what had really happened.

"At least it's not in front of a live audience," Valerie said. "I think I would have died of anxiety before we even got out there."

"Does that mean I have to do all the talking?" I asked with a sigh.

"I'll introduce us. You do the rest," Valerie said.

"Introduce us to who, though?" Evianna said. "What show is this even gonna go on?"

"The Lauren and Larry show," Valerie explained. "I used to watch them a ton, they do interviews with people involved in cases that get a ton of media attention."

"Lauren and Larry?" I whispered. "That's such an unfortunate name."

We stifled any noise, holding onto each other and shaking with silent laughter. It wasn't even that funny, but we needed something to laugh about.