Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The air was thick with humidity and the temperature was still high, despite the darkening sky. As the sun slowly descended below the horizon, the suburban neighbourhood was bathed in the warm hues of fading light and the streets were deserted except for the occasional car passing by. Most people were indoors, trying to escape the heat, and even the trees stood still, their leaves barely rustling in the hot breeze.

In one of the gardens, a little girl chased her older sister around, her arms flailing as she tried to catch up. The grass was overgrown and the bushes were unruly, but the sisters didn't seem to mind as they ran past the wilting flowers. Their laughter echoed in the motionless air, sounding uncharacteristically loud in the quiet neighbourhood and when the older sister stumbled on a loose rock, she finally collapsed on the grass, her face flushed with exertion.

"Theaaaa," the younger girl whined. "Why'd you stop?"

The older girl, eight-year-old Althea Devereaux, rolled her eyes and huffed, taking a moment to catch her breath as she clumsily brushed aside the sweat-slicked strands of hair that had plastered themselves onto her neck.

"I'm tired Ellie. Can we please go back inside now," she sighed.

"Thea no. Let's stay just a little longer, pretty please" Ellie pleaded, tugging on her sister's hand and bouncing on her toes.

"Mom's gonna be calling us in soon."

No, she won't, c'mon you know she won't. Thea pleaaaaasee."

Althea sighed, rolled over, facedown on the grass, and groaned, her voice muffled by the overgrown blades, "Okay fine, I'll play with you some more if you help me get up. I'm too tired to get up on my own."

Ellie giggled and yanked on Althea's hand harder, trying her best to haul her up, but her older sister did not budge an inch.

"You're so heavyyyyy," she whined. "You're being mean."

"Am not. I told you the deal. You have to get me up."

"I'm gonna kick you!"

"I'll tell Mom."

"She's too busy with the baby, she won't care."

Althea lifted her head to mockingly glare at her sister.

"Ellie, you can't keep calling Sebastien, the baby anymore."

"Why not, Mom's obsessed with the baby. She never spends time with us anymore. I hate it. I hate the baby," Ellie stomped her foot and frowned.

"You can't hate your brother Ellie!"

"Well, I do. I hate him. Mom's not nice to me like she used to be."

"You're the one acting like a big baby Ellie."

"There's a bug in your hair. A big one, the size of my whole hand. It's going to crawl into your ear, Thea!"

When Althea yelped and scrambled up, dusting herself off frantically, her sister grinned mischievously.

"I got you up."

"Did not!"

"I did. You're standing up now, aren't you?"

"You cheated, you...you little..."

"I'll tell Kait if you swear and you know she'll be mad at you. You're gonna be in trouble," Ellie said smugly in a sing-song voice.

"Kait swears too sometimes!"

"She's a grown-up. Grown-ups are allowed to swear."

"What kind of dumb rule is that? Mom only made that up 'cuz she is the one who swears all the time," Althea scoffed, emphasizing the word all with a roll of her eyes.

"Can we play now Thea? The fireflies are gonna come out soon and I wanna watch them."

"Well I wanna watch my show that's about to come on soon so let me just go inside and you can stay out here to watch the fireflies."

"Noooo, you promised Thea, you promised. Kait says you shouldn't break promises or else bad people come and get you. I don't want the bad people to come and get you," Ellie pouted and Althea could not resist teasing her.

"You better behave yourself and stop being mean about Sebastien or else the bad people will come and get you instead. They love children who are mean to their little brothers," her grin was feral.

"Don't say that!"

"I'm only telling the truth."

"Theaaaa," Ellie whined.

"Ellieeee," Althea returned in the same tone. "Fine you want to play, you have until I count to five to run and hide but if I find you, then we get to go back inside."

"Fineee, but count to ten."

"Nine."

"Seven, and close your eyes."

"Fine, now go," Althea sighed and pressed her hands to her eyes. She spread her fingers slightly to peek through them, watching as Ellie eagerly scampered away to find a hiding spot.

Ellie's tiny voice called out from behind a nearby tree. "Don't look, Thea! I mean it!"

