1-3: Santa Monica

Her mind's made up
The girl is gone
And now I'm forced to see
I think I'm on my way
Oh, it hurts to live today
Oh and she says "Don't you wish you were dead like me?"

-------

"Atticus. Hey. You're not helping anything by pacing. Why don't you come sit down and relax? Your brother will be fine."

Atticus cast a scowl in his mother's direction.

"I'm not pacing because I'm worried about my brother, mom."

He basically spat, fixing her with an icy glare. She was tipsy. Drunk, even. More so than the three teenagers who had been at the party were; And Atticus' distaste for her condition was written all over every move he made.

Eden had called Carter as soon as Kiara's conversation with the dispatcher had ended. He was pissed, but he sounded more worried than anything. After she hit end on her phone, they had all went downstairs to tell their mother... Who had been passed out drunk, as always. 

Acting like she was concerned seemed to be her thing lately.. But Eden and Atticus didn't believe it. Drinking was more important than her kids. Escaping was more important. She'd been that way when she was their age... And no matter how happy she claimed to be now, it still appeared to be the case.

"What I'm worried about, is how my father is going to react when he sees me. Since he seems to be the only parent I have now."

As Atticus finished his sentence, Aria's face crumpled for a moment, and then she collected her features and stared straight ahead, neglecting to respond.

Lyric's tiny voice echoed out from the other side of her mom, barely audible in the almost silent waiting room. 

"You don't have to talk to her like that, Atticus. She's just scared."

Atticus stopped pacing, fixing his baby sister with a dumbfounded stare.

"You're kidding right? In what world do you think she cares about any of us, Lyric?"

"Okay, that's enough."

Kiara stood, grabbing Atticus' hand and pulling him into the hallway.

Eden watched the two of them arguing quietly through the glass, her arms across her chest and a permanent crease in her forehead. She was worried about what Carter would do too... Kind of. She knew he would come down harder on her than Atticus because she was the one who made it obvious that she did the things she had been doing. That she did the things Atticus and Cassius did, openly.

She pulled her phone out. Mostly for something to do with her hands. Leaving them idle was just making her nervous. 

Whatever he does, I'll get around it. I always do.

"Give me your car keys."

Eden jumped, Carter's voice surprising her out of the reverie she had been in.

"What? Dad, really? I need my car. I have to get to school. I have to-"

"Lyric can drive you. It's not like you've been going much lately anyway, Eden."

Eden groaned, getting to her feet, her face inches from her fathers.

"I'm not giving you my keys. You can't keep me locked up in the house all the time, dad. I need to have a life."

Carter's face contorted in anger and he crossed his arms over his chest, assuming the position that Eden had inherited from him.

"Your life  as you call it, is what almost killed your little brother."

He held his hand out, his eyes cold and stern.

"Keys, Eden."

She matched his stare, her eyes never leaving his as she reached into her back pocket and extracted the keys.

"Thank you. Maybe after you learn that life is not all about boys and drinking, you can have your car back. You need to grow up someday, Eden. You're 18. It's time to be an adult now."

She sighed, anger bubbling up in her chest. She wanted to lash out. She wanted to be cruel. She wanted to hit him where it hurt. But instead, she exited the waiting room, dialing Nico's number on her way out the front doors of the hospital and into the rain.

---------

"What do you fucking mean you got to keep your car?"

Eden shouted, her voice bouncing off the walls of the school hallway.

Atticus sighed.

"Shh, Eden. Stop yelling at me. That's not going to change the fact that dad trusts me more."

Eden glowered, slamming her locker shut.

"But you were there too. You were drunk too! You fucking... You know what. What the fuck ever."

She ran her fingers through her hair, biting the inside of her cheek so hard, she tasted blood.

It was like Carter was playing a game with her. How was the situation any different on her twin's side than on hers? Their disposition that night was no different. He had done exactly as she had. But she was the only one in the family who didn't have her fucking car. The only one who was stuck relying on someone else for an escape from her bullshit 'family abode'.

Even Cassius had his car.

