June 2018
Greyland, Seattle, Washington
The Pearl Pantry Diner
The setting sun was eventually replaced with the bright beautiful moon and the sky was littered with twinkling stars as the diner officially closed for the evening. A few cars were still present in the parking lot, as Paige and her friends said their goodbyes for the day.
"Alright, come here, you crazy idiots..." Paige opens her arms out to Louis and Anna. They all laughed happily as they embraced one another, smiling from ear to ear. "I'll see you guys later." She added as they all let go of each other.
Anna threw her jacket over her shoulder as she spoke. "Yeah, we'll probably come by the museum tomorrow, help out if you need it."
Paige gave a lopsided grin, as she waved a dismissive hand. "You guys are gonna be busy with other things! You don't have to do that."
Louis insisted with a smile."It's kind of an obligation, since we're friends and all."
"It's in the friendship manual!" He shrugged amusingly.
"Oh God, Louis, not this again..." She giggled, rolling her eyes as she stuffed a hand in the back pocket of her jeans.
Anna looked up at Louis with a smirk on her lips. "Is there really a friendship manual or did you make it up?"
"I literally have my own copy at home." He stated, Paige and Anna exchanging skeptic looks.
Louis huffed as he replied defensively. "What?! I'm not lying! I'll send you the PDF!"
As they continue their conversation, Danny comes up beside Paige sharing his input, as always. "One thing about Lou is that he's terrible at lying, so he really does have a PDF of that thing!" He chuckled.
"Nerd." Anna mumbled. Louis immediately cut his eyes at her. "What?! It's true!" She put up her hands as she quickly backed away and left to say goodbye to the others that were speaking near Randy's car about five or six parking spots away.
Danny spoke up, getting Louis' attention. "I'll see you at the apartment later, okay?" He leaned forward to give him a fist bump.
Louis fist bumped him back as he asked, "You guys driving back together?"
"Yep!" Paige added with a grin. "He forgot his bag at my house, again. She sighed, shaking her head. Danny rolled his eyes with a smirk..
"A very classic move on Daniel's part." Ella chimed in as she finished closing up the diner, keys jingling in her hand.
"Ha. Ha. Very funny Ella." Danny said in a monotone voice.
Louis couldn't help but steal a few glances at her as she walked up to stand beside him. They finally locked eyes and she smiled, "So, I guess I'll talk to you and Danny tomorrow?" She asked. Louis nervously cleared his throat as her eyes stayed on him. "Yeah! Yeah...we'll talk..." He got out eventually. Danny could clearly see that he was tongue-tied and spoke.
"The facility's president still has to approve your recommendation, but with your resume, you should be a shoo-in." He gave her a small reassuring smile. "Well, that's great to hear! When are we leaving?" She asked happily, excitement visible in her expression.
"In about three weeks. That's should give you enough time to get settled in, packed up and call off from work." He answered. "Nice!" She replied, with a wide smile. "But, I've gotta get going, I have a lot to do tomorrow!" She gave Paige, Danny and Louis knowing looks as they giggled.
"Alright, you two, bring it in..." Paige and Danny both wrap Ella into a quick hug. "You guys keep safe on the road!"
"We will!" They said as they both walked to Paige's car.
"Until tomorrow, Louis..." She turned to him as she spoke. Louis was still struggling to function as she continued to speak. "I just wanted to say thanks again for recommending me. You're the best guy, you know that?" She said. Louis stumbled to get his words out. His eyes darted to Paige and Danny as they eavesdropped, leaning on the car.
"Um…I mean, yeah! Sure, if you think I am!" His voice cracked. Ella laughed, her smile shining as brightly as the moon. "That was a rhetorical question, Lou."
"Oh, yeah! I…totally knew that", He muttered.
She grinned as she scooped him up into a hug, and Louis froze in place, barely breathing as her face almost buried into his shoulder. He could see Danny mouth, "Hug her! Idiot!" and he hesitantly wrapped his arms around her. The hug ended much quicker than he wanted it to, but he was definitely jumping up and down in his mind.