Althea grinned.

"I won't, I promise!" she called back, still counting. "Four... five..."

Ellie hurriedly ran behind the overgrown bushes, trying to find a good hiding spot. She crouched down behind a cluster of large flower pots and crawled into the small space in the wall of the house. The space was not visible unless you knew where to look and Ellie wrinkled her nose at the sight of the cobwebs that inevitably brushed against her hair.

Althea finished her count. "Six... seven! Ready or not, here I come!" she exclaimed, starting to search for her sister.

As she made her way through the garden, Ellie held her breath, hoping that she wouldn't be found too quickly. She could hear her footsteps getting closer, and her heart began to race. The footsteps stopped and when Ellie could no longer see Althea's roaming form from between the flower pots, she crawled forward a little to peek her head out and see where she had gone, wondering if she had ditched her to go back inside.

Suddenly, Althea's face popped down in front of her.

"Gotcha! I found you!"

Ellie let out a squeal of delight as she fully emerged from her hiding spot.

"You sure you didn't cheat Thea?"

"I didn't, I swear I didn't, Scout's honour."

Ellie wrinkled her nose, "What's that?"

"It means I promise."

"Aww, you're too good at this game then."

"Told ya."

"Can we go again?"

"Ellie," Althea sighed, "we said we'd go back inside after this one last game remember."

Ellie pouted, her lower lip quivering as she looked up at her older sister.

"But Althea, the fireflies," she protested, her eyes beginning to glisten with unshed tears.

"Ellie..."

"I wanted to see them so bad."

"Why do you need to see them with me then?"

"I don't wanna be alone out here."

Althea's expression softened as she gazed down at her sister.

"I know, Ellie, but..."

Ellie looked down at the ground, her small shoulders slumping in defeat.

"But I promised you that if you found me, I'd go back inside," she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Althea nodded, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth, "That's right, you did. I promise that I'll come to watch the fireflies with you tomorrow.

She gently steered her towards the entrance of their house and Ellie looked up at her hopefully.

"Scout's honour?"

"Yes, Scout's honour."

"Yay, I can't wait. Maybe we can invite Kait too!"

"Maybe, if she's not busy."

"She'll have to say yes if I ask her really nicely, won't she Thea? If I say pretty pretty please with lots of cherries and sprinkles on top?"

Althea snorted, "Sure."

Once inside, the two sisters made their way into the kitchen. They exchanged a worried glance when they saw their mother inside. Sarah Devereaux was a perpetually tired-looking woman with what seemed to be a permanent frown etched onto her forehead. Althea watched her mother carefully, observing the dark circles under her eyes and the stray flyaways that had escaped the neat bun she had tucked her hair into that morning. She was still in her work clothes and she was banging the top of their microwave frustratedly. She had her phone pressed between her shoulder and her ear and she was muttering something furiously into it.

"Mom, is everything alright?" Althea asked, tentatively approaching her.

She looked up from her phone call and sighed, running a tired hand through her hair, "The blasted thing is broken again and I can't heat up milk for your brother's bottle."

Ellie tugged at her pant leg, "Can we help, Mama?"

Their mother's eyes softened as she looked down at her youngest daughter.

"Thank you, sweetie, but there's not much we can do right now," she said, her voice gentle.

"Maybe we can do it on the stove for you and you can go change," Althea suggested helpfully.

Their mother's frown grew deeper and she shook her head at her, sighing as she closed her phone and tucked it into her pocket.

"Leave me be girls, I'll do it myself."

The two sisters left the kitchen dejectedly. They had gone in looking for a snack but not wanting to get in their mother's way, they decided to return later. Althea headed straight to the living room and turned on the television, settling down on the couch to watch her favourite evening show.

Ellie, on the other hand, was a little restless. She paced the living room for a while before trudging up the stairs, hesitating outside her oldest sister's painted blue door. She swayed on her feet a few times, eyes tracing across the poster plastered on the door. Some band her sister was obsessed with, but Ellie didn't understand her adoration for the funny-looking boys with hair that made them look like they'd been electrocuted.

