Hello everyone!

Again, unusually, I have a chapter done a bit earlier than schedule :D 

Anyone seen Mockingjay, Part 1? I saw it with a friend on Friday, and it was absolutely amazing! Anyway, on to the chapter. 

Music: 

lonely child- Christina Perri

Chandelier- Sia

Edit: me

~Nobody's POV~

<August 30th 2014; 4:35 PM>

On the third floor of a high building in Boston, near the ocean, a man sits at his polished, wood office desk, in a suit and tie, just having returned from a meeting. He is rather bored, and runs his hands through his shortened hair. He clenches his strong jawline and sits back heavily in his chair. Five minutes later, before he can fully recover from this, there are three people- one woman and two men- are in his office, all talking loudly. Since this is supposedly a meeting that could influence a raise, he does his best to look moderately interested- but he doesn't exactly need any extra money, seeing as this isn't even his real job.

At precisely 4:53, his cell phone begins to vibrate obnoxiously on the desk. He glances at it, raises a finger to signal the three people to be quiet, and then picks it up, "Hey, I'm in the middle of some-"

"Yeah, you're going to need to come home," the man's voice is shaking with anger, "As in, right this instant."

"What is it?" Max asks, his voice lowered in concern, mostly because Kyle's voice doesn't often shake with anger, and also because he can something like a young girl crying and yelling in the background. "Kyle, what-"

Kyle isn't talking to him,"...Give it to me, I said give it!" The yelling intensifies, and then Kyle says to Max over the din, "Just get here."

The line goes dead. Max looks up at the three pairs of eyes that are blinking at him like three annoying praying mantises. He folds his hands together in a steeple, "Look, I'm going to have to apologize. Something...er...came up and I sort of have to get home."

"But Mr. Calen," says the woman, who is blonde with purple square glasses, "This is perhaps a very important decision about your flourishing caree-"

He looks up from his desk and smiles a rather fake smile, then says, "Yeah. Sorry. I have to go, so if you would kindly step out of this office, that would be fantastic."

When Max is annoyed, his brother's sass shows through.

The three office workers give him rather imperious looks (the woman begins to whisper to one of the men in a very hurried and insulted way) and then walk out of the room. As soon as one of the men close the door, Max jumps up from his chair and then begins to pack up his belongings. As he shoves random papers inside the bag, he dials a number, using his shoulder to press the phone to his ear.

When Kyle doesn't pick up, Max shoves the phone in his pocket and then speed-walks out of the office, ignoring the curious looks he receives. It'll take about half an hour to get home, and Max just hopes that whatever is wrong can wait.

*

<Three Hours Earlier>

Kyle is in a good mood.

 He has just gotten off the phone with Emmaline Pierce, and has asked her out to a late lunch. Emmaline Pierce, a girl he met at a stable half an hour away during an exhibition show, is different than most of the girls he has dated, mostly because Kyle doesn't typically date. He has flings, which is one of the reasons that he is made fun of by Max and Jack. But Kyle has changed, and it is because of Thea. Now that he has spent time around a young girl- and a girl having her own haunting experiences with encounters with the opposite sex- and becoming close to her, he has lost his playboy shenanigans and begun to respect women more (the latter is also partially because of Natasha- it's hard to spend a significant amount of time around her and not have respect for women). Emmaline is pretty, in fact, but not of the typical "model" type. She is short, has thick, curly blonde hair, is a bit slim, but mostly muscular from constant horseback riding, and has bright blue eyes. She is also, as Kyle has described her to Max, a "sweetheart", with a real passion for animals and for helping them- she had just graduated from veterinary school and is currently setting up a practice behind her parent's house.

            "So you're both doctors," Jack had said, still rather skeptical that Kyle had managed to "get" a girl like Emmaline Pierce.

            "She doesn't know I'm a doctor," Kyle had pointed out, really wishing that Clint would take the phone back from Jack.

            "Oh great job, lying in a relationship already," Jack had said. At this point, Kyle had hung up on him and called Clint back ten minutes later.

            Now, Kyle heads into his room, which is down the hall from Thea's, and changes into a navy button-down dress shirt and dark jeans. Whistling, he runs his fingers through his hair, looking at his reflection in the mirror, sprays on some (moderately strong) cologne, and then grabs his jacket before walking out of the room.

