Chapter Text
"Agnes," the lawyer said gently, "We need your help to testify against your brother, okay? Now, let's try this again-"
Agnes stomped her foot indignantly. "No! I don't wanna! I wanna see him, where is he?" She practically screeched. She'd been crying for an hour at this point, clinging to a doll like a lifeline. Her Christmas gift had been confiscated, seeing as it was evidence, and the police agreed to get her a duplicate of the doll to keep her happy.
Agnes was the only witness, afterall. Both sides of the legal battle wanted her happy and compliant. The defending wanted to get Agnes to agree that her brother was insane so he could be put away for his horrifically brutal crimes. But Agnes was resistant and only wanted to see her brother, which gave the accused something to work with.
"If we let him see you," Dr. Laura Stone offered gently, "Will you cooperate with us?" The woman was tall, plain but pretty. The judge had insisted that the young girl seek psychiatric help after being taken into police custody, especially if her testament was to be taken seriously.
Agnes didn't say anything but she nodded, cheeks still damp from freshly shed tears. She slid her little hand into Dr. Stone's and let herself be led down the hallway. Currently, Agnes was staying in the same holding facility as Billy simply because she was so young. No one was sure what to do with her, seeing as she had no living family anywhere and any attempts to reach her grandparents were met with dead air. Maybe the sheer amount of media attention closed that door for her entirely. At the time, it wasn't known for sure.
The little girl didn't remember much. Some adults talked as she was ushered into the little play area. The room was small but cute, decorated with colorful toys and soft places to sit. The walls were stark white and the carpet under her dress shoes was decorated like winding roads and tiny houses. But what caught her eye was the little wooden table with three tiny chairs pulled up to it. Crayons and paper littered the table and Agnes made herself comfortable as she began scribbling away. She drew her family - her mom, dad, and herself all smiling and happy.
But then she paused.
Reaching for a red crayon, Agnes began adding more. Blood spewing from her mother's neck, her dad's smile being turned into a scream, and herself covered in blood. Still smiling, but stained with blood. She took a green crayon and drew Billy. Tall, lanky, hair wild and crazy even in her simple crayon drawing. But he was holding little drawing-Agnes' hand and the two were still smiling.
"Agnes?" Dr. Stone's voice cut through the buzzing in her ears, her head snapping up like she'd been caught doing something bad. She quickly tucked the drawing under the table out of sight, hoping Dr. Stone hadn't seen. "Your brother is here…" The woman seemed nervous from where she stood in the doorway, like she was smelling something rancid. But she stepped aside and let Billy into the doorway.
He was exactly like her drawing. Long, messy hair and sunken, green eyes. Far too pale to be healthy and so skinny it looked like a sharp wind could blow him over. His wrists were fastened together with handcuffs and he wore a muzzle. He'd previously bitten several officers in an attempt to get free. And Agnes would never know just how hard he fought to get to her.
An armed officer nudged Billy into the room and he stumbled slightly before shuffling forward. Now face to face with his sister, he didn't know what to say or do.
Agnes made the decision for him. She held out a blue crayon and offered a small smile.
He joined her at the table, sat cross-legged on the floor beside her and his wrists awkwardly clinked as he tried to draw with her. Periodically, Billy twitched or muttered some curse under his breath, desperately trying to keep his voice down so the guards staring him down wouldn't take him away too soon.
"Are Mommy and Daddy dead?" Agnes finally asked him.
Billy seemed stunned, though she wasn't sure why. He spared a glance over his shoulder like he was nervous. She followed his gaze to the officer and Dr. Stone having a quiet conversation outside the door and Billy leant in closer, his whispers for her ears only. "Yes."
Agnes frowned. "Does that mean they're not coming to get us?"
Chewing anxiously at the peeling skin on his chapped lips, Billy shook his head. "No. N-no, no, they're gone."
"Why?" She asked, finally setting her crayons down to look at him.
