When Kara woke the next morning she found herself alone in the room. Looking at the clock on the side she saw how early it was and frowned. Getting to her feet she left the room and went to the kitchen where her niece and Eliza were sitting drinking coffee.
"Morning Sweetie." Eliza smiled.
"Hi." The older Kara said. "Have you seen Alex?"
"She snuck out about an hour ago." Eliza said.
"What do you mean snuck out?" Kara asked.
"Just that, she didn't know we were in here and tried to be really, really quiet, so not to disturb anyone. She really didn't want to talk to us." The teenage Kara said.
"She feels really embarrassed by last night." The older Kara said. "Why are you up?"
"After seeing that dream, we couldn't sleep." Her niece said.
"Did you get hurt with all the flying books?" Kara asked her.
"No, I'm fine." The teenager said as she stood. "I'm going to take some breakfast out to Alex."
"I'll go." The older Kara said.
"I know what she is going through." The teen reminded her aunt. "Don't worry I'll bring her back."
Having watched her granddaughter grab a bag full of food and leave Eliza turned to her youngest daughter and asked.
"Did she talk much last night, well this morning?"
"Only about how sorry she was for sharing and trashing the room."
"Kara probably understands how she feels more than anyone, maybe she can get through to her." Eliza said.
00
"How did you find me?" The teenage Alex asked when her cousin entered the cave she was sitting in.
"It's Midvale. There aren't many places to hide and this was my goto place to runaway to." Her cousin explained as she passed Alex a bag of food. "We thought you might be hungry."
"We?"
"Grandma and your mom and me. And both grandma and your mom wanted to come down here, but I thought you'd want a little more time." She said sitting next to her cousin.
"Then why are you staying?"
"I said you wanted a little more time, but that's not what you need. And before you argue I remind you that after Malaise got to me and I had that nightmare I didn't want to see anyone including Diz. In fact especially Diz." The teenage Kara said. "So I avoided him, but that didn't help. The only thing that will help you right now is talking through everything. And if you can't do that yet, then you need to not be alone letting your thoughts fester."
"Aren't you scared to be around me?" The younger teen asked picking at some of the food her cousin had brought, while Chewie ate most of it.
"Why?"
"What if I lose control again and I share more memories or if I hit you with a flying book again?"
"Firstly, I punched MJ when I woke up from a nightmare, so the book thing not that bad. Secondly, we all share things in different ways. The bad thing is what happened to you, not that you shared it."
"Don't think MJ feels that way. When I passed by his room this morning he told me I was freak and to keep my thoughts to myself."
"He's always grumpy early in the morning. Plus the whole fight thing between you two isn't helping. Want to talk about that?"
"No."
"Okay then. So you are going to stay here all day?"
"It's better that way. I mean if I have another nightmare you won't have to see it and MJ will be happier if I'm not there."
"But your mom and grandma are going to freak out. I mean your mom is already freaking."
"She is?"
"Of course she is, she woke up and you weren't there."
"I should go back." Alex said standing.
00
The second the two female teens walked into the house, the youngest found herself being hugged by her mother.
"You okay?" Kara asked in a language only her daughter understood.
"Sorry I ran off." She replied in the same language.
"All that matters is that you are okay." Kara said before pulling away and asking. "Are you okay?"
"I think so." The teenager said before turning to face her grandmother.
"I'm sorry I woke you and made you see all of that." The teenager said avoiding eye contact.
"Why are you apologising?" Eliza asked hugging her before pulling away and looking at the two grandchildren in the room.
"Okay, you two go get dressed then you are coming with me." Eliza said.
The teenage Kara was about to ask where only she saw her grandmother's expression and decided better of it. Instead the two teens disappeared upstairs.
"Where are you taking them?" The older Kara asked.
"In to town. We'll go to the Christmas market and then grab lunch. I need you to babysit your sister."
"Okay." Kara said, albeit reluctantly. She then asked. "Are you okay with that? I mean you didn't get much sleep."
"I'll be fine." Eliza said.
00
"How's Alex?" The older Alex asked when her sister entered the room with Chewie who immediately jumped onto Alex's bed.
"Embarrassed."
"Where is she?"
"Out with Eliza and Kara."
"Why aren't you with them?"
"I have to babysit you." Kara said.
"I don't need babysitting."
"You kind of do and Eliza thought she might have more luck getting through to her if I wasn't there."
"Well mom always had a way of getting through to you." Alex reminded her before asking. "How are you doing?" Shifting in the bed, wincing as she did so. Seeing her sister's frown she said. "I'm fine. I want to talk about you. So how are you doing?"
"I hate she went through that and what she shared last night, what she felt, was so much worse than I had imagined."
"She's tough like you. She'll be okay."
"You don't know that. You saw what she went through and that on top of everything else … and she isn't talking. I'm worried about her."
"I know." Alex said. "But no matter how hard she tries to shut herself off she will never be alone. And when she is back let me know if you want me to talk to her."
"Not sure she needs more lessons on locking her feelings away."
"That's not what I'm doing." Her sister protested.
"Yet you still haven't talked about what happened, well in a way that didn't sound like you were giving a police statement."
"You have enough to deal with right now." Alex reminded her.
"Well as you reminded me Eliza is working on my first problem, so I can focus on you."
"I'm okay." Alex said. "I mean I am still having nightmares and I am still angry as hell, but I promise you I am okay."
"So you aren't going to talk?" Kara asked as they heard a bang from downstairs.
"I thought they had gone out?" Alex said.
"It's probably MJ, I'll check." Kara replied as she went downstairs. But by the time she got down all she could see was her nephew walking away from the house.
00
As Eliza came in the house with the two teens they were immediately met by an excited dog followed by the older Kara.
"Hi Sweetie." Eliza called.
"Hey." The older Kara said before hugging her daughter. "You guys have fun?"
"We did." Eliza smiled. "Where the others?"
"MJ left shortly after you guys and Alex is upstairs." Kara said before looking at her niece and added. "She would probably appreciate a coffee."
"I take her one up." The teenage Kara said moving to the kitchen.
"Well I need to walk Chewie, want to come with me?" The older Kara then asked her daughter.
"Sure." The teen said.
"We'll see you later." Kara said to Eliza before leaving with her daughter and Chewie.
"How was lunch?" Kara asked her daughter as they walked to the beach.
"Good."
"Before I forget, I got you these." Kara said pulling her daughter's inhibitors from her pocket.
"I thought they were at home?" The teen said confused.
"They were. But I flew home and got them."
"But you don't like me wearing them."
"I don't. But you are old enough you make your own choices on this."
"Thanks." The teen said taking the inhibitors.
"But you have to talk to me. Tell me what's going on in your head." Kara said.
"I will." The teen said before Kara hugged her again. Pulling away she asked. "Why don't we go snorkelling?"
"I don't want to."
"I know you are scared, but the longer you leave going back into the water the harder it will be." Kara said, but when she saw her daughter's reluctance she changed tact. "But if you really want to stay out of the water you can tell me what's going on with MJ."
"Nothing. It's fine." She said before asking. "Can we go visit Alura?"
"Are you asking because you want to see her or because you want to avoid MJ?" Kara asked.
"What if it is both?"
"You can't run away from your problems." Kara said. "You have to face them. Once you have we can go to Argo."