Chapter 23

It's funny how the biggest disasters can happen in mere seconds. One moment everything is perfect, and the next one your peaceful existence is disrupted by a catastrophe of titanic proportions.

At least that's how the current situation felt like for Amelia.

The day had been going so well! Her Daddy had prepared her favourite hotcakes for breakfast and he'd promised to take her to the park after he had picked her up from school... they'd been doing a lot together since their talk, but given the current situation, it was painfully obvious that any pleasant plans they'd once had, had already been tossed out the window.

She hadn't been looking for trouble... she had just been telling her friends about the fun weekend that she'd had with her Daddy and her Mommy! It was Sophia who had started everything! She had been the one to say mean things about her Daddy...

She and Sophia had never exactly gotten along, but what she'd said was the straw that broke the camel's back.

Who did she think she was?! She had no right to say what she'd said! And it had been her ugly words which had made her snap like that. It was the first time she'd punched someone in the face, after all. Sophia deserved it...

At least she hoped so...

So there she was, sat in the time-out corner of her classroom whilst her teacher, Mrs Jensen, awaited for her parents to arrive. Amelia grimaced, feeling a strange dread seeping into her heart. Why and what was she feeling? Why did she fear (was it fear what she was feeling?) that maybe Sophia hadn't been lying?

Granted, the other night, when her Mommy and Daddy had told her not to worry about things like that, she'd been sure that her thoughts concerning the twins were nothing but baseless fears, but what if they hadn't meant what they said? What if… if Sophia was right and they had lied to her just to get her to calm down?

That dreadful fear had been revolving around her head since the other girl had first said that her Daddy wasn't... that he... that she...

Amelia's eyes welled up.

She couldn't bear to think it. She couldn't bear the thought that maybe her Daddy didn't really love her, and was just stuck with her because he was with her Mommy. She couldn't bear to think that, perhaps, she had been lied at by her own parent.

As soon as she spotted her teacher coming over to see her, however, Amelia forced herself to stop crying and wicked her tears away with the edge of her sleeve.

"I just called your parents, Amelia. Your father is on his way," she said, kneeling down in front of her and speaking in that tone that all adults used to let a child know that they were displeased with them. "And we're going to get to the bottom of this."

She slumped in the chair, and said nothing. Mrs Jensen sighed, and got back up to go to her desk.

The teacher didn't understand. No one did. And how could she tell her Daddy what had happened? If he didn't love her, he'd lie to her again anyway! That started a fresh wave of tears, much to her chagrin, and her sobs became so loud that she almost didn't hear the footsteps coming towards the classroom.

There was a knock at the door, and a familiar voice, "Mrs Jensen?"

Her father was there.

Well... if Sophia was right (and part of her was starting to fear she was) he wasn't really her father. She peered up at him, taking care not to catch his sight; judging by the look on his face she simply knew he was furious with her! Probably he didn't want to deal with anything she did... especially if that meant having to go to school to talk to her teacher.

She quickly stared back at the floor when her father entered the classroom – or maybe she should start calling him Niles now? – There was no doubt that after what she'd done he wouldn't want her to call her Daddy anymore. She had to be strong, though. She couldn't show any weakness... that's why she forced herself to stop her cries and roughly dried her tears.

"Hello, Mr Brightmore, thank you for coming," Mrs Jensen said, shaking the man's hand. "Would you please take a seat?"

"Of course," the butler said, looking over towards were Amelia sat, facing the wall. The teacher hadn't told him what had happened, but she did mention his daughter had behaved in an unusual and absolutely unacceptable way. What had she done?

"Thank you," the teacher said, taking a seat at the same time Niles did. "I am sure you are anxious to know why I called you in."

"Indeed. My wife wanted to come, but unluckily her pregnancy prevented her from being here," Niles explained. "What happened with Amelia?"

"Well..." the teacher sighed, her brow furrowing, "I must say I am surprised by her actions – she'd never caused any trouble before – but today she punched a classmate, Sophia Vanderbilt, in the face."

There was a dreadful silence in between Mrs Jensen speaking and whatever Niles' reaction was going to be. Amelia couldn't bear it, but she knew she had to.

"She did what?!" he sounded like he couldn't believe it, and Amelia knew right then and there that she didn't have a Daddy anymore.

