darker_london | Oh...dear? (Lydia, Brianna)

In her short life, which had been just twelve years in length, Lydia had been taken away from her home on three occasions. Technically four, if you wanted to count the time Peter removed her from her drug addled mother's neglect, upon finding the house foodless and in a state of disrepair. But the difference in that instance was of course, that Peter had asked Lydia if she wanted to leave with him. Her favourable answer had been immediate. Peter hadn't been around much in the beginning, being a priest, and the opportunity to go live with her beloved daddy whom she'd put up on a pedestal, was exactly what she'd been wanting for years. Being taken from that life once she had it, which was everything she'd been imagining and more, was devastating. Which was, of course, why Peter had provided her with a mobile phone even though he considered the things quite ludicrous. It made Lydia feel more secure knowing that she could contact her father in the instance that anything made her uncomfortable and he could come for her. It was like a security blanket which, granted, wouldn't do much good were it taken from her by anyone, but it provided some assurance nonetheless.

Which was why, when it rang at 9:45 pm, Lydia just sat up and stared at it for a full thirty seconds before she even thought of answering. No one actually CALLED her on the mobile. It was just there to keep her safe. Occasionally Deirdre sent her silly little text messages, or Peter sent her an 'I love you' SMS while she was having lunch at school, but no one ever called her. She peered suspiciously at the name on the caller ID and then she breathed a sigh of relief, seeing that it was Brianna. She didn't understand the reason for the call, but as long as it wasn't anything bad, she could handle it. "Hello?" She asked, trying not to sound as confused as she really was. "Lydia speaking." She quickly amended.

"Lydia! Did you hear! About the girl from school who disappeared!? It's HORRIBLE. Of course you heard, you were at the assembly, weren't you? We didn't see you." That last comment was quite pointed.

Lydia sat back down on the bed and she reached out to fiddle with her blanket. "Yeah, I sat with Dylan." Dylan WAS her boyfriend...

"Isn't it such an absolute shame?" Brianna said with an air of importance. "My mother says that the girl's parents must be having fits and she's not even allowing me to go anywhere. I have to stay here at my aunt and uncle's house when I'm not at school, which is SO boring. Hey, do you think I could come to your house sometime? She'd let me visit you as long as she spoke to your father first."

"Oh! Okay!" Lydia practically bounced on her mattress. She could have a sleepover! And they could ride Sebastian and then swim and it would be wonderful! "We could do it this weekend if you want! I can ask dd, but he's really nice, and I'm sure he won't mind!"

"Wonderful!" Brianna said happily. "I cannot wait to meet your stepmother. She sounds so exotic. Imagine being from Spain. Does she speak much English?"

Lydia blinked. "Uh...yes."

"I wonder how she learned it." Brianna mused.

Lydia licked her lips. Aly had learned it because she had been born and raised in London and her father, Edward, was English. Somehow that seemed to have been lost in translation while speaking about Aly and visiting Valencia to Brianna and her friends. Oh god, what if the only reason they liked Lydia was because her stepmother was all....exotic!? "She's...really smart. She worked at the British Museum and she's taking University courses online right now. She can't take them on campus because she's having a baby."

"Oh a baby!" Brianna breathed. "I love babies!"

"She had one in April too. He's 6 months old now and his name's Thomas. He's a really cool kid." Lydia fiddled with the bedspread more before leaning back and staring up at her Mortiis poster on the ceiling. "Do you think they'll find that girl?"

"What girl?" Brianna asked, obviously beyond being worried about the missing girl now that she was on to another topic.

"The one we had the assembly about?"

"Oh! No, I reckon they won't." Brianna said firmly. "I wonder who will be taken next. It certainly won't be me." Somehow, Brianna sounded halfway glum about that. "Too bad, I could use some excitement."

Lydia stiffened. There was nothing exciting about being taken from your home. Well...not exciting in a way she ever wanted to be excited in again. "Yeah..."

"Lydia, are you doing anything for Halloween? I bet your stepmother could dress you up in some of her clothes and you'd look amazing! I should have a party here since I can't leave..."

"Uh...I could come if you had a party..."

"Fantastic, see you Wednesday!" Brianna grinned. "I have to go now, my aunt will be positively ghastly if she catches me on the phone. Ciao!" And she hung up, leaving a stunned Lydia holding the phone, wondering what had just occurred.