charlie beaumont

charlie. chuck. charles. lottie. finn's sister.

[yulianacouperus]

“Really?” Yuli’s eyes widened. She knew there had been a fire, but Dante had been very withholding on details. She could guess why now. “I wonder who did it? I love vandalism, but I wouldn’t go that far. Too risky.”

She shook her head slowly. “He knows that things in your family are… complicated. The thing about Dante that’s great is that even when you’ve counted yourself out, he still hasn’t.” He had been there for her in more ways than she could count, even if she didn’t always want or appreciate it. “He hasn’t counted you out yet.”

The mention of the pet store made her heart clench. She still hadn’t found Artemis. Every morning, she woke up expecting to hear her loud ass. She hated the quiet. And Artemis wasn’t fit for the wild anymore. Who was feeding her?

“Yeah, that’s cool.” She met Charlie’s gaze, noting the blush on her cheek. It pulled her back to the moment. She may not have her bird, but she had Charlie. That counted. “You can go first.”

[charliebeaumonts]

Charlie nodded. "Yeah it sounded bad. Like the entire house is just gone." She was glad they both agreed arson was too far. "Me too. Fire is scary. But the whole thing is weird. Cause did you hear about that where's Noah? thing? And then his house burns down? Makes you wonder."

Oh. Why did that make her feel kind of emotional? She pressed her lips together, letting that process for a second. "He sounds like a good person," Charlie said, wondering if her brother had counted her out yet or not. Things were so weird and messy but she missed him, did he miss her too?

"Okay, no pressure," Charlie laughed, eyes roving over Yuli's face while she tried to think of something to ask her. There were so many things she wanted to know. All of it. Everything. But right now she was struggling to convert even one into a question.

"What's something you'll be glad to never have to do again? Is that a dumb thing to ask? We're just warming up, it'll get better I promise."

[brontefusco]

Bronte took Charlie’s outstretched hand and laced their fingers together. She squeezed gently, more than a little happy for the support. She was too out of her depths here. This was not the kind of problem she had any experience with and it was pushing way too close to the fears she was supposed to tell herself were not rational. But they were happening.

Fortunately, Charlie knew what to do here. "I think Charlie’s right. Drew should be given a chance to know what the team might be facing. He can say no. He’s very good at knowing his own limits.” She was not going to turn this into a gushing session about her boyfriend, but he’d handled a lot over the last two weeks. In her opinion, he’d dealt with everything pretty well. There were reasons to trust him. It was in Heli’s hands whether she was willing to do that or not.

“Um,” Bronte cleared her throat, “If he said it once, he probably means it. I haven’t heard of him saying that to anyone. Ever. And I don’t think his dad or anyone says that a lot, so he probably doesn’t know like what’s a good frequency for it.” The fact that she was even giving him this much credit was a testament to how much she cared about her sister’s happiness. She would be fine if they never got serious because the prospect of being related to him was… weird. But she didn’t want Heli to doubt herself. “It’s a really big step for him, so give him a little time. Trust that he meant it and he’ll say it again when he’s ready.”

[helifusco]

"I’m okay with that.” Heli swallowed, still considering somehow even though she’d already said yes to how Charlie and Bronte wanted to bring Drew in. “I didn’t think he had limits with you, Bronnie. I mean… Not anymore.” She gave her sister a vague gesture to do the twin version of implying that they were living together now and had had a pregnancy scare. “But if that’s hot for you guys, I’m really proud of you.” She wasn’t even teasing. Even if she had to crush her jealousy at the notion of having someone who was that clear, that complete in how much they loved her. Even Charlie, who was new at this too, had someone who was willing to try wholeheartedly. And then Charlie said it.

When. He’s. Sure.

Heli was known for her tantrums. Well, not tantrums exactly. Moments of “being obstinate,” as her mother put it (which Heli misheard and repeated as “being obstlicanite,” and her parents had figured that was close enough.) She’d stamp her foot and set her jaw, and anyone who knew her knew that there was no convincing her to change her mind. Nothing. And yet she couldn’t muster ire for Charlie in this moment. Because she was right. Trip wasn’t sure. He rarely was. And until recently, Heli always was. But what she was most sure of, always, was him.

Not about his feelings. But of how he made her feel. How his affection made her feel. How his indifference did too. But had it been indifference? Or just fear? She’d always been told she was fearless. Maybe in some small way she could show him how to be brave about more than just public sex. Maybe, someday, he would be the boy she’d never forget again, arguing with his father for her honor as if was something that existed. It made her feel like she was worth protecting. It was why she’d felt protected, even when Noah was being awful.

Because she knew, if she asked, Trip would be there. Whether they were having sex or not. So maybe, just maybe, she needed to ask.

Her smile wasn’t forced. Just fraying around the edges. “We can go tell Drew. I’ll be okay. I’ve decided it will be, so it will.” She took a deep breath. “Thank you.”

@charliebeaumonts

[charliebeaumonts]

Charlie held her breath, her words sounded even harsher after Bronte's reassurance. She'd nodded along eagerly with the possibility Bron presented, but it probably looked fake, like she was just trying to backtrack. She had a feeling it had hit Heli in a way she hadn't planned for, and she wished she could rewind time and say it differently. Charlie wished she could do a lot of things differently.

Then Heli smiled and some of Charlie's nerves faded, just a bit. It was a fraction of her normal sunshine smile but right now she would take it.

"It will," Charlie agreed. "You will. I promise, we've got you." She offered her other hand to Heli. "I love you. You're so strong and brave, you know?"

Then Charlie remembered something. "Bron what did you mean before about bodies walking?"