Niles wasn't thinking anything of the sort, however. He just couldn't believe that Amelia would do such a thing! She was such a nice little girl, what could have compelled her? They hadn't taught her to behave in such a manner, and of course she had to be punished for it, but there must have been some deeper reason behind it all.

"From what I was able to see, she punched another student in the face," Mrs Jensen repeated, before sighing and looking in Amelia's direction. "But she won't tell anyone why she did it."

Niles frowned. He just couldn't understand it. But Amelia was so like her mother, she must have been reacting in the same way C.C. would when something was upsetting her – she was keeping it to herself.

They just had to find out what that was, that was all.

Knowing his child, however, he decided that they needed some time alone to discuss this. It wasn't that he didn't trust her teacher, but rather that Amelia was more likely to open up if it was just the two of them in the room.

"Did you happen to see what happened before Amelia did that?" Niles asked; the more information about the incident, the better. "Were they arguing?"

"Not really," Mrs Jensen said. "They were just talking and playing with their toys – nothing out of the ordinary."

Again Niles fell silent and nodded. He was honestly shocked by her actions, but he was decided to get to the bottom of it.

"Alright... might I be allowed some moments with her? Alone?"

The teacher smiled and assented with her head. "Of course, Mr Brightmore. I will be in my office if you need me. It's the door adjacent to the classroom's entrance."

After Niles had thanked her, the teacher quietly left the room, giving the little girl one last concerned look. Once the door was carefully closed, Niles got to his feet and walked to Amelia, who was still facing the wall and glaring daggers at it. He waited in silence for her to turn to look at him, but when it became obvious she wasn't going to move, he crouched before her and spoke.

"Amelia, look at me."

"Just punish me already," the little girl choked out. She didn't want (and wasn't going) to talk about it – she couldn't bear talking about it. Hearing his rejection would be something too painful...

Her words sounded harsh to Niles, and they threw him off, more than a little. Especially considering how distraught she looked. It would be best to take care of the messy details first –what had made her do this in the first place. He would be punishing her, later, but not until he had a full explanation of what had gone on.

"I'm not doing anything of the sort until we've talked this over."

"I don't wanna talk," Amelia folded her arms across her middle stubbornly.

Niles was starting to get more than a little irritated, but he tried his best to keep his voice level as he replied, "Well that's a shame, but we're going to talk about this anyway."

Amelia sat there in stony silence, dropping her gaze away from his.

If he wasn't her Daddy anymore, she didn't have to do as he said. And if he didn't really love her, not doing what he said wouldn't matter.

But of course, Niles didn't see it that way.

"Amelia, look at me," he said again. "And tell me why you punched someone in your class."

She remained in silence, feeling hurt and angry in equal measure. She didn't want to talk about it! Why did he want to know? It's not like he really cared right...?

"Amelia, I asked you a question. Answer me," Niles insisted, his voice becoming firmer and slightly louder. "Why did you punch Sophia?"

"Just because!" she snapped, crossing her legs. It was almost as if her body language was an expression of the emotional strain she was under.

"That's not a proper answer," he retorted sternly. "And don't use that tone with me. Now, I am asking you one last time – why did you hit that girl?"

Amelia's frown deepened, if that was possible. She was close to her breaking point, and the incessant questions were only causing her more pain than she was already in. How could she answer them? She didn't want to hear that Sophia had been right from him... especially not here.

"Amelia Brightmore-"

And that was it. That was the last straw...

Amelia simply couldn't hold herself together any longer after he'd called her by the surname he had given her – the surname that he'd only given her because he was stuck with her! She buried her face in her arms in an attempt to hide her free falling tears. But she couldn't keep her body from shaking with her sobs.

"Because she deserved it!" Amelia cried out, trying to choke out words through her sobs. "Because she said ugly things and I... she just... she was mean! And she deserved it!"

"Why do you say that, Amelia? What did she say?" Niles insisted, his voice softening ever so slightly. He longed to stroke her hair, but somehow something told him that she wouldn't appreciate it.

"She... she said that you are not really my Daddy because... because you didn't put me in Mommy's belly, like you did with my brother and sister! She said that you don't love me and that you are stuck with me just because you married Mommy! And she said that you lied when you said you do love me!"

And that threw Niles more than her behaviour had. How dare someone say such a thing! None of it was true, absolutely none of it, and the first thing he wanted to do was pull his little girl close and reassure her that her classmate had been lying.

