Yaaay, next chapter! Bet you're all curious about what'll happen next, so here you go:
The minutes went by while Maddie waited in her room. Yep, Carlisle would be up here soon and then she would catch hell. Right now he was probably calming down like he always did. And talking to Esme about their youngest. And planning on how to teach his child some respect for rules.
Another short while later there was a knock on Maddies door.
She did not answer.
"Madeline?" Carlisle asked from the other side of the door. He just hoped for her own sake she did not run away again.
"Huh?"
"Can I come in? We need to talk," he said in a serious tone of voice.
"Uhm... No, thanks." As soon as the words left her mouth, the door opened and in stepped her father, looking pissed all over again.
"In case you wish to worsen your punishment, continue your way," he told her and sat down on her bed. "Sit down."
Uh-oh. Maddie did not want to sit next to him right now. He might decide what to do with her in a jiffy and then she would not be able to flee anymore.
He saw her hesitate. "Madeline, we will only talk for now. So please sit down."
Well, what could you do?
She walked over to her bed and carefully sat down, her eyes never leaving her Dad.
"Would you like to tell me what happened today?"
She shook her head. Nope, she would not like to do that.
"Sweetheart, I am giving you the chance to explain yourself. What led to this behaviour of yours?"
Now she shrugged.
"Madeline! I am trying to be patient right now, but you are making it really hard for me."
'I'm making it hard for you?' Maddie stood up from the bed and shouted, "Fine! You left so I thought I could leave too and steal back into the house after a while! Happy now?"
"Watch your tone, young lady. And sit. back. down."
When she did as he told her to, he continued. "So when I left, you decided it was your chance to sneak out even though you are grounded. Then you misused your gift on your mother, which you know is strictly forbidden, and met some teenagers at the park without surveillance. What do you have to say for yourself?"
"Nothing happened."
"Well, it surely does not sound like nothing. That was dangerous, Madeline. We do not know these people and their purposes. Anything could have happened at the park. And nobody knew you were gone, so who could have possibly helped you?"
"I can take care of myself just fine," Maddie said through gritted teeth. She hated to be treated like a little girl.
"I do not doubt that, but you might have exposed yourself in the process."
Oh.
"And your family, too."
Huh.
"But I could have fixed their memories."
"All at once?"
Dammit.
"But Alice -," she tried another direction.
"The future is constantly changing. And you often make very impulsive and rash decisions. That would make it very difficult for her to warn us in time to avert the danger."
Nooo, that was her last straw!
"And for your information, your punishment will not only be because you put yourself in danger, but because you lied to your mother and disobeyed us again as well." Carlisle was very serious. Maddie did not like that he called the use of her gift 'lying', but did not protest, this time. Instead she whispered, "I'm sorry, Daddy.", and hung her head.
She wasn't sorry now, Carlisle knew, but she would be sooner or later.
"Now, I want you to go downstairs and apologise to your mother for the way you treated her. You will ask her for whatever punishment she sees fit, and you will accept it. Then you come back upstairs."
Maddie nodded her head after the first sentence, but looked wide-eyed at her father after hearing the second one. And she nearly stomped her foot because of the last one.
"Dad, are you crazy? I've only been gone for one freakin' hour and -" "Enough! Do what I told you, now!"
Maddie gave Carlisle a sharp look before leaving her room. Making her way downstairs she thought of the meanest words she knew for her father.
Then she found Esme sitting at the dining room table, going through some architecture magazines.
"Mom?" the girl said and sat down on a chair next to her mother.
Esme stopped reading, looked her daughter straight in the eye and waited for her to say something.
"Mommy, I'm sorry for what I did to you. Please don't be mad at me anymore, okay?" she sounded pleading.
"Why did you do it?" Esme asked.
"I really, really wanted to go out and I was so bored and then it just happened." Now that's some explanation.
"I honestly don't understand, Madeline. Why didn't you wait until tomorrow?"
"I don't know. I guess I thought it was unfair of you to ground me for the weekend."
"Sweetie, don't you remember your behaviour? Yelling at us and using foul language never got you anything else. We never punish you without reason, you know that."
"Yeah ... now, do you accept my apology, Mom?" Maddie asked puppy-eyed.
"Of course I do, sweetheart. But don't let it happen again." Esme hugged her daughter tight.
"I won't. Oh, and one more thing. Dad said I'm supposed to ask for ... well, he wants you to ... " she couldn't get the words out and Esme gave her a puzzled look. "What is it?"
"Uhm ... " Then Maddie turned away facing the stairs. "Dad! I can't do it!" she whined.
"Madeline," Carlisle answered in a warning tone.
"But Dad -"
"Madeline, do not make me come downstairs."
"Fine. Dad wants you to give me a punishment for persuading you." There. She said it.
"That is very thoughtful of him," Esme commented. Then she looked like she was really thinking about it.
"No computer for a week. That would be sufficient."
"But Mom! I already couldn't use it for the last couple of days!"
"Then I really hope you will learn from this." Yep, life was unfair.
Maddie wanted to punch a hole in the wall. Did nobody feel pity for her?
"Right." was all she could say.
TBC...
Well, Maddie has to face Carlisle in the next chapter ... I wouldn't want to be her right now!
So, review please and tell me what you think!