[ graphic: @me ]

measuring heartbeats
02 | hii.. i'm your aunt

"Did you honestly think that my dad wouldn't know what you've been up to?" Sofia asks the next morning. "And I can't believe you wouldn't even tell your best friend." She huffs, hurt.

"Sofia how many times do I have to tell you that I'm sorry?" I ask getting annoyed as I change into the clean clothes.

"A million and one to be exact."

"Well I'm sorry okay." I tell her throwing the black top over my head. "I didn't want to lose you too, I thought that if I just went then it wouldn't be as hard for you to move on."

"I hate you." Sofia grumbles coming around the old fashioned changing curtain and throwing her arms around me in a tight hug.

"Uh I hate you too?" She laughs as I hug her back, her strawberry locks tickling my neck.

"We've been best friends since kindergarten Rebel, the least you could've done was left me a bloody note you know or a text since we're in the twenty-first century after all."

I smile at the old nickname.

"I wouldn't have known what to put." I admit biting my lip as she lets me go, pulling away.

"How about something like, 'Oh hey Sofia my bestest friend in the whole entire universe, listen I'm running away but I'm okay don't worry'. Huh?" She tells me, raising her arms in the air and spins around dramatically.

"Drama queen alert." She rolls her emerald eyes at me. "It's in the past now anyways so it's all good, right?" I add.

"If by in the past you mean six and a half hours ago than yes, I guess I can forgive you if you promise never to pull that stunt again."

"Cross my heart and hope to die," I lie easily enough.

"Good. Now let's go and get some breakfast, I'm starving!" Sofia groans opening the bedroom door.

"God! When aren't you ever hungry?" I ask as I follow her down the stairs with a laugh.

"I'll be buried six feet under and still be wanting pizza and ice cream." She turns around suddenly nearly making me run into her at the bottom of the steps. "Oh my god Jupiter! You better bury me with pizza and ice cream, if you don't I'll-"

"Haunt my ass until I somehow give a ghost pizza and ice cream?"

"Aww I love how we can finish each other's s-"

"Sandwiches?" Sofia's five year old sister says coming around the corner in her light pink disney pyjamas. "Ooh can I be Olaf? I'm a really good snowman, see." Gabby goes on trying to push her little stomach outwards and grabs hold of both her chubby cheeks, pinching them.

Sofia laughs beside me, her blonde curls bouncing up and down across her back. I wish I could join in but I can't because it reminded me of when my own younger sister did it, she loved Olaf just as much as Sofia loves pizza.

My older brother Liam hated it and would tease her constantly about loving such a childish movie but secretly I heard him singing a few lines of 'Let It Go' in the shower the mornings before he had practice.

I glance up briefly when I hear another set of footsteps come down the stairs beside us and we all turn to see Mr Grace.

"Good morning my girls!" he greets us before hiding a yawn behind his hand. He looks tired.

Before either of us can get a word in, Gabby has run up to her father and is tugging on his trousers.

"I'm not a girl daddy, I'm a snowman!" she states matter of factly in her sassy little voice.

"A snowman?" Mr Grace echos looking towards his other daughter in slight confusion.

"Yes daddy, a snowman just like Olaf."

"Olaf?" he echos again, his eyes going wider as he looks at us for help.

"It's the snowman from the movie Frozen," Sofia finally says, feeling sorry for him.

I roll my eyes as she hides a smile behind her hand.

Mr Grace nods his head before looking back down at his youngest.

"Well then my little snowman, do you want to help mummy with decorating the pancakes this morning?"

"Oh yes! Yes!" Gabby cries forgetting all about being in character as she runs down the hall and around the corner.

"How was your night dad?" Sofia asks her father as we begin walking towards the direction where Gabby had disappeared.

"Oh you know, just the usual trouble makers," he waves the question aside tiredly. "Man, I sure hope Addison has a cup of coffee waiting for me."

"It's right here honey." Mrs Grace says holding a cup of coffee in her hand as we round the corner into the kitchen.

"Oh thank you heavens!" Mr Grace cries happily as he kisses his wife's cheek before taking a long sip of the warm liquid. "Ah much better, now I can begin my morning."

"Your dad really does have a strange addiction to caffeine," I tell Sofia as we make our way over to the dining table after saying hi to her mum.

"It's completely normal to have a caffeine addiction kids." Mr Grace tells us as he takes a slice of buttered toast off the plate in front of us. "Especially when you need to deal with some real idiots twenty-four seven."

"Now now honey, they're not all idiots.. some are just troubled is all." Mrs Grace puts in as she comes to join us at the table.

"Idiots." Mr Grace, Sofia and I say at the same time.