            When he pokes his head in Thea's room, he spots her sitting against the wall across from the window, reading a book. Although from what Kyle can observe, she's not really reading, just skimming. "Hey, missy, I'm going out with Emmaline to lunch for a couple hours. Will you be all right by yourself? I'll be back by around 4:30."

            Thea nods. This isn't unusual- although Max always makes it a point to stay in the house with Thea if he has to, Kyle often leaves Thea to her own devices, particularly if he has to go into town or exercise one of the horses out in the fields.

            "All right. I might bring her by the house later, but you don't have to come down if you don't want to. I'll text you." Thea nods again, and Kyle stoops down to kiss her cheek, "Eat some lunch, and see you later." Kyle cocks his head, "Sure you'll be okay?"

            Thea nods, still sad and silent. Kyle sighs, but then walks out of the room, calling out over his shoulder, "I'm letting Lucy in the house."

Five minutes later, Thea hears the door slam shut, and Kyle's convertible roll out of the driveway. She tilts her head listlessly and closes her book. Kyle may not have observed it, but she is in disarray right now, images and voices and feelings swirling through her body like a demonic whirlwind. Her shoulders begin to shake with silent sobs, although she shoves her fist at her lips to attempt to stay them. Thea is tired of crying.

But she can't help it. Just like she can't know that the best thing for her right now is to ask for help.

*

"You look lovely," says Kyle to Emmaline. He's picking her up from her house, which is a quaint bricked building with white shutters and high grass (Emmaline's parents are supporters of the "let it grow" movement). She is wearing a white shirt and blue shorts, which complement her eyes. Her curly hair is blowing wildly in the wind, but she doesn't try to push it back.

            Emmaline turns slightly pink, "Thank you."

            A few minutes later, after Emmaline and Kyle have been in the car for a couple minutes and are conversing comfortably, Kyle's phone begins to ring from inside the cup container. Emmaline, after having been asked by her date, picks it up, frowns in confusion, "Who is Jack the Giant Slayer?"

            "That would be my former cousin," says Kyle, then smiles at her, "And by the way, you look adorable when you wrinkle your nose like that."

            Emmaline gives him a half-skeptical, half-mollified look, and then says, as the phone begins to ring for the second time, "Do you need to take that?"

            "Nah," says Kyle, drumming his fingers on the wheel as he stops at a busy intersection, "By the way, what are you do-"

            "Stayin' Alive" begins to blare out for the third time. Emmaline raises her eyebrows, and glancing at her, Kyle rolls his eyes, grabs the phone, puts it on speaker, and then snaps, "What is it, Jack?"
            "Oh hey there, Ky!" says Jack brightly. From the sound of it, he's outside and somewhere particularly windy, giving Kyle the distinct impression that he is on a roof, "So... how's the date going? Has she run off yet? I mean, I get that you think the whole vet thing is hot, but she is probably bored to death by-"

            "Is there an actual point to this, because there really needs to be a point to this," says Kyle, giving Emmaline a mortified look- she smiles.

            "And for the record," she calls in her sweet voice, leaning over so that she can speak into the phone, "I haven't run off yet, and don't plan on it."

            There's a scuffling, and then the sound of two hastily snorted back fits of laugher, "...Oooh, you're in the car (he's in the car, Peter!)," says Jack, "All right, so you're in the car. Are you actually driving or is one of your seats down and the two of you-"

            Kyle hangs up the phone and throws it back into the container, "I'm really sorry about that," says Kyle, once again running his fingers through his hair, "Like, words cannot describe how painfully I am going to kill that boy."

            Emmaline laughs her bell-like laugh, "It's okay...he sounds really cute."

            Kyle raises a finger, "There are many words to describe Jack, my dear Emmaline, but cute is not one of them."

            Emmaline shakes her head, amused, "You're just annoyed, Calen."

            "So what if I'm annoyed?" asks Kyle, "And you're spunky- I like that."

            "Well," says Emmaline dryly, "I'll keep that in mind."

            "You do that."

            "Oh I will."

            "I know you-"

            "So how are you and Jack related again?" asks Emmaline, smirking at the vexed expression on Kyle's face. "What, I'm just asking. Or are you annoyed again?"

            Kyle gives her a look, and then says, "Jack used to be my cousin through marriage, but then his parents got divorced, so related we are no longer."