But Amelia seemed too distressed to get near, and she was at last looking at him, but in pure, unbridled fear and desperation.

"Is it true?" she sobbed. "A-are you stuck with me...?!"

She buried her face in her hands, now afraid of his answer. He'd been so quiet, she was afraid that she knew the answer already. He was going to say yes. He'd been stuck with her because he married her Mommy. He'd never loved her, and had only spent time with her because he had to. And now he and Mommy were having the twins, he didn't have to pretend anymore.

But none of that came out. Instead, she felt two large, gentle hands grip at her wrists, stroking the skin softly, like he was trying to comfort her. It's what Niles was trying to do. Seeing her so upset and in pain hurt him deeply, and all he wanted to do was take that pain away.

"Of course that's not true, sweetheart!" he almost cried, feeling tears gathering in the corners of his own eyes. "I'm your Daddy, and I love you! I could never be just stuck with you!"

"But... but she said that... that you can't love a baby if you didn't put it inside the Mommy!"

Niles couldn't help it – he did cry. He couldn't stand to see her in so much pain, and he did feel like screaming at the brat who had made his child feel unloved. Amelia had been extremely sensitive since C.C. had gotten pregnant, and Sophia's words had affected her more than she was willing to admit. God… they'd only just gotten Amelia to open up after months of silence and this brat had ruined everything with her cruel words!

Sophia was wrong. He loved Amelia... she was his child. Biology be damned.

"Well, Sophia is wrong. I love you, sweetie. Would I have adopted you if I were stuck with you?" he said, tentatively moving one arm to hug the little girl's shoulders. "Would I have cried like a baby when you chose me to be your Daddy if I didn't love you?"

There was a pause during which Amelia appeared to be pondering over his words. She was still sobbing, but at least she was slowly allowing him to come near her.

"I don't know... I mean... I love you and I... I... I just want you to love me too, like you love the twins!"

"Oh... sweetheart..." Niles murmured, taking her in his arms and wrapping her in a tight, warm hug. "I love you – you are my daughter! Yes, it's true that we are going to have two new little Brightmores at home, but just like I told you the other night, that doesn't mean I'll love you any less! I adore you, and you are my daughter."

"You swear it?" Amelia asked, hiding her face in the crook of his neck.

"I swear it," he replied immediately, kissing her hair, and hugging her like he would never let go. "I am your Daddy, and I will love you forever and ever. No matter what anyone else says."

"I'll love you forever and ever and ever, too," Amelia whimpered, trying to apparently nestle herself further against him.

Niles let her, too. After something like this, she needed all the comfort she could get. And he was perfectly happy to provide that. She would be punished for what she did, appropriately, but later. Not right away. It wouldn't be any help to them or to her to start disciplining her when she believed that one of them didn't love her. It would send the wrong message.

He rubbed her back comfortingly, "Come on; I'm going to have a quick word with your teacher, and then we'll get going, alright?"

Amelia nodded, but stayed firmly where she was. She didn't want to let go just yet, so Niles simply lifted her in his arms and allowed her to rest her head on his shoulder. He'd have to talk with C.C. about this, but for now he had to focus on letting the teacher now the true reason behind his daughter's outburst.

They'd discuss what had happened at length once Amelia was feeling a bit better, and seeing as it was Friday they had the whole weekend to deal with this at home.

Mrs Jensen was horrified when she heard the reason behind Amelia punching Sophia. And although she was still upset about Amelia having reacted violently instead of having looked for help, she and Niles agreed that Sophia had been at fault, too.

So, after the teacher had promised she'd phone Sophia's parents, both father and daughter began their way back home. C.C. was already waiting for them in the kitchen when they got to their mansion – she'd begun her maternity leave only two weeks ago – and she was anxious to hear what had been so bad that it had required Niles to go in and talk with Amelia's teacher!

"It's nothing," he said airily, mostly for Amelia's sake. For him it was anything but unimportant, but the girl didn't need any more worries. Actually, she needed some rest and a good cup of hot chocolate.

"Niles, it ca-"

"C.C.," Niles cut her off, giving her a pleading look. "I'll tell you in a moment, just let me take her upstairs and tuck her in. I promise we'll talk in a moment, okay?"

C.C. saw the way he looked at her, and knew that he meant what he said. So she stood back a little, and nodded.

