A/N: So... I'm back?
Notes at the end.
[4. SATURDAY]
…
Hi baby, how is everything in London? I was wondering, have you heard from your sister, recently? I've been trying to call her but her phone is always off. Let me know! x Mum
…
Miles stares at the words on the screen and lets out a sigh, his back sinking further into the floppy air mattress on the floor. Two feet from him, Frankie is sitting crossed-legged on Hunter's bed, carefully applying a thick layer of concealer on the fading bruise under her eye.
It hurts to watch her do that. So Miles kind of doesn't, looking somewhere else — anywhere else, the ceiling, his phone, his mother's text — instead.
It's mid-morning, and it's the weekend, so Hunter doesn't have anywhere to be. Frankie's still not too happy about mixing up with people, but today she agreed to venture out to the caf. So, the plan is to have an early lunch — this time for real, no more sandwiches sneaked in by Hunter as if they were criminals in hiding.
"Okay, I'm ready," Hunter announces walking in, hair still wet from the shower and a towel hanging from his shoulders. "You alright there, Miles?"
Miles shoots him a glance at the direct call, his mouth dry all of a sudden. Frankie is also staring at him, now, albeit less directly than their brother.
"Yeah, I just…" Miles throws a sideways glare to their sister, who immediately sits up a little straighter on the bed.
"What?" she asks.
"Nothing, just, Mum texted me. Asking about you," he nods towards her.
Frankie's face drops. "She did?"
"Yeah, me too," Hunter says casually. Both siblings turn towards him wide-eyed. "Relax, gee! I told her I spoke to you yesterday. I was very non-specific. Why?"
Frankie's face somewhat settles, but there's still a clear sense of worry in her eyes.
"Okay… thanks," she manages. "I haven't, you know… My phone's been off."
"Yeah, I figured," Hunter says.
Frankie looks tentatively at the both of them. "Do you guys think… should I turn it back on?"
Hunter and Miles exchange a look, and suddenly Hunter doesn't look quite as confident as ten seconds ago.
"I mean… you don't have to," he hesitates.
"I don't really feel like talking to mum. But I could text her back, maybe, so she knows I'm fine and stops worrying."
She doesn't seem too convinced by her own words, so Miles nods towards her, reassuringly. "Sure. But, only if you feel ready."
She stalls for a moment, but after a beat she goes on with it while her resolution lasts, her fingers trembling slightly as she presses the switch-on button.
Nothing happens at first, but it's just the quiet before the storm. Within a few seconds Frankie's phone starts going off like crazy, beeping with a thousand notifications for text messages and missed calls. Max's name is everywhere, and Miles and Hunter share a concerned glance as they wait for her reaction. Frankie keeps her composure, though. She takes a deep breath, steadying herself, and she briefly closes her eyes as the device keeps beeping. She then turns it to silent mode and switches off the screen, pretending not to care about the words she's clearly been able to glimpse at.
"I guess texting mum will have to wait," she says, doing her best to keep her voice light. She sighs quietly, then glances back at them. "I'll delete them later," she decides, "I can't even be bothered looking at them, now."
Miles and Hunter smile feebly at her. They were all expecting this to happen, but it's still unsettling to actually see it all unfold. Maybe it will all die down soon enough, though. How persistent can someone be, how long would Max have kept trying to reach her before giving up? Her phone's been off for days. Sure he must have gotten the message.
"Sounds like a plan," Miles says, forcing a reassuring smile on. "I'm sure mum can wait a little longer. No rush, okay?"
Frankie nods back at him, looking a bit defeated. Her phone is face-down on the bed just next to her, reduced to silence for the moment.
Hunter then checks the time on his wrist-watch, shuffling restlessly on his feet.
"Not to ruin the serious mood, but… Shall we get going, now? I'm kind of starving…"
Miles chuckles, shaking his head. Frankie, too, seems grateful at the suggestion, and she smiles timidly at her twin.
"Yeah, let's go."
Miles doesn't miss the quick squeeze Hunter gives to her shoulder, as they're walking out of the room. He picks up the pace and falls in step just behind them.