"Be safe." He said as she started walking to her car. "Driving…I mean." He added, wincing on the inside at his stupidity. "I certainly will, Mr. Inventor." She called him, wiggling her eyebrows. A laugh escaped him, and he could feel his cheek grow warmer. "Bye, Louis." She said with a smile.
"Yeah, bye…" He said back sheepishly. "Bye, guys!" Ella called out to Randy, Allen and the others as she honked her horn to get their attention. They all shouted out their goodbyes, and she got into her car and shut the door. Danny and Paige gave Louis a thumbs up as he began to dance happily. It was quickly interrupted by Randy honking his horn, making Louis jump.
"Come on, you dancing squirrel, it's time to go!" He called out, earning a groan from Louis. "Alright, I'm coming!" He shouted, as he begrudgingly walked over to the car. And stop calling me a damn squirrel!" He added.
Paige and Danny laughed at his antics, as they turned to each other. "Louis is a character." Paige sighed, an amused grin tugging at her lips.
"I've known him all my life and trust me, you've only seen about forty percent of what he's really like." Danny said.
"Are you saying that it gets crazier than that?!" Paige gestured to Louis at the other side of the parking lot as he thumped Randy in the head. Danny only sighed, "Ohhh yeah." His mouth formed a hard line as they watched. "He's a nutcase, that one."
"But a loveable nutcase…" Paige added, looking up at Danny with a grin. "Yeah, I guess he is…" He mumbled, as he walked to the driver's side of the car. "What was that?" Paige sang, as she gave Danny a sideways glance. "Nothing!" He replied quickly.
Paige called out to the remainder of the group. "See you guys!" They all said goodbye to her and Danny.
"You guys can come by the museum tomorrow if you're not doing anything." Paige offered. Allen responded with a quick wave and small smile. "Sure thing. Text me and lemme know if you need help with that documentary."
His eyes flickered to a more serious look."I mean it this time, you never ask for help."
"Yes, sir. I promise!" Paige playfully saluted him and let out a small laugh.
"He's right, you know?" Danny said, only loud enough for her to hear. "You gotta get better with that." He smirked as he chastised her.
"Get off my back, will you?" She groaned, fighting back a grin as he looked at him.
"I'm physically unable to do that." He joked.
"Throw me the keys, I wanna drive." He ordered, his hand was midair, ready to catch them. "It's all yours!" She said obligingly as she swiftly tossed him the keys. "Just don't scratch it, this is Uncle Char's first love." She stated, with a quick roll of her eyes, as they both sat down inside.
"I think we all know that I'm the best driver here." Danny bragged with a proud look. "Yeah, yeah, I know the story." Paige said dismissively. "You were the first one to get your license, blah, blah, blah…" She said amusingly, wiggling her fingers in the air. Danny only chuckled as he started the car and honked at the rest of the group still chatting with one another, as they left the diner's parking lot.
***
After a night full of crowded customers and laughter amongst close friends, Paige and Danny sat quietly in her car as it coasted down the quiet streets of Greyland. The moon followed them, painting the sky a beautiful midnight blue, as low music played on the radio.
Danny breathed out a content sigh, catching the attention of Paige, who was absent-mindedly staring out the window, watching the trees and building zoom by. "You know", he began as he focused on the road. I never really thought of it, but this is nice."
"Yeah? What's nice about it?" Paige's brows creased for a moment before her lips stretched into a brief smile, as she turned to look at him. He could see her expression, through the corner of his eye and something about it made his heart skip a beat. He didn't want to admit it, it was mainly because of her. Just her presence made such a simple task like driving in the night enjoyable.
"Well…" His mouth almost became dry as he searched for the words to dance around the fact that he gained feelings for her two months ago. He didn't know it would happen. But, it did, and one deep conversation, a deep dive into her beautiful mind, changed her from a good friend that he's known since freshman year, to a crush that he probably has no chance with.
He finally was able to scrounge up a viable sentence that would take the heat of him.
"…..first of all, it's quiet.." He admitted with a slight laugh.
"And thank God for that!" Paige sighed dramatically as she rolled her eyes. They both giggled. "Our friends are very....rambunctious, to say the least." She added, leaning her head on the headrest of the car seat.
"I mean, aside from Al, who literally has the personality of a Foot Guard." Danny shrugged, quickly glancing at Paige with a humorous grin.