@brontefusco

[yulianacouperus]

“Really,” Yuli repeated. “Building a government takes a lot of work and there’s something else going on now. I don’t really know what, but he’s more stressed than usual.” Yuli wasn’t sure that the lines in his forehead would ever relax at this rate, but she did what she could. It wasn’t anything earth shattering but she had too much time on her hands and he had none.

“That’s just his face,” she smiled at Charlie, leaving her hand near the middle of the couch so the other girl could grab it if she wanted. “He doesn’t hate you, he just doesn’t know you. Given his history, he doesn’t always trust people easily, but he’s kind. He just has a resting scowl.”

Games. Did Dante have a lot of games? She had no idea. “We can look through the living room. There’s at least a dominoes set somewhere. I know that.” Living in a new house came with a lot of questions and she hadn’t had much time to ask them. “I feel the same. I can’t believe we didn’t really know each other before all this. It feels like we just met and also we’ve known each other forever.”

[charliebeaumonts]

Charlie chewed on her bottom lip, wondering if she should say anything to Yuli about what she knew. Or what she assumed was going on because of what she knew. She wanted to keep what Heli shared a secret, that was said to her in triplet confidentiality. But she cared about Yuli, she felt like she should tell her something. Would Dante be mad if she did? "Maybe it's about Noah?" she said, somehow finding a safer middle ground. "I heard his house got set on fire last night while we were at the rink." There, that was good right?

"Oh," Charlie said, letting herself smile a little. She felt silly now. She'd really thought he didn't like... approve of her or something. She thought that's why Yuli ran off at the dinner party. "I thought he didn't want me to be your... um... friend." The word choice was on purpose, maybe she could get Yuli to bring up their relationship definition herself. That would be easier than having to ask. "But that's good to know. Thank you for telling me."

The only thing Charlie had ever used dominoes for was to make a really complicated dominoes chain on the floor with Finn. They'd watch them all fall after spending hours painstakingly placing each one. The thought made her miss him. He always did fun stuff like that for her.

A slow blush spread across Charlie's cheeks. "Me too. I saw you in that empty pet store and something just clicked." It felt bigger than them, like it was meant to be. "Why don't we continue that question game we played at the wake?" Charlie's eyes kept flicking down to Yuli's hand between them on the couch. "I feel like we didn't get very far before we got interrupted."

[yulianacouperus]

Yuli had been in a daze for most of the day. The night before had been so strange. What was supposed to be a fun event had turned into a nightmare, like something her parents had been worried about. She hadn’t wanted to think about her parents, so she’d had a little bit to drink. Unfortunately, her tolerance had plummeted in the last few months, leaving her with horrible cotton mouth and a headache.

The only thing she’d had to look forward to all day was seeing Charlie. They didn’t get enough time together last night. Not that Yuli had been great company then. But she’d pulled herself together and kicked Nuala out for a bit. Dante had his hands full with a series of problems that she wanted nothing to do with, so she hadn’t asked any questions about it.

Before letting Charlie in, Yuli checked her hair one more time. “Not bad.” She swung the door opened and smiled at Charlie, blushing a little at the nickname. “Evening, princess. We have the house to ourselves for a little while.”

She ushered Charlie over to the couch and plopped down on it, suddenly nervous. They had been alone in other spaces before, but Dante was a more serious guardian. She didn’t know how comfortable he’d be with unsupervised visits. Good thing he was very busy with their crumbling society.

“So, what kind of trouble should we get into tonight? We can’t break anything here and I’m pretty sure Dante has marked the alcohol levels, so we’ll have to make our own fun.”

[charliebeaumonts]

"Really?" Charlie asked, gingerly stepping through the doorway. She looked around, wondering how much of this space was Dante and if there were parts that were Yuli too. It felt nice in here though. Homey. When she didn't see Dante hidden anywhere she let her shoulders relax. She wouldn't be kicked out yet, that was good.

Charlie sat down on the couch with Yuli and immediately felt like she was too far away. Was it silly of her to feel like that? "That's okay, I don't want to do anything to make Dante not like me more." She wasn't sure what his problem was with her, but his disapproval had felt strong at the dinner party the other night.

"Maybe we should play a game or something?" she suggested. When the question she wanted to ask Yuli came to the forefront of her mind, her stomach exploded in a riot of butterflies. She wasn't ready right now. What if she said no? She'd have to leave and she only just got here. Charlie didn't want the best part of her day to be over too fast. "There's so much I want to learn about you."

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Twelve

The lights are on, but no one’s home. Noah’s house is still smoking, and the mysteries are piling up. Oh, and there’s that government thing to worry about.  Might need a criminal justice system like now. 

So press play, and go.

[charliebeaumonts]

Charlie liked to borrow things from the people around her. Not physical things. Things that they said, mannerisms, traits. She took them and tried them on to see if they fit her. Heli's ability to bounce back from anything. Bronte's bravery when she was scared. Yuli's cool as a cucumber energy. Finn's confidence. Trip's heh after anything naughty. Amara's ability to escape her head. Tony's dependability. Frankie's good vibes only.

She wanted to do that now. She felt like she needed to wear one of their masks so she could be normal. Her insides felt all twisted up and wrong and she just wanted to be happy! But how could she be happy when dead bodies were gone, Heli was the saddest she'd ever seen her, Bronte was scared for Drew, and she didn't even know if Yuli was her girlfriend?

Charlie would try anyway though. Because she didn't know how else she was going to get through things. She didn't feel like she was enough by herself. She would borrow Heli's resilience, put a smile on her face and made sure her eyes were included. She would be brave like Bron and ask the question that kept running through her mind on an endless loop.

