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“That’s too far!” I exclaim. I mean sure, Baxter has a very dark past that we don’t talk about, but everyone has a history.
“Raven, babe, it gets worse…”
“That’s not possible. She said she didn’t mention the killing…”
“She didn’t. But she cites your mental breakdown and a...a suicide attempt...as the final straw that’s spurred her into action.”
“But I didn’t try to kill myself. I would never…”
“I know, shush, I know,” Baxter says soothingly. He grabs me and pulls me close, forcing me to stop pacing, and wipes away the tears that are streaming down my face.
“What am I going to do?”
“I don’t know, not right now. But I promise, I will do everything in my power to help you fight her on this. There’s no way we’re letting Phoenix go without a fight. Okay? Listen to me. I will fix this,” he insists.
He stares into my eyes and I can see the furious fire blazing in his gaze and I find myself nodding my assent. He’ll help. I know he will.
“But right now, there’s not a single thing we can do. So we’re going to go out there and have a great evening with Phoenix, do you understand? Let’s give her a proper welcome home.” Again, I nod, sniffing and drying my face.
“You go out. I’m going to have a shower to freshen up. It’s been a while.”
“Yeah, Ace called. We can talk about that later when Phoenix is in bed. You okay?”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine. Just need to wash the day away, you know?”
“Of course,” he says, switching on the shower for me before pulling me close for another hug. He kisses the top of my head and then goes to see Phoenix. I can hear her singing along to one of the songs out there. I smile briefly and then my entire being crumples.
I hit the floor hard and break. I don’t know how much fight I have left in me. I will die trying to protect Phoenix with all I have, but I fear that the war with Cordelia may just finish me off in the process.
Charlotte’s Diary
Present Day
My heart just about stopped when I saw that eviction notice. I’ve worked so hard, for so long, to keep a roof over our heads and food in our mouths. Or in Phoenix’s mouth at least. I couldn’t believe I was about to lose it all, right when I was so close to graduating and being able to make a better life for the two of us. I was crushed. Devastated. And then I got that stupid phone call from Charlie. I really need to deal with him and cut ties once and for all. He’s not a nice guy. I’ve known it for a while now, but didn’t want to admit it. I guess having Rebel, and the others to a lesser extent, back in my life, really highlighted how awful he is. Speaking of Rebel: he’s fast trying to knock Baxter off the top spot as my knight in shining armour. I was so lucky that he was there to pick up the pieces. I hate to accept charity, especially after having to rely on Baxter so much and then working so hard to stand on my own, but I’m not so stupid as to put Phoenix’s safety in jeopardy - I can recognise when I’ve lost. We needed to keep a roof over our heads somehow. I’m starting to wonder how I’ll live without Rebel when he leaves Edinburgh and goes back to wherever he came from. I’ve tried not to get emotionally involved, but it’s already way too late for that. I just hope that I can survive a second round of heartbreak.