            "I see," says Emmaline.

            "Get that smirk off of your face this instant, or I'll make it get off."

            "I'd love to see you try."

            "When I get out of this car, I just might," says Kyle, this time giving her his own famous half-moon smirk.

            At the restaurant, which is a quaint Italian establishment at the corner of a quiet street, Kyle takes out his phone as the two of them sit down, "I just need to text someone real quick," he says by way of apology.

            Emmaline tilts her head to one side. "Thea?"

            Kyle looks up at her as he types, "How'd you know that?"

            To: Thea

            Hey, just wanted to check in on you... how are you doing? Did you eat? Stay in the house, please. J

            Emmaline shrugs as she glances at the menu and graciously accepts a glass of water from the waitress, "You're always worried about her."

            "And you're smart too. Smart is the new sexy, I hear. And in my defense," adds Kyle, sliding his phone in his pocket, "I have good reason to worry about her"

            Emmaline shakes her head in sympathy, "Didn't her family...her sister just died a few months ago, right?"

            "Yeah," says Kyle, clearing his throat, "Fire. Middle of the night. Tragic."

            "I can't imagine," says Emmaline, her brow creased as if imagining it is precisely what she is trying to do, "And her last family too..."

            "Yep," says Kyle, who is also frowning, but for a much different reason than Emmaline, "Terrible."

            Emmaline apparently notices that Kyle does not want to continue this conversation, "Anyway," she says brightly, her blue eyes scanning the menu appreciatively, "Everything looks good. What do you say we split the lasagna?"

*

"Thank you for lunch, by the way," says Emmaline as Kyle opens the car door for her in the Calen's driveway, "It was delicious."

            "Not a problem," says Kyle, "Want to go into the back first? You can see the horses, if you want."

            "I'd love to," smiles Emmaline, "I need to meet this famous Frollo of yours."

            They find Frollo grazing in the larger of the new pastures, next to Rook and Minas Tirith  (whom Kyle had dubbed 'Minny'), his long black tail absentmindedly flicking flies off of himself and Rook. "Oh, he's gorgeous," gushes Emmaline, her eyes widening in admiration, "Mind if I..."

            Kyle holds his arms out in the horses' general direction, "Be my guest."

            Grinning, Emmaline climbs over the fence and walks slowly over to the horses. Within minutes, the three animals have flocked around her, nuzzling her shoulders and hair and stamping their large hooves. Kyle smiles, "They like you."

            "What's not to like?" asks Emmaline, patting Rook's big shoulder.

            "Good point," says Kyle, "Although-"

            He's interrupted by the sound of frenzied barking, and before he can say anything else, Lucy has bounded over to him, yelping and jumping over him. "Lucy, Lucy what's up?" asks Kyle, his forehead creasing.

Emmaline, noticing the commotion, hurries back over the fence, and begins petting the German shepherd's neck, "Does she normally-"

"No, that's what has me worried," says Kyle as Lucy continues to whine, pawing at his jeans and then taking off towards the house. After a few feet, she turns around and runs back over to Kyle, and then back towards the house, and then back towards Kyle, "Lucy- where's Thea? Is it Thea?"

Lucy just keeps whining, because of course, she cannot speak English.

Kyle looks at Emmaline, his eyes wide with trepidation, and then he runs towards the house, his girlfriend hot on his heels. Opening the back screen door, he yells, "Thea!" His voice projects through the kitchen, and when he doesn't receive an answer, he and Emmaline exchange worried looks. Emmaline nods to the kitchen barstools, signaling that she'll wait there. Kyle barely even acknowledges the motion.

"Thea!" he shouts, hurrying upstairs, "Thea!"

He walks into her room, and notices it empty. Then, he hears the soft sound of someone crying. In two seconds, he has crossed the room and thrown open the bathroom door.

Then, he freezes, his eyes widening in shock and horror.

Thea freezes too, her eyes widening in fear and misery.

She is sitting at the edge of the bathtub, and she is holding her emerald dagger in her shaking hand. Its tip glistens with crimson. His eyes fall on the blood on her left arm, right below her wrist, trickling down onto the white tiles in drops and it takes a few terrible seconds for the reality of the situation to sink into Kyle's head. She backs up, against the wall, quivering, and the dagger clangs to the ground.