She walkie-talkie'd the one person who made her feel like maybe things could be okay in spite of it all and asked her to go for a walk. Charlie showed up at Dante's house, hoping he wasn't here for another bad conversation. The last one sucked. She let out a relieved sigh when Yuli and only Yuli stepped through the door. "Hi Flynn," she breathed. "I'm really glad to see you."

@yulianacouperus

[brontefusco]

Bronte wasn’t sure it mattered what Trip wanted to do. Tony couldn’t be controlled, or so her dad would have said. He didn’t trust a guy who ran in those circles. He’d traumatized them in Red Hook with his mafia murder tours and his list of places that weren’t safe. She’d never imagined that they’d land in the middle of something like this when her father had been so careful.

She was going to move towards her sister, but then Heli was yelling at her. Bronte took several steps back while reminding herself to breathe. In…2…3. Out…2…3. She struggled with the weight of Heli’s rage, she hadn’t said anything about Heli liking it. She was just thinking out loud. God, why did she ever talk? "Sorry,” she whispered, her voice too tight to say anything else.

Then Heli apologized to her and she was even more confused. She wasn’t cut out for this level of intrigue and drama. She could barely handle schoolwork, dating, and playing two sports. Even if Heli didn’t want him, Bronte wished Drew was here. He was better at this. He had more experience. And what Heli was saying didn’t make sense. She wouldn’t tell Drew but she’d tell Morgan, Del, or Fern? They all regularly talked to Drew. Was she asking everyone to lie for her? That didn’t seem right or safe.

She let Charlie talk, worried that if she said anything Heli might explode at her again. Charlie made good points. And it was amazing that she could do that when her own brother might be involved too. Bronte felt her guts churn. She hated this whole thing. “Dad wouldn’t hate you. He loves you too much to do that.” She sniffled softly, “I won’t take your choice from you, but if you don’t want Drew involved then Morgan and Del might not be good options. They all work together and they don’t keep secrets.”

[helifusco]

Heli melted into Charlie’s hug. Physical touch had always been so much more than her love language. It was her air. She managed to not look too needy with her sex partners because at home she was allowed to be what her mom called a ‘love bug.’ She began conversations by hugging or leaning. She always checked for the person’s comfort, of course, but they were a cuddly family.

"I–” Heli began as Bronte poked very reasonable holes in her plan. But then she listened. It didn’t make sense, did it, to think Drew wouldn’t find out, that Drew wouldn’t be blamed. “I suppose that’s true. But then there isn’t anyone. There’s no way to…” She crossed her arms (which complicated Charlie’s very well meaning hug) and huffed. “I told… I told Trip I’d give him a day or two. But that was yesterday, and that was the longest day of my life, including the whole last month. But maybe it’s safer for Drew if nothing happens. From us. I mean.”

She sniffed. “Also, since I’m falling apart anyway. Trip said he thinks he loves me, but now he won’t say it anymore. It makes me feel like I… like I did something wrong. And I don’t think that’s what he means. I think he thinks he did something wrong. And I told him he didn’t have to say anything. I understand why he doesn’t want to. Because of his… Because of Dick.” She looked at Bronte nervously. “He’s not Drew. I know that. I’m surprised Drew waited at all to say it, and it feels so small and stupid to oxidate about it but…” She bit her lip, her eyes still wet. “But I am.”

@charliebeaumonts

[charliebeaumonts]

Charlie slowly released Heli, feeling like her hug combined with Bron's logic might have given Heli something she needed. She moved closer to Bronte, holding her hand out for her to hold. They were both sad. She hated it so much.

"What if we let Drew decide if he wants to know?" Charlie asked. "If we explain that it's dangerous and... and it might make things worse for him?" She chewed on her bottom lip nervously. "He's already on Tony's radar, he wouldn't have mentioned him at the dinner if he wasn't. 'Cause agency is important right?" Charlie didn't know where the line was, didn't know if she was standing on it or if she'd already kicked a hole in it. "But yours is too Heli. I get why you don't want to bring him into it. I really really do. But I think he could really help." She shrugged helplessly. "Like I said though, I'll do what you say."

"Maybe he just wants to save the next time for when he's sure?" she offered, but she didn't like how it sounded the second it left her lips. "Make it more romantic?" It would hurt her feelings if she loved someone and they weren't sure they loved her too. But Heli was dealing with the kind of relationship stuff that Charlie never had and probably wouldn't for a bit. "You're both going through a lot right now. He'll say it again Heli."

@brontefusco

[brontefusco]

Bronte did not like where this was going. She hated when Heli cried. She hated the idea of people hating Drew. She wasn’t even sure if she wanted to hear what was coming after that. But Heli was her sister, so she’d listen and try to keep her breathing even.

Her frown grew deeper and deeper as Heli spoke. God, she wished their mom was here. So much of this was horrible. And her own squeamishness around this kind of stuff might have prevented Bronte from being able to realize how much Heli was suffering. She needed to work on that. She needed to be more sex positive. Her shame wasn’t helping anyone.

But then Tony was Tony and Bronte understood why Drew had been so worried when they were talking about gluten free pasta. He was more dangerous than she realized. Her dad was going to have a heart attack. He moved all the way from Red Hook to get away from this and here it was again. It really stunk that he was right.

"You won’t be in trouble.” She had a lump in her throat, “Charlie is right. You were only honest. You didn’t do this. Tony did.” Bronte swallowed heavily, feeling the nausea rise in her stomach. How had 2/3rds of them been vaguely connected to murder. “And we don’t actually know if there’s a crime because the bodies… I don’t know. If they’re walking then…” It sounded stupid. She wanted to close her eyes and open them back on her normal life. “I don’t think Trip will be in trouble either, but… wait… the day of the picnic? That was a big day.” She shook her head softly, this kind of vague statement wouldn’t help. “Drew left because there were all those missing guns, but then he found them. And you two were looking for Noah, but he’s not around. So, if we find him then he’s definitely alive and if we don’t then… I don’t know.”

