ℒ𝒾𝓋𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒪𝓃 𝒯𝒽ℯ 𝒟𝒶𝓃𝒸ℯ ℱ𝓁ℴℴ𝓇 [𝐁𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝟏]

𝟐.𝟏𝟗- 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐫

Authors Note!

Hey, y'all!
Happy Thanksgiving!
(I know it's almost over, but it isn't quite yet).
Two chapters ago I had Emily and Maddie perform the duet Inside of Me. Well, I realized in chapter 2.05 I had Emily and Chloé perform the same duet. So instead of doing Inside of Me in chapter 2.18, Emily and Maddie performed a duet called Masterpiece.
⬇

They will also be performing it in this chapter! Enjoy!

- Emms

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˚✧.⋅₊˚ ‧ 🩰⋅୨୧ ⋅🦢  ‧₊˚ ⋅.✧˚

["Dance To Express, Not Impress"]

Katie glanced over at the table where Emily and the twins sat, her hands full of plates she'd just washed. Emily's body language was stiff, her head down as she fiddled with a row of pens laid out neatly in front of her. Meanwhile, Kaiya and Kayden chattered away, oblivious to Emily's distraction.

Setting the dishes aside, Katie dried her hands and walked over to the table, sliding into the chair next to Emily, "Hey, guys," she said with a warm smile. "How were your days?"

The twins immediately launched into excited chatter, "We won dodgeball in PE!" Kaiya exclaimed.

"Yeah! I got the last kid out!" Kayden added proudly, raising his fists in triumph.

Katie smiled at their enthusiasm, nodding along as they recounted the match. Once they finished, she turned her attention to Emily, "What about you, sweetie? How was school?"

Emily didn't respond. Her focus remained fixed on the table, where she was meticulously organizing her pens in alphabetical order, her hands working methodically.

Katie frowned, "Emily?"

Still no response.

Katie reached out, gently touching Emily's hand, "Emily, stop for a minute."

Emily glanced up, her brow furrowed in frustration, "I can't stop. If I don't finish, I'll have to restart."

Katie's heart sank. This wasn't the first time she'd seen Emily get caught up in these little routines. She'd been noticing them more and more lately- especially when Emily was anxious.

"Emily," Katie said softly, taking her daughter's hands and moving them away from the pens. "This isn't normal."

Emily's breathing hitched, and panic flashed across her face, "Mom, don't-"

Katie held firm, her tone gentle but serious, "You don't have to do this, Emily. It's okay if the pens aren't perfect."

Emily's chest rose and fell quickly, her hands trembling in Katie's grasp, "No, it's not okay! I have to finish, or-"

"Or what?" Katie pressed gently.

Emily's voice faltered, "I don't know. It just has to be right, okay?"

Katie leaned closer, keeping her voice calm, "Honey, I've noticed these little routines you do- when you're anxious, when you're stressed. You do them all the time."