"Oh, stop it!" Paige lightly hit him in the arm, as she defended Allen. "He has a personality, he just doesn't let certain people see it."
Danny raised an eyebrow as he questioned her. "Do certain people include me, Louis and Randy?"
"...Maybe." She squinted, playfully answering him.
"Anyways, like I was saying..." He gave her a pointed look and she put her hands up, accepting defeat. "Okay, I'll shut up." She said, trying not to grin.
Danny continued, seeming like he knew what he was saying, but in reality he was still talking in circles, avoiding the real reason, once again. "It's nice being here in Greyland, seeing all the summer decorations on the buildings and the people are all so nice and festive..." He wasn't making it up, he loves this town. Everything about it makes him feel happy, like he belongs. And Paige only added to it, and it was a great feeling, to say the least.
"And of course, the moment right now is nice too." Danny clenched his jaw and his eyes widened as he focused on the road intensely. Shit. Did he say too much? Is she going to get the idea that he might have a crush on her now?
"Is that code for saying that you like being alone with me?" She asked, giving him a sideways glance, a smile creeping on her lips. Of course, it was obvious. And Paige is too smart to be oblivious to anything. She knew Terrance liked her from the moment they met, and she would definitely catch onto Danny's feelings. Maybe he shouldn't have been so visibly annoyed at the diner when Terrance flirted with her, but he could see that Paige was anticipating his answer.
He gulped, avoiding her eyes, as he stayed locked on the streets in front of him. "....I mean, it's up for interpretation." He muttered, trying to stay cool and collected.
"Alright, then." She breathed out, sitting back into her seat. A grin was still present on her face, and it was almost cocky. No, it was more like she was almost pleased by his answer.
"If that's what you meant, then I would have to agree with you." She said softly, her voice was close to angelic.
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Danny was screaming internally, barely keeping his cool. "That's...good." He choked out. "Yeah, that's great."
"Sooo, are you excited about your internship?"
Danny could feel his muscles loosen, as well as his tight grip on the steering wheel, as he heard her question. Thank God, she changed the subject. If he talked anymore, he was going to back himself into a corner and then, he would've had to actually confess to her.
"Oh, excited is an understatement!" He said with a bright smile. It was contagious, and Paige couldn't help but smile back as he continued. "Louis and I are gonna plow straight through those other interns, you'll see." He stared at the road with a dreamy twinkle in his eye.
"The unstoppable force strikes again." Paige added confidently.
"See? You're getting it!" He pointed contently at her, earning a laugh.
She sighed, almost sharing that same dreamy twinkle that Danny had. “To be honest, sometimes, I wish I had what you guys do. Always doing stuff in pairs. Never having to ride solo."
Danny quickly gave a look of curiosity, causing her shift in her seat. "I mean sure I have Anna, but she has different dreams, bigger dreams.” His expression shifted from curiosity to sympathy. His brows knitted together as he spoke. "You don't think your dreams are big?"
Paige opened her mouth to say something, looking everywhere but at him. "Well, I-" She huffed as she looked at the spinner ring on her finger, as she began to rotate it nervously, "I mean, Anna becoming an Olympian is pretty freaking big, if you ask me." She muttered, with a weak laugh.
"You're avoiding the question..." Danny mentioned, having a few spare seconds to take his eyes off the road due to a stop light. His eyes focused on her. She took a deep inhale as she proceeded to answer.
"I'm just saying that I've been in Greyland all of my life and I love my life here." She turned to him, with an earnest look.
"I have my great aunt and uncle, my friends, I just got appointed by the mayor to do something that I've always dreamed of doing!" A hint of smile was only visible for a second before it disappeared again, and was replaced by a clenched jaw.
"But, there's always that little echo, in the back of my brain, that's just a little curious about...other things."
"Other things like...your parents?" Danny asked, cautiously noticing her darkened expression as she quickly turned away from him.
"Yeah...my parents." She muttered. Danny immediately regretted his decision to bring up the topic. "...I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything." He said quickly. "No. No, it's okay." She mumbled reassuringly, still not looking at him, as she focused on the turning metal piece of her ring.