"Alright," she said quietly. "We'll talk in a moment."

"Thank you," Niles made his way towards the stairs, and carefully carried his daughter up to her room.

Helping Amelia into her pyjamas, he plumped up the pillows and peeled back the covers, before gently laying her on them, and tucking all the sheets back around her securely.

He hoped she felt safe, and loved.

"Comfortable?" he asked, waiting for her to nod before he continued. "Good. Now, if you wait right here, I'll be right back with a little something to help you stay cosy."

"Okay," Amelia mumbled, snuggling against her pillows. They smelled good, like they'd been freshly washed, and they were making her feel warm.

She felt like she was at home.

Smiling softly, Niles rose from his seat on her bed and went back downstairs, leaving the door more than slightly ajar. He immediately went to the kitchen, and his wife followed him in, arms folded across her pregnant belly. She was most definitely waiting for his explanation.

And she was going to get one, as he started to prepare Amelia's hot chocolate.

"What happened?" C.C.'s question was clear and simple.

Niles put a pan on the stove, "Amelia was in trouble today. She punched another student in the face."

C.C.'s jaw dropped, "She did what?! Why would she do something like that?! I can't believe that my little-"

Niles held up a hand for silence, and surprisingly enough, he got it. He looked up, into his wife's eyes, and somehow found the courage to tell her the worst part.

"This particular classmate, Sophia Vanderbilt, had told her that I couldn't really be her father, and that I couldn't possibly love her, because I'm not her birth father. Then...went on to say that I was merely stuck with Amelia, because I married you."

C.C.'s features became unreadable, almost. Her mouth closed a little, and she straightened her back more (as much as she was able to). It was like she was deep in thought and yet wounded at the same time.

It seemed an age before she said anything.

"But that's not true at all!" she at last cried, seeming to have come over the shock his words had caused.

"I know that," Niles replied, continuing to prepare the cocoa. "I know it, you know it...but it was enough to make Amelia doubt it, and it's not surprising considering just how sensitive she's been since she found out about the twins. And, well...she lashed out."

C.C. turned, and leaned her back against the counter. Her poor little girl must have been badly hurt by what her classmate had said! If C.C. had been there, then, well...that child would never have said such nasty things to anyone ever again, that would be for sure.

She bit her lip, eyes cast to the floor, "What do we do about it now, though?"

"Well, I managed to speak with Mrs Jensen about it," Niles poured a hearty amount of cocoa into Amelia's favourite mug. "She is going to talk with the child's parents, so there will be repercussions for them. And, after a generous amount of love and attention to reassure Amelia that nothing could be further from the truth than what the girl said, we will make sure she understands that what she did was wrong."

C.C. pursed her lips, upset by what that little brat had done to her daughter and by the twins kicking her ribs at the same time. "Alright... but we'll talk to her about that tomorrow. Now I just want to console her..."

Niles nodded. He was thinking along the same lines. Given what had happened earlier, they didn't really consider reprimanding Mia a priority. She needed love and togetherness, not more harsh words, even if they were for her own good.

"Sounds fair to me," Niles said, placing the mug on a tray and moving to cut a piece of his homemade cheesecake. "I'll be right back after I take this to-"

"I am coming up with you," C.C. cut him off, teetering towards the exit door. "And we are all watching a movie together. So bring up some extra snacks, Julia Child."

She heard him chuckle under his breath as she laboriously began climbing up the stairs – this was honestly something she hadn't missed about being pregnant…

Back to the matter at hand, however, she had never been lenient when it came to educating Amelia, but she just had to make an exception here. What that other girl did was cruel, and C.C. could understand her child's aggressive reaction. Amelia was a good and obedient child and she seldom misbehaved, hence her being sure that she had truly been hurt by what Sophia had said. It wasn't that she agreed with what she'd done to Sophia – it was the other way round, actually – but rather that she could understand Amelia's fear and subsequent anger at the other girl having poked her nasty little finger where it hurt the most.

Once she'd managed to reach the top of the staircase, C.C. quickly covered the distance between the landing and Amelia's bedroom. She found the girl curled up in a ball under the covers and hugging her old toy monkey, Bananas.

"Sweetie?" C.C. called from the door. "May I come in?"

