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Genevieve and Eleanor spent the day in town until the sun brushed against the tops of the trees.
Eleanor took Genevieve to the best lobster roll place in town for lunch (conveniently owned by one of their distant cousins, Genevieve was slowly becoming convinced they were related to everyone in town). She showed Genevieve where she went to school (with a graduating class of 120). She showed Genevieve the park she took her little brother to play in when they both needed a break from their family. She showed Genevieve all the spots where she used to practice her power, lulling people to sleep or making animals dance.
After all that, Genevieve began to understand what her life would have been like if Lorelei never moved out of town.
She'd go to school with the same people since kindergarten. She'd spend her free time with Eleanor, finding new things to keep themselves entertained because they didn't have things like museums or malls in such a small town. She'd help look after Winston, Eleanor's younger brother, and Analise's new baby. She'd spend a lot of time practicing and being groomed to take over Lorelei's seat on the Council. Maybe she'd have a little brother or sister of her own to look after.
She probably wouldn't be friends with Matthew because of his blood status. She'd have the same doubt that Eleanor had, but forced to stay silent and endure it because that's just what people did. Maybe Genevieve would have the courage to move away when she was old enough. Maybe Genevieve would've stayed and learn to be content with the small town life. Or maybe she'd be miserable for the rest of her life.
Genevieve understood why her mother left. She hoped that she would've been strong enough to make the same decision if their roles were reversed.
Life in the Siren community was dull. It was nothing compared to her life in Chicago - in Forks.
Genevieve loved her life. She loved her family - her mom and Matthew. She loved her friends - Bella, Jacob, Rosalie, Emmett, and the rest of the Cullens. She loved Seth.
"Hey, Gen." Genevieve was snapped out of her musings by her cousin. The two were walking arm-in-arm back to the house. Genevieve could see it as they walked down the street, the quiet street reminding her of Forks. She could hear the waves distantly, the sound soothing and comforting."I don't mean to bring up bad feelings - you said your dad left you?"
Genevieve nodded, feeling her heart clench in her chest. "Yeah, last year. He ran off with his secretary. He tried to reconnect with me on my birthday, but I have no interest in letting him back in my life if he could throw us to the side so easily." Genevieve glanced at her cousin, frowning at the familiar look on her face. Eleanor's dark eyes were caste down, eyebrows furrowed as she bit her lip. Genevieve knew that she made the exact same face when she was trying to make sense of something that simply didn't make sense. "Why?"
Eleanor looked up at Genevieve, matching brown eyes clashing, one pair filled with worry and the other with confusion. "A month ago, my sister and I were staying at Uncle Thomas's because Moms wanted a date night - which let me tell you, thinking about your parents wanting the house to themselves alone is not a pleasant thought. When Win asked, Mom said they were having a sleepover and he got super offended."
"El," Genevieve stopped walking as she rolled her eyes. Eleanor was full of energy, the extrovert to Genevieve's introvert. And while Genevieve had a habit of rambling when she was nervous, Eleanor had a habit of going off on tangents. "Focus."
"Right, sorry." Eleanor shook her head, waving her hand in the air. "I couldn't sleep so I went down to the kitchen to get a glass of water when I heard Uncle Thomas talking to someone on the phone. I'm a nosy person so I did a bit of eavesdropping, and you'll never guess who I heard him talking to."
Genevieve huffed impatiently, wanting to hate the dramatic way her cousin was telling the story but couldn't help but get sucked into it. Genevieve was a nosy person too. "I don't know, El. The point of the story is for you to tell me, not play guessing games."
Eleanor rolled her eyes, "you're no fun. Whatever. He was talking to your dad! It wasn't anything special, just how he was looking forward to seeing Geraldo soon. I just assumed your family was finally coming to visit."
Genevieve frowned, "That doesn't make any sense. My dad hates Sirens - he never wanted me to be part of this world. Why would Uncle Thomas be meeting up with my dad?"
Eleanor shrugged, crossing her arms. "I don't know. It didn't sound like anything weird until you told me your dad left. Geraldo doesn't have a reason to call, especially since he's not part of the family anymore. I mean, he wasn't really to begin with since he's just a human but you know what I mean."
Genevieve threw a look at Eleanor for the 'human' comment, choosing to ignore it for the sake of dealing with something bigger. She felt dread drop in the pit of her stomach, rubbing her sweaty palms against her jeans. "You don't think..." Genevieve shook her head, feeling like the air was thinner. Her breath came out in short pants, her chest tightening uncomfortably as her head spun. The smell of the ocean become too strong, the wind just a little too cold. She closed her eyes, trying to calm herself down. She knew what was happening, what would happen if she didn't take control of her breathing.
It wasn't possible, was it? Sure, Geraldo hated Sirens but he wouldn't go as far as to try and get them all killed. He wasn't capable of that. And it wasn't like he knew who to go to to schedule attacks on Sirens. Right?
"Gen, hey, look at me." Genevieve jumped when she felt Eleanor's hands on her shoulders, eyes snapping open to look at the concerned face of her cousin. "Breathe with me. In 4 second, out 7." Genevieve's hands clamped onto her cousin's wrists, desperately trying to match her breathing with Eleanor's.
After an eternity, Genevieve felt the tightness in her chest ease, her breathing finally steady. She relaxed her grip on Eleanor's wrist. "Sorry," she murmured.
Eleanor shook her head softly, bringing her hands down to hold onto Genevieve's hands. "Don't be, it's okay. I get panic attacks like that too." Eleanor bit her lip, watching Genevieve carefully. "Feeling better?"
Genevieve sighed, nodding gratefully. She hesitated for a moment, "I need to find my mom."
Eleanor nodded slowly, interlocking their arms as she pulled Genevieve back to the house. "If your mom isn't back from the meeting, we'll find my mom. Don't give me that look, Gen. We're gonna need both of our moms if we want to have the best chance to figure this out. We have to stick together."
Genevieve sighed, pushing her distaste for Millicent aside. As much as Millicent rubbed Genevieve the wrong way, she trusted Eleanor. "Fine, you're right. We'll stick together."
