Thalia's arms trembled as she carried Macht back toward the picnic area, her mind still spinning from what she'd seen in the forest, the woman, the strange warmth, the feeling that clung to her chest like a dream she couldn't shake. But the second she broke through the line of trees, that confusion vanished.
Beryl was on her knees beside the picnic blanket, sobbing. Her hands clutched at the grass, nails digging into the dirt, and her face was buried against her arm. Thalia's stomach dropped when she realized Jason wasn't there. His toys were scattered near the edge of the blanket, one of his little cars crushed into the dirt as if someone had stepped on it.
"Where's Jason!?" Thalia and Macht shouted at the same time, their voices overlapping in panic.
For a brief second, Thalia froze. Macht never raised his voice. Ever. But there wasn't time to think about that. She rushed forward, setting him gently on the blanket before kneeling in front of her mother.
Beryl didn't look up. Her whole body was shaking.
"Mom!" Thalia's voice broke. "Where is he? Where's Jason?"
Beryl didn't respond. Her breathing was uneven, ragged, like she couldn't get enough air.
Thalia reached out, gripping her shoulder. "Mom, answer me!"
Beryl finally lifted her head. Her eyes were red and wet, her expression hollow. She opened her mouth slowly, her voice trembling. "He's as good as dead."
Thalia's heart dropped. For a moment, she couldn't even breathe. The words hit her harder than anything else ever had.
"What... what do you mean?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. But Beryl didn't answer. She just looked down again, her tears falling into the grass.
Thalia's throat tightened. "You're lying," she said, her voice shaking. "You're lying, right? You didn't even look for him! You just sat here and cried!"
"You were with him! You were right here! How could you just—" Her voice broke again, and she stopped, choking on the words.
Beryl said nothing.
Thalia's body trembled with anger and fear. She turned away from her mother and looked toward the trees. "Hold on, Macht," she said quietly, lifting her brother again. "We're finding him."
"Thalia..." Macht murmured weakly, his voice barely a whisper.
She didn't stop. "I have to," she said. "I'm not leaving him out there."
She ran into the forest, calling Jason's name again and again until her voice grew hoarse. The sunlight cut through the leaves in bright streaks, making it hard to see. Her heart pounded as she searched every shadow, every tree, but there was nothing.
Macht stirred weakly in her arms before going still again, his breathing shallow. "Thalia... I'm tired," he whispered before falling unconscious.
"Stay with me, Macht," she said, her voice breaking. But there was no response.
She searched until her legs gave out, collapsing near the edge of the lake, tears streaming down her face. "Jason!" she screamed one last time, her voice cracking, but the forest stayed silent. The only sound that followed was the soft lapping of water against the shore, mocking her desperation.
That's when she felt a hand seize her arm.
"Enough," Beryl's voice said, low and trembling.
Thalia whipped around, eyes wide and wild. "No! Let me go! I have to find him!" Her voice broke halfway through the sentence, raw from crying.
Beryl's grip tightened, far stronger than Thalia expected. "You'll get yourself killed."
"Then at least I'll be doing something!" Thalia shouted, struggling against her, her soaked hair clinging to her face. "You just sat there crying! You didn't even try to look!"
Beryl flinched slightly but didn't respond. Her silence only made Thalia's anger burn hotter. "Say something!" she screamed, her voice shaking as tears continued to fall. "Please... just tell me where he is!"
Beryl's expression stayed distant, unreadable. She looked past Thalia for a moment, toward the forest, before turning away. "Get in the car." Her tone was flat, but there was a quiet break in her voice that she tried to hide.
Thalia stared at her, disbelief mixing with fury. "You can't just—"
"Get in," Beryl repeated, sharper this time.
Thalia's legs felt weak, her throat raw. She didn't understand why Beryl was acting like this, why she wouldn't even say his name. But the exhaustion won out. She let herself be pulled toward the car, her body moving on autopilot.