Ellie didn't want to disturb her sister while she was studying, but her hunger was starting to get the best of her and so she took a deep breath and reached out to knock softly on the door before opening it. When Kait looked up from where she was hunched over her textbooks and smiled at her, Ellie felt an immense sense of relief, and she opened the door wider to let herself in.

"Hey, kiddo," Kait grinned, closing her book. "What are you up to?"

"I'm hungry."

"Nothing in the kitchen catch your eye?"

"Mom's in the kitchen," Ellie muttered, looking down at her feet.

Kait nodded sympathetically, "Right, best not bother her then. Come here."

She opened one of the bottom drawers of her desk and beckoned her sister over.

"Take as many as you want, but we'll keep this our little secret, hmm."

Ellie eagerly rifled through her sister's drawer of snacks and when she found a candy bar that she liked, she tore open the wrapper and took a big bite, smiling sweetly while chewing.

Kait flicked her forehead gently, "Ew, you have chocolate in your teeth, Ellie."

Ellie giggled, her mouth full of granola, "Thanks, Kait. You're the bestest sister ever."

"I'm glad you think so, Ellie," Kait chuckled. "Now go eat your snack and take one to Thea too, okay? I need to get back to studying."

"No, Thea's mean. I don't wanna share with her."

"You don't have to share yours, Ellie, you can take her another one. And besides, what did I tell you about sharing, hmm?"

"I still don't wanna. Thea is a big meanie."

"What did she do?"

"She wouldn't stay outside to watch the fireflies with me," Ellie folded her arms across her chest petulantly.

"Aw, okay how about this, once my exams are over, we'll make some popcorn and watch a movie outside with the fireflies. Then you'll be able to see them all you want."

Ellie's face lit up with excitement.

"Really?" she asked, bouncing up and down on her toes.

"Yep, really."

"When will your exams be over then?"

"My last one's next week."

"Oooooh, you'll be done with school then right?"

"Yep!"

"You're so lucky, wish I was done with school too."

"Ellie, you literally just started school," Kait giggled. 

"So what, I can't wait for it to be over."

"Ellie, I really need to study now."

"Promise you'll have fun with me after?"

"Yes, I promise."

"Scout's honour?"

"What?"

"Thea says you have to say that when you make a promise."

"Alright, alright, Scout's honour, I'll be all yours."

"Good, because Thea is no fun!"

"It sure didn't look that way earlier. I saw you two playing outside through my window."

"Fineeee, she can be fun sometimes, but you're more fun all the time. At least you used to be."

"And I will be again. We'll have the summer to have all the fun we want to have okay? Now run along."

Ellie nodded and hurried out of the room, munching happily on her granola bar with another three in her hand to share. As she walked into the living room, she noticed that Althea had a big grin on her face and was completely engrossed in the show she was watching.

"What are you watching?" Ellie asked, curiously.

Althea looked up from the TV, a little startled, "Oh, it's a detective show. Do you want to watch it with me?"

"Oh...no, not really."

"You sure?"

Ellie fiddled with her fingers for a few moments before walking over to where Thea was sitting, and asked in a small voice, "Thea, can you come with me outside for a minute?"

"What, why?"

"I left Mr. Caesar outside in the garden," she replied, her voice trembling slightly. "But I don't want to go out there alone. Can you come with me, please?"

"You want me to come with you to get your stuffed bear?"

"Yes please."

"Ellieeee, can't you get it tomorrow? It's so dark outside, you probably won't even find it right now, and the porch light is broken."

"But..."

"I'll go outside and find it for you tomorrow okay?"

"But I need it tonight."

"Don't be a big baby Ellie, you don't need a stuffed animal."

"I need him to go to sleep."

"You're a big girl now. You can go get it yourself if you really need it that badly."

"But I'm scared of the dark," Ellie protested, pulling on her sleeve. "Please come with me, Thea. Please."

Althea sighed, "I can't, Ellie. I really want to watch my show, and I don't want to go outside right now!"

"But I can't go out there alone."

"You'll be fine. Just go out there and get your thing quickly, and then come back inside."

