Stranger Love [Billy Hargrove]

Stranger Love - Chapter Twenty One

Stranger Love

Chapter Twenty-One - The Byers

Spending the entirety of the night conversing with her Mom, Anya wasn't surprised when she awoke to find it 1:48pm. Despite being so exhausted it had taken but mere minutes for her to fall asleep, she still felt drained – emotionally and physically. Her dreams had been vivid and full of flames, the type that made you feel unrested and weary upon awakening.

Her date with Billy, perhaps, would serve as a needed distraction. Anya had never felt like her brain was so muddled, as if the past 17 years of her life had been somebody else's. The veil wasn't lifted as much as ripped off, revealing the scarred truth that was her past beneath.

Patricia did her best to explain the situation. Anya pitied her parents; it was hard enough raising a child with zero money and no experience, let alone one who spontaneously lit things on fire. It still hurt, though, that she would never be able to talk to her father about it, to ask for his side of the story too. Would he have told her eventually? Or would he have been content to continue the charade of normality?

There were some things she would just never know.

The house was quiet for the remainder of the day. Anya pretended to be asleep when her Mom pushed open her bedroom door, setting down a mug of hot tea on her bedside. She didn't linger, merely closed the door behind her with a soft click. Anya just couldn't face talking to her, needing time to gather her thoughts properly.

Pulling on her green jumpsuit and tousling out her brunette curls, Anya regarded herself in the mirror for a moment. It seemed ridiculous that after all the events of the past few days, she was now going on a date with Billy Hargrove. For a moment she considered cancelling – then the less sensible part of her brain protested loudly. She wanted to stop thinking about everything, to go out and enjoy herself, even if only to pretend just for one night.

And Billy was one hell of a distraction.

Her Mom glanced up at Anya as she flitted into the kitchen, trying to find her flats. "Anya...you're going out?"

"Yeah,"

"Where? With who?"

"On a date. With Billy," Anya replied, grabbing her shoes and pushing them onto her feet quickly.

Patricia frowned, her arms folded around herself as Bracken trotted hopefully into the hall, probably wondering if she was going on a walk. "Is that a great idea right now?"

"No, but I can't stand the thought of sitting around my room all night,"

"You don't have to sit in your room...we could talk? Get some take-out?"

Anya finally looked into her Mom's eyes, seeing the worry and hurt in her irises. "Mom, I just want to do a normal, teenage girl thing right now, ok? I don't want to think about the Lab, or my...power, or what it means for my future,"

"Anya, I know you aren't exactly happy with me at the moment, but I don't think going out is the best option for you," Patricia sighed. "Your powers are uncontrollable, and now that you're older who knows what havoc you might cause? What if you hurt someone? What if you hurt Billy?"

"Don't you dare start with that shit! You are the one who kept all of this from me, so don't start using it against me and making me feel bad!" Anya swiped her purse from the side.

"Anya! I may have made a mistake, but I am still your mother!" Her Mom exclaimed shakily, tears in her eyes. "And as your mother, I forbid you to leave this house!"

Anya laughed derisively, not sure where her words were coming from. "You forbid me? How exactly are you going to stop me, Mom?"

"Anya-"