"...Dammit, Thea!" Kyle says in a strained, tight voice. "Dammit!" For a couple of minutes, the two of them just stare at each other, one in shock, one in pain, or maybe both. Then, he turns and punches the bathroom wall so hard, he draws blood from his knuckles, cursing loudly.

Kyle takes a deep breath, then steps out of the bathroom and shuts the door, calling, "Emmaline!"

Seconds later, she has reached the room, slightly winded. She looks worried, "What's wrong? What happened?! Is she-"

"I'm really sorry," says Kyle, his voice shaking as he attempts to control himself, "But can someone pick you up? Like now?"

"Oh yeah, yeah, definitely, I can call my girl friend, she lives right down the road," Emmaline is frowning as she hurriedly sends a text, "What's wrong? Is everything okay? Is she okay?"

Kyle puts his hand to his forehead, "No. Everything it freaking not okay." He takes another deep breath through his hands, "I thought I could do this... I was a hell of an idiot," he kicks the baseboard of Thea's bed.

Emmaline looks frightened, and she takes Kyle's hand, "Look, I don't know anything about what's going on, but I know that you have a good heart, Kyle, and Thea is a lucky little girl if she has you around."

"Not if..." Kyle sighs.

Emmaline glances at the closed bathroom door, where soft cries are emanating. Then, her eyes widen, "Oh my God, no..."

"Yes," says Kyle, "And why I didn't take that fricking dagger from her a long time ago, I haven't the slightest."

Covering her mouth with her hand, Emmaline whispers, "Kyle, I'm so sorry. I'm so-"

"No, I'm sorry," says Kyle, "This was supposed to be fun. You and I were supposed to have fun, I was supposed to kiss you on your porch, and I was an idiot, not realizing that Thea is hurting herself right in front of my nose."

"Look, I don't know the exact situation," says Emmaline quietly, "But right now, she needs you." Her phone vibrates in her hand, "My friend's here. And by the way, I'll wait for you, Kyle." She reaches up and kisses his cheek, "Text me tonight, okay?"

Kyle nods, sighing, "Okay. Thanks. I will."

Emmaline smiles at him encouragingly, and then walks out of the room, closing Thea's bedroom door behind her. Seconds later, Kyle slams open the bathroom door, "Theodora Athena Fossil, what have you done?!"

Thea is still sitting at the edge of the tub, her hands in her face. Her arm is still bleeding a little, and it makes Kyle sick just looking at her. "Leave me alone!" she shouts.

"Thea!" Kyle takes out his phone and then begins to dial a number, but Thea lunges forward and grabs his arm, "Let go!"

            "Don't call anyone, don't call anyone!" she sobs. "Don't call!"

            "Let go, Thea!" orders Kyle, shaking her off of him and putting his phone to his ear, "You're hopeless, I don't know what to do with you anymore, you know that?!"

            Seconds later, Thea still crying and yelling at him, Kyle says into the sleek iPhone, "Yeah, you're going to need to come home. As in, right this instant." He turns to Thea, "Give me that dagger."

            "No!" she howls, clutching the sharp instrument in her hands "Leave me alone!"

            "Give it to me, I said give it!" Kyle wrenches the knife from her aggressively, knocking her back to the ground. Then, he says back to the phone, "Just get here."

            He slams the phone in his pocket and the knife in his belt and then pulls Thea up, "You're coming downstairs with me, and you're not going to try to pull anything. Do you hear me, young lady?"

            Thea screeches at him, her eyes wild, because she knows that the consequences for what she has done are going to be dire. But Kyle is relentless, and Thea is forced down the stairs and into the living room.

*

<Now>

Thea is sitting on the love seat, staring at her trembling fingers. Lucy is lying at her feet, occasionally whining and sitting up to lick Thea's leg, but the girl ignores the attempts at affection. She is trying to ignore everything except her fingers, but most especially, she is trying to ignore the two pairs of eyes staring at her.

            "Look, if you're not going to talk to us, then I don't know what choice you give us," says Max. He's sitting down in front of her, his hands clasped together firmly. His brother is leaning against the television cabinet, his arms crossed.

            Thea just shakes her head, refusing to look at either of them. Max and Kyle exchange knowing looks- there isn't any point in trying to get Thea to talk. She's listless, but she's also stubborn. Not necessarily a good combination.

