1-18: Dollhouse

Picture, picture, smile for the picture
Pose with your brother, won't you be a good sister?
Everyone thinks that we're perfect
Please don't let them look through the curtains.

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"Eden?"

She could tell by the tone of her mother's voice that Eden was the last person she had expected to show up on the doorstep for Christmas Eve. Not only had Xavier insisted on coming along, Kiara had too. That was, until Atticus had said he was going 'whether Eden wanted him to or not'. When she was informed of that, she stayed behind.

Eden didn't acknowledge her mother, just pushed the door open out of her grip and slipped inside. Xavier nodded politely, shutting the door once he and Atticus were inside.

"Hello, Mrs. Simon."

Eden rolled her eyes at his nicety. Like her mother cared. She was too busy getting drunk to worry about anyone actually being polite to her. The hallway reeked of the alcohol Aria's body exuded. It was almost humiliating. 

Eden took the stairs two at a time to the third floor, going straight to Lyric's room. The door was already ajar, and piano music seeped into the hallway. Eden knocked softly, and Lyric lifted her hands from the keys, her eyes widening when she realized all three of them were standing there.

"Eden... You brought them too?"

Eden scoffed, walking in and taking a seat on Lyric's bed. The two boys stood next to each other by the door, clearly feeling awkward. Concerned too, but mostly just awkward.

"It wasn't so much as brought, as it was being told they were coming."

Lyric looked uncomfortable, eyeing the guys before finally looking over at her sister.

"I have to tell you something, and it's really important. I've been trying for months... To pretend. But I can't anymore."

Her voice caught, breaking into pieces as she fought for words she couldn't seem to find.

"Lyric, what's wrong? What happened?"

Atticus had so much worry in his voice, in his expression, it surprised Eden immensely.

Lyric looked up at him, at Xavier, back at Eden, finally settling her eyes on the floor.

"I don't want you guys to hate me."

She was so sweet, so sheltered and perfect and innocent. She always had been. Ever since she was a toddler, it was like she carried sunlight in her pocket. Eden couldn't imagine a single reason why she could ever even begin to hate her. 

She was like a perfect china doll. Set up on a shelf for everyone to see but never touch. She was Eden's exact opposite. In almost every single way.

Eden stood, walking over to her, pulling her to her feet and wrapping her arms around her. She held the hug longer than she ever did with anyone, because in this moment, she needed her sister to know she could never see her as anything less than who she was.

"I could never hate you. In a million years. You're my baby sister. I love you."

There were those words again, and both of the boys snapped their eyes to Eden the moment she said it. Like it was impossible to believe those words could ever come out of her mouth. For anyone.

"Eden, you don't understand. You can't say that. You don't know what I've done. Who I am."

Eden took a step back, looking at her brother. What the hell was she talking about? What could she have done in the four and a half months they were gone?

"What are you trying to say, Lyric?"

She looked up at her sister, her eyes shining with tears. Her lip quivered as she spoke and Eden barely heard the words she said.

"Eden... I'm gay."

Eden blinked. Okay, well that... That was unexpected. She could have never guessed that. 

"I knew that. But I don't see why we would hate you for it."

Atticus' words surprised all of them, every eye in the room going to his face. He looked uncomfortable for a moment, leaning against the wall. He shrugged, looking at Lyric's face.

"You used to put your girl Barbies in couples when we were kids. When we played house you used to ask me and Zach questions about why there were never two mommies, or two daddies. When they legalized gay marriage in California and everyone in the room kind of brushed it off, you smiled. 

You've never had a boyfriend, and I've seen the way you look at that Emma girl. I've always paid attention to you, especially when we were little. So it's not much of a surprise to me." 

The room was silent. Eden knew Cassius adored Lyric, she was the only person on the planet he actually protected or had affection for. But she had no idea Atticus cared as much as he did. It blew her away.

She finally tore her eyes away from her twin and looked back at Lyric.

"We don't hate you, Lyric. I don't care if you're gay, straight, asexual. None of that matters to me."

Lyric dropped her eyes to the floor, kicking the side of her rug with her shoe.

"Well. That's not all."

Atticus and Eden's eyes met, Xavier looked visibly worried for the two of them, and Lyric still didn't look up from the floor.

"I'm pregnant."

Silence.

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"I'm going to prison. Because I'm gonna fucking kill him."

Atticus slammed the door to his room, the sound echoing. 

"Eden. I know he left Saint Claire, but I didn't fucking know he came back here. Didn't think he would screw my baby sister! I thought he was too busy with you!"

Eden rubbed her face with her hands, trying to get rid of the headache that was working its way through her head.

"No. I kind of.."

She looked up at Xavier before turning around and taking a seat in the corner of Atticus' room.

"I kind of told him I was done with him and called him pathetic. Among other things."

Xavier stared at her, she didn't see it, didn't look at him, but she could feel it. Atticus, however, scoffed, his anger making the air in the room so full of tension it almost hurt.

"So this is your fault?!"

Eden finally looked up at him, her mouth dropping open.

"The hell it is! I didn't make him do this! I made a choice for myself, and he exacted revenge. That is on him not me."

Atticus paced back and forth, his fists clenched at his side.

"Well, if you had kept your legs closed in the first fucking place, this never would have happened."

Eden got to her feet, her voice furious.

"Excuse me? I'm sorry, but, how does pinning the blame on me for this help anything at all!? Lyric is still pregnant. Max is still the father. Whether I screwed this guy, or never touched him, changes nothing. Stop fucking blaming me for a choice he made!"

Xavier sighed, the noise distracting both of them. Atticus turned to look at him, annoyed, and Eden just dropped her eyes back to the floor.

"You two fighting isn't fixing anything. Lyric is having a baby, it is what it is. You're just wasting time sitting here arguing about the inevitable."

