ꜱᴡᴇᴇᴛ ʜᴏᴍᴇ ⇴ ᴛᴠᴅ ² ✓

twenty five

Billie watched quietly from the darkness of the unlit hallway as her parents sent Ricky off with curt nods and polite handshakes. She hadn't spoken much in the last hour, the only thing stopping her from leaving the meeting altogether had been Ricky's insistence on her stay.

Before the metal doors closed on him, Ricky met her eyes one last time. She was useful to him now, he had his sights set on her gifts.

If only he knew she was already promised to another big bad wolf. 

She guessed multitasking was out of the picture, purely because it was just something she could never manage.

"Willa Jeanine Harper, what in god's name were you thinking!" Her father burst out almost immediately after the elevator left.

Billie cringed heavily as she rolled her eyes. He really pulled the full name card out of his lying, deceptive little pockets. She stepped into the light to be seen clearly before speaking, arms thrust up sarcastically. "You're the one stupid enough to invite a vampire into your home!"

"Willa, you don't get to lecture me on what I can and can't do. You are too... impulsive. Ricky won't forget about you. You'll be a pawn for the rest of your life and there's nothing your mother and I can do about it." He seethed to her, none too softly.

She scoffed carelessly. "A little too late on that one dad, I'm already a pawn. I have been since you sent me away like I was a disappointment." Cara muttered to herself too quietly for her mad daughter to catch. "You were."

"What you can do, it shouldn't be shared with people you don't know! We sent you away for a fresh start where no one knew about you, it's not our fault you messed that up too!" HIs voice rose heavily, filling the empty space in the room until nothing could escape the argument.

"Ugh, you're such a hypocrite. Does that mean I count as people you don't know? You're a witch! That's not just something you forget to mention to your daughter!" Billie exploded angrily, voice rising to meet his. Cara did not intervene.

Noah shook his head with a soulless smile. "I didn't need to, seeing as you never turned out to be one." He shot back fluidly.

Billie paused for a moment, almost letting the dig pull the earth from under her. She laughed humourlessly, scaring herself a little with how low her family forced her to stoop. "Oh forgive me father. I'm so sorry my freak body won't let me abracadabra you a goddamn heart!"

Her throat grated uncomfortably as she screamed, nearing hysteria with the amount of rage boiling and broiling inside her. She gasped out for air, so angry she could barely even breathe.

"Willa. That's enough." Cara finally let out, her voice so quiet compared to Billie's that she almost thought it was a whisper.

"What? You afraid I'll hurt his precious feelings? When was the last time you gave a shit about hurting me. Why don't I get to be selfish like you do?" Her volume started to come down again, but she didn't feel an inch any calmer.

This isn't you Billie, just leave.

"It doesn't matter, does it?" Her little chuckle struck ice into her own heart. "You screwed up with me, you can just start again in a few months, isn't that right."

Cara and Noah stood silent after that. Noah cast a glance to his wife but Cara never moved an inch, eyes boring into her daughter's.

Billie, leave.

Billie scoffed, feeling for once in her life she had the upper hand over them. "I saw the nursery... I'm gone for, what? Eight months? You just can't wait to replace me, can you."

Cara smiled a little. "Are you afraid this one will turn out to be everything you couldn't?"

Billie recoiled slightly, but Cara wasn't finished. "We sent you to Mystic Falls, you come back, out of the blue, and you just can't wait to turn the first good thing in our life sour. Which one of us is being selfish now?" Her arms were crossed rigidly, her collarbones prominent against her skin from the wide cut of her shirt, showing just how tense the woman was.

"We did you a favour, Billie. Noah and I have worked for years. We were kind enough to take care of you. We got you a therapist, we sent you to school... and when that still wasn't enough, we let you leave, start again. You could have gotten much worse Willa, don't try to turn this on us."

Billie was frozen by now. Was she really all Cara said she was? An ungrateful brat. She had seen the woman manipulate her father countless times, and every time she'd think he was weak for not seeing through her shallow lies. But now that the magic was on her, Billie couldn't stop herself believing Cara's words.

She should have known it was over once her mother joined in.

Her mouth opened to reply, but it took a long moment for her throat to speak again. "...Maybe you're right." She admitted, too tired and worn to press her cards to her chest.

Billie's eyes flit between her parents numbly, abhorrent to the idea of crying in front of them. All this time, and Billie still would never allow herself to show that kind of weakness in front of them.

It's time to go, Billie.

She moved from her place, striding purposefully to the couch to grab her phone and walking past them to the elevator.

It took only a short moment to arrive before she stepped in quietly. Eyes on her parents as she spoke to them one last time, gesturing to her mother and the baby growing inside her.

"I hope it's everything you wanted."

And the doors shut.