The house was quiet when they returned.
Aunt Estella met them at the door. She took one look at Lily's tear-streaked face, at Leo's white-knuckled grip on the whale, at Arianne's expression—controlled, but barely—and didn't ask questions. She simply said, "I'll be in the kitchen if you need me," and disappeared down the hallway.
Arianne brought the twins to the sitting room. The blanket fort from days ago still stood in the corner, its pillows slightly askew. Lily had been meaning to fix it. She hadn't gotten around to it yet.
"Sit," Arianne said.
They sat. Lily on the couch, her hands folded in her lap. Leo beside her, the whale pressed against his chest. Arianne didn't stand over them. She pulled the armchair closer and sat across from them, her knees nearly touching theirs. This wasn't going to be a lecture from above. It was going to be a conversation.
She looked at Leo first.
"This is the third time you've pushed someone."
