Sibling spotlight - billie and Finneas story

Unraveling

Chapter: Unraveling

Billie sat on the edge of the couch, her hands gripping the fabric so tightly her knuckles had turned white. Finneas paced across the living room, his anxiety palpable. Every few seconds, his eyes darted to the door as if expecting Y/N to walk through it at any moment. But deep down, they both knew it wouldn’t be that easy.

“I don’t understand,” Billie whispered, more to herself than to Finneas. “How did she even get out of the house without us hearing? We were both asleep… and she just—left?”

Finneas stopped pacing, running his hand through his hair in frustration. “We should’ve known something was wrong. She hasn’t been herself for weeks, but I thought we were making progress. She was playing music again, she seemed—”

“—better,” Billie finished, her voice cracking. “I thought so too, but maybe… maybe she was just pretending. Trying to keep it together for us.”

Billie’s mind raced back to last night, playing over every detail she could remember. Y/N had seemed quiet, withdrawn, but that wasn’t new. They had both thought she just needed time, that she was still healing. But now, Billie realized they had missed something—something crucial. Y/N hadn’t been okay, and they hadn’t seen it.

“What if she was trying to tell us something, and we didn’t hear her?” Billie asked, her voice thick with guilt.

Finneas shook his head, his jaw clenched. “We should’ve stayed up with her. I should’ve talked to her before bed, made sure she was okay. This is on me.”

“No, it’s not,” Billie snapped, standing up and crossing the room to face her brother. “Don’t do that, Finneas. Don’t blame yourself. We couldn’t have known—”

“But we should’ve known!” Finneas interrupted, his voice louder than he intended. He quickly lowered it, taking a deep breath. “We’ve been so focused on trying to help her that we didn’t see what she really needed.”

Billie shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. She tried to push them back, but the weight of everything was too much. “What if she left because of us? What if she felt like she couldn’t talk to us?”

Finneas stared at the floor, his mind swirling with the same question. Y/N had always been quiet, but this? Sneaking out in the middle of the night, not telling anyone where she was going? It wasn’t like her. And now she was gone, and they didn’t know why—or worse, where she was.

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Meanwhile, with Y/N...

Y/N’s entire body ached, her mind foggy with pain and fear. She had managed to sit up, her back against the cold, rough wall of the warehouse. Her cheek was swollen, and she could feel the dull, throbbing pain in her ribs where the man had kicked her. Every breath hurt, but she forced herself to stay calm.

She had to think, had to figure out what to do next. The man wasn’t in the room anymore, but she could hear him moving around somewhere in the building. Her heart raced, every sound making her flinch.

Her mind drifted back to last night—when she had quietly slipped out of the house. She had just wanted some air, a break from the overwhelming thoughts that had been consuming her lately. The weight of the comments, the pressure of fame, the constant feeling that she wasn’t good enough—it had all been too much. And she hadn’t wanted to burden Finneas or Billie with it. They were always worried about her, always watching her so closely.

She had thought the walk would clear her head, that she’d come back home before they even noticed. But now… now she was here, trapped and terrified, with no way out.

Y/N winced as she shifted her position, trying to find a way to ease the pain in her side. The man had hurt her, but he hadn’t killed her. Yet. She didn’t know what he wanted or why, but one thing was clear: she had to get out of here, before things got worse.

As she sat there, trying to focus through the pain, she heard footsteps approaching again. Her body tensed, fear prickling at her skin. The man was coming back.

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Back at home...

The clock ticked loudly in the quiet house, every second feeling like an eternity. Billie and Finneas sat together now, their worry etched across their faces. They had been over every detail, trying to piece together how Y/N had left the house without them knowing. Neither of them could remember hearing anything during the night—no doors creaking, no footsteps. It was like she had just disappeared.

“I feel so stupid,” Billie muttered, rubbing her temples. “How could we not hear her leave? We’ve been watching her so closely, and she just… slipped away.”

Finneas sighed, staring blankly at the floor. “She’s been holding everything in. All the pressure, the comments, the expectations… it was too much for her, and we didn’t see it.”

Billie wiped at her eyes, the frustration and fear boiling over. “We’ve been so focused on keeping her safe, and now she’s out there—somewhere—and we don’t even know if she’s okay.”

Finneas nodded silently, the same thoughts weighing on him. He couldn’t stop thinking about Y/N, alone in the dark, scared and vulnerable. He hated the idea that she had been feeling so lost, so overwhelmed, and they hadn’t done enough to help her.

“What if she was trying to leave for good?” Billie asked softly, the thought terrifying her.

Finneas immediately shook his head. “No. She wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t leave us like that.”

But even as he said the words, doubt crept into his mind. Had Y/N been so desperate to escape the pressure that she had run away? Or worse—had someone taken her?

The thought was unbearable, but they had to face the reality that something had happened to Y/N, and it wasn’t just her taking a late-night walk.

“We need to figure out when she left,” Billie said, her voice shaking. “Maybe that will help us understand where she went.”

Finneas nodded in agreement, but the gnawing fear in his gut told him that it wasn’t going to be that simple. Y/N hadn’t just left—she had been taken. He could feel it in his bones, and it scared him more than anything he’d ever experienced.

“Let’s just hope the police can help,” Finneas whispered, though he wasn’t sure if he believed it.

Billie swallowed hard, trying to keep herself together. They couldn’t afford to fall apart—not when Y/N needed them more than ever.