Ellie's bottom lip quivered, a lump forming in her throat, and her eyes filled with tears. She stomped over to the kitchen where their mother was arguing over the phone with someone.

"Mamaaaa" she whined, "Thea won't come outside with me to get Mr. Caesar. Tell her to come, please."

Sarah Devereaux scowled as she pulled the phone away from her ear.

"Althea, just go with your sister, I don't have time for this."

"Ask Kait to go!" came the reply.

"Kaitlyn has exams, you know that. Why must you be so difficult Althea, no one asks anything of you anyways. Just do this one thing!"

Ellie went back to the living room, feeling somewhat triumphant, "Mama said you have to come."

"You little snitch! Now I'll definitely not go."

Ellie's shoulders slumped.

"But I'm scared," her voice shook. "Please, Althea. Please, please, please. I'll do anything you want, just don't make me go alone."

"I'm not making you do anything, Ellie, you can go if you need your toy so badly and if you can sleep without it then don't go at all, I don't care, leave me alone!"

Ellie felt a surge of anger rise up inside her.

"You're so selfish, you don't care about me," she screamed. "You only care about your stupid TV show. I hate you!"

"You're the selfish-!"

But Ellie was already storming towards the door, her eyes blazing with fury.

"I hate you!" she yelled one final time, before slamming the door behind her and disappearing into the darkness of the night, leaving Althea with a bitter taste in her mouth.

Despite the wave of guilt that washed over her, Althea pushed the feeling away and tried to focus on her show. She turned up the volume a little, hoping to drown out the sound of Ellie's angry sobs coming from outside. The summer heat meant that their windows were open and although Althea couldn't see her sister, she could hear her, stomping around angrily. She told herself that Ellie would be alright, she was right there really, just outside the window. Althea tried to ignore the guilt that was gnawing at her as she watched her TV show. She knew that Ellie was scared of the dark, and she should have gone with her to get her toy, but she was so wrapped up in her show that she didn't want to miss a single moment of it.

As the show continued, Althea kept checking the clock, realizing that Ellie had been outside for quite some time now. But she couldn't hear her crying anymore, so she convinced herself that Ellie had probably calmed down by now and was just taking a break outside and distancing herself.

After about 20 minutes, their mother walked into the living room, "Althea, the microwave is fixed. Can you call everyone for dinner, even Kaitlyn could use the break."

Althea's heart sank as she realized that she had completely forgotten about dinner. And worse, she had forgotten about Ellie, whom she hadn't heard from ever since she had stormed outside.

"Okay, Mom," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I'll go get them."

Hands shaking, she made her way to the front door and opened it, peering out into the darkness. She called her sister's name a few times, but there was no answer. That's when the panic began to set in.

She started to call out for her more loudly, her voice trembling with fear, "Ellie! Ellie, where are you?"

But there was still no response, only the sound of crickets chirping in the distance. Althea felt tears welling up in her eyes as her mind tormented her with a flurry of worst-case scenarios, fueled by the detective crime show she had just been watching. Her heart sank further when her mother's annoyed face appeared in the doorway.

"Why are you yelling at night, Althea? You're bothering the neighbours!"

"I-I can't find Ellie!" Thea choked out through tears.

"What do you mean you can't find Ellie? Didn't you go out with her to get her thing?"

"No," Althea hiccupped miserably. "And I didn't think she was going to come out here all by herself."

Her mother rolled her eyes, "She is probably playing some kind of trick. Honestly, why are you girls like this."

She marched out and circled the garden, repeatedly shouting her youngest daughter's name, looking behind bushes and in every hiding spot possible. When her continued search showed no sign of her, her face began to turn red with anger.

"Elinor, this isn't funny! If you're hiding, you can come out now, enough is enough!"

"Mom-"

"Shut up Althea, I am exhausted as it is, and now you girls decide to play this stupid trick."

She stormed back into the house and tore through the living room, calling out Ellie's name repeatedly, each time getting more frantic, and as the chaos continued to escalate, she became increasingly distraught.

"Where is she, Althea? Tell me you know where she's hiding?"