…
It's amazing how much a silent piece of metal can keep them all hostage. It's quite surprising, considering she kept it off for so long, but Frankie seems hyper-conscious of it now, and almost supernaturally aware of each new silent notification. The boys keep sharing uneasy glances between each other, unsure what to do. Maybe this wasn't such a great idea, after all. Frankie's face so very clearly drops every time she catches a glimpse of her screen, lighting up with yet another new incoming message.
"You can turn it back off, Franks, it's okay," Miles tries once he can't take it anymore. "We'll tell mum that you're away for the weekend and have bad signal or something. Okay?"
Frankie briefly looks up to him, but then she's glancing yet again at her phone.
"No, it's- it's okay. I can't hide forever, right? This was bound to happen at some point."
Her screen keeps lighting up with new notifications, though, and it's hard not to notice her tensing every single time she catches a glimpse of his name. They're new messages, now that the flow of old ones has stopped, and increasingly more insistent incoming calls — Max must have noticed her phone is on again, and seems determined to reach her.
Eventually, on the eighth attempted call in a row, Hunter finally snaps the phone from Frankie's hands and picks up.
"She's not going to answer, fucking asshole, so stop calling her!" he practically shouts into the speaker. He then hangs up, a satisfied grin barely hidden on his flustered face.
All falls silent between them. The atmosphere has instantly shifted, and Miles glances towards Frankie, worried. He hasn't missed how her breath is quickening, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she stares at their brother. There's something sort of vacant in her eyes, though, as if she can't really see Hunter in front of her.
"He knows where I am now…" she barely whispers, and at her words Hunter's face drops. "He knows I'm with you, he must have recognized your voice. What if he comes here? What do I do, what if-"
"Frankie," Miles tries, reaching out to touch her shoulder. Frankie flinches away so violently it feels like a piece of his being has been torn out. "Frankie, look at me," he begs her, but she doesn't seem to hear him.
Miles has enough personal experience with panic attacks to recognise the signs of his sister building up to one — eyes wide and breathing heavily, her shoulders shaking and a cold sweat glistening on her skin. Hoping with every fiber of his body this won't freak her out even more, Miles takes one step in her direction and takes her face delicately in his hands, looking straight into her eyes. "Frankie, please, listen to me," he pushes, when she finally meets his gaze, "Hunter and I won't leave you alone even for a second. He won't come, but if he does, we'll be with you, I promise." He combs some stray hair behind her ears with his fingers, gently. "I promise, Frankenstein. We'll keep you safe."
Hunter's lingering just beside them, still a bit in shock, a guilty look on his face. "Frankie… I'm so, so sorry, I didn't think!"
Frankie closes her eyes, breathing deeply. Her body is shaking a little and a few stray tears roll over the rim of her eyes, streaking her cheeks. She nods briefly at their brother, a silent acknowledgement. Miles pulls her in close, kisses her on the temple.
"You okay?" he asks, softly.
Frankie nods back, her forehead resting on him. She doesn't seem too okay, to be fair, but at least she appears to have calmed down a little. Less shaken. He squeezes her tight, and keeps her there — safe in his arms — for way longer than it would be considered acceptable, considering they're standing in the middle of a public footpath.
"Now… forget the caf, let's get some real food in our bellies. My treat!" says Miles, a forced happiness in his tone that doesn't feel quite right, and yet he doesn't know what else to do. He pinches Frankie's cheek as if she were still a little girl, and she smiles at that, at last. It's a half-hearted smile that doesn't reach her eyes, but it's a smile nonetheless. Miles wraps an arm around her shoulders as they set off, and even Hunter places a hand on the small of her back as they walk side by side.
More A/N:
Hi. Are you still with me? Sorry for falling off the face of the Earth. I've had some serious health issues in my family, and some general adulting stuff around that, and frankly I just didn't feel like writing for a while. I hope you're still around. Please leave me a comment if you feel like ^^
I have a few more chapters ready so I should resume the weekly updates from now. But no promises.
Hope you're having a lovely day/evening wherever you are.
x
