Don't Let it Fall to Pieces

55

Edward drove her home, driving quickly but not recklessly. He made sure she was going to be okay, reminding her that if she needed to leave someone would come pick her up, before running off into the night.

Eleanor was at the door as soon as Genevieve walked in, ready to fire off questions only to stop short when she saw the look on Genevieve's face. Instead, she linked her arm with Genevieve's pulling her through the house as she explained that Lorelei was out with Charlie.

They walked into Genevieve's room, Matthew appearing a moment later with Seth trailing behind him. Genevieve didn't think to ask when Seth arrived, assuming someone told him about her panic attack. Genevieve sat on her bed, pillow in her lap with Eleanor across from her. Seth sat next to her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off of him, but far enough to give her space to breathe. Matthew took his usual place on the keyboard bench. The three listened as Genevieve explained her father's phone call. She knew that there was no point in keeping them in the dark about the call, she hated keeping secrets as much as she hated secrets being kept from her. Her decision affected everyone, whether she wanted it to or not. She wasn't going to pretend that whatever was going on was just between her and her mother.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he's telling the truth," Matthew scowled, leaning forward so his forearms rested on his knees. "The Council knows that they're slipping on their influence on other Sirens. Especially the ones who have moved out of the community. If they had you then they wouldn't need to worry about anything."

"But that doesn't make sense for him and Thomas to tell the Volturi where we are. If it's true and the Council ordered everyone to go into hiding together, they'd get exactly what they've always wanted. If Geraldo wants to take Genevieve away from all of this, why would he do the one thing that would push her toward the Sirens?" Eleanor frowned, shaking her head.

"Maybe he doesn't think things through?" Matthew scoffed, "you can't tell me you think he's some mastermind that has everything planned out and isn't winging it."

"Not everyone is super impulsive," Eleanor rolled her eyes, twirling a loose thread from Genevieve's blanket between her fingers. "Geraldo was a businessman. He has to have some planning skills."

"El, Matthew, you two know the Council better than I do," Genevieve said after a beat of silence. Her fingers fiddled with the edge of the pillow in her lap, her gaze fixed on the movement. She swallowed her nerves, trying to keep a level head despite the anxiety crashing against her like waves. "My father aside; do you think they'd be capable of wanting to do something like that?"

When neither of them said anything, Genevieve lifted her gaze. Eleanor's lips were pursed as she chewed on the side of her cheek, her gaze down on her hands as she fiddled with the small ring on her finger. Matthew avoided her gaze too, frowning as he picked at the small cracks in the old leather of the keyboard bench. Genevieve shared a look with Seth, knowing he was thinking the same thing she was. Their silence told Genevieve everything she needed to know.

They had no more faith in their government than the Cullens did in the Volturi. Genevieve knew that they were risking a revolution by gathering witnesses to stand with them against the Volturi. If it came down to a fight, other vampires would catch wind of what happened and it would cause a spark of rebellion against others who believe the Volturi to be unjust and corrupt. Genevieve understood that the vampire government was corrupt, willing to stand by her friends when they needed her as they stood with her when she needed them. She didn't realize that this would spark something within the Siren community too. If the Council truly wanted to keep their people under their control, doing whatever it took to achieve it, Genevieve couldn't help but want to start a similar spark of rebellion within the Siren community. If her and her family were slaughtered by the Volturi, it'd be the perfect catalyst to push everyone into hiding. Genevieve and her family would be just some unfortunate casualties in the grand scheme of things. If they survived, vampires would be seen as creatures to be able to negotiate with: why continue to hide if they could be free from the terror of being hunted?