"I-I don't know, I'm sorry."

Althea swallowed the lump in her throat, but it remained. Together they searched every room in the house, calling out Ellie's name and checking every nook and cranny, but she was still nowhere to be found. When Sarah threw open her oldest daughter's door, Kaitlyn looked up in surprise.

"Mom, what's wrong?" she asked bewildered.

"Elinor and Althea decided it would be funny to play some stupid prank and now we can't find Elinor. Is she hiding in your room?"

"I told you I'm not playing a prank," Althea whimpered from her side.

Kaitlyn's eyes flickered between her furious mother and distraught little sister, "What, no. She hasn't been back in here since she left about an hour or so ago."

"I have checked every corner of this house, where is-" Sarah was interrupted by the sound of a baby's keening wail that came from the next room and she sighed exasperatedly. "Now Sebastien's up, Jesus, you kids drive me insane!"

She hurried back to the living room, and Althea trailed behind her pathetically, leaving Kaitlyn to go tend to the baby as his screaming cries echoed through the walls, adding to the already tense atmosphere. Shortly after, she appeared in the living room, bouncing a howling Sebastien on her hip as she tried to soothe him.

"Did you find her?" she asked, worry adorning her brow.

Her mother threw up her hands, "No we did not!"

She then grabbed Althea by her shoulders and shook her aggressively as she yelled into her face.

"Why didn't you see where she went, she was your responsibility!"

"I don't know where else she would go," Althea bawled. "She went outside to look for Mr. Caesar and I thought she'd be fine, I'm sorry, Mama, I'm sorry."

"How could you be so selfish? You should have gone out with your sister! You know how scared she gets in the dark! You stupid idiot, what the fuck is wrong with you? I asked you to go with her!"

"Mom, stop, this won't help us find her," Kaitlyn interrupted.

"I know, I know, I'm sorry!" Althea blubbered, teeth chattering from the shaking. "I just wanted to watch my show, I didn't think she would stay outside for so long!"

"Your show? Your show was more important than your sister?"

"No, no it wasn't, I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry."

Althea's mother's hand connected with her cheek with a loud smack, causing her to fall backward in shock. Her face stung and fresh tears welled up and spilled over her reddened cheeks. Her older sister gasped but Althea could only reach out to touch her bruised cheek gingerly, trying to explain herself through the jumble of incoherent sobs that escaped her lips. Her mother grabbed her by the jaw and dragged her back into a standing position to scream at her again.

Althea could barely process the words, feeling a mix of guilt and confusion. She knew her mother was right, that she was right in calling her selfish and horrible, but she had never raised her hand at any of them ever before and it left her young mind reeling from this baptism of violence, this cruel initiation into harshness, at the hands of the very person who's hands were meant to hold and protect. The fingers that once tenderly caressed her now bore their harsh mark upon her countenance. But more than the physical impression, it was the recollection of their brutality that seared her mind, casting a shadow over even the fondest memories of their affection. In that moment, all the good that had passed between them seemed to pale in comparison to the pain she had inflicted, rendering her former tenderness irrelevant.

"You were supposed to be watching her. How could you do this?"

"Mom stop it," Kaitlyn pleaded and the baby in her arms wailed louder. 

She rushed forward to wrap one arm around Althea's shoulders, pulling her into her side.

"This fuck up excuse for a human being lost my daughter! Don't you dare tell me to stop!"

She grabbed Althea's arm, hard enough to bruise, and yanked her away from the shelter of Kaitlyn's side. There was a single moment in time, after she raised her hand to strike again, and before it connected with her flesh, that Sarah might have hesitated, but when Althea looked up at her mother with pleading eyes and whispered a helpless Mama, it seemed to break her out of her hesitation and Althea found that the second slap was easier to stomach than the first. After all, her soul had already been branded, and a few additional blemishes on her skin seemed trivial. She never stopped calling out for her mother though, a plea for forgiveness and redemption. 

Mama.

Please stop yelling at me. Please stroke my hair like you used to. I know I am unforgivable but what will I be if even you cannot forgive me? 

