Girls disappearing (Daria, Stephie, Josie)
Apr. 21st, 2014 01:04 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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darker_londonDaria woke to silence, which filled her with panic.
She hadn’t meant to go to sleep, only to sit down on the couch for a moment. She’d cut up some bananas for the girls and set them up watching telly on the couch beside her. Lulled off by the sounds of Peppa Pig, Daria had only meant to close her eyes for a second.
She sat up straight. The DVD had finished and the screen was flashing its screen saver. For a moment she sat, trying not to even breathe loudly, listening for any sign of which way the girls had gone. They couldn’t get upstairs, the gate at the bottom was still closed. They wouldn’t be in the kitchen, not silently. And then her eyes fell on the glass sliding door that led out to the back lawn and the gate to Thomas and Spectre’s house. The sliding door was open, just a child’s amount but it was open.
Daria shot up, heart beating a terrified rhythm. How had they managed to do that! That door was heavy!
From the opposite direction Daria heard it, a distant but unmistakable child’s scream.
She sprinted toward the front door thinking oh god they’re on the street as her body rebelled, and dizziness took hold. The floor lurched underneath her and she fell against the wall, groping at the wallpaper as she sunk down to her knees. Even as her vision started to tunnel she crawled towards the door, but before she could reach it, the door opened.
“Oh shit,” said Stephie. She had Phoebe, who was bawling, in her arms, Cassandra behind her, holding hands with Marie. Josie was with them, her hand still on the doorknob, looking at the scene around her in carefully controlled shock. Icarus bounded toward Daria, aiming his tongue at her face.
“Is everyone alright?” Daria croaked, looping an arm around the dog’s neck. “Phoebe?”
“Yeah she just wanted to walk on her own, got upset when I picked her up.” Stephie said, over the sound of Phoebe’s complaints. “Are you alright what happened?”
“Fine, just – dizzy.”
“Josie,” Stephie suggested, with a note of fear in her voice. Josie stepped forward to grab Daria’s hand and pull her up off the floor. Daria kept her eyes tightly closed, letting Josie’s unusual strength do all the work.
“There’s no other demons around,” Josie told Stephie, understanding Stephie’s fear too easily. “Or angels. Just Spectre next door.”
“Sit please,” Daria said, pointing back toward the living room. She let Josie all but carry her, eyes still shut so the world wouldn’t spin. Shakily, she lowered herself down on the couch. She heard Stephie say “Icarus, door,” and a moment later the front door closed. Stephie followed them into the living room, Phoebe quieter now she was in her own house.
“We were just walking Marie and Icarus when we saw them tottering down the footpath outside Thomas’s,” Stephie explained, sitting on the couch beside Daria before Phoebe launched herself at her mother. “No one’s hurt, there was no one else around.”
“Thank fuck, thank Christ, thank you,” Daria said, wrapping her arms around Phoebe. Her voice cracked as she started to cry“I fell asleep by accident, they must have figured out how to open the door. I am so sorry.”
“It’s fine, everyone’s okay,” Stephie said, giving Daria a pat on the arm.
“Once Stephie left Marie at the music shop,” Josie said helpfully.
“Only for a minute!” Stephie protested. “Icarus, sit,” she added, as Icarus was getting overexcited by Cassandra playing with his face that his wagging tail was smacking into Marie.
Daria was taking deep, calming breaths as her vision started to head back to normal, and the spinning of her head started to slow down. The tears kept coming though, she couldn’t stop those.
“Daria, what’s happened?” Stephie asked gently.
“I’m going to check the perimeter anyway,” Josie edged toward the door, eager to remove herself from a room full of too many toddlers. Stephie flashed her a smile.
“Nothing, nothing happened,” Daria said, wiping her face with one hand, drying that hand on Phoebe’s back. “I just nearly let my girls get away, Jesus Christ.” She sobbed a little harder. Cassandra and Marie stared up at her from the floor, more worried about the crying than messing with Icarus.
“They’re fine,” Stephie reassured her, repeating it a few more times as Daria tried to pull herself together for the sake of the kids. She couldn’t stop, though, the waves of emotion were too powerful. But the girls were fine, and that was a relief, almost as powerful as the waves of guilt and dread.
