Avery could hear her mom in the kitchen, washing the dishes. She hadn't moved since she'd gotten home last night and crashed out hard, in her old room. She was jetlagged and run down, emotionally and physically, and it was taking it's toll. Her face was haggard, her usually sparkling blue eyes had faded to a dull washed out colour, and her bones protruded more than usual.
It was the secrecy that was killing her.
And even though her dad wasn't home yet, she had to tell Diana.
"Mom?"
Avery barely made a noise as she came into the room, her telepathy blocking Diana's empathy, and so her arrival into the kitchen scared Diana slightly, only because she wasn't expecting Avery to be up so soon?
"Oh, sweetie, you scared me," Diana said, turning around and smiling at her daughter. Her smile started to fade when she took in her appearance. "Avie, why don't you hop back into bed? You look exhausted."
"Mom," Avery said, sitting down on a chair before she collapsed.
Diana opened the fridge to fix Avery a juice, in hope of getting some colour back into her cheeks. Over the last few months, she had noticed a terrible change in her daughter, not just in her wardrobe, but in her behaviour. She could sense things, no matter how much Avery was trying to block it. Even without the empathy, Diana knew there was something wrong with her child. A mother just knew.
"Mom," Avery said again. "Can I talk to you?"
"Of course baby," Diana replied, setting the drink down in front of her.
Avery stared into the glass for a moment, contemplating drinking it, but then pushing it away slightly, knowing it was going to make her feel worse.
"What's wrong, honey? I feel like... well I feel like you're shutting me out," Diana told her, trying to be non accusatory.
"I guess I have," Avery replied honestly. "Mommy, I'm pregnant."
It came out in such a casual way, both Avery and Diana were shocked, but both for different reasons. Diana was trying to process the news that her 14 year old daughter was pregnant and Avery was trying to work out why she'd just blurted it out.
"You're what?" Diana fought to keep her voice even.
"Pregnant," Avery said again, this time she was quieter. "To a boy named Talan, but JD knows, Mom, and Talan's really supportive and - "
"You're only 14," Diana cut her off, her voice becoming shrill. "You're still in school, you're training to be a Grand Master Ga'Revali, you have the potential to be... Avery, you're 14! How could you do this?!"
Avery shrunk back. She'd known there would be a bad reaction and she was suddenly glad she had not faced her whole family with her news. Especially hearing what Diana was really saying about her in her mind.
"Only a child, my little girl, how could she have turned out this way? Where did we go wrong? I'm disgusted at her, not my daughter, she can get out, I won't have a part in this. I love her, she's my baby, what happened, I want to help her..."
"Mom, stop, please," Avery begged, holding her hands up to her ears. Tears fell from her eyes. "I can't listen to you say those things!"
"But it's the truth, I have failed as a parent, I have raised a terrible child, she is not mine, I don't want to see her ever again. I want to help, she's my baby, I love her so much, Avery can't you see I love you that's why I'm so angry? I'm scared, oh baby, please, I can't look at you!"
"Avery," Diana managed, struggling to get her thoughts straight.
"I don't want to hear anymore!" Avery cried, turning and fleeing from the kitchen. She ran to her room, threw on an old jacket, grabbed her still packed bag and practically fly out of the house, not wishing to spend another moment with her mother. At least not until she'd stopped thinking those thoughts about her.
"AVERY!" Diana shouted, chasing her halfway down the road, the breeze cool on her face, but the hot tears almost warming her up. She hadn't meant to think those thoughts so loudly, but she couldn't help it, it was a natural thing to think, she sometimes forgot Avery could hear it. She loved her daughter, but now she feared she may have driven her away for good.
"Oh heavens," she breathed, looking up at the sky with a hand over her heart. "Heavens, what have I done?"