It only seemed to aggravate her mother more though, a reminder of her failings as a parent perhaps, or a symbol of the responsibility she now had to bear all on her own. 

"Stop calling me that!" she snapped, shoving her daughter out of the way to gather her keys.

"Where are you going?" Kaitlyn gaped at her.

"To the police, where else?"

Kaitlyn put a gentle hand on Althea's shoulder, offering her some comfort as their mother stormed out of the house. 

"Hey, it's okay," she murmured. "You didn't mean for this to happen. It's not your fault."

"But-but it is," Althea wailed. "I shouldn't have been so selfish. I should have gone with her!"

"Shh, shh, it's going to be alright. You've got to stop crying now Thea, look Seb's crying too. He's sad that you're sad."

Kaitlyn crouched down to Althea's height and pulled her into a hug, allowing her to muffle her choking sobs in her shoulder as she smoothed a hand through her hair. 

"Shhh, it's okay. Mom's going to tell the police and they'll find her. You'll see. I promise."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. That's what they do. They find missing people all the time. Aren't you the one who watches all those detective shows? You should know that they're the best when it comes to this."

"But-"

"Shhh, no more crying okay," Kaitlyn pulled back to brush away Althea's tears gently and then did the same to the baby in her arms. "Good, now both you kiddos better stop crying so we can go look for Ellie some more okay."

"Where will we look?"

"We can go to the neighbours. Maybe she wandered over to their place."

Kaitlyn stood to leave but Althea tugged on her hand, "What if she comes back Kait? What if she comes back and we aren't here?"

"Hmmm, you're right. I guess we'll just stay here, but I'll call up the neighbours just in case."

Kaitlyn handed Sebastien to Althea to distract her while she made the phone calls and she cradled him in her lap carefully, bouncing him to keep him from crying again. He was now sucking on his thumb and observing her with big innocent eyes and for his sake, Althea stopped herself from bursting into tears again. She even tried to engage him in a conversation, his babbling coos a balm to her anxious heart. 

Just then, the sound of two cars pulling up outside interrupted them. Several police officers trooped inside accompanied by her mother and they introduced themselves to the children. Sarah explained the situation to them yet again, tears streaming down her face and the police began to search the house and the surrounding areas for Ellie. They questioned Althea and Kaitlyn, as well as the neighbours for any helpful information. Althea answered their inquiries unsurely, mind racing as she tried to remember the details, but she was drawing a blank. She felt guilty and ashamed, and her mind was just a jumbled mess of fear and anxiety. Kaitlyn's responses were more calm and measured, but equally unhelpful.

As the search continued, Althea took on the responsibility of caring for Sebastien, who had fallen asleep in her arms. She rocked him gently, feeling a small semblance of comfort in his soft breaths and peaceful expression. He was perhaps the only member of her family who did not despise her right now, although she wondered if he would learn to once he was old enough to understand the gravity of her blunder. With the police in the house, Sarah and Kaitlyn went door to door to try and speak to their neighbours, and in their absence, Althea observed the officers for any new information. Her ears pricked up at a conversation between two of them as they stood right outside the open window she was sitting beside. 

"Do we have any leads on this missing girl?" one of them asked.

"Not yet. We've checked the surrounding areas, notified the neighbours, and we're combing through every nearby public space, but we haven't found anything."

"I hear this case is very similar to those other ones. We might need to escalate the search and notify the neighbouring precincts."

"Other ones?"

"You know, all the other missing girls across the state. We've had like 16 in the past 3 months alone," the officer whispered in a hushed tone and Althea nearly stuck her head out the window to hear him better, her heart in her throat.

The other officer's face paled, "You don't think this case is connected, do you? The M.O. is completely different. Those girls all went missing in public spaces, in broad daylight. And this girl disappeared from her own home in complete darkness."

"Yeah, you're right, for her sake and her family's, I hope the cases aren't connected, or in 3 days' time, we'll be fishing her out of Marumsco Creek."

"I heard the FBI was called in for those other cases. Are they still in town?"

