The Thing About Timing (The Becoming of Elliott Goode)

Chapter 53

Four hours later and Elliott still hadn't returned, causing Cordelia to curse herself for not looking when she had the chance. She knew it wouldn't change the outcome, if Elliott didn't want to be found she wouldn't, but at least the woman could say she tried. Once curfew had come and gone Cordelia resorted to pacing around the kitchen, wondering if Elliott would even come back. It wasn't like she could disappear forever, she had no clothes, no money and no way of contacting anyone, although the more Cordelia thought about it, the more she realized nothing seemed to be a necessity to her daughter, and she was resourceful enough that she would find a way just to prove a point. It still was an unusual feeling for Cordelia, to be so worried yet still so incredibly angry. The worry was a more persistent feeling, gnawing at her bones and making her hands quake, while the anger came in flashes, buzzing through her veins and burning her cheeks. It never was like this with the other girls. Sure, they came with their own set of problems, acting on their best behavior until they were comfortable and then stirring up trouble, but it was never quite like this. None of the girls managed to get Cordelia worked up in the way Elliott did, save for Madison, but her background was always spotty.

It was then that Elliott and Madison's baffling relationship started to make a little more sense, like a crinkle in her brainwaves uncurling ever so slightly. It wasn't because Elliott thought Madison had a charming personality or a cheery disposition, it was purely because Madison understood. Elliott never had to explain herself to the starlet, at least not in the same way she did to her mother. Hell, Madison knew something was wrong with Elliott before Cordelia even did.

That was the thing that frustrated Cordelia the most, that everyone seemed to understand Elliott better than her. It wasn't completely unexpected, Cordelia knew there were going to be times where she would be clueless to her daughter's thoughts and actions, but she didn't think it would be a constant battle. It drove her absolutely crazy, feeling like everyone else could see something she couldn't. Maybe she just wasn't paying enough attention, maybe Elliott was right.

Elliott tried to open the front door as quietly as possible, hoping by some miracle everyone had gone to bed and she could slip past unnoticed, but that wasn't the case. She had barely shut the door before she heard the telltale tap of heels on the hardwood, Cordelia soon coming into view. Elliott saw the look on her face and immediately cast her eyes down, bracing for the incoming storm.

Cordelia was the first to break the silence, "You scared the shit out of me."

"Sorry," Elliott began, "I forgot the buses stopped running at 11 so I had to walk back."

Cordelia didn't miss the way Elliott squared her shoulders, like she was waiting for her to yell, and boy did she want to. However, she knew Elliott enough to understand that yelling wouldn't help, if anything it would only make Elliott defensive and the whole situation worse. She took a deep breath, glancing at the ground in front of Elliott's feet, only to see the girl barefoot, "You aren't wearing shoes."

"Yea, I left the house without them," Elliott said carefully, "And I wore my socks on the bus so now I have to burn them."

Cordelia would have laughed if the situation wasn't so tense, the air between the two thick and heavy. She didn't know what to say, how to even begin, she just knew she had to keep asking questions, "How far did you walk?"

"Three miles." Elliott said, still not looking her in the eye.

"Where did you go?" Cordelia asked.

Elliott paused for a moment, "A park I used to go to."

Cordelia pursed her lips, "Parks close after dark."

"So I've been told." Elliott said with a sigh.