"I don't know who they were, what they were, if they even wanted me..." She admitted with a small shrug, her shoulders falling.
"All I know is that their names were Reyna and Walter and they're dead. Gone. There's not even a trace of them. I even snuck into Uncle Charlie's office computer at home and in the museum and there's nothing there..."
Danny didn't know if it was his place to say anything, or even do anything for that matter. So, he said the only thing he could say. "I'm sorry, Paige."
"It's fine. It has to be. How else am I going to let it go and move on with my life?" She huffed.
Danny would never know what it's like to not have parents. He had a mother and father that loved him but they lived in an entirely different city. But with Paige's situation, it kind of makes him appreciate them more. But, he couldn't help but feel a great deal of sympathy for Paige, who was barely speaking now. She was in her own head. And as her friend, he needed to help her out. "Listen, there’s nothing wrong with always being on your own..." He reassured her gently.
"And with a social battery like yours, you’d probably get really fucking annoyed, really quick. He smiled, as a laugh eventually escaped her.
"I guess you're right..." She sighed with a shrug.
Danny continued. "You're doing great things right now. And so what if you're not flying out to a different state for an internship every summer because of your best friend, who you drags you along?!" He rolled his eyes.
"I've been stuck with Louis for years and I love the man, don't get me wrong," He huffed. "But sometimes, I just wonder what it would feel like to do just one thing on my own for a little while."
Paige raised an eyebrow at his statement. "Do you think Louis would take that well?" She asked with a concerning look.
Danny only scoffed. "Not at all. I wholeheartedly think that he would cry and beg me to stay, like I was breaking up with him or something."
"One thing for sure is that Louis sure loves you." Paige shook her head.
"And I could never do that to him. I just....don't have it in me." He sighed heavily, with a defeated look.
Paige huffed as she looked at him. "But Danny, if you don't, you'll just feel resentment towards him." She said, giving him a pointed look.
"I know..." He trailed off, going over the options in his head, as he drummed his fingers on the wheel.
"Maybe you could buy him a whole case of orange fanta and tell him then? You know he goes feral over that stuff." She suggested, with a lopsided grin.
Danny let out a sharp laugh, "I've tried that and it backfired, like a lot." He nodded as he pointed a finger at her with his other hand as he drove.
"Oof. You didn't tell me that story!" Paige gave him a quick glance with a smirk.
"Because it's so embarrassing that I've never told anyone!" Danny's voice almost raised to a squeal, his eyes getting bigger with a quick shrug.
He looked at her for a moment, noticing the look that he was giving him. She wanted to know. Of course she couldn't help her. "But...since you're extremely good at keeping secrets," He dragged, exchanging a glance with her. "Yeahhh?" Paige's smile spread as she matched the drag of his voice.
"I'll tell you." He said quickly, followed by Paige pumping her fist as she cheered.
"Yes!" He could only laugh at her excitement, as she quickly shifted her body towards him.
"Okay, I'm all ears!"
***
Danny and Paige pull into the driveway of a slightly large two-story traditional styled home. The other homes beside them almost looked identical to each other. Big houses and beautiful patches of green grass and the cleanest streets you could imagine, Greyland's town was just nothing short of incredible, which definitely explains why everyone is in love with being here. He parks the car and settles back into the driver's seat. "Welp, here you are. Back at your house, safe and sound." He grinned.
Paige smiled at him as she spoke with a tired grin. "Thanks again for driving. That food at the diner surely would've had me passing out at the wheel." They shared a laugh.
"Then, you shouldn't eat so much! At least save enough for a to-go plate like me." He teased, gesturing to his plate in the backseat.
"If I did that, Uncle Charlie would raid the fridge until he found them and eat everything himself!" She laughed.
"Ohhh, so you get your greediness from him, then!" He sang playfully, an evil grin plastered on his face.
Paige's smile went thin as he continued to look at her grinning, she avoided his eyes, fighting back at a laugh. "You're such an asshole, you know that?"
"You totally love me, though. Admit it." He said proudly, causing Paige to scoff and roll her eyes. "That's it, get your big headed ass out of my car."
"You didn't say no..." Danny pushed, earning a silly grin from Paige as she slipped out of the car. "Out! Now!" She ordered.