"Eden... I'm the one with a job. A steady relationship. Good grades. I wasn't nearly as drunk as you were. I'm not as reckless as you are... I-"

"Just shut up. Enjoy your freedom, A. Hope it tastes amazing."

She pushed past him roughly, the bell echoing overhead.

She pushed the door to the science classroom open so hard, it slammed against the doorstop. Every pair of eyes in the room lifted to her.

She rolled her eyes and found a seat at the table in the back. It was empty. She dropped her bag on the floor and humphed, crossing her arms over her chest.

It wasn't fair. Regardless if Atticus had his life together. Eden would someday too. What was so fucking wrong about the way she was? She was still a kid. She was still... Learning? Whatever. She didn't see the difference at all. 

She deserved her fucking car. It wasn't like she put the booze in Cassius' fucking hand and said 'Drink, bitch.'

For God's sake.

"Hey. Are you okay?"

Sarah slid into the seat next to her, her brown eyes sparkling with concern.

"I heard about your car. I'm sorry. I never thought that something like that would even happen at my party. Generally the people who come don't end up like that. They don't drink themselves into the hospital anyway."

Eden twirled a pencil in her fingers, the buzz of the classroom dying down as the teacher began speaking.

"Well, my brother is an idiot. And apparently, that is somehow my fault."

Sarah nodded, pulling her textbook out of her bag.

"Well... I know that there's another party this weekend. I could pick you up if you want me to. I know you're like, sort of under house arrest or something, but I still have my car. I could vie for you. Tell your dad you're studying at my house or something.

You know these parties are nothing without you."

Eden continued twirling the pencil, mulling it over.

Carter and Aria had some sort of gala or something this weekend. Her mom had a book signing in another city, they'd probably not even be home. She could go, but she had a voice nagging in the back of her mind telling her this was a really bad idea.

But that voice was just a whisper. One she barely ever heard.

"You know what? Okay. Let's do it."

She flashed her a grin, opening her own textbook.

Sarah beamed, averting her attention to the teacher.

I won't be a prisoner. Especially for no reason. Screw that.

-----

"I'm worried about her, Aria. She's a mess. She's reminding me a little too much of how, well, you used to be. Maybe not when you were as young as she is, but still."

Carter took a drink out of his mug, his eyes surveying his wife. She sighed, taking a seat in the chair next to him, stirring tiny circles in her own cup.

"I feel like an idiot for not even noticing how bad the drinking was getting. She never leaves when I'm here that I even know of. But it looks like she's finding a way. I guess I always did too. But it was usually for you."

She smiled at him softly, and he reached out, covering her hand with his own.

"Look, I know you're going through a lot. And none of them know. We chose not to tell them. But they see what you're doing to get over it, and they're not stupid. They are too old for it to just pass them by. 

I know it still hurts, but you have to stop letting it control you, A."

She nodded, squeezing his fingers with her own.

"I thought I'd been better. But by the way your son talked to me last night, I don't think that's the case."

She dropped her pink eyes to the table, pain drifting through her chest and that familiar pull that always seemed to follow it.

"You saved me, Carter. But I guess old habits die hard. I've always been a mess and I guess I always will be."

Carter stood, coming around the table and pulling her against him.

"I know. But I've always been here, Aria. I always will be. I love you. Everything about you. Even the messed up parts. That will never change."

He went through hell for this girl. Broke his values and his rules and picked up her pieces over and over again until he had nothing left to give. 

She broke him and he loved her anyway. Would always love her anyway. 

Because no matter what had ever happened, when she wasn't there, It was like half of him was missing. Despite her ceaseless darkness, she was always his light. 

And it would remain that way.

---------

"You don't have to leave, you know."

Eden stopped short of his window, her hand on the sill of Nico's window. She sighed quietly, squeezing her eyes shut. She turned to face him, her gaze cold.

"Yeah. I do. How many times do I need to tell you that I'm not your girlfriend, Nico? I'm not here to cuddle you. I'm not here to spend time with you. I want one thing. I'm done now. I'm going home."

Nico got out of the bed, standing next to her by the window. 