Every day came with some new problem and her group therapy sessions were not helping enough here. She wanted to be able to do more. Heli deserved so much more. So did Charlie. They shouldn’t have to be dealing with all of this. “We do have to tell Drew. I don’t think he’s been taking these threats seriously enough because they’re very scary, but given what Tony said about him the other night and the fact that Noah’s missing.” Her voice lowered to a whisper, “I don’t like it.”

[helifusco]

Charlie was asking the right question, but Heli didn’t have the answers. "I don’t know what Trip wanted. Or what he expected Tony to do. I’m not sure he knew what he wanted either.” Heli’s voice was small, choked. “All I know is he left. I told him this… this thing and then he got really distant and said he needed to tell Tony. I offered to go with him. He told me he needed to do this on his own.”

He’s got a side you don’t need to see. That was what Trip had said to her. She hadn’t remembered it until now because he’d said he loved her right after, and the pain had been washed away, even when those magic words were preceded by ‘I think I might.’ But now they echoed around her mind like screams in a haunted house. She should have pushed. Why didn’t she push?

She watched Bronte put things together. She knew these things, or most of them, anyway, but laid out like this? It made her voice crack and her eyes burn.

“You think I like it, Bronnie? I don’t.” She so rarely fought with her sister anymore. They were very good at 'agreeing to disagree’ as their mother put it, so Heli was surprised at her own tone, her frustration. But it was all bubbling up now, leaving her feeling scaldingly angry and out of control. “I hate it. And I’ve been hating it for a week, by myself. Because if I say something, if I say anything, Trip could just be gone. And I hate that I’m thinking about that, because I know how mad Daddy would be that I’m acting this way because of some boy. I don’t want to change who I am for him, but who I am is someone who would hurt anyone who hurts him or you or Charlie. So maybe… maybe I get it. I’m mad at Trip for leaving, but I’m mad enough to get it.” Her tears were choking her, tearing from her like broken seams in the wind. “Even if Daddy would hate me right now.”

She forced herself to soften, to hold Bronte by the forearms to steady her. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Bronnie. I’m not mad at you. But Drew is safe, er, safe-er if he stays off of Tony’s raider. There are other people we can tell. Like Del, maybe. Or Morgan. Or Fernie… or someone, I don’t know, someone on the council. Someone who can… who can expect the risk without hurting you. I can’t let that happen either. To either of you. I can’t. And I get to decide that. I’m not letting anyone take that away from me anymore.”

@charliebeaumonts

[charliebeaumonts]

Charlie had never seen Heli like this before. She'd seen her upset, she'd seen her cry, she'd even seen her angry, though that was a bit rarer. This though? This was new, and it broke her to see it. Her mouth went all upside down like it always did when she was sad, and her eyes immediately filled with tears.

None of it was fair. That Trip did what he did. That it made Tony do whatever he did. And now Heli was paying for it, even though she was the only person who did everything right. She only told the truth about someone else. It wasn't her fault, not one freaking bit.

Charlie couldn't just stand there, she had to do something, so she walked over to Heli and wrapped her arms around her. Like she could somehow hold her together. She wanted Bron to do the same, even though Heli had just directed all of that her way. It wasn't for her though, she had to know that.

"I have to say some stuff," she said, her voice coming out higher than usual because of the crying. "Your dad would never hate you. Never ever ever. We don't have to put Drew in the middle. And I'm sorry you had to do this by yourself." She blinked and a fresh wave of tears spilled down her cheeks. That part killed her, that she'd been alone with it. She could imagine how much that hurt. "I'll do whatever you say Heli. I promise. I just want to be here for you."

@brontefusco

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

[brontefusco]

Bronte wanted to melt into a puddle. She did not want to think about Heli and Trip did when they were alone. It just wasn’t her business and she wanted to keep it that way.

“I… um… I try to plan for good and bad outcomes and I’m usually within the ballpark of being right, so,” she shrugged, “I don’t know what I’d do if I was super wrong.” Maybe that wasn’t helpful enough. “Heli is right though, sometimes you just have to go for it. The practice helps, but you have to be brave too.”

She was somewhat relieved that Heli and Niamh had never kissed. But the only kind of show she could picture was some sort of Kardashian esque reality tv show and that didn’t seem right. West Ham wasn’t the kind of place that did things like that. “Good for her,” she smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

Technically she’d been the one to bring up Fiona, but it soured her mood all the same. She really really didn’t like her. “Agreed. She sucks. You shouldn’t trust anyone that likes her.”

Her heart sank. Heli was being far too serious and she had to fight to keep her rabbiting heart in check. She breathed slowly. Noah. Missing Noah. Trip and Heli knew where missing Noah was. She knew that nothing good happened when the two of them were alone together. “We’ll help you figure it out and if it’s too big, there’s Drew. He would help you.”

[helifusco]

“it’ll be like a fun nervous, Charlie. I promise. You just have to like, give yourself into the progress.” At least she thought that was how her mom said it. Heli didn’t quite understand it, but it did sound nice.

Heli felt the tears coming, but she didn’t want to let them. She was sick of crying over Noah Nixon. Really, she was sick of crying over Trip, too. He didn’t like it when she cried, and she didn’t either. “I don’t want Drew to help me, Bronnie. I want Drew to be safe. They’re mad at him already just because people like him and feel safe to talk to him. But I’ll tell you. Even if I don’t know if I’m going to let you help me.” That felt important to say. She still wasn’t sure how she felt, and she was so bad at knowing.