Danny smirked as he got out of the car himself and closed the door behind him. They walked side by side through the freshly cut grass to the front door, until something caught Paige's eye.
"Huh. Why is the garage door open?"
CRASH! They both jump at the loud noise coming from the brightly lit garage, followed by an older woman's voice.
"Charlie?! What was that? The woman said from inside the house. "Ummm, nothing, sweetie!" An older man's voice ringing through the open garage. He laughed nervously as he talked to himself. "I've got to fix it, before she finds out that I broke it again!"
"Uncle Charlie, are you okay in there?" Paige called out to him, sharing a concerning glance with Danny.
"Oh, Paige! You're back!" He called out. They could hear his footsteps nearing the garage door and soon the gray haired, pale skinned tall older man appeared.
"What the heck are you doing this time, Uncle Char?" She said with a sigh as he enveloped her into a hug, and kissed the top of her head. "No need to worry, my little ladybug. I'm just doing another one of my repairs."
He let go of her and immediately went over to Danny and fist bumped him. "What's going on, Danny?" He greeted him coolly.
"Nothing much, Mr. C. Just came to get my bag." He replied with a shrug. "Well, you can go ahead and grab it, the door is open." Charlie said, pointing to the door in the garage, leading to the inside of the house. "Alright, thanks!" Danny said as he jogged towards the door inside and opened it. His voice could still be heard from outside. "Hey, Mrs. Donna, have you seen my bag?"
"Got it right here, Danny!" The older woman called out contently.
Paige's voice was still dripping with concern as she spoke from behind him, walking into the garage to see what he was repairing.
"Why are you repairing your old desk at eleven o'clock at night?! You're supposed to be getting some rest, not extra work." She turned to him as he walked inside the garage.
"Uncle Charlie, you know what the doctor said-" Her expression was serious as she looked at him.
"I know, I know..." Charlie said gently as he grabbed her face. "But, I feel fine, sweetheart." He said with a light chuckle.
But Paige's expression didn't move an inch. "Are you sure?" She said with a bit of authority behind her voice.
"Yes! I'm sure." He reassured her, finding amusement in her state of seriousness, kissing the middle of her forehead. "You worry way too much for your age, ladybug."
"I worry about you, because I love you, Uncle Charlie." She said, gently pulling his hand down from her face and holding them in hers. "You and Aunt Donna are the only family that I have, so I can't lose you."
A look of sympathy spread across Charlie's face, as he thought about his next words. "Paige," He began, holding her hand tightly. "Are you sure you are happy here?" He asked, the somberness in his voice, surprising her.
"Of course, I am. Why would think I wasn't-"
The light laughter of Donna and Danny interrupted their conversation, as they both walked inside of the garage. Charlie and Paige let go of each other's hands. Her mind began to trouble her as she thought about what Charlie asked her.
"Thanks again, Mrs. Donna. I'll make sure to tell Louis to come by." Danny said with a smile. "Yeah! You know the door is always open for your guys!" She sang.
She walks over to Paige, kisses her cheek, and gives her a hug, lightly squeezing her from her side. Paige smiled halfheartedly as she hugged her back. Danny's brows slightly furrowed at her expression, but he quickly switched to a smile keeping his facade up for Donna and Charlie.
"Thank you so much for getting our little ladybug back home safely." She said with a laugh as Paige huffed, her dark skin nearly glowed under the bright garage lights, and you could see the details in her short coily hair as it bounced with every movement she made.
"No problem, it's the least I could do." Danny winked at Paige, making her giggle. Danny looked at the time on his touchscreen watch and sighed. "Well, it's getting late and Louis is going to freak if I don't get to the apartment by midnight."
"So, have a very goodnight, Mrs. Donna and Mr. C." He said with a silly bow, earning a laugh from them both. "Goodnight, Danny."
They both turned to walk back inside the house, leaving Paige and Danny to say goodbye to each other.
"They're so cool." He mutters, making Paige grin. "They are." She agreed looking inside the house.
Danny finally let his facade wash away, his brows furrowing once more. "So, what happened while I was gone? Did Charlie say something?"