Billy winced. "She- Sh-She was, um, she was… Mom was- was hurting me." His voice was low and scratchy, sharp yet soft all at once. A walking contradiction even then.
"Hurting you?"
He nodded again. "She, um, she didn't let me…" Billy seemed to mull his words over in his head before looking at her anxiously. He wasn't sure how to explain the abuse to himself, let alone to her. Doctors and police had been peppering him with these questions for days now and he always found himself unable to speak. The terror that his mother would somehow overhear him and come after him - even in her death - was terrifying to him.
"Like Cinderella?" Agnes asked innocently, stunning Billy. "Her evil stepmother made her clean all the time and- and she was super unhappy."
Billy felt his shoulders drop somewhat. "Yes." He nodded and swallowed hard. "L-Like Cinderella. Cinderella." He raised his hands to chew at the skin around his cuticles. "K-killed her like Ursula. Fat pig bitch." His words were a growl at the end but it trailed off to a whine. "Sorry. B-bad words."
Agnes giggled. "It's okay, Mommy used to say really bad stuff sometimes." A silence passed between them before she reached under the table and slid the drawing of their family over to Billy, watching the adults in the doorway to make sure they didn't see.
"What-?" Billy started but froze when he saw the drawing. He lifted it up, sniffling a little until tears began to fall. Agnes was confused. Why was he sad? Wouldn't he be happy seeing pictures of their parents dead? Wasn't that why he killed them?
"Billy?"
"I'm- I'm s-sorry," Billy stammered through sobs, clutching the drawing and bowing his head to try and hide his face. "I'm sorry, Agnes, I'm sorry-"
The young girl threw her arms around his neck, tears springing to her own eyes when he didn't hug her back. "It's okay, Billy."
Billy just let himself bawl into his sister's shirt, touched by her genuine innocence, only stopping when the guard pulled them apart, despite both of their kicking and screaming.
…
"Billy?"
Green eyes rapidly blinked back to the present. His mind raced to catch up to where he was: the sorority. The girls had caught him but they were letting him stay. His clothes had been changed and he'd showered. Everyone had made breakfast together and now he was playing Candyland with Barb and Phyll.
"Billy." He repeated back in Barb's concerned tone. "Billy. Billy? Billy."
Barb snorted, nudging him with her foot as Phyll just gave him a bewildered look. "Yeah, Billy, your turn."
As he drew a color card, Peter's annoying voice interrupted the peace, making Billy grind his teeth in anger. "Do you really think she's getting an abortion?"
Phyll sighed, loud and long. "Peter, that's the fifth time you've asked us since she left. We. Don't. Know!"
"If she's smart, she will." Barb said with a snort.
"Don't say that!" Peter seemed annoyed, rounding on Barb even as she lounged, unbothered, on the old living room rug. "Don't say that, she's not that selfish. She knows a baby will be good for us."
Barb barked out a laugh and Phyll just sighed, sharing a look of frustration with Billy. He just shrugged and moved his little piece to the blue space and paused at the sight of the color. Blue crayons, the smell of ozone in the institution, words scraping at his brain- "Stupid, nasty-!" He hissed, clapping a hand over his mouth to muffle his growling.
Phyll's eyes widened and she let out a soft gasp, ignoring Peter and Barb's bickering. That voice. She knew that voice, how could she forget? They'd heard it just last night, shrieking at them over the phone - calling them nasty pig bitches and threatening to kill them.
The Moaner was just sitting on the living room floor playing fucking Candyland with them.
So she did the only thing she could. She scrambled backwards until her back hit the couch and she bolted for the phone. But Billy was on her heels in an instant, yanking the plastic from her hands and flinging the whole damn thing across the room. Barb and Peter were watching now, both clearly confused. "He's-!" Phyll shrieked, flinching when Billy stood over her with a menacing stare. "Barb, he's-! He's the Moaner!"
