"Alex, what are you doing?" Eliza asked frustrated as her daughter limped breathlessly into the kitchen the next morning.
"Coming for breakfast."
"You are meant to be in bed, resting." Eliza reminded her.
"I need to start using my leg." Alex countered as she sat on a chair. Noticing how quiet it was she asked. "Where are MJ and Alex?"
"Alex went to walk Chewie." Eliza said.
"That's going to be one tired dog." The teenage Kara commented.
"What do you mean?" Her mother asked.
"Alex is using the walking Chewie excuse for avoiding MJ." The teen said.
"And MJ? Where is he?"
"Gone to town. Wants to be by himself."
"Have either of them said anything to you?" Alex asked her.
"No. Not really."
"What is it?" Her mother asked sensing she wasn't saying something.
"Alex said that MJ was always angry at her. And MJ said everyone always took Alex's side." She said before looking at her mother and adding. "He thinks you are always comparing him to Alex."
"Maybe I came down too hard on him after the SATs." Alex said trying to figure out what had made her son feel that way.
"That doesn't explain Alex hiding things though." The older Kara said. "She wanted to go to Argo to avoid MJ."
"Sure it is just MJ?" Her sister asked. "I mean the near drowning is probably not helping either. Could she be using the MJ thing as a way to avoid thinking about it?"
"Maybe." Kara said.
"Are you thinking of going to Argo?" Her niece asked.
"Maybe it will be the best thing." Kara said. "This tension isn't good for anyone."
"It's not." Alex agreed. "You know what we are going to have a new rule."
"What?"
"No phones."
"MJ is not going to like that." The teenage Kara said.
"Your brother needs to learn there are consequences for his actions." Alex said.
00
"Where have you been?" The teenage Kara asked her brother as he walked up the drive towards the house.
"In town. Why?"
"We need to talk." She said getting off the seat and walking pushing him towards the beach.
"What?" He asked.
"Not here." She said leading him to the water.
"What's going on?" He repeated. Silently Kara walked him to the water before turning to face him.
"You need to get over this." She said to her brother.
"What?"
"Whatever it is that is going on, you need to get over it. If you don't aunt Kara is going to take Alex to Argo for the rest of the holidays."
"Good."
"Well not for mom. After everything she has been through she needs aunt Kara here. Not on another planet. So for mom's sake you need to start acting nice towards Alex and if you can't do that then at least stop being a jerk."
"So much for always being on my side."
"Right now the only side I am on is mom's. That should be true for you too."
"You done?" MJ asked.
"No. Mom is banning all phones so hand yours over."
"No way."
"Yes way. You can hand it to me or mom your choice. Or Aunt Kara could just take it, no way you can out run her."
"How long am I meant to be without?"
"I don't know, may be until you starting being nice." His sister said before her tone softened. "I'm going in so you can say goodbye to Jess. But when you come in I am taking your phone."
00
"Did I see MJ?" Eliza asked when the teenage Kara came back into the house.
"Yes, he'll be in in a minute." She said.
"Don't suppose he shared any more information about what is going on with him?" Her mother asked.
"No. But he'll be handing in phone in when he comes in." The teen said.
"He agreed without arguing?"
"I didn't say that." The teen pointed out before seeing how tired her mother was looking. "You sure you are okay?"
"I'm fine. All I am doing is sitting here." She pointed out.
"Maybe, but you don't look that great." The teen said.
"Thanks."
"I mean you look tired."
"I'm okay. Don't worry about me. Your aunt is doing plenty of that already."
"Where is aunt Kara?"
"Gone to find Alex." Her mother said.
"So no one is worrying about you right now?" The teen asked.
"Kara, I'm fine. But I could use a drink."
"I'll get you something." She said disappearing into the kitchen. When she returned a few minutes later she saw her mother had dozed off so she put a blanket round her and returned to the kitchen.
00
"Hey." Kara said sitting behind her daughter on the beach and hugging her.
"Hi." The teen said leaning back into the hug.
"How are you?"