Stephie was starting to get really rather concerned when Daria started laughing between sobs. “Maybe I should ring Noah?” She suggested.
Daria waved her hand in the air, shook her head a little. “Ig- ignore this,” she pointed at her face, a wet and blotchy mess. “Hormones. I’m pregnant,” she sniffed loudly. “Don’t tell anyone yet,” she added, opening her eyes and looking at Stephie, who nodded and shook her head at the same time. Yes of course, and no I won’t at the same time.
“Does-“ Stephie began.
“Oh Noah knows,” Daria answered before Stephie could finish. “It’s just still too early. Hello baby,” Phoebe had stood up on Daria’s lap and was hugging her mother’s neck, making distressed signs that she was going to start bawling again too. Cassandra has crawled over to Daria’s legs and pulled herself up with Daria’s pyjama pants.
“Can I get you anything? Food? A drink?”
Daria took a few more deep breaths, her face pressed against Phoebe, her hand on Cassandra’s back. “Yes, actually,” she said, knowing from experience when to sit back and accept help. “There’s bread in the kitchen, can you make some sandwiches? Just jam or something? And whatever you and Marie would like.”
“Sure,” Stephie was relieved to be able to do something. Her heart was still hammering away because she’d suspected evil, death and pain as soon as she’d walked into the house and found Daria sitting on the floor. Her skin still buzzed with it, her stomach felt sick. And lately there were times when she’d get a fright and it would send her straight into blind fear or fury and she’d be useless to help anyone else out, but today was not a bad day. “Come on Marie, we’re going to make sandwiches!”
“Thank you,” Daria said, as Stephie gathered up Marie in her arms. “Is Josie alright?”
“Yeah,” Stephie said, looking through the glass doors and across the back lawn to where Josie was searching the playhouse for Templar. “She’s happier scouting for danger than dealing with crying.”
“Well I’m happy to know our playhouse is secure,” Daria said, as Josie re-emerged from the little door, no Templar or ninjas in tow. Stephie gave her a smile, and Daria smiled back.
Daria leaned back into the couch, covered in twins, listening to Stephie talk to Marie in the kitchen.
She had a strong suspicion that she was going to have to organise Daria-sitters to be in the house while Noah was at work. Which meant she was going to have to start telling people.
She hadn’t meant to go to sleep, only to sit down on the couch for a moment. She’d cut up some bananas for the girls and set them up watching telly on the couch beside her. Lulled off by the sounds of Peppa Pig, Daria had only meant to close her eyes for a second.
She sat up straight. The DVD had finished and the screen was flashing its screen saver. For a moment she sat, trying not to even breathe loudly, listening for any sign of which way the girls had gone. They couldn’t get upstairs, the gate at the bottom was still closed. They wouldn’t be in the kitchen, not silently. And then her eyes fell on the glass sliding door that led out to the back lawn and the gate to Thomas and Spectre’s house. The sliding door was open, just a child’s amount but it was open.
Daria shot up, heart beating a terrified rhythm. How had they managed to do that! That door was heavy!
From the opposite direction Daria heard it, a distant but unmistakable child’s scream.
She sprinted toward the front door thinking oh god they’re on the street as her body rebelled, and dizziness took hold. The floor lurched underneath her and she fell against the wall, groping at the wallpaper as she sunk down to her knees. Even as her vision started to tunnel she crawled towards the door, but before she could reach it, the door opened.
“Oh shit,” said Stephie. She had Phoebe, who was bawling, in her arms, Cassandra behind her, holding hands with Marie. Josie was with them, her hand still on the doorknob, looking at the scene around her in carefully controlled shock. Icarus bounded toward Daria, aiming his tongue at her face.
“Is everyone alright?” Daria croaked, looping an arm around the dog’s neck. “Phoebe?”
“Yeah she just wanted to walk on her own, got upset when I picked her up.” Stephie said, over the sound of Phoebe’s complaints. “Are you alright what happened?”
“Fine, just – dizzy.”
“Josie,” Stephie suggested, with a note of fear in her voice. Josie stepped forward to grab Daria’s hand and pull her up off the floor. Daria kept her eyes tightly closed, letting Josie’s unusual strength do all the work.
“There’s no other demons around,” Josie told Stephie, understanding Stephie’s fear too easily. “Or angels. Just Spectre next door.”
