she's leaving home 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐁𝐄𝐀𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐒 [𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤 𝐭𝐰𝐨]

XII

the night was quiet.

there was no screaming, no cries or wailing children. no yelling men or women.

just silence. silence and emptiness. this is how it usually was in the harrison household at two am. there was always the faint buzz of electricity, and if the lights flickered briefly, it didn't really bother anyone, especially since they were accustomed to the darkness surrounding them.

but tonight no lights were flickering on and off, there was no buzzing in their ears; just silence. it wasn't like this during summer nights when the stars would shine brightly in the deep, blue sky and the river mersey stretched out endlessly ahead of the house and beyond it. but in the fall, there was always the faint buzz of electricity, and if the lights flickered briefly, it didn't really bother anyone. especially since they were accustomed to the darkness surrounding them.

it was a cold night. the moon was veiled behind the heavy grey clouds that hung low overhead, threatening rainstorms. the house remained silent; she hadn't heard anything all night long but the occasional noise of the birds chirping.

the silence of the night surrounded her as she lay in george's bed, curled up beneath the covers and clutching a pillow tightly against her chest. she stared straight ahead of her, into the dark room, willing herself to sleep.

george was at another one of his performances that molly hadn't managed to remember. she was out all day, hunting for a job or even just something to keep her busy.

it took her a while to drift off. she had barely managed to doze off, however, when a sudden sound startled her awake: the door opening slightly and someone entering the room. she opened her bleary eyes, attempting to recognize the blurry figure.

a woman's silhouette entered the room and the woman began to speak.

"molly? are you asleep? is that you under there?"
it was louise. mrs harrison, to molly. she recognized louise's soft liverpudlian accent instantly. it sounded so familiar to her ears. she felt warmth spread across her cheeks as she sat up in bed and blinked rapidly, attempting to adjust her vision.

she rubbed her eyes tiredly, looking up at louise. "yeah," she replied, feeling a mixture of relief that she wasn't completely alone in this house.

"i just wanted to see how you were doing, dear." she paused. "you and george have seemed awfully close recently," she grinned, moving forward until she stood directly in front of george's bedroom doorway.

molly sat up fully, running a hand through her dishevelled locks as she yawned loudly. "yeah, george is... a wonderful friend," molly felt an unexpected blush creep upon her.

"oh, well i mean—you've been spending such a lot of time together lately. i'd say that's already a pretty obvious sign that..."

molly sighed quietly, nodding her head slowly as she stared at the ground. she thought for a moment. "i've known george forever. almost my whole life."
molly paused for a moment, biting her lower lip. she swallowed nervously.

"he's a good catch, yeah? a handsome, charming catch."

"i... he's- um..." molly cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"come on, molly, aren't you and geo steady yet?" louise asked gently, moving over to sit on the edge of george's bed, facing molly as she folded her hands in her lap and leaned back against the wall. she watched as molly ran her fingers over the material of the sheets covering her legs.