She took a deep breath. “So. Noah and I used to hook up. Only for a little while. After Trip… after he told me he was going to be exclusive with someone else. And Noah made me uncomfortable sometimes. It felt a little scary to say no to him, and sometimes he’d listen. Sometimes he wouldn’t, and I’d have to be more forceful about it, and then we’d talk about it. I guess I felt like I was… teaching him. I’ve learned a lot from a lot of people, you know, and it felt nice sometimes to do that for someone else. When he listened. I know it was a bad situation, but I thought I had it handled. I told him we were done on text after he was rude to me. I even used scissor and eggplant emojis.”

She swallowed, still not sure exactly what she’d said to Trip that had upset him so much, something so awful that he’d gone to Tony. “I tried to explain this to Trip when I was talking about me having bad instincts, and he went real quiet, and then he went to go talk to Tony. And the next day, Noah made a scene, and Tony threatened to "put him down” then… then he was gone. Trip asked me to take him to Noah’s house to look for him the day of your picnic, Bronnie. That’s where I was. I’m sorry. But Noah… wasn’t there. And Trip stopped living with the Alessis because he asked Tony to stop threatening people and Tony blew him off. But it’s not simple. If Tony… if Tony gets in trouble for this, I don’t know if Trip will. Or I will. Even if it’s just Tony, Trip will be…“ She struggled for the word. "Defenestrated? Like when you’re really sad.”

@charliebeaumonts

[charliebeaumonts]

Charlie let out a stressed sigh. "Okay. I'll try my best." She just hoped hoped hoped that it would all work out. She wouldn't know what to do if it didn't.

Charlie went completely still, scared that if she moved at all she'd miss some important detail or Heli would realise she was here and would stop talking. She was having a lot of trouble absorbing it. Worrying about Heli, and her being alone with Noah when he didn't act right. Thinking about Tony in a way that he would hurt someone. She'd always seen him like she'd seen Finn, a protector. He was strong and brave and he looked after people. Did he do that by hurting other people? Did he do something to protect Heli? Her insides felt so uneasy. It fit but it didn't at the same time.

"Devastated," Charlie said quietly. She never corrected Heli, it never mattered. But Trip would be, and then that meant Heli would be too. It looked like she already was. "You didn't do anything wrong Heli," Charlie told her, wanting to make sure she knew. "What did Trip want him to do?" she wondered. "Just warn him?" Her mind raced. What could she do? Was there anything? Maybe Finn would know something, could she even ask him stuff like that anymore?

@brontefusco

[brontefusco]

Bronte was a little bit relieved that she could actually contribute here. She couldn’t make some kind of test like Heli but she could definitely offer tips on how to script things. “You don’t have to wait that long. Sometimes I only wait an hour or so but it helps to plan what I think is important to say and some responses.” There were certainly times when things didn’t go her away but she was at least somewhat prepared for them. “You can’t control people’s responses but you can prepare for the…um…broad strokes. Like what if she says no, what if she doesn’t have an opinion, what if she agrees. That kind of stuff.”

Talking about Nuala was a lot more complicated. She gnawed on her bottom lip. “I dunno.” Part of her hoped that Yuli would do the right thing but she also saw how Charlie glowed while talking about her and she didn’t want to ruin that. “You can’t always change who you’re best friends with. It’s complicated. Look at Trip. But I think you can say to her that Nuala and I don’t really get along so hang-outs might be awkward.”

Bronte had never considered that Heli had made out with any of the Woolfes. That was a weird thought to her. If she had, they at least knew that the girls didn’t have any communicable diseases. That was probably good. “Heli would never make out with Nuala and I hope she wouldn’t kiss Fiona considering her weird obsession with Drew but I don’t know about Niamh. She doesn’t make as much of an impression.” That didn’t sound nice. “I mean I just don’t know much about her.”

This new side of Heli was one that Bronte was still struggling to deal with. She hated the idea of any part of her sister being dictated by Trip Samuels. And being a good girlfriend didn’t mean just going along with things because he wanted them. Then again, Heli was headstrong and didn’t always do that. Bronte just wasn’t sure where the line was anymore. “We need to know you’re safe. And being a good girlfriend shouldn’t be your only concern, the three of us have to stick together here. It’s just too dangerous.”

@helifusco

[helifusco]

“A week? Charlie that’s so long to wait!” Heli nodded along with Bronte’s points. “There is such a thing as too much practice. I practiced so much for my first time with Trip… well, not with Trip, that part wasn’t planned, but I practiced like, in general, and in the end it just kind of…” Heli realized she was blushing. “Went out the window.” She pushed the thought aside, knowing how much Bronte didn’t like it being brought up. “Joint is, you don’t know what’ll happen. So you don’t want to prepare so much that you panic when it’s not what you expected. Unless that doesn’t happen to you, Bronnie.” Heli grinned brightly. “She’s way more prepared than me. It’s like she said. Broad moats.”

Heli was confused at first. But then she tracked back and realized she’d mentioned Nuala’s older sister. “Niamh? Oh. I offered, but she must have had somewhere to be or something. I decided to leave it up to her. Wouldn’t want to be to paragraph-social, you know? You should watch her show though. It’s super fun. But Fiona? Ew. She’s just mean. And mean is never sexy.” That wasn’t entirely accurate when it came to certain people, but it was the principle of the thing. Plus the two people she was thinking about were dead now. She gulped.

“I want to stick together. There’s just… there’s things that if you knew, things would be even more dangerous for you. And that’s not fair either. I think Trip’s trying to keep some of it from me. But we both know more than we talk about. About… About Noah. And where… where he is.”

@charliebeaumonts

[charliebeaumonts]

"Okay," Charlie said, looking down at her hands and trying to commit their tips to memory. She wished she had a pen or her phone or something so she could write it down. It felt monumentally important to getting the best result from the conversation. "Practice but not too much. Broad stroats. Ohhhh I'm so nervous you guys."

