Daughter of a Witch

Unspoken Worries

WARNING!! Talks of ED, angst, sneaking out, I think that's everything!

It had been weeks since Y/n last sat down for dinner with Agatha, Rio, and Billy. At first, it was small things-coming home late from school, eating in her room, skipping family movie nights. She always had an excuse: too much homework, tiredness, or just needing space. Agatha and Rio had noticed, but they didn't push. Not at first.

But tonight, the silence stretched too far.

"Y/n, you're barely around anymore," Rio said, crossing her arms as she leaned against the kitchen counter. "You've missed dinner four times this week."

Y/n didn't look up from her phone, sitting at the edge of the couch, pretending to be engrossed in whatever meaningless feed she was scrolling through. "I eat. Just not here," she muttered.

Agatha glanced at Rio with a worried look before stepping in. "Sweetheart, we understand you're busy, but this family thing? It's a two-way street."

Billy, sitting at the table picking at his spaghetti, shifted uncomfortably. "It's been kind of weird without you," he added quietly.

Y/n sighed, rubbing her temples. "I'm not a kid, okay? I don't need to be here 24/7. I'm fine."

"Are you?" Rio asked, the tension in her voice barely masked now. "Because, Y/n, it doesn't feel that way. You've been isolating yourself, skipping meals, and-"

"It's nothing," Y/n snapped, standing up abruptly. "God, I don't need a constant check-in every second of my life."

Agatha put a hand on her hip, her voice calm but firm. "We're not trying to check in every second. But you can't just avoid us forever."

Y/n's jaw clenched, and a lump formed in her throat. She wanted to yell, to storm off, but something deep down held her there. "It's just... I'm tired, okay? School, people, everything. Can we not do this right now?"

Rio's expression softened, but she wasn't backing down. "We're your family, Y/n. We care. And when you shut us out, it hurts."

Y/n laughed bitterly, shaking her head and walking upstairs while mumbling, "Family. Right."

She couldn't breathe. Her hands trembled as she locked the door, shutting out the world-the only world she had known for the last ten years. Sliding down against the door, she pressed her knees to her chest, feeling the ache of her words and their weight in her heart.

Later that night, when she was sure her moms were asleep, Y/n grabbed her backpack, climbed out her window, and headed to Kate Barton's house. Kate always understood when things got too overwhelming. "You can crash here," Kate said softly, handing her a blanket and saying nothing more.

For the next few days, Y/n drifted through life like a ghost. She went to school, came home, and locked herself in her room without so much as a word to Agatha or Rio. Meals went uneaten. Excuses mumbled when they knocked on her door. Billy would knock, too, lingering longer than the others, but she ignored him.

Agatha and Rio watched in quiet concern. Y/n's usual spark was missing, her once-bright energy now replaced by a hollow silence. They had thought she'd come around after the fight-but she hadn't.

One evening, Agatha stood outside Y/n's door, knocking gently. "Sweetheart? I made your favorite dinner."

No response.

Rio sighed from the hallway, looking at Agatha with tired eyes. "I hate this," she whispered. "She's shutting us out."

Agatha nodded solemnly. "She needs space, but..." Her eyes flickered with concern. "She's barely eating, Rio."

"I know," Rio whispered, pressing a hand to her forehead. "We'll figure it out."

When they finally peeked into her room later that night, expecting to find Y/n up and scrolling through her phone, they instead found her curled up in bed, seemingly asleep. Agatha's heart clenched at how small she looked beneath the blankets. The dim glow from her bedside lamp illuminated her face, and it was then that they noticed-her cheeks seemed a little thinner, her frame smaller.

Rio leaned down first, pressing a gentle kiss to Y/n's forehead. "Goodnight, baby," she whispered, brushing a strand of hair from Y/n's face.

Agatha followed suit, lingering for a second longer. "We love you, kid," she murmured softly.

Y/n felt exhaustion weighing on her shoulders the next day at school. Her stomach churned with emptiness, but the food didn't sound appealing anymore. She could barely focus, and by the time her vision blurred in the middle of class, everything went black.

When she woke up, sterile white hospital walls greeted her, and she blinked against the harsh lighting. The steady beep of the monitor next to her filled the silence. Panic flooded her chest when she saw Agatha and Rio sitting beside her bed, worry etched deep into their faces.

Agatha was the first to speak, her voice softer than Y/n had ever heard it. "You passed out at school, honey."

Y/n swallowed, avoiding their gazes. "I'm fine," she mumbled.

Rio raised an eyebrow, arms crossed. "The doctor doesn't think so." Her tone was firm but not unkind. "She said you're malnourished, Y/n."

Y/n's eyes stung with unshed tears. "I don't want to talk about it," she whispered.

Rio sighed and leaned forward. "Sweetheart, if you don't start talking, I will go and have a very long chat with your doctor."

Y/n's head snapped up, eyes wide. "You wouldn't."

Agatha gave her a look. "She would."

Y/n stared down at her hands, her defenses slowly crumbling. After a long pause, she finally whispered, "It's just... It feels like I'm never going to really belong. Like, no matter how long I'm here, I'll always just be some foster kid who could get taken away at any moment."

Both Rio and Agatha visibly deflated, their hearts breaking at her confession.

Agatha reached out, gently taking Y/n's hand. "Sweetheart, we wanted to tell you sooner... but your biological mom is still around. She's been making the adoption process complicated."

Rio's voice softened. "It's not because we don't want you. God, Y/n, you are ours. You've always been ours. We just-there are legal hoops we have to jump through, and we didn't want to stress you out with it."

Tears welled in Y/n's eyes as she looked between them. "So... it's not that you don't want me?"

Agatha's expression turned fierce. "Never. We love you, and we will fight for you, always."

Rio nodded firmly. "You're not temporary, Y/n. You're family. And we're not giving up on you."

A small, shaky smile broke across Y/n's face. "I just... I was scared," she admitted.

Agatha kissed the top of her head, holding her close. "We know, honey. And we're so sorry you felt like you had to carry that alone."

Once Y/n was discharged, they all went home together. That evening, Y/n found herself curled up in Agatha's arms on the couch, Rio sitting beside them with an arm around Agatha, and Billy wedged in next to Rio, offering her his favorite snacks as a peace offering.

"Don't do that again, okay?" Billy muttered, nudging her. "You scared me."

Y/n gave him a small smile, reaching for his hand. "I'm sorry, B."

Agatha pressed a kiss to her forehead. "We're going to get through this together, okay?"

Y/n sighed, feeling the warmth of her family around her. "Yeah. Together."

And for the first time in days, she felt like she belonged.