Barb got up slowly, her cigarette loosely hanging from her lips. "I know."
| | |
Agnes smoothed her skirt out as she crossed one knee over the other. Her gaze was boring holes into Jess from her spot across from her. They were sitting in a very elegant and clean living room - two couches facing each other with a coffee table between them. The room had a strong Victorian feeling to it, old antiques seeming right at home in the blue and satin white room. Doilies decorated the tables and Agnes herself looked like she was out of a time capsule. Far too dressed up to be just hanging out at home, though, judging by the few family photos that lined the walls nearby, her adoptive parents must've had a strict dress code for the girls.
Despite Agnes being only ten, Jess felt like the young girl was in control here.
"Where are your parents?" She asked cautiously, glancing at the front door just past the awning.
"Out." Agnes said curtly. "It's just me, my sister, and Nora."
Jess frowned slightly. "Nora isn't your sister?"
"No." Agnes shrugged lightly. "Nora just got here. Stacey and I have been sisters since I moved here." She reached for the table, lifting her little teacup and stirring a cube of sugar in, seeming far too adult for her young age. Jess mirrored her and took a drink from her own floral cup. "Who are you and what do you want?"
Jess swallowed the tea down and straightened up. "I'm Jess Bradford, I'm a student at-"
"You mentioned my brother." Agnes cut her off, glaring sharply. "How do you know my brother?"
Letting out a soft breath, Jess cleared her throat. "He… was at a party my sorority threw. We talked, he, um, mentioned you." Agnes raised a single eyebrow but motioned for her to continue. "He misses you."
But that must've been the wrong answer, as Agnes instantly prickled up. "Oh, so Billy is just going around telling random girls at parties about me? Cut the crap, I know you're here to try and interview me. I'll tell my parents-"
"I'm not lying!" Jess insisted. "He was crying and said your name."
Agnes set her cup down on the table and crossed her arms. "So you, what, stalked me? I haven't seen Billy in years, what makes you think I want anything to do with him?"
That caught her off guard. From what Jess had skimmed in various articles, Agnes had reportedly been very clingy to Billy and had cried when they tried to get her to testify against him. Then there was nothing. No follow ups, no interviews with Billy afterwards, just vague footnotes in articles about how the children hadn't seen each other since the trial. No one knew why and no one had the chance to ask Agnes.
No one but Jess.
"Why?" She asked around a heavy tongue.
The young girl seemed confused, uncrossing her arms till her hands rested in her lap. "What?"
"Why haven't you two seen each other?"
Agnes looked down at her hands, seeming to finally deflate. She looked truly ten years old now, sorrowful and scared. "He killed my parents," she said quietly.
Jess wasn't convinced though. Agnes' words were too rehearsed, too formulaic. "You refused to leave your brother's side during the trial. What happened?"
"He killed my parents!" Agnes insisted, her hands clutching into fists as she glared at Jess with wet eyes. "He killed my parents, that's why! I'm an orphan because of him!"
"I don't believe you." Jess said, sitting back with the clinical air of a psychologist.
Agnes looked shocked, tears rolling down her cheeks. "W-what?"
Jess knew there was more to it, there had to be. There was something the young girl wasn't telling her and she had a feeling it was important. "I don't think you believe what you're saying either."
The two stared at each other in silence for a long time. Agnes hung her head and cried silently into her lap for a while before sniffing hard once. She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by an older girl appearing in the awning. Blonde and tall, likely a few years older than Agnes was. "Hey, sis, I-"
"Get out." Agnes mumbled.
"Aggie, who the hell is this?" The girl stared at Jess like her mere presence was an insult.
"Stacey, get out!" Agnes finally shrieked, standing up in her sudden anger. Stacey quickly disappeared and the fight left Agnes all at once. She deflated, falling back onto the couch and sighing. A long silence passed before she spoke again. "Billy was the only family I had," she said quietly, picking at the edge of her dress and hiding her eyes behind her curly bangs. "My mother says that he's evil and that I should hate him. That he was the devil or that he used to abuse me and I just- don't remember." Agnes dragged the toe of her shoe against the carpet, clearly an anxious fidgeter like Billy was. The thought made Jess smile a little. "But that's not how I remember Billy."
