Late Night at the Emery's

When Maddie finally got home David was sitting on the living room couch in sweatpants. He was half paying attention to a late night, 60's, sci-fi, monster movie that played quietly on the big screen TV. He had his laptop open on his lap, but closed it when his sister walked in.

"Hey," he said, "Dad went to sleep. He said to tell you to do the dishes before bed."

David glanced over at the kitchen.

"I figured you'd be home late so I took care of them."

Maddie's hair was tied back in a messy ponytail and her clothes were somewhat rumpled as she tried to slip unnoticed into the house. Having been detected, though, she came to stand in the door to the living room. At least it wasn't Dad.

"Thanks... you didn't have to do that." She gave David a guilty look.

David shrugged.

"S'okay. I got home a while ago. I needed some time to think about things."

He glanced at his sister and tried very hard to push the probable reason for her disheveled clothes and hair out of his mind.

"I guess we all have a lot to think about," she agreed, standing there with her arms crossed. There was a bit of an awkward pause as she considered maybe just going to bed and leaving this for another day, but she knew it would just be postponing the inevitable. "Did you want to talk about it?"

David was quiet for a long moment before nodding and switching off the TV. He supposed he would have to talk to her sooner or later. He moved over to give her room on the couch.

"I just don't know what I'm doing anymore. I don't know if I ever did."

Madison flopped down on the couch beside her brother with a sigh.  "That's the thing, though, David - I don't think anyone does.  We sure don't, but neither do the people who are theoretically older and wiser than us.  Joan doesn't really know what to do here, or she'd have taken things over right away and maybe a lot of the shit that happened this year wouldn't have happened the way it did.  Mr. Winters doesn't know any better either, or this Lachlan guy, or any of them.  I'm starting to think everyone just figures things out as they go along and does the best they can."

"Yeah, but not everyone knows what we know. Not everyone can do what we can do. You can talk to dead people, Maddie. I can set things on fire with my mind. When we fuck up it's going to be a lot worse than when everyone else does. Jesus, look what happened at prom..."

David put his hand on his forehead.

"That was my fault. There could be people who's lives were ruined that night because I made the wrong decision."

"Maybe." Madison was still a bit sore about how things had gone at the prom, but David looked so miserable that she sighed and shook her head. "Maybe not, though. You did what you thought was best to get everyone out of there fast. I was annoyed at you because I thought I could have gotten more info out of the ghosts if I'd had more chance to talk to them... and maybe a bit because you wrecked my dress," she added with a shrug. "But nobody's life was ruined as far as we know - or no more than having the prom messed up, which isn't the end of the world. This time."

"As far as we know..." David sighed, "We have no idea how many people left there still possessed. Or what they did afterwards. We might have been able to keep it contained at the prom but I..."

He shook his head absently.

"Maybe dad's right. Maybe it's best to leave this stuff alone."

"They probably didn't do anything stupider than they would have if they went out and got drunk after prom," Madison pointed out. "And anyway, since when do you agree with Dad about anything?" She elbowed her brother lightly.

"Trust me, I'm not exactly comfortable with the idea," David said, "And I don't agree with him. Not really. I still love magic. I mean a few months ago I would have jumped at the chance to do this for real. Besides, it's not like I can unlearn what I know. This stuff is going keep happening whether we like it or not, right? I just... I need to do better. I need to BE better. I know I'm capable of it. Remember when all the alternate David's were running around? I saw with my own eyes what I could become if I really want to. And also what I could become if I fail."

He paused and rubbed his hands together contemplative lay.

"And Mads... I'm really sorry about your dress. You looked really nice in it."

"Thanks," Maddie said, and gave David an awkward one-armed hug. "I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to do better at this stuff. I was just worried you were going to say you didn't want to do it at all. Because I don't think I could do it without you."

David returned the awkward hug.

"You could totally do this without me. Probably better. But no, you're not that lucky. Im in. Im not sure there's any way I could sit it out if I wanted to. I was in from the moment I found that book."

"Okay," Madison said, relieved. "So... what are we going to tell Dad?"

David sighed.

"I don't know. What does he know already?"

"Well, I told him about the creepers trying to buy Grandpa's house," Maddie said. "And then it kind of went from there into some other stuff... I mean, a lot of it I have the feeling he already knows anyway. Like about werewolves being a thing, and magic... and he knows about the book," she added, glancing over at David to see how he took that.

For a moment David said nothing. Then he sighed and shook his head.

"I mean... I guess I knew he might find out, you know? I just thought maybe if I could make it to graduation and move out... but I guess we have to tell him something. but what if he tries to stop us? What if he wants me to give him the book? I don't think I can do that, Maddie..."

"I don't know," she said slowly. "I don't think he will, but... he's not happy about it all, for sure. I think he doesn't trust that it'll be okay because of how things wound up with his dad, and with ... Grandma Gardener, and all that stuff."