𝗣𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗘-ᵗʷⁱˡⁱᵍʰᵗ¹

twenty-nine

Sage didn't feel anything. It was as if a switch in her brain had flipped and just turned her numb. She sat on Dr. Crow's couch, a pillow held on her lap as the woman just stared at the teen.

how has your mom showing up affected you?

where was she supposed to begin? Sam booked an emergency appointment for two days after the dinner gone wrong, and Sage was sitting here with not a clue of how to react.

"She's not my mom, more of an egg donor." Her voice was raspy as she spoke. "Alison was the one who raised me, She's the one who deserves the title of mom."

Dr. Crow just nodded watching as the girls eyes never left her lap. "Do you want to get to know this woman?"

Sage just shook her head. "I think anyone who leaves a newborn on someones front steps denys themselves any rights to the child. She doesn't deserve to get to know me."

Dr. Crow sighed, and Sage heard her clipboard gently hit the wooden desk.

"Okay, Sage. Right for the rest of our 15 minutes I'm talking to you like a friend. I'm speaking to you as Daphne even though I shouldn't be."

Sage slowly raised her head, locking eyes with the middle aged woman. "Are you okay?"

The girls lip began to quiver, causing her to bite it until it bled, until she was reminded she was alive— she was human. The teenager shook her head, retreating into the scared 9 year old Daphne had been first introduced to. The woman got out of her spinning chair and moved to sit beside the girl, wrapping her in a tight side hug. That was when Sage released her bottom lip and cried for the first time since waking up. "I ruined her life."

Most of her words were lost in her sobs, but Daphne understood them well enough. "You did not ruin Alison's life, You didn't have any say in the matter of your conception. "

Daphne pulled away from the girl, leaving her hands on her shoulders as she forced her to look at her. "Do you understand me Sage? You didn't ask for the circumstances of your birth, you were forced into them. Alison loves you, she adores you. I saw how worried she was in the hospital, she isn't going to hold something so out of your control against you, you aren't going to lose her. You're her child, no matter what DNA says."

Sage just slowly nodded through her tears causing Daphne to pull her back into a hug. "Do you remember what i told you when you, when you first sat on this couch crying because you felt like you had no blood ties? The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb. I want you to remind me what that means."

"The bonds you form are more important than the bonds you're born to." Her voice was shaky and muffled by Daphne's ruffled shirt.

"And your bond with Alison is a bond you formed, a bond she formed. She isn't gonna toss it away because of what your blood parents did." Sage nodded as Crows assistant knocked in the door, letting her know the next client was here. She pulled away from Sage with a deep breath and handed the young girl a box of tissues. "Go hide in the bathroom, while I talk to Sam. I know how you hate people seeing you cry."

Sage pulled Daphne into one last hug before rushing off the the bathroom, and quickly splashing her face with cold water knowing it wouldn't take her and Sam long.

The ride back to La Push was silent, neither of the siblings dared to utter a word as Sage just watched the world pass her by. This drive felt so different than the one she'd taken no to long ago, that was one full of warmth and rosy cheeks, this one was cold and empty.

When they stopped in front the house, Sage exited the car before it was fully in park, rushing up to her room and sitting at her piano. It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to be real.