Board Thread:Ships/@comment-4199666-20150225134506

A/N: So after Stella got kicked out of her house, I realised it had been a while and I hadn't done anything with Stella and Holly and Holly would have been worried so this is basically just explaining the missing days in between.

She almost couldn’t recognise her when she saw the twig-thin girl at her door. Her cheeks had been burned red, her hair was a tangled mess and her eyes were almost entirely bloodshot. She threw her arms around her sister as soon as she realised who it was, and she felt the coldness of her. Not just in her skin, but in the way she pulled back from the hug. Things had definitely changed between the two of them, but she was hoping it wasn’t more than what she could fix. She combed her fingers through her little sister’s hair, thankfully only getting caught on one knot. “Where have you been?” she asked. She was more worried than curious when she asked. She hadn’t heard a word from her in almost two weeks, and the only thing her dad would tell her was that he didn’t know where she was.

Stella shrugged. She didn’t know how to explain where she’d been for the past two weeks. After her dad kicked her out, she’d spent the first day drunk, waking up on the beach. Even though she met up with Holly the day after, she promised everything was fine and that she was staying with a friend, even though she could have told the truth about how she needed her help. Some smaller voice in her mind told her that Holly would only help her until her patience ran out too, and that voice really toyed with her head.

As Holly gently tugged her inside, she thought more over how to answer Holly’s question. It’s not like she hadn’t been home. She’d taken the opportunity while her dad was working to sneak back inside and shower and take whatever food and alcohol she could find, but that didn’t help her pay for fuel, and it definitely didn’t pay for the vodka from her dealer. Even when he drank half of it, she still paid for it in full. Even if she slept with him, he still didn’t make her feel any better about it all. She wasn’t even sure if he knew her name, but by this point she knew better than to ask. At least that way, she could avoid feeling disappointed.

The first thing she felt when she snapped back to reality, was the bottle of water Holly had placed in her hand. It was cold, a luxury she hadn’t felt in a while. The condensation on the outside of the bottle trickled across her skin, and she suddenly felt the full weight of her thirst hit her. She barely had any water to drink, and now that she did, she couldn’t stop drinking until the bottle was empty. Holly offered her more, but she declined. She’d become too used to rationing her food and letting herself stay undernourished. Her plan was to stay on her own forever, but the time had taken its toll and she had started to realise just how hard that was.

“I’m going to cook you some food,” Holly explained, “and you can go have a shower. I’ll get you some of my clothes.” Stella didn’t put up any resistance to Holly’s comments. She felt dirty, and she definitely showed it. As she carried herself towards the bathroom, she mumbled out an almost inaudible “Thanks” as if she already knew that Holly would hear it and know how grateful she was. Holly’s shower was on top of a bath, and the second that she turned the hot water on, Stella could feel the weight of her legs growing on her. She felt so tired and all she wanted was to sit down, so she turned the tap off, running herself a bath instead. She let the water run until it was just underneath her bent knees as she pulled them in against her chest. Despite the warm water all around her, she was shivering and shaking and could still feel herself craving warmth and comfort and a bed with pillows.

She wanted her clothes back on and she wanted to be dry and she wanted her sister’s arms around her again, but her tired body willed her to stay put. As she stayed, she felt her eyelids drawing closer together. The gentle sway of the water against her chest told her heartbeat that it could finally rest. It didn’t have to be as alert anymore. She didn’t even rely on the alcohol to numb her mind because at least now she was worn out enough to not care. Holly was quiet as she snuck in, putting down a plate of food next to her and a pile of clothes next to the sink. She leaned down and kissed her sister on the forehead, glad that she’d finally reappeared and could be safe now. She felt the flutter of the bird in her chest as he settled his wings down and rested. Now she just wanted to keep her sister safe. 