Imprints in Stone [AU]

[Carver Amell]

"Tell me what?" demands Carver, heading for the door. "Did you kill Joey?"

[Bethany]

"Ummm. No. They did fight, but, ummm..." Bethan squirms a little. "Joey... It wasn't Marian's fault," she says, voice studdeningly firm.

[Carver Amell]

"I didn't say it was? What happened?" he demands, confused. 

[Marian Hawke]

"I-- I--" 

That's all Marian gets before she bursts into tears, running to her room and slamming the door behind her. 

[Bethany]

"Mari-" Bethan sags a little. "Mendeis expelled her," she says softly, staring at the door. "Mother was there and... it's bad. Could be a lot worse, Varric covered as best he could, but it's bad. Marian took all the blame, for everything." Her voice is a bare whisper by this point and her eyes never waver from the door. 

[Carver Amell]

"Wh--what? Wh-why would she d-do that?" Carver sounds equal parts awed and scared. "Joey only went after you because I hit him last week."

[Bethany]

Bethany shrugs helplessly, though there's a flicker of anger and resentment that flares as his explanation. "Yes, well, he ruined my workbook and pushed me down so Marian jumped in. When I tried to get them to stop," Marian pushed Joey and his blow went wide and hit me instead, "Joey missed and hit me." Nobody needs to know that part. Not ever. Marian doesn't seem to realize how it happened and it needs to stay that way. "Then..." she falls silent, looking very nervous.

[Carver Amell]

Carver leans forward. "Then she beat his butt?"

[Bethany]

Bethany opens her mouth, then closes it. She glances around, then grabs his hand to drag him to his room. It used to be their room, but Leandra had moved her to Marian's room last year. Once they're inside, Bethany closes the door. "Then Joey slipped on the ice and fall. Marian grabbed me and rushed us to Varric's to fix my nose. It was broken." Her voice this entire time is dull and low.

[Carver Amell]

"No way," he whispers, terrified. "Bethany... We have to get this under control. You can't keep having accidents at school."

[Bethany]

Bethany hunches her shoulders, not able to look at him. "Why is it my fault? Joey punched me," she says bitterly. "It only happens when I'm hurt or terrified. If people just left me alone..."

[Carver Amell]

"It's not, it's not your fault. But you can't make them not hit you. The more this happens the more they'll want to hit you. So we have to make you stop having accidents. Then they'll see you're normal like everyone else and it'll all be okay. Right?"

[Bethany]

"So it's my fault," Bethany says sourly. "It's my fault you and Marian get into fights. It's my fault I get teased and hit, my thing stolen. It's my fault that everyone talks about us! It's my fault that Marian's expelled! It's my fault that Mother is going to forbid us from seeing Varric anymore! It's my fault Father's gone! It's all my fault! Is that it! It's my fault!" By the end of her spiel, Bethany is shouting at the top of her lungs as tears pour down her face.

[Carver Amell]

Carver takes a couple steps back, eyes wide in shock. "B-b-bethany?" he stammers, his voice small, scared in a way he so rarely is anymore. Not since the day Joey said they were the reason Father stopped coming around. Carver'd hit him, of course, starting their lifelong feud, but later that night, when he couldn't sleep, he asked if it was really his fault.

[Bethany]

She'd told him no, of course. She's told him that Father is just busy, exploring and finding new places, new wonders, to write home about. That he's traveling now, but he hasn't forgotten them, that he sent sent letters and packages, didn't he? He's just- it's just that elves live for so long, Father doesn't realize how much they miss him.

She doubted every word she told him.

"What?" Bethany screams now. "What's my fault this time?"