"Oh okay. She has a show? Which one?" Charlie hadn't realised they went to school with a TV star. She must be good at keeping it on the low or whatever. That was very humble of her.

Charlie frowned so hard it hurt, taking a mindless step closer to Heli. "Where he is?" Charlie repeated, her heart starting to pick up speed. This was bad, she could just feel it. She just wanted Heli to say it though because she couldn't help if she didn't know what was happening. "What's going on? You're freaking me out. Please let me help. You helped with... with the man. I can help too. Even if it's bad."

@brontefusco

[brontefusco]

“I’m sure she’d like that.” It did not sound like the kind of thing that she would want to do, but she was very happy for Yuli and Charlie if breaking stuff was something they enjoyed. “And making a script can be really helpful. Anytime I worried about asking Drew something, I’d come up with how to talk about alone first and then practice it. Then you don’t have to worry as much if you get nervous.”

Bronte didn’t want them making a big deal out of this. Charlie was so happy with Yuli. Nuala shouldn’t matter on that front. “It’s okay. We can’t choose our partners’ friends. Maybe Nuala is super nice to people that aren’t me.” She wouldn’t have any way of knowing that, but her mother said she needed to try harder to see the good in people. So, she was trying.

She pushed down her own frustration at learning it was Trip. It was always Trip. Sorry, Bron, Heli’s off to Disney World for the week. Oh, Heli can’t help you because she and Trip are going to New York. Heli’s too depressed to hang out with you because of Trip. He was always hogging her. She hated it. But, she understood how desperate you could be to be alone with the guy you loved when they were hurting. She didn’t want to be a hypocrite. “I hope he’s okay, but I think you need to communicate more. Doing it at the picnic was one thing, but this was different. You could’ve been hurt and we would have had no idea. That’s not fair.”

[helifusco]

Heli nodded. “If flowcharts help, do your flowcharts.” She struggled a lot with cause and effect in general, so it certainly wasn’t her style, but she knew sometimes that it was the only thing that could keep Bronte under control at times. Part of what had made Heli realize that Drew clearly liked Bronte was how he picked up on that without asking. It was all very romantic. “But Yuli also doesn’t seem like the type of person to judge you for misspeaking.”

“That just makes Nuala a worse person, Bronnie. She’s a hippogriff. With Fiona at least you know she’s always going to be awful. And Niamh is just like her videos, which is not like other people and is super cool. Their mom is super constituent. Nuala has examples of how to be better, and Mommy says that has to be taken into amount.” She put her hands on her hips. “Really, if she was more like Niamh I would have made out with her. It’s not that hard.”

Heli’s eyes were glued to her shoes as Bronte and Charlie named the problem. They were right. She hated it. But she couldn’t say anything, could she? Not without making things worse. “It’s not fair. You’re right. I don’t… I don’t know how to fix it. He said he’s handling it, so I’m going to be a good girlfriend and believe him.” She paused. “That’s what good girlfriends do, right?”

@charliebeaumonts

[charliebeaumonts]

Charlie smiled softly at Heli's observation. Charlie wasn't great with words, she didn't know how to turn the way she felt into something she could say out loud. Not like the people who wrote the books she loved so much. But Yuli had given her the space she needed to get there every time so far. "You're right. But maybe a script would be smart..." Charlie said. "I thought I might ask her today but if I need to practice maybe I should wait. How long should I practice? A week? What if she doesn't say what I think she might say and it doesn't work?"

"I really don't like it Bron but I won't bring it up unless you want me to." Did she bring it up with Yuli though? She wasn't sure. She knew they weren't ready in general to bring other people into their bubble yet and maybe that applied to this too. Charlie didn't want to be mean she just wanted to not have to pretend. "Did you make out with Niamh?" She asked Heli casually.

"I don't know. Maybe it depends what it is." Charlie wished she had actual answers but she didn't even have answers for her own problems. "Are you okay?" She eyed her normally sunshiney best friend. It felt like more than just Trip having a problem, but she didn't know how to ask. "Is it about all the stuff from the dinner the other night?"

@brontefusco

[brontefusco]

“Hmmm,” Bronte tapped her chin. That did sound like a relationship, but she didn’t have a lot of experience. Drew and her had skipped a lot of steps when they first became a couple. And Heli had every type of relationship under her belt know but that didn’t mean that Bronte understood them all. “I think if you haven’t talked about, you probably should. Otherwise, you might be in a situationship without knowing about it.” Heli read about that in Cosmo and then started naming a bunch of people as being in them. Bronte couldn’t always follow them. “Then you think you’re kind of in a relationship but the other person doesn’t fully agree and that makes things really complicated and I don’t want you to get hurt.”

She hoped that she wasn’t crushing Charlie’s dreams, but her mom was very clear about open communication being essential in every relationship. It was hardwired into her.

She stepped back slightly to give Heli room to enter things. It was funny because Heli was so used to dealing with the Nuala stuff, that it felt almost strange that Charlie didn’t know. “Drew tells me to try and shake it off and I am.” She shook her hands out. “See. Doesn’t bother me at all. Nope. I’m good.”

She turned back towards her sister, “Where do you keep running off to? You totally ditched us last night?”

[helifusco]

“Yeah. You want to make sure you have a label before you use a label.” Heli said, the conversation hitting a little closer to home. “Cause, like, what’s a date? If they pay for you? If you makeout during it? What does kissing mean unless you say something?” She shrugged with a slight huff, not allowing her mind to fall through the ice as she skated as quickly as she could across its surface. “Dating is like the least useful word cause again, like, what constitutions a date? Or ‘seeing’ someone. I see lots of people. I’m seeing you right now. Though I guess you do kind of know when someone stops 'seeing’ you.” She went quiet. It shouldn’t hurt, but it frequently did. “But like, be extra clear about exclusivity because being a girlfriend doesn’t mean you’re exclusive. Cosmo calls it modern.”

