The Thing About Timing (The Becoming of Elliott Goode)

Chapter 14:

Over the next few nights Elliott continued to stay with Cordelia until her nightmares seemed to subside. However, once returning to her own room, her nightmares were replaced with a strange dream, one the girl didn't understand. Every night, she would be walking down a long school hallway, hearing a woman's scream echo off the cement walls. Each night she got closer to the source of the screams, but she would always wake up right at dawn without actually being able to see what was going on. The dream had left her feeling like she hadn't actually slept at all, and after the fifth day of the same dream, she was practically a walking zombie. Cordelia was worried about her, thinking she was keeping herself up at night to avoid the nightmares, but that couldn't have been farther from the truth. Cordelia pleaded for the girl to sleep with her, if only for one night so she could actually get some rest, but Elliott turned her down every time, wanting to get to the bottom of whatever this dream was. She felt bad that she was making the supreme worry so much, but she didn't want to risk the older woman waking her from her dreams, and so reluctantly the supreme agreed to leave her be.

The warlocks had called an emergency council meeting shortly after, something about a boy they thought was special. They called this particular meeting every couple of years, going on about a possible alpha, and by this point Cordelia was growing tired of the antics. She knew there would never be an alpha, but the men always felt they should be superior to the witches, and it was easier to entertain them then to tell them to fuck off. It would be the first time Cordelia was away from the coven since Elliott had first come to stay with them, and it couldn't have come at a worse time. Delia had half a mind to take the young girl with her so she could watch her, but she knew she was being overbearing and that Elliott would never agree to it, so she booked the council a hotel and a round trip flight. Normally the council would stay in town for three days to a week so they could discuss everything they needed to with the warlocks while they were there, but this time the trip would only be two days, she couldn't deal with being away from Elliott and the coven longer than that, even though she knew the trip would be brutal for her and the rest of the girls.

The time came for her to leave and Elliott still wasn't doing any better, in fact Delia was pretty sure the young girl was coming down with something, which only made it harder for her to leave. While frantically packing, she gave Mallory a never ending list of instructions and told her she would have her phone on 24/7, and Mallory laughed at how crazy the supreme was acting. She was acting like a mother, and all of the girls took notice except for Elliott. Mallory had agreed to constantly text her updates and reassured her that the two girls would be fine on their own and they wouldn't burn the house down while she was gone, hoping to get a laugh from the supreme, but instead she was met with a glare. Mallory quickly took the hint that now wasn't the time for jokes and left the room to go grab Elliott so Delia could give her the same spiel.

Elliott was sitting on the Supreme's bed while Cordelia ran around the room, pulling all the clothes out of the dresser and onto the floor, grabbing what she wanted then running to the next thing. "We'll be fine I promise, I've kept myself alive for 15 years, I'm sure I can handle it for two days Cordelia." Elliott said, laughing at just how panicked the older woman was.

Cordelia shot her a half joking glare before continuing with her rant, "I will have my phone on at all times, even at night. Don't be afraid to call me for anything. Theres an emergency credit card hidden above the fridge in case you both decide you want to go out for food, or if you need more clothes or anything while I'm gone. Feel free to come into my room if you can't sleep or borrow my clothes if you need them, I don't mind. If you leave please let Mallory know where you're going and for the love of god, take your phone with you. No funny business while I'm gone. God damn it where is my hairbrush?!?"

Elliott looked down at the mess of clothes thrown on the bed and spotted the brush laying right on top. She picked it up and cautiously handed it to the supreme, who laughed at the girls actions. Cordelia knew she was being crazy, but she couldn't help it, she worried about Elliott all the time. She was still struggling to get Elliott to eat, the girl still wouldn't sleep through the night, if she did sleep, and now she was starting to hide things from Cordelia as to not worry her, which only worried her even more. While she knew that two days of her not eating probably wouldn't kill her and she had told Mallory that it was her job to make sure Elliott ate, she still worried about everything. Elliott practically hadn't left her sight since she had gotten there, and as much as Delia knew the girl was trying to not get herself into trouble, she somehow still managed to do so. She was like a new mom leaving her baby for the first time, and it was hard.