Jess got up off her couch and inched towards Agnes to join her at her side. "How do you remember Billy?"
Lifting her head felt like a Herculean task but Agnes managed to stare at Jess with tired eyes. She looked both twenty and ten all at once and it made Jess's heart hurt a little to see. "I… honestly don't remember him very much." Her voice was soft, like they were sharing a secret. "The only memory I have of him that wasn't anything about his murders is…"
…
Agnes was barely three years old, toddling around her room and playing with the little unicorn toy her father had got for her for her birthday just a few weeks ago. Downstairs, her parents were having a get-together with some friends and Agnes was locked in her room until they were gone.
She wasn't old enough to know it was a drug deal. But Billy was.
So he took his chance to creep from the attic in search of food and a shower but he froze at the sight of a door propped against the handle to the door of his little sister's room. Locked in, just like he was. Against his better judgement, he tiptoed across the old, stained carpet towards the chair. The sound of loud laughter downstairs made him tense as though preparing to be struck and he only calmed down when he heard the voices all disappear out the front door.
He was alone now. Safe.
He slid the chair out from under the old knob and held his breath before opening the door. It was barely cracked, his eye peering at his sister from within the darkness of the hallway. He felt like he was misbehaving by being so close to her. After all, their mother had forbidden him from seeing her as a baby to the point she'd slapped him multiple times for asking.
Agnes didn't notice at first. She only realized he was there at all because she dropped the toy and it bounced towards the door. Her chubby little fingers plucked it up and she spotted the strange green eye staring at her. "Mommy?"
Billy was silent, paralyzed with fear. He hadn't anticipated being caught and he felt anxiety churn his stomach so violently he thought he'd puke.
The door shut with a quiet click but Agnes was curious now. She toddled over and reached up for the doorknob, managing to just barely twist it open. The fleeting glimpse of Billy fleeing down the stairs had her running after him, giggling all the while. She had to be slow and careful on the stairs but, as soon as her feet touched the floor again, she was on the move. Agnes darted towards the kitchen and came to a slow stop.
Billy was staring at her, his mouth full of sliced bread and a few cans of soup clutched in his arms like precious jewels. A glass of milk was perched atop the counters, already half empty. He was starving and was raiding the pantry for anything he could get his hands on that his mother wouldn't immediately notice was missing.
"Hi." Agnes said in a tiny voice, walking up to him without fear. He wasn't immediately familiar to her but his hair looked like Mommy's and that was good enough a reason to approach him. "I'm Agnes."
Billy was silent as he chewed and swallowed around the heavy lump of bread. "B-Billy."
"Are you one of Mommy's friends?" Agnes asked as she reached up at him, wanting a slice of bread too.
He slid one into her hand so gingerly that one would think he was anticipating her to bite him. "N-no. L-live in the attic." Billy stammered out nervously.
"Why?" She asked, biting into the bread happily.
"B-bad. Bad Billy." His voice was barely a whisper now, his eyes nervously darting to the front door, listening for any signs of people coming back. He'd be in deep trouble if he was caught downstairs - especially with Agnes.
Agnes didn't really know what to make of that. On one hand, her mom had never mentioned anyone named Billy before so he must've done something really bad to be kept away for that long. But he didn't seem mean.
What had he done to be in time-out for so long?
…
"...He cared about me… When I was little." Agnes finally said. "I know that. I read the articles about me." She swallowed around the lump in her throat and straightened up, putting on her air of professionalism unbecoming of a girl her age. "He wanted to be my brother and Mommy kept him locked away because she hated him."
Jess nodded. She wasn't sure if Agnes assumed she didn't know this or if she just needed to say it aloud to herself. "You read the articles?"
Agnes nodded. "Mother forbids it but I was curious. I- I had to know."
"I'm sorry," Jess said, reaching across the little coffee table in what she hoped was a reassuring gesture, "I can't imagine what you've been through."
