Silence - Adopted By Elizabeth Olsen

25.

Lizzie's POV
"We should all go to the mall together." Mary-Kate suggests when we're done eating lunch. Mom and Ashley nod in agreement, but I'm not too sure about that. I take a look around the room, reminding myself that Casey is drawing in the guest room upstairs.

"You do realise how much attention we would get right?" I scoff at them, not understanding why they would want that. One of the Olsen sisters draws a lot of attention, two draws even more but three... That would be insane.

"Look Ashley is definitely leading as favourite aunt right now so I want to treat my niece to something nice." MK explains, followed by a proud grin from Ashley. Mom also seems to agree and that when she tries her very best to stay out of it all.

"She doesn't know." I mumble, looking down at my lap. There's a short silence until my mother speaks up. "What doesn't she know?" She asks curiously. I look up, seeing all eyes on me. "What I do for a living." I say softly, kind of feeling guilty.

There's another moment of silence before MK begins to laugh. "You're telling me she doesn't know her mother is one of the most talented and hottest actresses of the last decade?"

I roll my eyes at her comment since she knows damn well that's not how I see myself. I slowly nod, my mom's eyes growing wider. "Well go tell her." She says as if it's the most obvious answer in the world.

"Now?" I question her, earning me a slap on the head. "Yes now, bring her here we're going to put on a movie."

Before I can even respond she's already making her way to the television. "I love her confidence but that poor woman doesn't even know where the on button is. I'll go help her, Ash you get the snacks and Liz you get the child." Mary-Kate says, also standing up.

Ashley offers me a reassuring smile before making her way to the kitchen, leaving me alone at the dining table. With a deep sigh, I stand up as well, preparing myself mentally to tell my daughter I'm not who she thinks I am.

What if she doesn't want me to be her mother anymore? She doesn't seem too fond of people and I can't blame her for that considering her past, but my job is all about meeting people. I mentally punch myself, why haven't I thought about this before?

Before I know it I'm already standing in front of the guest room. I knock softly on the door, waiting a few seconds to open it. When I do I see Casey standing next to the closet, her hands behind her back with a very guilty look on her face.

"Casey, what are you doing?" I smile amused, tilting my head slightly. She is definitely hiding something. She rapidly shakes her head, her eyes going wide. I cross my arms and furrow my eyebrows.

"Young lady I'm going to count to three and then you're going to either tell or show me what you've been up to." I say sternly, using my acting skills to mask how much I'm actually enjoying this.

She shakes her head once again, looking at me like a deer in headlights. "1." I start, leading to her opening her mouth with a guilty look. I take a step closer to see what is inside her mouth, but before I can she chews a few times before swallowing it down.

I look at her with a shocked expression rushing towards her to pick her up and throw her over my shoulder. She tries to wiggle her way out of this, but I already lay her down on the bed, tickling her as punishment.

I can't wipe the smile off my face as the room fills with her laughter. I stop, not wanting to go too far, but I do want an answer. "So, what did you have in your mouth?" I ask her sweetly, straightening her clothes.

She sighs deeply, climbing off the bed and walking to the closet. She soon reveals a bag of Candy, which I know is a part of Mary-Kate's secret stash. It's her favourite. "Did she give that to you without my permission?" I ask her with a raised eyebrow, ready to fight Mary-Kate.

She rapidly shakes her head, making me chuckle. "Okay, so you stole it?" I inquire, knowing that's definitely not the case. Her smile drops in realisation as she stares at the ground in front of her.

"Casey either you or Mary-Kate is going to be in trouble, who is it going to be?"

• • •

"Traitor!" Mary-Kate laughs at Casey as I have her pinned on the floor, sitting on her back. "Don't you dare bring her into this, you're supposed to be the responsible adult!" I chuckle as I try to keep her still underneath me.

"I don't want to be the responsible adult! That's why I use condoms, you should give it a try." She chuckles, earning a loud gasp from my mother on the other side of the room.

"That's not even- I didn't-" I mumble, not being able to form words through my laughter. It's at this moment that Mary-Kate surprises me and throws me off her back, sitting on my stomach before I'm able to react.

I look over at Casey who is occupied by her own thoughts while my mom is scolding MK for her previous comment and Ashley is recording the whole thing. I watch how Casey slowly raises her hand, looking at me intently.

"Yes, sweetheart?" I ask her, trying to control my breathing since MK is still sitting on my stomach after having a very extensive lunch.

"I have a question." She mumbles softly, resulting in everyone freezing. I forget for a moment that I haven't told them Casey can actually speak and decide to focus on my daughter. I motion for her to go ahead, a decision I regret seconds later.

"What is a condom?" She asks, sounding genuinely curious. I close my eyes and bite down on my teeth while covering my face with my hands. This is probably the only time I will ever question why she has to be so smart and curious.

My mother breaks the silence, laughing like I have never heard her laugh before. She moves over to Casey and slowly picks her up, setting her on her hip and kissing her forehead.

"Well see Casey, if two people love each other then-" She starts explaining before I cut her off. "Mom!" I shout, mentally absolutely not ready for this conversation. She looks at me confused. "My granddaughter asked a question so she will get an answer."

She opens her mouth to talk again, but this time Mary-Kate interferes. "Mom please, at least let Ashley do it. She is an expert on that area." She says the last bit teasingly, earning a loud scoff from Ash. "Am not!"

My mother looks at her with a raised eyebrow, obviously not buying it. "You have been awfully quiet." Mom nods, earning an air high-five from Mary-Kate who is still sitting on my stomach. I should probably surprise her now that she's destracted, but to be honest so am I.

Ashley rolls her eyes, pointing her finger at me. I rapidly shake my head, knowing she's going to divert the attention from her. "Well ask Lizzie when she got laid for the last time." She grins amused at me.

I stick up my middle finger at her, seeing that my mom covers Casey's eyes. It would've been better if she covered her ears, but I guess this will have to do. "Lizzie honey, has it really been that long? You know you're in the prime of your-" My mother starts.

"Mom! Enough!" I'm able to shout through my laughter, my cheeks hurting more than my soul.

"Okay okay, but we'll continue this conversation when there's isn't a... Wait how old is Casey?" Mom asks. "6... I think." I state, suddenly feeling unsure. Casey gently pulls my moms hands form her eyes and nods at me with a soft smile.

"Cool my niece is 6 year old!" Mary-Kate cheers, as if that is something really special. "When is your birthday?" She asks Casey, who thinks deeply.

"5th of November." She answers, earning another laugh from Mary-Kate who stands up from my stomach and offers me her hand for me to stand up. I look confused at her, she never gave up like this before and why is she laughing.

She straightens my clothes and helps me fix my hair, which only confuses more. She walks off laughing at my state, getting herself and Casey a glass of lemonade. After some hydration and another fit of giggles, she explains herself.

"I figured you're screwed enough since her birthday is in two days."