Avery
Avery sniffed as she lifted the photo frame from her bedside table and looked at it for a long moment.
A tear fell onto the glass of the frame as she gazed at the photo of her with her family. She wiped her eyes and tucked the photo carefully into her bag.
She looked around her almost empty room and with a sigh, lifted her bag and went out to see her family (the ones that were home), and say goodbye.
As she walked into the living room, she felt her heart wrench when she saw her family. It was going to be good for her, to learn how to use her powers properly, and it was a good opportunity... unfortunately, it meant being away from home.
Mouse
Mouse rubbed Fafnir's ears as she looked at Avery walk into the room. The usual clamour of the babies filled her head, but she was getting better at drowning them out. They'd mostly accepted that Avery was family but sometimes they forgot.
"Avvie. Have fun. And write." Mouse fell silent again, face pale and tearstained, bone structure showing clearly in her face. Taylor being gone, she was taking hard. And everyone else's emotions dragged her down as well.
Avery
Avery nodded, tears falling from her eyes. She wasn't going to get to say goodbye to Isaac, Taylor or Zac. And who knew if she'd ever get to say goodbye to Taylor. It wasn't fair, the brother she'd always gone to, the one she'd been closest too, and she hadn't seen him in forever.
"I will," Avery sniffed.
She walked over and hugged Mouse tightly.
Mouse
Mouse enfolded her arms around the younger girl and swayed slightly, holding her close and knowing exactly what she was thinking. "They'll be back. All of them." A single tear fell from Mouse's eyes. "You wait." She held Avery soothing and gentling with her empathy. "Remember to write me. I bet they got net access."
Avery and Zoe
"Thank you, Mouse," Avery whispered. "And I will, I promise."
She hugged Mouse tighter and cried into her shoulder.
Zoe skipped up and tugged on her shirt. "Avie?"
Avery pulled away from Mouse and lifted Zoe up and hugged her. "Bye Zoe."
Zoe hugged Avery back. "Bye bye!"
Mouse
Another tear slipped down Mouse's cheek. Everyone was leaving. "I...excuse me please." She fled, Fafnir and Bets dogging her footsteps as she hurried up the stairs. She almost ran into Taylor's room, and flung herself onto the bed, Bets nudging the door closed with her nose as Mouse put the pillow up to her face and screamed her grief and heartache out into it, muffling the sound.
Avery and Zoe
Avery put Zoe down and kissed her cheek. She followed Mouse and touched the back of her head gently.
"Mousey, it'll be ok. I know Tay will be found. Ike's really good at finding him. And I'm not going forever."
Mouse
"I know he'll be back," Mouse raised her head slightly and whispered. "But...it hurts that he's not here. I trust Ike. But I think something really, really bad has happened...if not to him then to Nat and that photographer."
Avery
Avery nodded.
"But it'll..." She trailed off, not really knowing what to say. She had to admit, that she'd only ever really thought about Taylor in all of this. Because he'd only ever been the one who mattered to her the most. Her older brother, her everything.
She turned to leave.
"I... please write or call or something, I don't know, when he's back."
Mouse
"Promise. You'll be the first person I call. But he'll probably want to talk to you himself as soon as possible." Mouse laid her arms around Fafnir's neck and hugged him, holding onto him for emotional support.
Avery
Avery smiled sadly at Mouse, then went back to say goodbye to the rest of her family.
"Bye Mackie."
Mackie hugged his sister. "Bye, Ave."
"Mom, Dad?"
Walker
"Aw come on," Walker grinned, holding his arms out to hug his second daughter.
"Don't be such a cry baby," he smiled, "after all, you won't be gone forever. And we'll come and see you, and hopefully vice-versa. You're doing the right thing, hon."
Avery
Avery fell into her father's arms and hugged him tightly.
"I know... it's just harder to say goodbye than I first thought."
Walker
Walker leant back a little and kissed her forehead.
"So it's going to be ten times worse when you actually move out?" he raised an eyebrow with a smile.
Avery
Avery shrugged.
"I don't know, I'm only 12, I'm not meant to be leaving."
She smiled up at her father.
"But thank you for letting me do this."
Walker
"As I said before, an opportunity like this doesn't come around for everyone," Walker shrugged.
"And of course I'll miss you, but think... When you come back you'll know a lot more about what you can do. And Tanya's a great teacher."