Taylor had overheard some chatter by his window early that morning, and had needed to verify those accounts.
Thus he'd made his way to a motel just a few miles away, and found the room in question.
Hesitating for a moment, knowing that his sources weren't always 100% accurate, he took a deep breath and knocked on the door.
Avery
Avery groaned from under her blanket. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, the put on a jumper and padded over to the door.
Yawning, she unlocked it and then opened it.
Taylor
Taylor's eyebrows rose at the sight of her.
"So... how long have you been back?" he asked carefully.
Avery
Avie shrugged and stood back so he could come in.
"A week, give or take."
She yawned again.
"So, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
Taylor
"What, the fact that you're my sister isn't enough?" Taylor shrugged incredulously as he stepped through.
He took a quick look around, and soon sat in a nearby chair.
"People have been worried about you, you know. Since we found out you left the station."
Avery
Avery crawled back onto her bed and pulled the covers around her.
"Hmm, yeah I wondered when they'd get that call."
She stretched her arms out and let her shoulders crack.
Taylor
Taylor began biting his nails as he just watched her.
"What have you been doing?" he asked, "to maintain yourself."
Avery
Avery shrugged.
"You know, this and that."
Her face was stoic.
Taylor
"I'm not here to play charades," Taylor frowned.
"What have you been doing?"
Avery
"Well, if you must know, I've been asking people for money. And they've been giving it to me."
Avery raised an eyebrow slightly.
Taylor
Taylor sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"Why?" he asked finally.
Avery
Avery stared at him for a moment.
"I don't know, because I needed money..."
Taylor
"Why did you need money, why didn't you just come to us?" Taylor shook his head.
"You know we would have given it if needed."
Avery
"I needed money so I could get a place to stay."
Avery shrugged.
"I didn't want to go home. I didn't want to stay at the station."
Taylor
"You still could have come to us instead of sinking so low as to steal," Taylor insisted.
"I don't see what made you do it."
Avery
"Yeah well you wouldn't, would you?"
Avery folded her arms over her chest.
"And technically, it wasn't stealing. I asked, and they handed it over."
Taylor
"It was stealing," Taylor's voice rose a little.
"You used your powers against them. That's called stealing. You could be in a lot of trouble for that."
Avery
"Then turn me in, whatever. Anything is better than this shithole."
Avery scratched the back of her head.
Taylor
"Then why are you even here?" Taylor frowned.
"What put you in this rut?"
Avery
Avery shrugged.
"Hmm, I don't know. Just woke up feeling like this."
She leant back against the pillows.
"Anyway, I'm flying out of here tonight, so you can stop worrying."
Taylor
"And going where to do what?" Taylor demanded.
He leant forward.
Avery
"Away from here And definitely nowhere near Jess. And I don't know, I'll work that out when I get there."
Avery's eyes narrowed slightly.
Taylor
Taylor closed his eyes for a moment.
"If you need a break you can always stay in the New York apartments," he offered, "no one's there. No one's been there for a long time."
Avery
"Yeah maybe. But Jess is in New York now. And being in the same state with her, let alone the same country? I'd rather stab myself in the eye."
Avery yawned.
Taylor
"LA then," Taylor shrugged.
"At least you know your way around."
Avery
"Maybe. Or maybe I want to go somewhere where I can't be found."
Avery reached over for her glass of water.
Taylor
"Even if you try, I will always find you," Taylor's own eyes narrowed.
"I urge you to think long and hard about what you're about to do, and whether it'll be worth it in the end."
Avery
"Tay? Just go, please."
Avery looked out the window.
"I just want to be alone. And... don't tell mom and dad I'm here. I'll contact them when I'm ready to go back to being that girl again."
Taylor
"I won't tell them, you know that," Taylor promised.
He hesitated a moment, then stood and made his way to the door.
He then paused with his hand on the doorknob.
"Don't dismiss the mistakes of others. Learn from them," he insisted, biting his lip in concern.
Avery
"I'll keep that in mind."
Avery waited till he was gone, then got up and stuffed everything into her bag, pausing to get dressed.
She had to get the hell out of this place.