"Hey." I whisper, glancing into Elena's room. Her books are still open on her desk but she stand still, staring. "Elena?" Nothing. I place a hand on her shoulder and she doesn't move but continue's to dig her finger nails into her arm. I lightly shake her. "Can you hear me." The room is dim, only lit by a light on her desk. She stares at the window and then sits down on the floor.
"Elena!" Nothing. "Vanessa!"
"Yeah." She says, already on her way to the room.
"She won't respond." Vanessa sits down next to her and looks at her in her eyes but Elena doesn't react. She separates her hands but Elena just reconnects them. Scared of her ability at the moment, Vanessa gives up.
"Get some ice." I do as told and as quickly as I can. Vanessa places it on her skin and she doesn't flinch. A few tries later, it works because Elena looks at me, scared. She glances around and then stands up and returns to her schoolwork, not saying a word about it.
-
I wake up smelling something in the kitchen. Turning next to me, I see that V isn't in bed anymore. A glance at the alarm clock tells me that it's 8:46AM. She must have left but it's Monday morning. Did she make something before she left?
I get changed and check Elenas vacant room though her backpack sits up against the wall and her uniform neatly folded on her already made bed. On her desk is two textbooks, a book, and a notebook.
"Elena?"
"Yeah?" I turn around and start making my tired way to the kitchen.
She meets me in the hall.
"Why are you here?" I ask when I see her. She's dressed but in her weekend clothes.
"No school today. Parent teacher conferences."
"You never told me about those."
"I found out last night and I told Vanessa but you were out if it." She says slipping past me. When I enter the kitchen I see V on the couch with a book.
"Morning, Hun." She says when she sees me. I brought Seb to daycare and I'm taking the morning off. I have a conference at Elenas school and I'm going in from there."
"I look over at the counter." On it is a plate with a slice off banana bread and fruit on it with powdered sugar sprinkled over it with orange juice in a glass next to it. V has an empty plate and the rest of the freshly baked loaf.
"Did you make this?"
"Elena offered to. It's amazing! Try some. She set some up for you. I sit down at the counter and take a bite.
"Oh my god it is." I state before taking another bite. After a moment Elena renters with her bag.
"I'm headed to the library for a bit."
"Thanks for the banana bread!" I tell her. "I didn't know you could bake."
"I took a class."
"Of course you did."
"It was just basic things so I'm not eating ramen the rest of my life."
"Well you must have excelled, I think you should open a bakery. Don't be too long!" I say as she makes her way to the door.
"Thanks and I won't." She says before disappearing out of it. I devour the rest of it and go to put my plate in the sink.
"Of course she did the dishes." Vanessa laughs. "What did she do the laundry?!"
"Well, She does do her own laundry. She's a little afraid of using things we have around here though. She asks me any time she does anything if it's okay."
"Maybe that will stop when she gets more used to us. Hopefully she doesn't stop baking though!"
"I found a psychiatrist." I turn back to Vanessa.
"Oh." I say, changing to a serious tone.
"Elena can walk there from here. I set up a meeting with her. She's gonna meet with us and then her."
"Okay." I simply say.
"It's next Monday at eleven. Dr.Sharman."
"Okay." I repeat.
"She needs to see someone, Lin."
"I know, I know. I just wish she'd talk to us a little. Just a little. I feel like she'll go around us. But I know she needs to go. So I'll be there." Hours later, as the sun was setting, I return home with Sebastian to find her things back in her room but Elena herself isn't home. Vanessa is out with a colleague. I sit down on the couch while Sebastian plays with his toys and watches a cartoon from the ground. Minutes later, the door opens and I hear someone walk down the hall behind me, gone before I look.
"Elena?" I ask.
"Yeah." She calls back from down the hall.
"Where'd you go?"
"A quick run. Might as well take advantage of the warm weather." About twenty minutes later, she sots down next to me on the couch with wet hair and a blue sweater with leggings.
"Vanessa found a psychiatrist in the area." I begin. She continues looking at the cartoon.
"Oh really?" I nod, assuming she can see me at least somewhat.
"Your first appointment is next Monday. We're gonna meet with her fists." She doesn't react. "I want you to know that we aren't passing anything off to someone else. We're here to help you but we just wanna do everything we can. So you can still talk to us. Or her. Whoever you'd like. I'm always here."
"Lin, I like you but you were never gonna here about my life from me."