"I never said you were, Simon. Chill. Just thought we could get out of here or something. You really wanna go back to your prison though, go for it."

She thought about it for a second, the gears in her head shifting.

He was already far too attached than she was okay with. It felt more like a relationship than she had ever wanted it to. Each and every time she had sex with him, it felt like he grew closer to her and she pulled away. It was too much, he was too much.

It had far past lost its appeal, but here she was.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Sorry."

She pushed the glass open, the cool wind hitting her face.

She climbed through, but as she turned to walk away, his hand grabbed hers.

"It never will be, will it."

Her eyes widened, startled by the serious tone in his voice. She had never heard him sound like that before. She searched for words, coming up short.

Just say no. It's not that hard. Just fucking say it, because this is getting fucking ridiculous at this point.

Her eyes dimmed and went blank. She pulled her hand away from his and turned away, taking the grassy hill down to the road and back to her house. 

He didn't even need an answer to that. He should know better. He should know her by now.

It was never going to happen. It was never going to be more than it was.

------

Eden's vision dipped and weaved, going slightly spotty. She had drank so much. The party had been ridiculous. More people than she had remembered ever being at one of these parties had shown up. She and Kiara had matched up shot for shot, but Eden was far more intoxicated than her vampiric friend.

She bent over, her hands on her knees, giggling and gasping for air.

Kiara came out of the door behind her, wrapping her hand around the crook of her elbow. 

"Hey you. Where do you think you're going?"

She grinned at her, her fangs glinting in the streetlights.

Eden tugged her arm away, laughing again. She felt different. Drunk, yeah, but floaty too. 

"Home." 

Kiara raised an eyebrow.

"How?"

Eden lifted her bouncing vision to the street in front of her. 

"Walking."

Kiara shook her head.

"Oh no. I don't think so."

She made to pull her back towards the door, but Eden shoved her off lightly.

"Kiara. I live ten minutes away. I'll be fine."

Kiara stared at her for a minute, her worry showing in her gaze. 

"....Okay. But I'm walking with you. Give me a minute, I'm gonna go grab my jacket. You stay right here Eden. I mean it."

Eden nodded, watching her redheaded friend go back through the doors.

She turned her attention to the cars parked all over the lawn in front of her. Her eyes fell on Cassius' Suburban parked just in front of Max's Volvo.

Really? He's here? After the last time?

She approached it, wishing she had her keys so she could scratch it or something. It wasn't like his mommy wouldn't immediately fix it for him anyway.

Wait a second.

The keys were in the seat, in plain sight. Had he forgotten them or did they fall out of his pocket... or?

She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the window. She looked awful. Plastered. A fucking mess. She smiled at the glass, her mind made up in seconds. She pulled the door open, sliding the keys into the ignition. The engine purred to life beneath her and she slammed the door. She shifted the gear and pushed the pedal to the floor, reversing straight into the shiny silver Volvo in the rear view.

The sleepy summer air filled with sound of his alarm in seconds.

People spilled out onto the lawn. Some confused, some scared. But the face she was looking forward to seeing the most, she couldn't seem to find. She was so caught up in looking for him, that she was surprised when the door opened and she was yanked to the ground.

Max shoved her against the back door, his voice echoing in her head.

"What the fuck did you do Eden?!"

She started laughing, watching his face contort more and more into rage.

"You think this is funny?"

He let go of the top of her arms, pulling his keys out of his pocket and silencing the alarm. But it was too late. The sounds of his alarm were quickly replaced by different, much louder ones.

And flashing white, blue and red lights.

The people gathered on the lawn scattered, cars and people passing by so quickly it made Eden's head spin.

"Eden..."

The voice was one she knew well. It dripped with disappointment and something else.

Dalton Night, her father's partner for God knows how many years, approached her and Max, his eyes surveying the two of them.

"Tell me this wasn't you."

She trailed her eyes to Max's. His glare was so icy it made her shiver.

"It was her."

That was all he said, his words stoic.

"I'm sorry Eden. But it doesn't matter who your father is. I'm gonna have to take you in."