Both of the twins looked at each other, their faces colored in animosity.

But he was right. This wasn't going to do anything. Lyric needed to tell her parents, Max had to know somehow. Something had to happen. Because Lyric had informed them, she was keeping the baby.

Eden ran her hand through her hair, her thoughts chaotic. This was the last thing she had expected to hear when she came home. She knew it was something, but definitely not this.

"So what do we do? Tell mom and dad? Max is going to fucking freak out. I don't want to deal with that."

Atticus smiled menacingly. 

"I'd love to tell him. I'll knock his teeth down his throat while I'm at it."

Xavier spoke up from his position next to the wall, his voice cutting through the end of Atticus' statement.

"Or, you could have the cops tell him."

Eden and Atticus looked over at him, confused.

"What? How and why..."

Xavier let out a breath, rubbing the nape of his neck with his hand.

"He's a dealer, right? Make an anonymous tip, or tell your dad."

Eden stared at him, her face blank.

"You mean squeal on him?"

Xavier rolled his eyes.

"No. I mean tell the police that he's dealing drugs because he impregnated your sister out of revenge. Or, so he can never be around that innocent baby.

Either way you look at it, I'd say those are very good reasons to put him in prison."

Eden's eyes met with Atticus' and she understood the look in his gaze immediately.

"Fucking. Fine. I'll do it."

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The news of Lyric's pregnancy was taken very well by Aria and Carter. The fact that she was a lesbian went over really well too. What didn't, is why she was pregnant. And who the father was.

"You had sex with this guy to convince yourself you weren't gay? Why would you do that? You had to know we would accept you."

The words left Aria's mouth and Eden narrowed her eyes at her. 

"You're joking right?"

Aria looked up at her in surprise, her face falling.

"No one knows if you care about them at all in this family. How could she fucking know you wouldn't use these things as another excuse to get wasted and neglect her some more. Drop the mom-of-the-year act, Aria. No one believes it anymore."

Carter's face was irate when Eden looked into it, but she didn't care. She was done saving Aria's feelings like everyone thought necessary to do. She was supposed to be their mother. And as far as Eden could remember, she never actually acted like one. She was selfish, impassive and transient. To an alarming degree. She didn't deserve to have any of them as her children.

"You two,"

Carter pointed at Atticus and Eden in succession.

"Can leave now."

Eden smirked, bowing exaggeratedly.

"With pleasure."

Atticus looked like he desperately wanted to join in on the Aria bashing, but instead sighed and followed Eden out of the room. Their family was so fucked up. Dramatic. She was thankful for her siblings, at least two of them. But her parents were just... Not how they should be.

When Eden split ways with Atticus and got to her room, Xavier was standing outside her door. She raised an eyebrow at him, the corner of her mouth curling upward.

"Now who is standing outside of someone's door? Why don't you just go inside?"

Xavier waited for Eden to open her door, stepping inside after her.

"Why don't you?"

Eden looked over her shoulder at him, collapsing onto her bed. She didn't even have an answer for that. Why would she? She barely knew Xavier. What was with him and consistently always leaving questions in her head? Making her think about things?

Xavier stood in the room, looking awkward again. She couldn't help but laugh at his stance, because it wasn't like he'd never been in here before. His eyes were on her paintings, her mirror, her shelves. Everywhere but on her.

She hadn't anticipated the moment when she'd be alone with him again. She'd forgotten that before this went down, she was supposed to be talking to him.

"You can look at me, you know. I'm not going to yell at you."

He finally did, although it seemed pretty reluctant. But it was only for a few moments and then he looked away again.

"Yeah... You stopped flipping me off for it a while ago."

She'd forgotten she even used to do that, but now she remembered.

"I think since you kissed me, that you looking at me isn't such a big deal now."

He eyed her at that, rocking back on his heels.

"I did."

That was all he said, and he said it simply. And now, he didn't break eye contact with her. Except with the way he said that, she wanted him to. She always felt like he saw inside of her head. Like he could read her mind. 

"Do you regret it or something?"

He stilled, his expression soft.

"No, Eden. I don't."

"But you said, when I tried in Hawaii-"

He cut her off, his voice raising just a little.

"That was different."

The room fell silent, the only noise that Eden could register was soft piano music from Lyric's room. Which meant she'd survived the conversation with their parents. Thankfully. Xavier continued to look at her for a few minutes and then he sighed, pressing his lips together. He looked out the window next to Eden and then back at her.

"Come here."

She almost didn't listen, because she wasn't sure why he would want her to do that. Why he would want her anywhere near him. Because she was a cyclone. She'd only tear him down and shatter who he was.

She slid off the bed and walked over to him, standing just out of arms reach. He shook his head, a smile breaking across his lips. He moved in front of her, putting his hands on her waist. 

"I meant here."

Her lips parted slightly and she tried to talk, but she couldn't think of the right words to actually say. Usually she had a sarcastic comment for everything, but not right now. He reached up and moved her hair out of her face, and the goosebumps that crossed her skin were embarrassing. 

It wasn't like she'd never had a boy touch her, but this was different. Somehow Xavier was different. Maybe it was because he was so untainted. Or maybe it was something else. But whatever it was, her heart had never raced when another guy touched her. At least not when they touched her like this. It was simple, and it was chaste, but it was enough.

She pressed into his kiss this time, no resistance in her response. Her hands found his shoulders, and she couldn't remember if the first time he kissed her was like this, but the only thing that seemed to circulate in her head was a quiet warning. Telling her that this wasn't normal. 

He couldn't be different, no one could be different, not again.

But... It kind of seemed too late for that.

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D-O-L-L-H-O-U-S-E
I see things that nobody else sees.