Amelia hesitated, but she nodded softly. Her initial reluctance surprised C.C., but everything made sense when she realised there were a few tears running down her cheeks – Amelia hated when anyone saw her crying.

And it broke C.C.'s heart to see her girl so affected, too. She wished that she could run to her and hold her close to make everything better, but with the twins, it wasn't entirely possible. She had to make do with the fastest walk she could manage, and she seated herself on the edge of Amelia's bed, just as she had done every night for so many years.

Amelia was lying down, trying to hide her face in the covers.

"Your Daddy told me what happened," C.C. said quietly, looking down at her daughter and moving the covers aside to stroke her hair. "But you don't have anything to worry about, sweetie..."

Amelia's eyes travelled up towards her mother, and she sniffed, "I don't...?"

C.C. shook her head, "Your Daddy loves you more than his own life. Just like I do. And no one is going to take that away, ever."

She hoped that this really was getting through to her daughter. The last thing she wanted to imagine was Amelia thinking that she wasn't completely adored. It was hard enough trying to grow up, let alone doing it thinking you were all by yourself, after all.

"Even though you're gonna have the twins?"

C.C. carefully slipped under the covers and snuggled down next to her child. She gently pulled Amelia close to her and held her as she stroked her long hair. The girl tucked her head underneath her mother's chin and allowed her to lace their free hands together.

"The twins won't change anything, sweetie," C.C. crooned. "Your Daddy and I love you all equally, and that will never change. Parents have the same amount of love for all of their babies, and you are still our little girl. You will always be our little girl..."

"Even when I am older?" Amelia asked in a small voice.

"Even when you are older. We will love you until the day we die, and that's saying something!" C.C. then moved back so she could look down into Amelia's eyes. "Having these babies will only make our family bigger, sweetheart. It won't change how your Daddy and I feel about you! We love you, and that won't change. Just like we told you before."

And so Amelia burrowed against her mother, letting the older woman hug her as tight as she could. Honestly, she needed this... she'd been needing it for a long time.

"I was just so angry, Mommy..." Amelia cried, beginning to whimper again. "So scared that Sophia was right... and I... I didn't want to hurt Sophia! But I was just so angry..."

"I know, sweetie, I know..." C.C. pressed her cheek against her daughter's head. "But you don't have to be afraid. We love you more than words can possibly say, and nothing will make us change our minds about that."

Amelia cuddled as close to her mother as she could, feeling safe in her embrace. She'd calmed down now that the adrenaline of the day had worn off, and she was feeling oddly sleepy. But another set of footsteps just outside the door kept her in the present moment, and her eyes went to the source.

Her Daddy was there, carrying a tray packed with all kinds of food, and appeared to have a movie tucked tightly under his arm to prevent it from falling as he went up the stairs.

"Are my two favourite girls still awake under there?" he half-whispered.

C.C. eased herself upright, pulling Amelia up, too, so she could cuddle her, "That we are. What fine selection of goodies do you have for us tonight?"

Niles put the heavy-laden tray down on the nightstand next to Amelia's bed proudly. It was a fine collection, if he did say so himself; the hot chocolate, the cheesecake, some packets of potato chips, popcorn, pretzels, and assorted candy and chocolate. Everything someone could possibly need if they wanted cheering up through comfort food.

"A large one, if I must say," Niles said, coming to settling next to his wife and child on the latter's queen-sized bed after putting on the movie. "Nothing but the best for the two most important girls in my life."

He draped his arm around C.C.'s shoulders, and Amelia snuggled in between them. Niles allowed Amelia to partially rest her back against his chest and he then handed her the mug of hot cocoa he'd prepared for her.

He had put extra mini-marshmallows in it, just how she liked.

"Is it any good?" he asked after Amelia took a sip.

"Delicious!" Amelia exclaimed, enjoying the feeling of holding the warm mug in her hands. "Thank you, Daddy."

"It's no trouble, sweetheart," he gently stroked her hair, basking in the feeling of being together like this. "Feeling better?"

Amelia nodded. "Mh-hm, a bit better, yes," the girl made a pause and sipped at her drink again. The anguish was slowly ebbing away and being replaced by a warm sense of belonging – like she was at home.

Well... this was her home! Her place was there, with her family.

And the movie was one of her favourites, too. Her Daddy must have picked it out specially.

