ojandtostitos commented on alwaysontop's post in blueridgeschool:

Tatum didn't even know how she got back to the house. She had walked and walked and walked along the highway for almost twenty minutes, just crying on and off and occasionally cursing herself for not having a single joint with her. She had eventually given up and apparated right home, standing in the end of the driveway and just staring up at the house. Her dad always put the exact same Christmas lights up on their front step, the same lights in the tree in their yard, his favorite nativity scene too. They flashed obnoxiously even in day light, left on from the night before, and the redhead pulled the extension cord out of the side of the house on her way by once she had willed her legs to move again. Their dad was always getting pissed at them for leaving lights on, even if those ones were his fault. Outside lights were his jurisdiction. It was just automatic to her, the simple motion. It could be the last time she got to do something as simple as turn off the lights in her own house. Everything had to count, she had to remember it all.

She had been glad to see Madeline wasn't home, and that the house was silent as she entered. It was still kind of early, and the only sound seemed to be a dripping tap and the gentle hum of the furnace downstairs. That was better, actually. She had half been expecting to return home and have her step-mother waiting for her, to kick her out even faster. Madeline would probably wanted to kill her for dragging Sera into this by-proxy. Whatever bad things happened to her, it was just a matter of time before Sera was next and they'd all have to realize that now. There was no underestimating her father's stance any longer. He wouldn't tolerate it for one daughter, and Tatum had doubts he would ever give Sera a free pass over this trouble either. They were both screwed, but at least Sera could still hide. Why had she opened her big fat mouth? She was always blurting everything out at the wrong time.

With the house seemingly empty, or at least otherwise occupied, Tatum had been hoping for a quick and painless escape. She didn't know when her father would be home, or when her step-mother would be, and avoiding confrontation was a must. Rath was probably still asleep, early as it was, and this was the last thing she needed to wake him up with. He needed to stay with Sera, and Sera had to stay put. She had already decided that. There was no way she was going to let all three of them lose their parents over her dumb mistake. Why had she felt the need to come clean, to be honest? Living a lie wasn't pleasant, especially a lie you had to keep up everyday, but the life before had been the real lie. She just wanted to be herself and be loved for that, but it was obviously a bit much to ask for.

She had plans to be quiet, silent even, but between the panic and the upset, she sounded more like a pack of elephants trudging up the stairs. Reaching her room, she barely got the door slammed before she began letting herself cry all over again. Her cheeks were cold and rosy, and the warm tears felt tingling slipping down them, but she quickly swiped at her eyes with her sleeve while she worked. What did she pack? There was so much, her entire life packed into her bedroom. She had never left home for long before, other than going away to school. Her whole being was in the room, shelves and drawers and a closet all full of her junk. Under her bed, in her desk, there was all sorts of things she wanted to pack but what took priority? She just started crying harder as she tried to decide.