They’re fighting. With words and fists. Ethan and Dad barely able to pull them apart. I watch with detached fascination.
“Lincoln, you will stop right the fuck now!” Dad yells, and Lincoln pulls back, chest heaving, lip bloody, eye swollen, knuckles raw. I can’t see Xander. I don’t want to.
“Fuuuuck,” I hear Jesse say.
“No,” I whisper. “No. I can’t. Not all of them. No.”
Sandy holds me tighter. “Okay. Okay. Let’s get you to your room. Then they can fight it out as much as they want.”
Bed. Bed sounds wonderful. I can watch movies in my room.
“Listen up!” Sandy shouts. “I’m only letting Matthew in.Only Matthew.The rest of you can wait until we’ve got Tera settled and away from this fucking disaster.” She huffs at them. “Really, boys. What the hell were you thinking?”
Sandy swore twice. Sheneverswears unless she’s so far past her limit she can’t handle it. I hate this. Hate it all. I wish Sandy could come to the void with me.
No one responds to her. She unlocks the chain, lets Dad in, and locks the door once more.
“The only one who can get past that chain is Lincoln, and he’s not going to try. Not today. Not right now,” Dad tells us.
“I don’t care. They can break the fucking door down if they want” I hear nothing from them. I feel nothing.
They help me to bed.
“Which movie did you want?” Sandy asks.
“The Family Stone, again. They’re a good family.”
Dad hugs me. “It’ll be okay, Tera.”
“M’kay, Dad.”
He sighs. “She’s back there, Sandy—only, for a different reason. She just got to some semblance of normal.” He runs his hands through his hair as he paces the floor. “FUCK!” he yells.
At that, I jump, because Dad doesn’t do much yellingorswearing.
“Don’t swear because of me. Just—don’t.”
He pulls me into a tight hug. “Stay here, with us. Don’t go back, Tera. Please, don’t go away again.”
“I can’t. It’s just too much. Only for a little while.”
He sniffles, then whispers, “Okay, baby girl. Okay.”
He gets up and hugs Sandy tight. They’re murmuring to one another. He heads for the door—to deal with the “disaster”.
“Dad?”
“Yeah, Tera?”
“Tell Ethan I’m not mad at him.” Dad looks at me in surprise. “He showed up, Dad. He showed up when none of the others did. Not even my… husband.”
That pain slices through the void. My husband. My best friends. My family.
“I’ll tell him,” he answers, then closes the door behind him.
Sandy comes over and wipes my face.
“Am I crying?”