Beryl helped her into the back seat, seeing Macht lay unconscious, his head resting limply against her shoulder. Seeing him like that only shattered Thalia further. She clutched him tightly, sobbing into his shoulder. "I'm sorry, Jason," she whispered between gasps, her voice breaking again. "I'm so sorry... I'm sorry, Macht..."
The car door closed with a heavy sound. Beryl got in without looking back at her, her hands gripping the wheel tightly. The road ahead was dark, the headlights cutting through the mist in thin, trembling beams.
Thalia's cries still echoed in her chest as she held Macht close, his small body limp and pale against her. Beryl didn't speak, her hands gripping the steering wheel as if it were the only thing keeping her from disappearing into herself. The faint glint of the bottle in the cup holder caught Thalia's eye, and her stomach twisted with a mixture of fear and disgust.
It didn't take long for them to reach home. Thalia was the first to get out of the car, still clutching Macht, moving with a mechanical precision born from urgency and exhaustion. She stepped into the quiet house, ignoring her mother completely, and carried Macht straight upstairs.
She placed him on his bed carefully, smoothing the blankets around him. "Rest as much as you can," she murmured softly, brushing a lock of hair from his face. Macht's breathing was shallow but steady, and she allowed herself a brief, shaky breath.
Then she turned to his drawers, pulling out a bag and packing it with the essentials. She set it carefully beside the bed, making sure everything he might need was within reach. She knew her mother wouldn't enter the room; Beryl hadn't in months, and Thalia wasn't expecting miracles.
After making sure Macht was settled, Thalia moved to her own room and packed her things as well. Her hands trembled slightly as she worked, but her movements were deliberate. She had been patient with her mother, had allowed her to vent and disappear into herself as long as her brothers were protected. But today was different. Macht had almost been lost, and Jason was gone. How had she allowed this to happen? Her fists clenched until her knuckles turned white.
Finally, she stormed downstairs to the kitchen, her anger boiling over. Beryl sat slouched in a chair, the bottle in her hand, her eyes bleary and unfocused. The smell of alcohol hung thick in the air.
"What happened to Jason?" Thalia demanded, her voice sharp and trembling with fury. "Why did you let this happen? Why did you leave him alone?"
Beryl's eyes flicked toward her, bleary and red-rimmed. "Why are you doing this, Thalia?" she slurred, trying to turn it back on her daughter.
"This isn't about me!" Thalia snapped, taking a step closer. "It's about Jason! You were supposed to protect him! How could you just sit there and do nothing?"
"I did what I could!" Beryl shot back, her voice rising. "You think I wanted this? You think I care that you're yelling at me?"
"You didn't care!" Thalia yelled, tears streaming down her face. "You didn't even look for him! You just drank and sat there while he disappeared! Do you even understand what you've done?"
Beryl's face twisted in anger and shame, but she stayed silent for a moment. "You think I have all the answers?" she finally said, her voice shaky but defiant. "You think this is easy for me?"
"This isn't about you!" Thalia screamed, shaking her fists. "It's about my brothers! You failed them! You failed Jason!"
Beryl flinched at the words but said nothing. She took a slow sip from the bottle, her eyes dark and distant, staring into the glass like it held all the answers she could never give.
Thalia's chest heaved as she glared at her mother, her fists still clenched tightly around Macht's bag. Her mind raced, replaying every second of the picnic, every moment she had trusted Beryl, every careless choice that had put her brothers in danger. She could feel her heart breaking for Jason, for Macht, for herself.
She realized she wasn't going to get anything else from her mother. No answers, no apologies, no explanation. Beryl wasn't going to fix this. She wasn't going to admit she had failed. And any attempt to get through to her now would be wasted effort.
She lowered herself onto the mattress, curling up with her knees to her chest. Her head fell onto the pillow, and the tears she had been holding back finally came, soaking the fabric. She didn't try to stop them. She couldn't. There was too much grief, too much frustration, too much helplessness.
All she could do was cry, letting her body shake with the weight of everything she couldn't control. Macht slept, oblivious to the storm raging around him. Thalia whispered over and over, "I'll protect you, I promise..."