Liza and Maisie had indeed managed to get back to the group home safely.
As they neared the corner of the building, Maisie noticed something seriously wrong and completely stopped in her tracks.
"Liza? My..my bear.. it's missing" . The younger girl looked up at her sister in utter shock as her face pinched up.
That bear had been Liza's before it had been transferred to Maisie. It had been a birthday gift to Liza from their now dead parents and was simply priceless to the both of them. The amount of importance the bear held to the both of them could not be described, and Liza had to choke back a sob of her own before speaking to Maisie.
"Maisie.. I'll go back tomorrow and try to get it.. It's okay.."
But nothing about this situation was okay. Liza was honestly terrified to go back and face the security guard and Taylor. In situations when she needed confidence she would normally turn to Taylor's music, but now that left a sour taste in her mouth. How was she going to go back there?
Taylor, her idol, had just stood there while her security threatened the two of them with police action. For years Liza had dreamed of meeting her idol, and in all her dreaming, she had never imagined a situation as bad as this.
Taylor just stood there. Liza couldn't get that out of her head. With a sinking feeling she began to think that her idol maybe was not as kindhearted and genuine as she previously thought but she couldn't dwell further on that thought. Taylor had gotten her through so much, and she knew that if she thought about it longer, the realization would simply crush her spirit. She decided to just try and imagine that this whole thing was a dream for now. To her surprise, it greatly eased the pain of the day's occurrences.
Dazed, she followed Maisie into the group home and a quick glance at the clock confirmed that the pair had missed dinner. Dinner time was quite strict at the home, and she winced at the thought of Doctor Collins pacing their room waiting for them to return. Their excursion rights were definitely going to be suspended and that made Liza almost want to cry.
Almost, but Liza knew that she wouldn't be able to. She hadn't been able to cry since the accident eight months ago, and something as minor as this wasn't going to force tears out of her.
Directly to her right, Maisie looked up at Liza with utmost sorrow. As sisters normally tend to do, she had a feeling that Liza was upset because of their encounter with Taylor Swift, and the lost bear had seemingly made Liza even more sad.
Maisie wrapped her arms around her sister in an attempt to comfort her, and the pair finally turned the corner to their bedroom.
As Liza expected, the door was open, and along with Dr. Collins stood her therapist. Closing her eyes, she hummed bad blood softly and it instantly filled her with confidence. She could get through this.
Grabbing Maisie's hand, she walked through the doorway and began muttering numerous apologies and excuses in hopes that they would simply accept what she was saying and walk away. Of course she had no such luck. The doctor cleared her throat and launched into her speech:
"Girls, it's 7:30. You both were meant to be back at 7:00".
Liza muttered yet another apology and looked down, but the lecture didn't stop there.
"I have no choice but to suspend your excursion privileges for a week".
The doctor paused to let that sink in before saying her next part:
"And Liza, we've had this discussion numerous times before, but you must start making an effort to communicate with your therapist.. She has agreed to fit in a session with you right now so that you both can resolve this issue".
Liza looked up shocked. It took immense mental effort to stay completely silent for the two hour sessions she often had to endure. This would be a struggle for her, but under no circumstances was she going to break. They could do all the sessions they wanted, but she wasn't going to talk.
Maisie also looked up when the doctor said that, but for an entirely different reason. During Liza's therapy, she was forced to accompany Dr.Collins, who always tried to pry information on Liza out of her. Maisie respected her sister far more than Dr. Collins, and although she was little; she understood a great amount more than the doctor gave her credit for.She would never rat out her sister.
The sisters looked at each other and understanding passed through them. They were as close as close could be and they both understood what they had to do to get through the next two hours.
As the pair received their dinner and sat down to eat it (in the company of the doctor and therapist), five minutes away a blonde figure stood in her mansion running through a game plan with her parents.
The 26 year old had recognized the inscription on the bear. It was of a children's care home not far from her house and she was determined to go back the next day and return it. From the bear, she now knew the younger girl's name, Maisie, and she silently repeated the name over and over to get a feel for it. It was quite the uncommon name, but it was quite fitting for the little girl. Taylor just couldn't wait to re-meet the pair and apologize tomorrow.