"What's an idiot?" Gabby asks looking up from her disney cup that is filled with strawberry milk.

"It's the people daddy has to look after when he goes to work sweetheart," Mr Grace explains to his daughter earning a sharp look from his wife.

I attempt to hide my laugh as I stuff a piece of the toast in my mouth, chewing it slowly.

"Richard." Mrs Grace warns her husband from across the table before smiling sweetly at Gabby and tells her to finish her milk.

"What? I was only telling her the truth-"

"That's enough Richard." Addison then turns to look over at me, rolling her eyes. "I heard you had a bit of an adventure last night, care to share?"

I shrug as I look away from her questioning eyes.

Addison has always been weary around me and has never liked Sofia hanging out with me, especially since her husband was the one to put me behind bars for a night because of my 'bad life choices'.

"Honey leave her be, she knows it was a mistake and won't do it again. Right, Jupiter?"

I nod at him before looking down at my lap in slight guilt.

"Oh Richard that's what all teenagers say these days, that they won't do it again but she always has been a trouble maker this one." Addison goes on to say, flickering her hand in my direction. "It's gotten so much worse since she ki-"

A wave of anger slams into me and before I know what I'm doing, I push my chair back and stand up leaning over the table.

"I. Didn't. Kill. Them." I grit out word by word as I stare down at her, my fists curled up by my sides.

Sofia and her younger sister glances between the two of us, frightened.

Addison doesn't flinch and instead reaches past me to take a slice of unbuttered bread before smiling sweetly up at me.

"But sweetie, how do you know? you don't even remember what happened that night."

I glare at her in silent rage before biting the inside of my lip hard until I can taste blood in my mouth.

"Addison." Richard warns her now in his sheriff voice. "This is not the time or place to be discussing this. She stays with us until my team sorts through evidence and the court sets a hearing, until then Jupiter stays as a suspect only and when under this roof as family." He raises an eyebrow at his wife. "Am I clear?"

"Of course dear."

She knows she's won as she turns around to help her youngest cut up her pancakes into tiny squares.

As I sit back down, I notice Sofia looks nervously at me and back towards her mother before sighing as everyone goes back to their breakfast in silence.

That's when the doorbell suddenly decides to start singing.

"Are we expecting anyone?" Addison asks, back to her motherly self. "I haven't made enough food for more guests."

Richard gets up from his spot at the head of the table, wiping his mouth on the back of a napkin.

"That will be the guest I was telling you about dear." He turns to me gesturing for me to come with him.

"The guest?" Sofia says confused turning to look up at me as I get up walking to her fathers side. I shrug in response.

"We'll only be a few minutes," Richard tells them before nearly dragging me out of the danger zone. "I am so sorry about my wife Jupiter, you know she can get-"

"It's fine Mr Grace..." I tell him walking beside him to the front door. He puts a hand on my shoulder, stopping me.

"It certainly is not. You've always been a part of this family dear and Addison should learn when to shut her mouth before she complains about a blackened eye because you've punched her."

I'm about to say something to that when he smiles kindly down at me, and opens the front door greeting the mystery guest with a warm hug.

"It's so good to see you again Miss Wright, I'm glad you got my email although I would've hoped for much better circumstances of course."

Miss Wright? Now why does that surname sound so darn familiar. I stand back to the side as they embrace one another trying to think of where I know it from.

"It's good to see you too Richard, it's been a long time." A female voice speaks up.

Richard steps back away from the door, letting the woman with dark hair enter. I watch as she leans down to take off her shoes placing them near the entrance before standing back up to remove her coat also.

"Hasn't it. I still remember when you were Jupiters age here." Mr Grace says finally turning to acknowledge me in the corner.

The woman hangs her coat on one of the many hooks before turning around to look at me, her blue eyes just like my very own, widen in surprise.

"Jupiter this is Tabitha, Tabitha- Jupiter."

I nod my head still stunned by the similarities between the two of us. Although she looks to be about twice my age, Tabitha could've easily passed as my twin or older sister.

"It's nice to finally meet you, Jupiter." Tabitha goes on to say, getting over her shock first.

I look over at Mr Grace who is still smiling as he watches the two of us.

"Jupiter..." he starts seeing my confusion. "Tabitha is your mother's younger sister-"

My eyes widen as I take in the new information, no wonder the surname sounded familiar to me but as far as I knew, my mother didn't have a sister.

"And your aunt who you're going to be staying with for the next few months."

"Wait? What?" I cry looking from Richard to this mysterious aunt of mine who I've never even heard of before.

Tabitha gives me a nervous smile as I glare at her.