She pushed past it to better things. “I kind of want to say you should ask her to be your girlfriend with, like, a promposal type thing because that could be fun, but Yuli does seem a little…” She wasn’t sure what to say. Cooler? “Not into showy things? She’s like… chill.”

Heli watched her sister do the little denial headshake that she also was known to do from time to time. “It can bother you, Bronte. She’s bothersome.”

She tried to not look taken aback. “I’m sorry! I didn’t– Um.” Her face was getting hot. She didn’t like the way they were looking at her. She didn’t like letting people down. But it felt like either way she’d be hurting somebody, not least of all herself. She’d felt better last night, but in the light of day, the darkness of Tony’s weird basement got deeper.

She felt the sudden urge to scream it all out all at once and burst into tears. Noah’s probably dead and it’s probably my fault because Trip keeps saying its not my fault even though if I hadn’t said anything it wouldn’t have happened and that’s how fault works!!! But Trip said he was handling it. So he was handling it. Right? Right. And she could say some things. Just not all things. “Trip is struggling.” She was struggling. “He–” She “…doesn’t really get anxious normally. But I needed to reassure him.” Herself. “So I reassured him.” She studied her smudged nails. “I’m sorry it took so long. And I’m not sure it really helped. But I tried.”

@charliebeaumonts

[charliebeaumonts]

Charlie watched Heli list what felt like a hundred different things she hadn't even known were things she needed to think about. She'd gone from thinking she and Yuli were as close to together they could be without saying the word, to not knowing if that was true at all. "Oh. Okay." She felt a little overwhelmed but grateful at the same time. She was glad she had friends who knew to point it out. Maybe it'd save Charlie from a world of embarrassment.

Charlie chose to focus on the next step instead. "I don't think she's that kind of girl," Charlie agreed. "Maybe I can ask her to go break more stuff with me and I can ask her what she thinks about the idea. Being my girlfriend." Her cheeks burned.

"Well I'm bothered." Charlie hated the thought of anyone being mean to her sister. "That's not cool."

"It's okay," Charlie said. "You're allowed to do other stuff but maybe text us?" She looked to Bronte to check if that was a good compromise. Charlie didn't know if the problem was that she hadn't been there or that they didn't know where she'd gone. "Is Trip okay now?" Charlie and Trip could bicker like siblings but she care about him.

@brontefusco

[brontefusco]

“Because I ditched you, but that was stupid of me to think because we weren’t just friends hanging out. Yuli is your…” She frowned, “She is your girlfriend officially, right? Like, I didn’t get that wrong.”

Bronte needed a minute to work through Yuli having a friend. She just seemed so mysterious. And Bronte didn’t see her around much except for…oh. Right. Nuala. “Well, Nuala stinks anyways so what she thinks of you is doesn’t matter. Sorry.” She blushed. “I…Nuala’s on the soccer team. And she bullies me. Constantly.” Between her and Violet, it was a miracle that she could focus on the game.

“Well,” Bronte was going to start explaining things, she really was, but she saw blonde curls bouncing in her periphery. The rest went out of her head. It absolutely wasn’t her own anxiety of this conversation. Not at all. “Heli! Hi!”

[helifusco]

Heli may have been trying to sneak out. But only a little. And not because she didn’t want to see Bronte and Charlie. She just wasn’t sure how she was supposed to keep track of everything. The dangers. The apologies. The lies. She didn’t want to stress anyone out. Really, if she had a purpose on this earth, it was wanting to make people happy. But she’d been worse at it lately. She knew she’d been disappearing a lot, and she could tell that Drew at least was… perplexed. Maybe that was the nicest word for it. She didn’t mean to disappear. There were just… things. Things that her father would say were “above her pay grade.” Which always confused her. He wouldn’t pay her to get good grades. She’d asked. “Hiiiiii,” Heli replied, letting her joy and relief at seeing Bronte and Charlie buoy her through her unease as she enveloped her sister in a side hug. “Yes we hate Nuala. She’s a bully, and she’s rude, and she had the nerve to hit on me after the way she treats Bronnie. It’s cruciferous.”

@charliebeaumonts

[charliebeaumonts]

Charlie paused. She thought Yuli was her girlfriend. But they hadn't actually said that word. "I... I think so," Charlie said. "I mean we really like each other and we kissed and we're going to keep going on dates but I don't... does that mean she's my girlfriend?" Charlie was so bad at this. She didn't know how it all worked. She'd told Finn and Tony she was her girlfriend, but honestly, that was kind of her hoping for the best. "Maybe we're just dating? I like her so much though. I want her to be."

"She what?" Charlie was really sad to hear that. She would not have been as nice to Nuala as she had been if she'd known. The thought that Yuli's friend didn't really want to spend time with her had been a downer, but this was a trillion times worse. Maybe she and Yuli were just better as their own pair for now.

"Hey," Charlie brightened slightly at the sight of Heli. "I'm sorry Bronte, I didn't know. I would not have offered her the gift of my friendship if I had."

@brontefusco

[charliebeaumonts]

Phase: Day Twelve

brontefusco​:​

“Thank God you’re not mad at me.” Her hand went straight to her Catholic medal. She was beyond grateful that Charlie was in a good mood. “With the way Drew and I left, I thought for sure that you might be…..” She realized that she’d left Charlie with Yuli. In the dark. “Nevermind, I don’t know what I was thinking.”