“Sit please,” Daria said, pointing back toward the living room. She let Josie all but carry her, eyes still shut so the world wouldn’t spin. Shakily, she lowered herself down on the couch. She heard Stephie say “Icarus, door,” and a moment later the front door closed. Stephie followed them into the living room, Phoebe quieter now she was in her own house.
“We were just walking Marie and Icarus when we saw them tottering down the footpath outside Thomas’s,” Stephie explained, sitting on the couch beside Daria before Phoebe launched herself at her mother. “No one’s hurt, there was no one else around.”
“Thank fuck, thank Christ, thank you,” Daria said, wrapping her arms around Phoebe. Her voice cracked as she started to cry“I fell asleep by accident, they must have figured out how to open the door. I am so sorry.”
“It’s fine, everyone’s okay,” Stephie said, giving Daria a pat on the arm.
“Once Stephie left Marie at the music shop,” Josie said helpfully.
“Only for a minute!” Stephie protested. “Icarus, sit,” she added, as Icarus was getting overexcited by Cassandra playing with his face that his wagging tail was smacking into Marie.
Daria was taking deep, calming breaths as her vision started to head back to normal, and the spinning of her head started to slow down. The tears kept coming though, she couldn’t stop those.
“Daria, what’s happened?” Stephie asked gently.
“I’m going to check the perimeter anyway,” Josie edged toward the door, eager to remove herself from a room full of too many toddlers. Stephie flashed her a smile.
“Nothing, nothing happened,” Daria said, wiping her face with one hand, drying that hand on Phoebe’s back. “I just nearly let my girls get away, Jesus Christ.” She sobbed a little harder. Cassandra and Marie stared up at her from the floor, more worried about the crying than messing with Icarus.
“They’re fine,” Stephie reassured her, repeating it a few more times as Daria tried to pull herself together for the sake of the kids. She couldn’t stop, though, the waves of emotion were too powerful. But the girls were fine, and that was a relief, almost as powerful as the waves of guilt and dread.
Stephie was starting to get really rather concerned when Daria started laughing between sobs. “Maybe I should ring Noah?” She suggested.
Daria waved her hand in the air, shook her head a little. “Ig- ignore this,” she pointed at her face, a wet and blotchy mess. “Hormones. I’m pregnant,” she sniffed loudly. “Don’t tell anyone yet,” she added, opening her eyes and looking at Stephie, who nodded and shook her head at the same time. Yes of course, and no I won’t at the same time.
“Does-“ Stephie began.
“Oh Noah knows,” Daria answered before Stephie could finish. “It’s just still too early. Hello baby,” Phoebe had stood up on Daria’s lap and was hugging her mother’s neck, making distressed signs that she was going to start bawling again too. Cassandra has crawled over to Daria’s legs and pulled herself up with Daria’s pyjama pants.
“Can I get you anything? Food? A drink?”
Daria took a few more deep breaths, her face pressed against Phoebe, her hand on Cassandra’s back. “Yes, actually,” she said, knowing from experience when to sit back and accept help. “There’s bread in the kitchen, can you make some sandwiches? Just jam or something? And whatever you and Marie would like.”
“Sure,” Stephie was relieved to be able to do something. Her heart was still hammering away because she’d suspected evil, death and pain as soon as she’d walked into the house and found Daria sitting on the floor. Her skin still buzzed with it, her stomach felt sick. And lately there were times when she’d get a fright and it would send her straight into blind fear or fury and she’d be useless to help anyone else out, but today was not a bad day. “Come on Marie, we’re going to make sandwiches!”
“Thank you,” Daria said, as Stephie gathered up Marie in her arms. “Is Josie alright?”
“Yeah,” Stephie said, looking through the glass doors and across the back lawn to where Josie was searching the playhouse for Templar. “She’s happier scouting for danger than dealing with crying.”
“Well I’m happy to know our playhouse is secure,” Daria said, as Josie re-emerged from the little door, no Templar or ninjas in tow. Stephie gave her a smile, and Daria smiled back.
Daria leaned back into the couch, covered in twins, listening to Stephie talk to Marie in the kitchen.
She had a strong suspicion that she was going to have to organise Daria-sitters to be in the house while Noah was at work. Which meant she was going to have to start telling people.
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