That was exactly what Niles had done, as it so happened. He knew Amelia well enough to know all of her favourite things, and he hoped that something like this would cheer her up. A few days of love and understanding was all that was needed. They'd show her how much they loved her, but they'd also get her to understand that she needed to apologise to the student she'd punched.

But that could definitely wait. They had more important things to do right then.

Specifically, watching a family movie, eating snacks, and just enjoying the feeling that being together provided.

The closer the movie got to finishing, the more Niles and C.C. realised that Amelia was starting to drift off to sleep. It wasn't late, by any means, but she'd had a long, and very stressful day, and probably wanted nothing more than to get comfortable and rest her tiny, tired body.

So, when she drifted to the point of nearly falling back against her pillows, they allowed her to, and tucked the covers up around her, Bananas settled safely under her arm.

Neither of them moved, though. Instead, Niles covered them with the duvet and both husband and wife joined their daughter in resting for a little while. They snuggled together, Amelia still safely held between Niles and C.C., and allowed their daughter's even and tranquil breathing to lull them into a deep, relaxing sleep.

Niles could see Amelia coming out of the school, and he kept his smile firmly in place. There was no sense in showing his anger before he'd given Amelia the chance to explain herself – knowing his child, there surely was a reason (not necessarily correct) for her to blatantly decide to disobey them and refuse to apologise to Sophia. And, what was worse, Amelia had apparently had the gall to claim that Sophia had deserved to be hit in the first place!

After the incident, they had received a call from Sophia's parents, who'd wanted to apologise for the things their child had said. According to them, Sophia had paid big time for her rudeness – two weeks with no TV, days out or candy. They didn't know why Sophia had acted that way, but they'd made it clear to Niles and C.C. that they weren't going to tolerate that behaviour.

Apologies were in order from both sides, though – Amelia had to say sorry for hitting Sophia, and the latter had to apologise for being so rude. Sophia had actually said she was sorry, but Amelia had both refused to accept her apology and had said those spiteful words to Sophia, too.

In hindsight, everything had been going smoothly until the moment Amelia had been told she had to apologise to Sophia. He remembered that he'd noticed the girl's attitude had shifted... almost as if she was bothered by having to apologise.

They had explained to her that hitting someone else was wrong and that it entailed consequences, but that couldn't explain her withdrawn and sulky behaviour. He'd talk about it with her soon enough, but for now he wanted to put his plan into action.

As it turns out, Mrs Jensen had called them again to mention Amelia had not only refused to apologise, but she had openly said Sophia had deserved it. So, not being one to tolerate this type of behaviour, Niles had chosen to talk it out with Amelia first. He wanted to give her the chance to talk about what had happened, and he only hoped she had a good explanation to why she'd behaved in that way.

"Heya, Daddy!" Amelia exclaimed as she wandered over towards her father and to the family car.

"Hey, sweetheart! Did you have fun today?" Niles asked, opening the passenger's door for her. "Did Sophia bother you again?

Amelia seemed to turn her eyes very quickly to him, as though weighing up what she should say, and then looked back into the car.

"Nope," the word was quick, like she was hoping he'd change the subject.

Well, she was going to have to guess again. The subject wasn't being changed. Not in the slightest. He'd give her one more chance to explain herself, and then they were going to talk about it.

Her mother was going to be very interested in what she had to say.

And whether or not she'd chosen to say it straight away.

"Are you absolutely sure?" he asked, helping her with her seatbelt. "No more arguing or fights going on? No more mean things being said?"

Whatever she said next would seal the direction the rest of the day went in.

She looked him, right in the eyes, and shook her head again.

"No."

Right. Well, that was it. They were definitely going to talk this over. Not only her refusal to say sorry to Sophia, but also her blatant lying once it was done.

"Really?" Niles said, still sounding calmed and as though there was nothing wrong as he slipped into the driver's seat. "Well that's strange..."

He saw Amelia's eyes widening slightly on the rear-view mirror – it was the same look her mother got whenever she was nervous or when she was unpleasantly surprised. The little girl began fiddling with her seatbelt and tapping the air with her foot.

He gave her a few more seconds to change her mind and tell the truth, but the girl remained silent. Silent and with her eyes firmly cast downwards.

"And you know why it's strange?" he said, now beginning to sound a little more upset but still not raising his voice. "Do you Amelia?"

No answer...