The young girl hesitated before sliding her hand into Jess's. She gave it a single squeeze before pulling away and drumming her fingers nervously in her lap. "I… I asked about Billy after reading the articles about me but Mother just keeps repeating that he's the devil and he'd hurt me if he found me."
Jess frowned and shook her head. "No, I don't think he would." A pause. "I don't think he'd hurt you."
"Is he dangerous?" Agnes finally asked, eyes narrowing slightly. Jess wasn't sure what to say to that but the girl seemed to her silence as an answer. "I want to see him." She stood up and started towards the front door.
"I can't just take you with me, Agnes." Jess said, following behind at a distance. "It's a far drive and your parents may come home."
Agnes already began pulling her coat on. "No, they won't be back till late."
"Agnes…"
The girl rounded on her, her eyes sharp and green just like Billy's. "You came here to talk to me about my brother, right? You said he wants to see me, I want to see him, why can't we go?"
Jess opened and closed her mouth helplessly before sighing with defeat. "Let me call my sorority and tell them to meet us somewhere."
"There's a diner I go to sometimes after school. It's close by and quiet." Agnes said as she reached for her snow boots.
Jess nodded before heading for the phone on the foyer table. She dialed her house but the number stalled out. Was the phone off the hook? Concern turned to fear as she remembered Billy's threats of killing them. Had he gone through with it? She tried the house mother's phone and waited anxiously as it rang.
"Barb speakin'." Barb's voice was tinny and sounded far away through the old receiver.
"Barb! I need you to grab Phyll and Billy and meet me somewhere. I, uh, I'll explain when you get here but it's important."
Silence. "Phyll found out he's the Moaner. He's, uh, currently tied up with Christmas lights in the kitchen."
Jess let out a sigh and twirled the phone cord nervously. "I was going to tell you-"
"Aw, don't say that." Barb drawled over the phone. "You'dve kept it from us as long as ya could."
A beat. "Okay, fine, maybe, but please. Untie him and I'll give you an address to meet me at."
"Phyll ain't gonna wanna drive in this weather, much less with the Moaner in the backseat." Barb hummed thoughtfully. "I'll drive him. Gimme the place, I'll meet ya there."
| | |
The diner was quiet, colored in whites and red with a sleek 50s style to it. It was chilly inside and relatively empty save for a few elderly couples huddled together in booths. Agnes walked with purpose towards the front counter, the clicking of her dress shoes a sharp sound on the tile floor, as though she did this all the time.
Which she did! She came to this diner frequently after school when she wanted to be away from her family for a bit. Despite being their legal daughter, they had never done much to make her feel welcome in their family. Her sister was nice enough but there had always been a distance between her and her family.
"Hi Agnes," the greeter smiled at her and Jess as they came in. "Usual spot?"
"Yes, please." Agnes smiled back and led Jess to the brightly lit back corner out of sight of the other diner-goers and obscured behind a divider that prevented the kitchen from seeing them either. The pair slid into a booth side by side, Jess by the window and Agnes in the aisle.
Shrugging their coats off made Jess shudder slightly. "Brisk in here." Agnes just hummed in agreement so she continued. "How do you feel?"
The young girl scooted forward and crossed her arms over the smooth booth table and stared ahead in the direction of the door. "Fine. I'm not nervous, if that's what you're worried about."
"I would hope not," Jess smiled despite the fact Agnes couldn't see her. "He's your brother."
That comment got Agnes glaring over her shoulder with a fierceness on her face that felt wrong for a little girl her age. As though she had been through hell and come out hard and cruel. "Need I remind you," Her voice was icy cold, "That he killed my parents. Sorry I'm not bouncing off the walls excited to see him."
Jess was silenced and Agnes turned back to stare off into the empty aisle, waiting for the jingle of the little overhead bell like a warning signal. Despite her harsh tone, the anxious drumming of her fingers against the crook of her elbow betrayed her nervousness. Jess sighed and scooted closer to her and raised her hand to gently rub at the girl's back.
