War isn't over • LM / SS

Chapter 17 - break ups and make ups

"i can see them now,
three points at which i let myself down,
i was just a girl,
what's the excuse now?"

word count: 5.9k

Jade balanced a tray of drinks on her knee, opening the door to the animal clinic with one hand, trying to keep the contents of the coffees in their cups. It was relatively early when she had left, the others asleep inside. The group had stayed overnight, taking it in turns to watch over Hayden, making sure she wasn't getting any worse.

She hadn't been keen to stay in a cold vet clinic with people she couldn't stand, listening to dogs barking all night and using a coat as a pillow, but being the lovely twin sister that she was, she waited it out.

She had taken refuge in her car at roughly six in the morning, swinging by her work to help Emery make some apple pies. Coffee was the only thing that kept her sane, so she naturally had to pull into Starbucks on the way back to the animal clinic (although, she would much rather be at home with her fluffy dog, finalising some last-minute details).

Clangs and clatters let her know that everyone was awake, which was expected as it was midday by now, voices drifting through the clinic. Her heart dropped for a second, eyes firmly trained on who had stepped into the waiting room. She didn't know what had possessed her to do it but her hand was out before she could yank it away. "Here."

Melissa blinked, a small frown pulling at the corner of her lips. It was weird to see Jade after they hadn't spoken in the better part of five months. Max going missing had required a bit of cooperation from the two of them. Melissa knew she could have handled the situation better, time apart shining a spotlight on that fact. She wanted to amend her relationship with her niece, too many things said in the heat of the moment. The only thing she could do was admit when she was wrong and try to forgive.

She was finally starting to grasp the concept of how this supernatural world worked. Jade and Max grew up with this lifestyle, doing what was necessary to survive. It was kill or be killed. While she didn't agree with murder, she could see that the pair hadn't been given the same choice that Scott had. He was thrown into it when he was sixteen, spared of the horrors, the extent hunters went to protect the world from the 'vicious creatures.'

She wasn't saying that Scott had it easy, not at all! He had seen it through rose-tinted glasses, to put it simply. He never wanted to hurt anyone and always tried to find a way to save people— that was the way he was brought up.

Jade and Max... had a different childhood. She loved her brother, don't get her wrong, but she had seen first-hand how cruel and mean he got when he was drunk. Elizabeth was selfish for taking that deal with the sorcerer, but if Melissa knew one thing about her sister-in-law, it was that she always had her kids' best interests at heart.

All three of them— Scott, Jade and Max— had been burdened with powers they hadn't asked for. Scott dealt with it by helping others, always looking for the singular good quality in someone. Max... well, coping for him was by drowning his troubles in alcohol. She didn't know how Jade coped with it. She guessed she didn't; that was the issue. She avoided the problem at all costs, turning off her emotions and praying it would go away. In her opinion, feeling nothing was better than feeling pain.

So, Melissa had done some thinking over the last few months. She was changing her views, learning that the supernatural world worked differently, not as black and white as she had originally assumed. She was learning that people (and morals, too) needed to bend before one of their kids broke.

"Have you spiked this with poison?" Melissa smiled, trying to show that she was only joking. She cupped the coffee in her hands, pushing back a curl that had escaped from her ponytail. "Can we talk?"