"It's strange because your teacher told me something different," he continued, making a turn to the left – it was minutes until they arrived to their home. "She actually told me you refused to say you were sorry!"

He looked at her through the rear-view mirror again, his brow furrowing slightly. He knew she'd been affected by Sophia's words, but under absolutely no circumstances was she going to be allowed to hit a classmate and get away with it.

Not to mention the lie. That was what was bothering him the most – that Amelia had actually taken him by a fool and lied to him. If she'd said the truth then, he would have calmly explained why she had to say sorry anyway, but now it was too late for that.

"So, either you are lying or Mrs Jensen is lying," he exclaimed with feigned airiness.

Amelia remained silent. A similar feeling of dread was coming over her to the one she'd felt when she'd been caught punching Sophia.

It was that horrible, burning and yet chilling at the same time feeling.

It was anger, for what Sophia had done, and the fact that she was the one who had to apologise for what had happened.

It was shame, for having decided to do it in the first place.

It was fear, for the fact that nearly everything was pointing to the fact that Sophia had been telling the truth, and it was her parents who were lying.

They were almost on the brink of arriving home, too...

"So, Amelia..." he was pulling the car up in front of the house, and he parked. He turned the engine off. "Which is it?"

Still, she said nothing. Her refusal to admit how wrong and badly behaved she was being was starting to irk him more and more, and he opened the car door, stepping outside to open her door, too.

Amelia slid out, not looking at him.

"Still not going to explain it to me, hm?" Niles asked, his voice the same upset and angry tone.

Not waiting for an answer, he took her hand and began to walk them towards the house.

"Well, then, perhaps you'll tell your mother..."

Amelia felt a chill running down her spine. Her mother... God... she may be young, but she knew extremely well just how bad an angry Mommy could be. Especially if that angry Mommy was none other than C.C. Babcock.

But there was a part of her that simply refused to acknowledge her wrongdoings. Sophia had been the one lying! She shouldn't have to apologise because Sophia was mean first! Sophia had lied to her by saying her Daddy didn't love her, and no one seemed to care.

Unless...

No. She refused to believe that... not after they had promised to her that Sophia had said things that weren't true...

So she stayed silent, her eyes glued to the floor as her father walked her into the house and locked the door behind him. As usual, they found her Mommy sat on the sofa, watching a movie and munching on some homemade biscuits.

The sound of the door closing and of footsteps approaching had caught the blonde's attention, and she turned to greet them.

"Hey there!" C.C. said, smiling softly.

The happiness was short lived, though. As soon as she noticed both Amelia's and Niles' expressions her own smile fled from her face.

"What's with the long faces?" she queried, looking at Niles, almost wordlessly asking for a proper explanation.

"Go on," Niles urged, his voice hinting at anger by this stage. "Tell your mother what happened."

Amelia shook her head, and continued to stare at the floor.

"Amelia Brightmore, tell your mother what happened at school," he was on the brink of snapping, but just about held back. At this stage, it was becoming an annoyance – she had to admit what happened eventually!

"I don't want to!" Amelia at last cried out.

"Amelia!" C.C. sounded shocked, and she turned to her husband again, asking him this time if he could tell her what was going on. "Niles, what happened?"

Niles looked displeased, and he knew it – he was hoping that Amelia would look up and see, so that she might feel like an explanation would be best coming from her. But of course that wasn't going to happen, because she was too stubborn for her own good sometimes.

"I received a very interesting phone call from Mrs Jensen," he began loudly. "She told me that not only had Amelia not apologised for hitting Sophia, but had in fact said, and I quote, "deserved it"."

C.C.'s jaw dropped, "Amelia! Why did you say that to her?!"

At last, Amelia looked up into her mother's eyes, defiant and angry, "Because she does deserve it!"

C.C.'s stunned expression did nothing but worsen as she struggled to shift on the sofa to have a better look of her child. Amelia had never done anything like this before! She was a good, kind girl... this behaviour just didn't make any sense!

"And to top it all," Niles added, folding his arms and glaring down at Amelia. "When I asked her about it, she lied!"

"What?!" C.C. cried out, shock feeling like a punch in the gut. Lied?! Amelia had lied?!

"As you hear!" Niles said, his voice becoming louder and angrier than ever before. "She lied right to my face!"