She tensed up but relaxed after a moment, sharing no words but stilling her drumming.
Ring!
Agnes nearly shot up out of her seat, trying to scan past the divider that hid them away, momentarily cursing the fact she couldn't see anything from where she stood.
Then, rounding the corner, was two women around Jess's age who were arguing. One with thick curly hair and glasses with teary eyes who looked as though she might be sick while the taller girl with the cigarette looked aloof and unbothered as they strolled towards the two sat in the booth.
And shuffling awkwardly behind them was Billy Lenz. As soon as his eyes fell on Agnes, he froze like a deer in headlights. His mouth opened and closed as he began to shake violently, like a rattle being shook by a small child.
It felt as though both Lenz's worlds came to a slow stop. Everything became foggy and uncertain except for each other, their forms crystal clear and painful for the other to stare at. Agnes swallowed back a lump in her throat and fought hard against her eyes to stop herself from crying. Billy looked torn between running away and running towards her.
"Heya," Barb said brightly as she slid into the seat across from Jess. "Name's Barb, this is Phyll, and you must be Agnes."
Agnes nodded but was paying no attention. Her nervous eyes were locked on Billy, scanning him over and over like she was searching for memories. "Hi," she finally said softly, standing to approach the trembling man. "I'm-"
"Agnes." He finished in a scratchy, unfamiliar voice. "'m-"
"You're Billy." She finished his sentence right back, beginning to shake a little herself.
All at once, they were children again. The world melted away until they were back in that living room, blood on the floor and their mother's body now a messy pile rather than a person. A fire was burning in the hearth, breakfast was burning, and snow was falling outside the window. The picture perfect Christmas if not for the gore splattered across the carpets.
Billy broke the silence with nervous chirping, bringing up his hands to his face as he began to chew anxiously on the skin there, peeling at dead patches with such anxiety that it had the sorority girls wincing.
Agnes stepped forwards, taking Billy's wrists in her hands and pulling them away. Without warning, she wrapped her arms around his torso and buried her face in his chest. Before the man could shove her back, she let out a choked little sob and clung to him harder. Her mumbled words were inaudible but Billy could make out his own name in her rambles.
When she finally pulled back to look at him, she wiped red rimmed eyes. "You're really here..." She seemed in awe, like this wasn't her idea. "I didn't think you'd come."
He stared at her, his arms held nervously at his sides like he was afraid of touching. She seemed to sense his apprehension and took his wrists again to wrap his arms around her.
It was like the floodgates opened and, all of a sudden, Billy was ugly sobbing, scooping up his little sister and squeezing her tight. The force of him hugging her had lifted her up slightly and now her shiny dress shoes now barely scraped the floor. Agnes held him back just as hard but her crying was quieter.
Jess wiped tears from her eye and sniffled slightly.
| | |
The siblings were unable to let go of each other, holding hands across the booth like they were scared the other would disappear if they were to let go. Agnes, in particular, was clinging to Billy's hand with both of hers. "I can't believe you're here..." She said breathlessly, laughing a little. "I- I never thought I'd see you again."
Billy grunted and made a sharp whistling sound that no doubt got the attention of the waiters. "Gone to fetch a rabbit skin to wrap his baby Agnes in..." His voice was soft and cracked multiple times but he pushed through it. While he was unable to meet his sister's eyes, she had no such qualms and stared him down like she couldn't believe he was even real.
"You remember that?" Agnes giggled.
Barb spoke up then, blowing smoke and making Phyll cough. "He sings it a lot, actually. 's how we found out about ya."
A slow nod and Agnes was nudging Billy's leg with her foot. "What else do you remember?"
Billy's eyes slid up slowly to meet hers. "Remember, remember, remember." He mimicked in her voice. Agnes was patient though. He mumbled to himself for a long time before cracking a nervous smile. "Crayons. Y-your doll."
