Yeah, yeah okay so we'll go over the fact that I don't own Gabriel/Sylar or any Heroes character…again. Sniff…meanie Kring and NBC for not sharing. I have however granted partial custody to KelseyCake. We split Zach; I get Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and she can have him on the other days. We split holidays also. Christmas…well we'll see. I mean tying Zach in a nice pretty bow…that's a Merry X-Mas right there.
Tehya was in her room more specifically her closet. She was going through all of her clothes throwing all of her dresses and skirts into a pile. She moved in a frenzy throwing them faster and faster. A blur of clothes flew past her onto her floor. After she cleaned out the skirts and dresses she began tossing away the clothes that were pink, that were white, that were yellow or had any type of cute design. She took out all her other clothes and threw them on her bed and immediately crossed the room to her bookcase. She shoved aside various books and knickknacks searching for what she needed. She took the scissors and immediately set to cutting into her clothes, small rips. She went back to the bookcase again and took down a case of markers. She took the black, red and blue ones, and immediately set to drawing on the jeans she had. She made lazy circles, angry marks, and small angry faces. She colored those in red. After working with those clothes she opened her door and ran downstairs to the kitchen.
First cupboard under the sink. Trash bag.
It was in the kitchen holding a trash bag that Mrs. Harper found her daughter. She had been taking the laundry out, but it seemed that that would have to wait. She found her daughter in a panicked state, a deer in proverbial headlights. She held in her hands a trash bag and seemed determined to get back to her room.
"Hold it what's going on Tehya," she asked setting down the laundry basket.
"Nothing," she said dully, "I'm just getting rid of a few things in my room."
"Oh yeah? Spring cleaning in October, huh?"
"Mom this is serious," Tehya said slightly annoyed.
"Is this about what happened at school? With Gabriel?"
Tehya looked up at her mother. She knew that her mother believed her, but it had been three days since she had been to school. Mrs. Sevilla had not believed anything she had had to say and she was suspended for a week. She had tried to wake up early to meet Gabriel at the bus stop but she noticed that his mother was now accompanying him to the bus stop every morning. It still amazed her how a neighbor could remain so distant. Eventually she did speak to her father about the whole thing. She dreaded speaking to her father. She loved him ,but he had always kept her at arm's length. Always, she had sought his approval and now she was certain that he would never look at her the same way again.
Somehow changing herself would fix this. The old Tehya had to disappear. She simply wasn't tough enough to handle the situation.
"Mom, I want to be different. The way I am now…it's not going to help anybody."
"My Tehya is just fine! Now what's the matter?"
"I don't care about dresses or skirts or makeup or anything! I have to be different ma!"
Mrs. Harper hated seeing her incredible daughter tortured this way. She knew that Tehya was protective of all that she loved and fought hard to do the right thing by anyone. When the principal had told her about what she thought Tehya had done, she flat out rejected the idea. Her Tehya would never be so cold to another person. She knew that Tehya's heart was only surpassed by her need to do the right thing. She took a tearstained daughter home, hoping that taking a few days off and spending time with her would help her feel better, but Tehya remained aloof. She had done everything, taken her to a movie, out to dinner, making her favorite dessert, but nothing removed the lost broken look in Tehya's beautiful green eyes. She was losing her daughter to this awful place and she hated that her husband had decided to come here to work.
"Kiddo, trust me things will get better."
"Things don't get better unless you make them get better. I have to clean my room now, 'scuse me ma," Tehya said flatly as she brushed by her mother towards her room.
Later that evening there were three trash bags in the bins. Mrs. Harper opened them curious as to what Tehya could possibly throw away. In the bags were clothes, pretty ones that they had bought together, shoes that she knew Tehya loved, dolls, kiddie make up kits, party jewelry, coloring books, everything that she knew Tehya treasured. She retied the bags and took them back inside. She and Mr. Harper were going to have a serious talk about their daughter, she didn't care how much work he had to do.
Marlene Harper was a woman of many strengths. She leapt into any danger for the people she loved and was usually never quick to anger. She met Louis Harper when she was eighteen and it seemed even then they were destined to be together. They were married, a small wedding with close friends and relatives, when she was twenty-two and he was a young man of twenty-five. They had Tehya a year later. When Tehya was born Marlene swore that she would give her a beautiful life, and when she looked into her baby girl's big green eyes for the first time she knew that she would do anything for her. Watching Tehya grow had been an honor. It was a very heady experience having someone depend on you for everything, look to you for guidance, but she knew that she was meant to be a mother. Now she had to find a way to guide her daughter through this and she knew that Louis was going to have to pitch in this time as well.
"Louis," she said as she entered the living room.
"What's up Marlie," Louis said putting down the bible he had been reading.
"We need to talk about Tehya."
"I know I've been meaning to bring that up, I mean, what happened at school? I never believed she was capable of such a thing. Are they sure that's what happened?"
Marlene took a seat next to Louis on the couch, "I think that Sevilla woman is a damn harpy! Anyone with eyes could see that Tehya and Gabriel were completely innocent. Those kids that that evil little Barbie says that Tehya and Gabriel beat up were more than twice her and Gabriel's size. Our daughter would never hurt anyone not the way they're saying. But still," Marlene," there's something bothering her Lou. She threw all her nice clothes and toys in the garbage, she hasn't smiled since that day…she's just going through the motions. She says she wants to change, but…I just don't…don't understand."
Louis took Marlene into his arms and kissed the top of her head. "Tay and I have always been at the odd end of the spectrum. She's just like you Marlie, strong, stubborn, and a good person. I think she just misses her friend. Seen that woman guarding over her son like a rottweiler. I think once we tell her about the new baby she'll find her footing again. I love her same as you babe, but I think if she wants to change we're just going to have to help her do that. Our girl can't be little forever."
"I know but I just feel cheated."
"No, she's still Tehya. She just has to fit into this new skin. We're going to help her do that and you know, drill the whole one step at a time thing into her head."
Marlene smiled softly knowing that that speech had never worked on their daughter, "Do you really think now is the time to mention the baby?"
"Well it's either that we wait until you start showing and tell her that you have a basketball scotch-taped to your belly."
Marlene snorted at the idea. "You think the question will pop up?"
"Hell yeah I do! Your daughter's just as curious as you and twice as smart as the both of us combined."
"So what should we tell her?"
"Alright, so here's what I've been thinking…," Louis said as he whispered into Marlene's ear.
"Hell will freeze over before she believes that bullshit…you really think that'll work," she said leaning back onto her husband and looking up into his eyes.
"I dunno she's your spitting image not mine. Would you have believed it?"
Marlene laughed, "I would have asked for photographic proof."
The bible slipped from the couch and onto the floor, "Christ," Louis swore, "we're screwed."
"Yup," Marlene giggled softly to herself, "very much so."