Paige was still deep in thought until she realized what he said "What? Oh. Um...no he didn't. It's fine." She said, shaking her head.
"Are you sure? You don't look fine." He said as he examined her face. "Was it about what we talked about earlier?" He muttered, barely enough for Donna and Charlie to hear them. "No...Danny, I'm just..." She struggled to find her words, trying her best to get him to stop.
"I'm just tired... that's all." She finally said.
He knew something was wrong, something was bothering her. He wanted to push further, but he could see that right now, definitely wasn't a good time. "Okay..." He said with a cautious nod. "But, if anything is wrong, you'd tell me, right?"
"Danny, of course, I would. You know that." She said, forcing a quick smile. "I'm just making sure." He said as he grabbed her hand, their fingers just barely interlocking. Paige looked up at him, barely choking out,"I know."
"Are you sure you're gonna be alright walking back to the apartment?" She asked, with a slight crease of her brow. Danny found her worriedness amusing as his mouth tugged into a grin.
He continued speaking in a low voice, it was almost gentle as he looked straight into her eyes. "You ask me that every time-"
Paige sighed, finishing his words with a slight roll of her eyes. "Yeah, I know, 'You'll be alright, it's only-
They said simultaneously, both sharing a giggle as wide toothy grins plastered on their faces. "Three minutes away."
"You know me like a book, Ashton. He said teasingly as she crossed her arms, looking away from him, as if she was trying to hide her blushing face
"Ugh..." She huffed, with a small smile and a shake of her head. "I freaking hate it when you call me that." She muttered. They locked eyes only for a moment before she continued.
"I can watch you before I go, it's really not a problem." She pushed. Her stubbornness created butterflies in his stomach, a smile still on his lips.
"Even though I'd like that very much..." He began, Paige quickly laughing through her nose. "I'm good. I promise." He said with a reassuring nod as he straightened out the straps of his backpack on his shoulder.
"You know what we always say, nothing bad ever happens in good ol' Greyland!" He announced in a sing-song voice as he playfully wiggled his hands in the air with a bright smile.
Paige cringed as she lifted a palm to her face with an exasperated sigh. "Stop being such a lovable dork and come here." She opened her arms to him and he willingly embraced her, his towering form almost enveloping her. The smell of his cologne was pleasing to her nose, it was sweet, delightful even. They release each other reluctantly.
"I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked her softly, giving her a small smile.
"Yeah, for sure." She said, a slight breathlessness in her voice.
"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, once more, with a quick enlargement of his eyes.
Paige giggled as she gently pushed a fist into his shoulder "Yeah, get out of here, before Louis bursts a vein in that big head of his!"
"Okay, fine..." He sighed, begrudgingly backing away from her, his eyes never wavering from her form.
"Goodnight." He said with a dip of his head and grin.
"Night, Danny..." She muttered, her hands entering the front pockets of her jeans, as they continued to smile at each other, before he turned around and left. He turned the corner and his figure was no more. She sighed heavily as she turned around and dragged her feet to the door of the garage and pressed the button beside it to make it come down. She quietly walked into her house, and spotted Donna drying off her hands with a towel in the kitchen.
"Hey, hun!" Donna called out to her, as Paige neared the kitchen. "Hey, Aunt Donna." She said with a half smile.
"I already cleaned the dishes and made you a dinner plate for tomorrow." She stated, drying off her hands. "Charlie just went upstairs to change out of his "repairing uniform" as he calls it, but you can go ahead and take a shower and go to bed."
Paige's troubled expression nearly caught her off guard. "What's wrong, Ladybug?" She asked softly as she walked up to her. Donna was the only one that helped make sense of things when she was growing up in Greyland, she was her rock and Paige was hers. Maybe she can help her make sense of this too.
"Aunt Donna, while I was talking to Uncle Charlie in the garage, he asked me if I was happy about being in Greyland. Like maybe there was somewhere else I could be happier in?" She asked, her voice riddled with confusion.
"Well, maybe Uncle Charlie was just referring to all of your friends that are going to internships and vacations this summer, and wanted to know if you're happy staying here?" Donna suggested as she leaned on the kitchen counter.
"Maybe...but it just sounded like he meant something more..." She told her, her brows knitting together, as she stared into space.