The girl nodded with a wet smile. "Yeah. They had to buy me a new doll because I wanted my Christmas gift." She squeezed her brother's hand tight and tried to fight back the tears that were threatening to fall again. "I'm sorry. For what Mommy did. She-"
Billy shook his head violently. "Not your fault."
"I still feel bad for it." She shot back with no room in her words for argument. "I know I couldn't have done anything. But it was horrible to read about."
He chewed on his lips and turned her words over and over in his head as though they were a strange coin he found on the street. "I'm sorry too." Billy finally said.
Agnes seemed taken aback but quickly schooled her face into pure neutrality. Something in her told her she needed to be careful but the larger part of her could hear Jess's reassurance that he'd never hurt her. And that was louder than her inside thoughts. "No, you aren't. But that's okay."
"No," he finally agreed in a small voice after a painfully long pause. "I'm not sorry."
"She was horrible." Agnes continued. "And she wasn't going to change her mind about you. You..." she trailed off before clearing her throat, "You did what you had to in order to survive. I can understand that."
Billy seemed alarmed by that. "Not... not happy?"
Agnes gave a self-deprecating laugh. "No. No, I'm not." When she saw his face fall though, she quickly spoke up again. "I'm happy seeing you though."
The brunette mulled this over in his head before nodding. "Happy to see you too..."
"You better be," Agnes teased with a confident smirk. "I'm a fucking delight."
Phyll gasped but Barb laughed out loud. "Atta girl, I knew I'd like you!" She chuckled as she put her cigarette out on the table. "Now, we gonna eat or are you two just gonna cry the whole time?"
Slowly, Agnes released her iron grip on her brothers hand and sat back in her seat. But the two never broke eye contact. Not while ordering, not while the girls complained about Peter, or even when Jess called their names.
"Hey, freak," Barb finally reached around Phyll to poke at his head. He made a little grunting sound but seemed to snap out of it.
"I don't know why we're doing this!" Phyll finally snapped. "Why are we helping The Moaner?! Jess, why didn't you say anything-?!"
Jess shushed her harshly. "Not in front of Agnes."
Said girl immediately prickled. "I'm not a baby!"
"You're ten," Jess said as she tried to placate. "I don't think you're a baby but it's an... adult problem."
"'m sorry." Billy said quietly, drumming his painted nails on the table. "Didn't mean to."
Phyll stared at him, mouth wide open. "You didn't- You didn't mean to call our house every night and scream down the phone at us?! Are you kidding me?" She asked with a bewildered stare before she laughed at the sheer audacity of it all. "Oh my god, you are actually a crazy person. Jess, what the fuck is going on?"
With all eyes on her, Jess finally sighed and relented. She told them everything - about researching what happened online, to calling the doctor, finding Agnes, everything. "I wanted to help." She said as she watched Phyll bury her head in her hands.
"And you did." Barb said with a smile. "You helped lots. Doubt they would've ever seen each other again if ya hadn't done anything."
"So now what?" Phyll sighed. "He can't live with her and she can't live with us."
Barb hummed but was clearly only pretending to think about it. "He can stay in our attic if he wants." When Phyll and Jess gave her horrified looks in response, Barb continued. "Look, he's got nowhere to go and we're all in this shit together now. Whether we like it or not." She gestured at the table with a smirk. "He's our freak now and we gotta deal with it."
Billy was silent the whole time and just listened to Barb talk. They had no idea. They had no idea about the dead little girl he hid in a bush. No idea about the girl who was currently laying on her floor because Billy had knocked her unconscious. Oh god, what would they do when they got back to the house-?!
"Billy?" Agne's voice cut through his spiralling thoughts. "Are you okay?"
He swallowed around the lump in his throat and nodded once. "Yeah. Okay."
The snow began to fall in a light flurry outside as the group talked amongst themselves, the window growing frosty as their food was brought to them. Later, they would argue about the logistics of keeping Billy around and trading numbers with Agnes so she could keep in touch.
For now, however, they were happy.