"None of the girls went missing from Woodbridge so they never had reason to come here."

"Not until now..."

"Yeah. Chief Hayes from the Alexandria PD is the one who called them in so that's where they're at right now probably, unless they've got some new leads."

Althea tuned out the rest of the conversation, her heart sinking. The thought of her little sister being linked to a string of other missing girls was overwhelming and the thought of her being pulled out of some creek was even worse. Fresh tears clouded her vision as guilt washed over her once again. If only she had only gone outside with Ellie when she asked, maybe this could have been prevented.

Hours went by, and the sun started to rise. The police had already searched every inch of the house and the neighbourhood, but there was still no sign of Ellie. Her mother was inconsolable, and Althea's self-loathing had reached its peak.

Althea opened the door wider to let them in and then she stood there awkwardly as they perused the living room. She didn't want to interrupt her parents' argument, but at the same time, she didn't want to be seen as uncooperative.

"Is everything okay, young lady?" Agent Rossi asked, his tone gentle and reassuring. "Can you please go get your mother for us?"

She nodded mutely and headed upstairs slowly. As she walked, she could hear her parents' voices rising in anger, but she tried to block them out. When she reached the bedroom entrance, Michael and Sarah were still shouting at each other.

"Mom, there are some FBI agents here to see you," she said softly, trying not to draw attention to herself.

Sarah turned to look at her, her expression darkening when she saw her, "What do they want?"

"I don't know. They just asked to speak with you."

Her mother hesitated for a moment, then squared her shoulders and strode downstairs followed by her father. Althea watched as they spoke with the agents, their body language tense and defensive. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but she could tell that they weren't happy. She kept her eyes fixed on them, waiting for them to finish and, finally, after what felt like an eternity, Agent Rossi broke away from the group to approach her. 

"Althea right?" he asked.

"How do you know?"

"The FBI knows more than you think," the corners of his lips turned slightly upward, trying to put her at ease.

"Do you...do you know where my sister is then?"

Agent Rossi sighed, "That's why we're here. To find her, but I'm going to need your help to do that okay? Can you answer a few questions for me?"

Althea nodded.

Agent Rossi sat down across from her and began asking her questions about her sister's disappearance. Althea tried to answer as best she could, but she couldn't quite remember the details. Was her sister wearing her blue tank top or yellow? And what colour were her pants, all that came to mind was the large grape jelly stain on the hem. Her hair had been tied up when they were playing in the garden earlier but she had lost her hair tie during the game and Althea couldn't remember if she had found it afterwards. 

"Althea," Agent Rossi said, his tone softening, "I know this is hard for you, but you must try to remember everything you can. We need to find your sister and anything you remember will be of help."

"Yes sir."

"So is there anything out of the ordinary that you remember seeing? Have there been strangers in your neighbourhood lately, someone who hangs around on the streets, someone you don't recognize?"

"No sir."

"And last night, do you remember seeing anything? I am told the window was left open. Did you perhaps hear or see anything?"

"She-she was crying," Althea sniffled. "I heard her crying through the window and then she just...she just stopped."

Agent Rossi nodded, "Did you maybe hear her scream?"

"I didn't. When I couldn't hear her crying anymore, I thought-I thought that she'd calmed down. That she wasn't upset anymore."

"You're doing so great Althea. Thank you. Anything else that you can remember?"

"Will this help you find her?"

"Yes, yes with your help, I am sure we'll be able to find her."

She nodded, tears streaming down her face. She tried to take deep breaths to calm herself down, but it was difficult. Agent Gideon came down from questioning Kaitlyn and questioned Althea once again after Agent Rossi had finished with her and although his approach was firmer, he was still kind to her, and it made her feel even worse. She did not deserve their kindness. She did not deserve anyone's kindness after what she had let happen. 

Eventually, the interrogations ended, and the two agents left the house after exploring some more. Althea sat on the couch, feeling lost and alone, not knowing what was going to happen next. With the distraction gone, her parents turned on each other once more, and since Kaitlyn had locked herself away in her room with Sebastien, Althea was now the sole subject of their combined rage. 

