Sibling spotlight - billie and Finneas story

Fragile shifts

Chapter 49: Fragile Shifts

Y/N bounced up from the couch, suddenly full of energy. She grabbed a pillow and tossed it at Billie, laughing like a carefree kid. “Pillow fight!” she exclaimed, her eyes momentarily bright with a spark of the youthful joy she had once exuded so naturally.

Billie caught the pillow mid-air, surprised but laughing along. “Oh, it’s on!” she teased, tossing it back as Finneas watched from the side with a small smile. For a moment, the living room was filled with playful shouts and the sound of pillows being flung across the room. Y/N darted around, giggling as she ducked and dodged her siblings’ half-hearted attempts to hit her back.

It was like Y/N had regressed, acting her age—or maybe even younger. She was carefree, almost like the dark cloud looming over her had never existed. Her laughter echoed through the room, and for a few moments, it seemed like everything was normal again.

But Finneas could see it—the shifts. He exchanged a glance with Billie, who seemed to be thinking the same thing. This wasn’t normal, at least not for Y/N anymore. She went from being closed off, flinching at their touch, to suddenly throwing herself into childish games like nothing was wrong.

“She’s just being sixteen,” Billie whispered when she caught Finneas’s worried look.

“Yeah, but… she hasn’t been like this in so long. It feels… off,” he murmured back, careful not to let Y/N hear.

Billie nodded, her smile faltering for a moment as she watched Y/N dance around the living room, still caught in her playful high. She was laughing and jumping, spinning around like a little girl in a world free of worry. And as much as Billie and Finneas wanted to bask in this version of their sister, the one who seemed light and happy, they couldn’t shake the concern that it was fleeting—just another layer masking the deeper pain.

Y/N suddenly stopped mid-spin, breathing heavily, her face flushed with excitement. She plopped back onto the couch, grabbing a stuffed animal that had been sitting in the corner. Hugging it tightly to her chest, she smiled up at them. “You guys are the best,” she said with a genuine warmth that made their hearts swell and ache at the same time.

Billie sat down next to her, brushing a stray lock of hair behind Y/N’s ear. “You feeling okay, Y/N?”

Y/N looked up, her smile faltering for a second before quickly returning. “Yeah, I’m good. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Finneas sat down on the other side of her, his eyes scanning her face for any sign of the sadness that had lingered there just this morning. “We just want to make sure you’re alright. You’ve been… kind of up and down lately.”

Y/N shrugged, hugging the stuffed animal closer. “I’m fine. I’m just trying to have fun, you know? Not everything has to be so serious.”

Billie and Finneas exchanged another look over her head. This was what worried them—the emotional whiplash. One minute, Y/N was completely closed off, lost in her own mind, avoiding their touch and hiding from the world. The next, she was bouncing around like a kid, acting as though none of the darkness had ever touched her.

It was exhausting for both of them to watch, let alone imagine what it must feel like for her.

Billie rested a hand on Y/N’s shoulder. “You know you don’t have to push yourself, right? If you’re not feeling up for things, you can just tell us.”

Y/N frowned, her eyes darting between her siblings, suddenly wary. “I’m not pushing myself. I’m just… I want to feel normal again.”

Finneas nodded, trying to sound as comforting as possible. “We get that. But it’s okay if you’re not feeling up for pretending all the time. You don’t always have to act like everything’s fine.”

Y/N’s face darkened for a split second, and she pulled away slightly, her body retreating into itself. “I’m not pretending,” she said quietly, but her voice lacked conviction.

Billie sighed softly, knowing that pressing too hard might push Y/N away again. “We just want to make sure you’re okay, that’s all.”

Y/N nodded but didn’t say anything. She curled back into herself on the couch, still clutching the stuffed animal tightly. The energy from earlier seemed to drain out of her, like a balloon slowly deflating. The sudden shift was jarring, and both Billie and Finneas noticed it immediately.

“I’m tired,” Y/N mumbled after a few moments, her voice barely above a whisper.

Finneas exchanged a look with Billie again, both of them thinking the same thing—this was emotionally exhausting for all of them, but it had to be so much worse for Y/N.

Billie leaned forward, brushing a hand across Y/N’s back. “Why don’t we put on another movie? Something light.”

Y/N didn’t respond, just curled deeper into the couch, her back to them now. It was as though the energy had left her completely, the brief flash of childlike joy vanishing as quickly as it had come.

Finneas sighed, standing up slowly. “I’ll get us some snacks or something,” he said quietly, leaving the room to give them a moment. He couldn’t help but feel that their little sister was slipping in and out of these emotional phases like it was a storm they couldn’t quite predict.

Billie stayed close to Y/N, her heart aching as she watched her sister close off again. One moment Y/N had been acting like a carefree kid, and now she was pulling away, retreating into that guarded place where no one could reach her.

The laughter from earlier now felt like a distant memory.

As much as they wanted to keep Y/N grounded in her innocence and joy, the storm of emotions she was battling inside was far more complicated than they could understand. And as Billie stroked Y/N’s back, hoping to comfort her, she couldn’t help but wonder how long it would be before Y/N found herself again—before they all found peace.