            "All right, if that's how you want it to be," says Max, and stands up. Nodding towards his brother, he walks into the kitchen. Sighing heavily, he leans against the refrigerator. Holding his hands out helplessly, he says, "She's not giving us a choice."

            "If we decide to send her to- " At Max's pointed look, Kyle lowers his voice, "If we decide to send her to Asgard, she's going to flip out."

            "Of course she is. But she's not cooperating. As I have said repeatedly, Kyle, she's not giving us any choices!"

            Kyle sighs, "Look, can't we try something else? I took the dagger. We can just keep her under surveillance at all time-"

            Max smacks his palm on the kitchen counter and says through his teeth, "Stop thinking about just yourself, Kyle. I saw that letter, same as you. I know you want her to stay here. I know you don't want to admit to Loki and Thor that you couldn't-"

            "I could've done, I can do anything," hisses Kyle, "I don't want to give up just because-"

            "Just because?" Max looks angry, "Just because, just because, damn it, Kyle, she cut herself. There is no 'just because' in this scenario! This is serious! What are we supposed to do for her? We've been trying for almost three months, and apparently, instead of getting better, she's just getting worse!"

            "She hates Asgard!" Kyle is trying to keep his voice down, but is having a hard time right now, "Thor is distant with her- he's grieving right now. Asgard is the place Thea associated with Leah. And don't even get me started on Loki right now. Do you really think that this is the best place for her?"

            "See, you jumped to conclusions. When did I actually say Asgard is the answer to this?"

            "Don't play me for a fool. I know that's exactly what you're thinking about. What are we supposed to do with her? New York? She's not talking to Peter or to Jack. Most everyone's scattered to some corner of the world, and Stark isn't the most understanding person for a thirteen year old."

            "And you're suggesting that she stays here."

            "Yes, that's what I'm suggesting! She trusts us. She talks to us-"

            "She talks to us? Kyle, when was the last time you had a meaningful conversation with her?"

            Kyle ignores this, "She's part of our family now, damn it, Max, we can't give up on her!"

            "We're not giving up on her!" Max is clenching his fists, "She has given up on us. She's given up on everything. She's basically under suicide watch right now. Can you honestly tell me that we're the guys for that job?"

            "I mean, she's not dead," says Kyle snarkily.

            Max throws his hands up in the air, "Screw you, Kyle. Just screw you."

            "Well then what do you want us to do?" demands Kyle.

            "You've already heard what I've got to say. We've had our chance. We cast the dice, and we lost. Thea's gone, Kyle, and the sooner you admit that, the better for you and the better for her."

            Kyle shakes his head, "Asgard is not the answer. She'd probably rather go to the North Pole than-"

            "See, Kyle, this is where you and I are different. You think about what she wants. I think about what's best for her."

            Kyle curls his lip, but says nothing. Max walks a few feet out of the kitchen and pokes his head in the living room. Thea is now lying on the couch, her eyes closed. Her face is pale. It's like she can't even be bothered with what Kyle and Max are discussing.

            When he comes back inside the kitchen, Max runs his hand through his hair. Putting his hands in his pockets, he looks at his brother, "How about this? I'll call Tony tonight and tell him what happened. We'll go to New York tomorrow or the day after, whichever one. We'll decide what to do with her then, be it New York, Asgard, or back here. I think everyone else has a right to contribute."

            "Everyone except Thea."

            Max gives Kyle a look, "Thea lost that right the moment she put that dagger to her skin. And you almost lost it by leaving her by herself."

            Kyle had known this was going to come up at some point, "I'd done it before, and she's been fine. She doesn't exactly like it when we coddle her."

            "And we don't know how long this has been going on," says Max shortly, "You just happened to catch her today."

            Kyle looks pained, because he knows that Max is right.

Hope you liked it! Please COMMENT and VOTE! :D Trying to get Ei Diafol up there with the reads/votes :) Love you, all!  

*Author's Note*

If any of you struggle with self harm, or know someone who does, PLEASE, talk to someone! I'll always be willing to talk, as I have known people who have gone through this issue. I know that it seems like an easy way to deal with pain, but it's really not. As this story shows (and will continue to show), there are people who care about you who will listen (one example: I love you and will talk to you!). Your body is beautiful, and it is a temple- please, please, please treat it like that :D xoxoxo, Sierra