𝟎𝟏𝟎 ᵐⁱᵏᵉ ʷʰᵉᵉˡᵉʳ ˣ ᵒᶜ

003

"YOU'RE NOT A FREAK"

Delilah was at lost for words, she didn't know what to tell her mom while she sat hunched over lights, speaking to them. She was more than happy when the door swung open and Jonathan walked through.

"Jonathan" she ran up to him hugging him.

"Del? What's wrong?" He asked worried, wrapping his arms around her.

"It's mom, she's talking to the lights, I don't know what's going on with her"  Delilah cried.

Jonathan walked into the living room where Joyce held Christmas lights in her hands.

"Mom?" He asked.

"Jonathan! Come here. Come here." She stammered.

"Mom, what is this?" He asked taken back "What's going on?"

"It's Will. It's Will, he's... he's trying to talk to me" she cried softly.

"He's trying to talk to you?" Jonathan asked in confusion.

"Yes, through the lights" she insisted.

Delilah stood in the doorway crying. She didn't know what was going on. She was upset, she was angry and nothing was normal.

"Mom" Jonathan said upset.

"I know. I know. Just watch. Will... your brother's here. Can you show him what you showed me, baby?
Please..." she gasped when the light flashed a bit "Did you see that?".

"It's the electricity, Mom" Jonathan put his face in is hands "it's acting up. It's the same thing that fried the phones".

"No! It is not the electricity, Jonathan. Something is going on here! Yesterday, the wall.." she shouted in annoyance.

"What? What about the wall?" Jonathan was angry "Mom, first the lights, then the wall?".

"I just know that Will is here" she told him convinced. "Maybe if I get more lamps".

"No, Mom. You don't need more lamps. You need to stop this, okay? He is just lost. People are looking for him, and they're going to find him" he told her.

"Okay" Joyce nodded, wiping her tears.

"This isn't helping. You're scaring Delilah" he calmly told her.

For the first time since her conversation with Jonathan started, she looked up at her adopted daughter who had been silently stood in the doorway sobbing.

"Okay, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, sweetie" she apologised.

"Can you do me a favor, Mom? Can you just try and get some sleep? Can you do that for me?" Jonathan asked her.

"I promise. I will Yeah. I just need to sit here for a minute".

"Are you okay?" Jonathan asked the girl once they were out of the room, hugging her again.

"I was just a little scared" Delilah told him.

"I don't mean now, I mean in general. Since Will went missing, I feel like we haven't really spoke. Me and mom have been so busy looking for him and making the posters. But that doesn't mean we love you any less, okay? You've been distant but you can talk to me" Jonathan told her.

"I love you" she smiled at him through the tears.

"We just tell our parents we have AV Club after school. That'll give us at least a few hours for Operation Mirkwood" Mike told them all.