"Okay."
"What's wrong with Chewie?" Kara asked noticing him lying on his back like he was playing possum.
"I think he's tired."
"Well you have taken him on lots of walks." Kara pointed out before asking. "Do you really want to go to Argo?"
"Yes. But you were right, not to see Alura. I mean I do want to see her, but it was just to get away."
"From MJ?"
"No, from what happened. I don't like feeling scared." She said. "But going to Argo won't help with that will it?"
"No." Kara said holding her tighter.
"I'm sorry." The teen said.
"For what?" Kara asked confused.
"Ruining Christmas for you."
"You've not ruined Christmas." Kara pointed out.
"If I said I really wanted to go to Argo we would wouldn't we?"
"Yes."
"That would ruin Christmas for you. Pretty sure they don't watch that terrible movie on Argo."
"That movie is a classic and keep this up and you will be watching it with us." Kara said.
"I want to stay."
"You sure?" Kara asked.
"Yes." The teenager said, although she didn't sound entirely convincing. "But I'm not watching that movie."
"We'll see about that." Kara smiled before they went back to watching the waves.
"I'm sorry." The teen said.
"For what?" Kara asked confused.
"Making you worry. Not being strong enough to be okay."
"After what you went through no one is expecting you be okay. But that doesn't mean you aren't strong. Admitting you aren't okay shows so much strength." Kara said as Alex's watched started beeping causing the teen to stand.
"Where are you going?"
"To help Uzheiu bake."
"Bake what?" Kara asked standing.
"Can't tell you that."
"Do I get to eat them?" Kara asked as Chewie reluctantly rolled over and stood before stretching and following the pair to the house.
"If I said no would it stop you?" Her daughter asked.
"Maybe." Kara said opening the outer door to the kitchen. Seeing Eliza, and the other two teenagers sitting at the kitchen table Kara said. "Hi guys."
"Hey." the teenage Kara said before passing her aunt two phones. "Perhaps you should look after these."
"Sure." The adult Kara said taking the phones before watching the interaction between MJ and her daughter. Before she could say too much they heard whimpers from lounge.
"Mom." The teenage Kara said standing.
"I've got it." The older Kara said leaving the kitchen.
00
"What's wrong?" Alex asked opening her eyes.
"You tell me. You were having a nightmare." Kara said. "Careful don't move."
"Where am I?" Alex asked feeling disorientated.
"Midvale. The lounge. You must have dozed off."
"The kids?"
"They are baking something, so we have plenty of time to talk." Kara said sitting next to her sister.
"I'm fine."
"You were having a nightmare and seeing you can't project yours you are actually going to have to talk about it."
"It was nothing. I can cope with the nightmares."
"Then what can't you cope with?"
"When I was there I kept thinking about everything that might be happening to MJ. They made so many threats. When I finally escaped I was convinced he'd be -" She said, stopping when she couldn't vocalise her thoughts.
"MJ is okay." Kara said.
"Is he? You've seen how he is acting. What if something did happen? What if this is my fault?"
"None of this is your fault." Kara said.
"Isn't it? Maybe I have been absent for too much of his life."
"You've not been absent."
"Yes I have. I've made so many decisions which I thought were to keep the kids safe, but maybe that came at too high a price."
"The kids are fine." Kara said. "But you are right they do need you. That means getting you better physically and mentally and that means talking about what you went through. What would Kelly be saying to you right now?"
"Something about my Jell-O about to be forever changed."
"Or that it was time to stop running and acknowledge how much you are hurting" Kara said.
"I'm not running away from my issues." Alex said.
"Really?" Kara asked not bothering to hide her doubt.
"No. I am trying to run towards answers. Once we've caught them I will sit back and reflect as much as you like."
"I will hold you to that. So what has your running revealed?"
"After the first day I didn't see the fake me again. Just the guards, well interrogators. But it never felt like a real interrogation, it was like I was just being held there in case they needed something else. I mean that must be the case, why else keep me alive?"
"I don't know. But I am so glad they did."