Folded Fondant ~ Sebastian

Desperate Measures *Part 35*

A/N: This part starts the night Dalia got attacked by Bathilda and ends the following evening after he leaves the condo. It spans several hours. The playlist for this chapter is "War" by Syml.  

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[Last night...]

The phone rang in my ear and I covered my eyes to block out the faint light of my desk lamp. The headache that has been festering for days now making its debut. Eilis picked up on the third ring.

"Hey big brother, how's it hanging?"

I took a deep breath. "Honestly, really bad." My lackluster dive right in got her attention.

"What's wrong?"

"Everything really." I clenched my jaw, needing something to relieve the pressure. I didn't want to dance around the issue. "Lia is leaving. Like out of state, fuck knows where leaving."

Eilis inhaled sharply. "Oh, boy."

"We haven't exactly been right since she told me a few weeks ago, right after you all left us. But when we were finally getting to a good place, Guin had an episode and decided physical threats were the way to go. We had some disagreements about that. Then she got ambushed today by the Queen of the shitbags from before." I pinch my bridge tightly.

"What?" She hissed.

"Yup. She looks beat to shit and instead of forming a game plan we ended up arguing when I got home. She's still leaving and I can't change a fucking thing about it, she won't let me help. She's more worried about me than herself, and I don't know what to do." I confessed. "I don't know what to do."

I could hear my sister's erratic breaths over the line. "Okay. Okay, okay okay. First, Guin requires another night of handling, but she will be handled. Second, how much time do you have right now?"

I looked to the door contemplating. "Not a lot."

"Then we'll talk tomorrow, or Sunday? Shit. We'll figure it out. In the meantime, you're going to help her any way you can. I haven't forgotten what you said, see your plan through. I can't say she won't be mad, Sebbie. You're taking the decision out of her hands but I think the alternative is far worse..."

My stomach gave an unpleasant drop at the thought of finding her dead somewhere. The alternative being staying up every night for the foreseeable future wondering if she'd been caught. "That can't happen."

"And it won't. Sebbie we'll figure this out. Just focus on your next step. Keep her out of trouble. You can fix this. It's what you're good at." She assured me. "Keep her alive, will you? I don't want to lose her either." She admitted quietly.

I smiled at that. A relief in the midst of all of this shit. "Singing a different song, I see."

"Don't be so surprised, you knew this would happen. You knew she got to me before I left."

"I did."

"I like her, Sebbie. Her lovely heart brings me ridiculous joy. I'm able to accept when I'm wrong. I know it's hard but you can do this."

"Okay."

"If you need motivation, just—think of how mad mom will be if they get her." I could hear the hesitation in her voice. I wanted to hit my head against the desk to wake me up from this nightmare. Just to jolt me awake to find us a month back, with none of this hanging over our heads.

Or better yet, with her having no Bathilda problems to begin with. But then she really wouldn't be Lia. I groaned, there was no winning. My sister's words rang true. Ma would disembowel me if I let anything happen to Pints. That was a wrath I definitely didn't want to face. Sorry Shorts, but Renata scares me far more than Bathilda's threats.