"You're a terrible mother," Michael spat at Sarah. "You can't even keep track of our daughter."

"You're no better," Sarah retorted. "You left us all alone. You abandoned me, you abandoned her!"

"She was in your house. She went missing from your house, don't fucking blame me for this!"

"I'm sorry Daddy, it was my fault. Don't yell at Mom, please," Althea tried to intervene.

"Do not interrupt me Althea!" he snapped. 

Her mother stepped forward, her face contorted in rage. 

"You're the reason this family is falling apart!" she bellowed. "You couldn't keep your sister safe!"

Althea felt tears stinging her eyes. 

"I tried," she whispered. "I tried my best."

"That's not good enough!"

Her parent's voices blended in a cacophony of anger and pain. Althea felt like she was drowning in their words, suffocating under the weight of their accusations. The barbed hooks of their insults dug deep into her skin, tearing at her flesh and maiming her, until she felt as though she was drowning in a pool of her own blood and tears. Her mother's curses were like a raging storm, whipping through the room and lashing at her with ferocious intensity. Each one cut her deeper than the last, slicing through her already tattered psyche and leaving her feeling raw and exposed. Her father's insults on the other hand were like icy fingers, digging into the crevices of her heart and freezing it solid, until she felt as though she could no longer breathe. Her only solace was that, at least while they were berating her, they weren't at each other's throats, and so for their sake, she swallowed her own pain and then opened her mouth wider to swallow theirs too. She deserved it after all.

Finally, Michael stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him. Sarah stood in the middle of the living room, her hands balled into fists. Althea could see the anger and hurt in her mother's eyes, and she knew that things would never be the same between them again.

"I hate you," Sarah spat at Althea before turning and leaving the room.

Althea told herself that she should leave her alone and give her some space to calm down but she couldn't help trailing after her like a lost animal, wanting to make amends somehow. Her mother slammed the bathroom door shut in her face and Althea could hear her muffled sobs coming from the other side. 

"Mama, please, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"Get out of here, Althea! Just go away and leave me alone!"

"But-"

"I said fucking leave. God, I wish you were never born. I wish it was you who had been taken instead of my baby girl. You took her away from me!"

"Mama..."

"I wish I had fucking aborted you like I was told to!"

Althea didn't know what to do. She felt completely helpless and alone. She sank down to the floor, her back against the door, and continued to cry. She was broken out of her grief-laden fog when she heard the sounds of crashing and breaking coming from the bathroom. It sounded like her mother had broken the mirror. She knew that she was upset, but this sounded different. Her worry turned to fear when she then heard the sound of the tub being filled up too.

"Mama, what are you doing?" she called through the door, but there was no answer. 

She tried again, but her mother remained silent. Althea's mind raced as she tried to think of what her mother could be doing. She leaned her ear against the door and could only hear the sound of her mother's choked sobs. 

"Mama, open the door, please open the door," she rattled the doorknob with all her might but it remained closed.

The sound of her mother's crying had stopped but the sound of the water running continued. Althea banged on the door with renewed vigour, hands trembling as she pleaded with her mother to forgive her, to let her in, to not do anything rash. 

She received no response. 

The water eventually overflowed out of the tub and seeped into the carpet outside the bathroom, wetting Althea's feet. She repeatedly slammed herself against the door, sharp pain radiating down her shoulder as she did so, and she even called out for her older sister, but Kaitlyn had fully sequestered herself away and did not even seem to hear her. Her only company was the sound of her own laboured breaths and the continuous sound of the water running. 

Althea looked around frantically for something to open the door with and when she caught sight of the coins lying on her mother's dresser, she was struck with an idea. If she lodged a coin into the door knob just the right way, she would be able to turn the lock. Her fingers kept slipping because they shook so much but eventually the lock turned with a click and she barged into the bathroom with a strangled wail. 

The sight that greeted her, so stark and agonizing, seared itself into the depths of her being like a molten brand, an indelible mark that could never be erased. That is where Kaitlyn found her, hours later, curled into a fetal position by the tub, a trembling wraith consumed by sorrow and guilt.