She looked towards the kitchen. Did they have a coffee machine? She had no idea. It wasn’t something she’d ever been allowed to have. Her dad said she was too jittery by nature. Her mom said she was too sweet for something that bitter. Her smile turned sad. She missed them horribly. It was a lot easier to pretend she didn’t when she was at Drew’s house.

“Um…” she tried to perk up, “So, was your night good? After we left, I mean. I know what it was like before then. Duh. But I hope the rest of it was better than expected.”

Charlie frowned, not expecting that response at all. “Why would I be mad at you?” Charlie honestly didn’t think she’d ever been mad at Bronte or Heli the entire time she’d been friends with them. They were sunshine. It wasn’t possible.

“Yeah it was good! I just stayed with Yuli. I don’t think her friend was happy I was there, but I talked to her the other day and she seemed nice? We were going to try hang out together with Yuli but maybe she didn’t mean it. I don’t know. She went with her sister anyway so at least it wasn’t awkward I guess.” Charlie shrugged and turned back to finish making her coffee. 

“What happened anyway? I hope nothing bad? I know you were upset when Drew had to go.”

[wewerechildrenwerenotnow]

Phase: Day Twelve

The lights are on, but no one’s home. Noah’s house is still smoking, and the mysteries are piling up. Oh, and there’s that government thing to worry about.  Might need a criminal justice system like now. 

So press play, and go.

[charliebeaumonts]

Charlie hadn’t known where she was when she woke up. Again. Her brain kept forgetting overnight that so much had changed, and every morning it was like she had to process all of it again. It didn’t take her long to remember she was living at the Fusco house, but it took her another few moments to remember she wasn’t there for a sleepover. She didn’t live with Finn anymore, her parents were gone. She was glad that not all of the changes were hard things. Living here could be fun, and she had Yuli now too. That was good. 

She’d woken up kind of late, needing the sleep after the party and the blackout. Charlie made her way downstairs to the kitchen, determined to become a coffee drinker in the apocalypse. She started making it, using the mug that Heli and Bronte always got Charlie to use when she came over. Her triplet mug. It made her feel more like this could be home for real. 

Charlie heard someone coming in through the front door. It could be anyone, she had so many roommates now. She lit up when she saw it was Bronte. “You’re here!” she exclaimed, running over and tackling her into a hug. “I’m making coffee, do you want anything too?”

@brontefusco​ @helifusco​

[charliebeaumonts]

Phase: Day Ten

yulianacouperus​:

“Fail. Epically.” Dante was already turning at least seventy years older without her constantly invading his space. She needed to pencil in more time for shenanigans with Nuala to help keep him young.

Yuli was quiet for a moment. It felt so silly to be this attached already but she couldn’t help it. “I do,” she whispered. There was something almost cosmic to it. Even if that also felt way too heavy to admit out loud.

“We should split everything down the middle,” Yuli cleared her throat, like it would get rid of all the emotion in her system, “My mom would never forgive me for being stingy with a guest.” There wasn’t a lot her mom was willing to forgive right now, but Yuli didn’t want to make it worse. She was only fighting them on the unreasonable issues, not manners. “And yes to snacks and more destruction. I’m definitely working up an appetite.”

“When she’s right, she’s right.” Charlie shrugged, giving Yuli a playful smirk. 

Charlie’s breath stuttered a little, she was wondering if Yuli felt the same kind of charge in the air that she did now. Her heart pounded in her chest, and she suddenly very badly wanted to remember what Yuli’s lips felt like again. Not that she could ever forget. 

Charlie blinked quickly, tucking that thought away for later. Right now it was enough that she was here, that Yuli hadn’t changed her mind about her. “Only if you’re sure. I really really don’t mind.” She felt a little sting of guilt, but she wanted Yuli to be happy and if this was what made her happy... 

She grinned, reaching for Yuli’s hand again. Charlie glanced down, her thumb swiping over the smooth skin there. She committed the feeling to memory, looking back up at her after probably a moment too long. “Let’s do it Flynn.”

(fin.)

[charliebeaumonts]

Phase: Day Ten

yulianacouperus​:

“I feel pretty confident in saying that we’ll make whatever we find fun. I mean, look what we did to good ole Murray’s house.” She looked around at the pulverized little gnome corpses. “We may have saved the whole town from evil today.” Not too bad for an afternoon of destruction.

Yuli took Charlie’s hand in hers and squeezed it. “Of course. You’re a really great person and I’m almost sad that we didn’t meet before.” She paused. “I do think this is better though.” If she hadn’t been looking for Artemis, she never would have found someone really worth meeting. Even if her bird was gone, it’d brought her something.

“My parents don’t let me in the kitchen. It’s their thing or whatever. They actually met in a restaurant. She thought he was just some dumb white guy and then he talked to the owners in bahasa Indonesia.” She laughed a little, remembering how much her father loved to tell this story. “That’s what we call the language. But I’m happy to share the leftovers and tins I do still have.”

“Yup,” Charlie giggled. “We’re basically heroes. What would they do without us?” She loved this. Every single messy bit of it. 

“Me too,” she agreed. “I think maybe we met right when we needed to.” Charlie’s voice was quiet. Like if she said it too loud it would break it. “I mean. If you believe in stuff like that.” She didn’t even know if she did. But it felt true. 

“That’s really cute,” Charlie said. She felt a little bad to be taking any of Yuli’s favourite things away from her, she almost told her it was okay. But she wanted to know what she was talking about and share more things with her. “You’re the best. I don’t need a lot. I want you to have most of it.” Charlie remembered her own bag of food she’d left on the porch. “I actually brought some snacks for us.” She waved in the direction of the front door. “Should we eat and then kill that TV? Death by girls on stairs.”