Donna gave her a sympathetic look and grabbed her hand gently "Paige, I'm sure Char meant nothing by it, okay?"
"What did we say about overthinking?" Donna asked, her eyes softening as she looked into Paige's. "It causes gray hair and wrinkles." Paige said with a small smile. "That's my girl!" Donna muttered as she kissed Paige's nose, making her scrunch her face up. "Now, go take a shower and go to bed!" Donna ordered, making her giggle. "Fine, I'm going!" As she made her way, to the stairs that lead to the second floor.
"Good night!" Paige called out as she jogged up the stairs. "Goodnight, love!" Donna called back. With swiftness, Paige took her shower and was off to bed after a very eventful day. It took her some time to finally quiet her mind full of questions about her parents, and the question that rang ever so loudly:
Are you happy here?
It was a complicated answer. She loves everything about Greyland. This was where she was raised, this was all she ever knew. But if there was something more? Something out there that could help her find out what happened to mother and father? Donna and Charlie barely mentioned them and all they ever said was exactly the same thing.
"They were dead, and that's all you really need to know..."
But that question only made it seem like there was something else. Something that haven't been telling her-
"Donna, she's old enough now, we need to tell her."
Paige's eyes shot open as she heard Donna and Charlie's voices from the living room.
"Charlie, no."
"The more that we keep this from her, the worse it's going to be when she finally finds out herself!" Charlie said in a raised voice.
She lifted up her body, sitting up in her bed and she focused on their voices. Her eyes were moving around in thought.
"Keep it down, Charlie." She ordered him in hushed tones.
"We can't keep her in this bubble any longer, Donna! She hasn't asked questions yet, but she will!"
Were they arguing? About her? She could tell from the sharpness in their voices. Maybe, this was her chance to find something out. Paige creeped out of bed, as she listened to their conversation. Her bare feet touching her soft carpeted floor. Thank God this floor barely squeaks.
"We have to be prepared to let her go!" Charlie begged.
"You don't think I know that?!" She gritted through her teeth.
"What happens if SIRE comes back, huh?" Charlie asked. "What then?"
Paige snuck to the door in her room and opened it just a crack, to slip through. She tiptoed down the hallway to the living room, and hid behind the wall just above the stairwell to hear their voices clearly.
"SIRE isn't coming back, Charlie. They showed up on our doorstep, and told us to raise her and keep her safe and that's exactly what we've been doing!"
What kind of jargon are they speaking?! SIRE? Not coming back? Were they in some kind of trouble with "SIRE"?
"I'm not talking about Paige!" He raised his voice just over a whisper, but Paige could tell that he was angry.
"What if they come looking for us to help them with the Order?"
The Order? Paige was trying to understand, but the more they spoke she just became more puzzled. Her brows knitted in confusion at their words, but also in frustration because she's never heard them like this before. They were always the happiest couple in her eyes, but maybe that was just a facade they put up.
"They wouldn't do that!" Donna almost shouted at the top of her lungs, but she held back. Paige nearly jumped at her increased volume.
"We said that we were done back in Nevada, and then they gave us Paige. I didn't argue with them because she's my niece and I loved her regardless of whatever fuck Reyna and that other motherfucker did!"
Paige's eyes widened as she heard her mother's name. What did she have to do with any of this?
"And I told Brexwerry and her lover boy to kick rocks after all of that." She said with a shaky voice.
"Sweetheart, Nadia and Finn we're just trying to help-"
"Yeah, and look where that got us!" She cried softly, thinking Paige was still asleep. "I brought my nieces to her, thinking they would be safe, and they-"
She couldn't finish her statement as she silently cried, Charlie wrapping his arms around her, comforting her as she wept.
"Charlie, I can't lose Paige, I just can't..."
She sobbed.
Paige had never seen Donna and Charlie like before. Nearly shouting at one
another. If anything, now she feels worse than ever, and has even more questions now.
What was in Nevada? Who's Nadia and Finn? What was SIRE? And most importantly, what did her mother and father do?
She didn't know that Donna and Charlie were capable of keeping things from her, but after tonight, she was more than determined to figure out what they were hiding.