There were a few second of tense silence – mostly because Amelia had nothing to say and C.C. was simply struggling to react. It just couldn't be! Her daughter had never acted so horribly before; she had never lied before, either. So why was she behaving in such a way?

It angered her, but it also disappointed her. She'd thought that after their talk the other day she would have understood that hitting Sophia had been wrong, but clearly she had learnt nothing. What's more – her behaviour had only worsened.

Eventually, C.C. got to her feet and walked towards Amelia, her arms crossed over her pregnant belly. She crouched down before her child and heaved an angry sigh.

"I am disappointed, Amelia," she admonished. "Disappointed in your actions and in you. Refusing to say sorry after hitting a classmate? Lying to us?!"

And that made something inside Amelia snap. The mention of lying was just... infuriating! Sophia had lied in the first place! And she was the one who had to pay the consequences! Not her! She looked up at C.C., defiantly.

"Fine," she hissed. "If I am such a disappointment then give me away!"

Both parents gaped, not being able to believe their ears.

"Amelia!" Niles glowered.

"What?!" the girl talked back. "I mean it! And maybe it would be better than to stay in this horrible house!"

That not only made her parents angry, but it also hurt them deeply. Why would she think they'd give her away?! She was making them upset, but they still loved her. It especially hurt Niles.

"We are not giving you away, don't say such silly things," Niles replied sternly. "All we want you to do is apologise!"

They weren't going to get rid of her? Why not? They'd just said she was a disappointment! Wouldn't it be better for everyone if they just got rid of her, and saved themselves the trouble? Maybe they wouldn't keep having to tell the twins to apologise to anyone.

No. No, they wouldn't. No one could say that they didn't have a Daddy…

He was right there in front of her, and she used to think he was hers, too. But now she didn't know.

How could she know, if Sophia might have been right?

"I am not going to apologise," she repeated, just about managing to not cry. "Never! Because you are horrible and I don't care about what you say! I will never say sorry to Sophia!"

And that was it...

That was the straw that broke the Camel's back. She'd gone too far, and they weren't going to tolerate her insolence for one more minute! Besides, they were all too angry and upset to get anything positive out of this conversation.

"That's enough!" Niles bellowed, his voice harsh and angry. "You go to your room at once!"

"Fine!" Amelia screamed, marching towards the staircase. "It's not like I wanted to be here with you anyway!"

Not giving her parents time to reply, the child ran upstairs and dashed into her room, slamming the door behind her. She violently threw her backpack to the floor and kicked off her shoes in an attempt to quell her anger.

But was it really anger? She wasn't sure... it was as though there was something else apart from the scorching rage she'd felt while being reprimanded by her parents. It was like a... wet emption... she didn't know how to word it. It was the same feeling one would have while being outside with no umbrella during a storm. It made her feel heavy, cold, lonely...

As though all the happiness in her world had been stolen from her.

Why did they want her to say sorry?! Sophia was mean and a liar, and she did deserve what she got! She had said something that wasn't true – a lie, for all intents and purposes. Her parents had always said lying wasn't okay...

But if Sophia could get away with it, then it meant that what she'd said was true...

That her Daddy not wanting her was a reality.

That realisation felt like a knife being buried deep within her chest. Her Daddy, the man she had chosen to be her father, didn't really love her as his daughter. He'd lied to her... and now he had two real children that he would love instead of her.

And her Mommy... her Mommy surely preferred him. And her new babies.

And they had lied to her when they'd said they loved her and that Niles was his Daddy…

No one wanted her, just like Sophia had said.

Amelia could feel the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes, but she forced herself not to cry. She had to be strong. If no one wanted her, then she was on her own. And she'd let them be happy with their new family... she'd go away.

And so, knowing that her parents would surely be in their room right then (she'd heard them going up only a few moments before) Amelia quickly changed into a clean set clothes – a comfy pair of jeans, her favourite sweater, her red boots and her favourite red coat – prepared a small bag with the things she supposed she'd need and grabbed the 100 dollars she had saved in the past year and a half.

Finally, she wrapped a scarf around her neck, put on her gloves and slowly opened the door to her room. She made sure to be extra silent when she tiptoed downstairs and sneaked out through the kitchen door.

Where she'd go? She didn't know, but it was better than staying there...

AN: Well, here you go! We hope you liked the chapter. We'd love to read your reviews! Until the next chapter.

H&L