Making Amends

Quentin had made a mistake, whether Odie knew about it yet or not. If he didn't tell her the truth, she probably would be perfectly fine, not knowing any better, but after talking to Caleb about it and feeling sick with his own greed and guilt, Quentin decided to do what was right. He needed to tell Odie, even if it would make her upset. He had invited her to the garden with a simple note that said that they needed to talk and waited nervously on a swing.

His feet dangled off of the ground and he stared at them. Quinn had always gotten along with her sister well enough and he loved her. There wasn't much he wouldn't do for her, but sometimes he just got jealous of her. Why? Because though their dad tried to hide it, he definitely had a favorite child and was that child his firstborn? No. It was the pretty daughter with pretty long hair who looked like the mother that left them when they were still young. Quinn didn't know about Odie, but he had some memories of their mother and when he thought about her, it made him so upset he wanted to cry. He found Odie's resemblance to the woman completely irrelevant. She was left too, along with their father, and all they had was each other, but there was seemingly a rift forming in their families ties. Quinn hoped that it wasn't too late to fix things.

Odette had gotten a note from Quin telling her that they needed to talk. She hadn't seen him much since summer, but she was pretty excited for the meet up. She wanted to tell him about the sheers she got to take to that dumb boy Who had dare to challenge her to chess! She fixed her hair a little, not knowing how much she ressembled her mother in her current state. Smiling she skipped to the Indoor Garden to meet Quinn.

As she arrived she ran over and hugged her dear brother. He was her best friend. She laughed and kissed his cheek. "I missed you! It's great to see you!!!" She exclaimed excitedly. He did bring out her true colors and she sat next to him. "So how are you?" She asked tilting her head to the side, causing her eyes to sparkle just like her mother's. She looked at the package next to him, she was a little curious about what it was, but decided not question it.

Quentin was tearing up with all the thinking he had been doing, but as soon as he heard someone approaching, he quickly composed himself and wiped his tears away with the back of his hand and sniffed before standing up. His sister was running full speed at him and his arms opened to accept her. He got a good grip on her and then spung her around much. she was always going to be his kid sister to him, even if she decided to hate him after he had confessed.

The two D'Angelos sat side by side, Quentin's eyes on his hands in his lap. He remarkably imitated a man burdened with horrible news, but to himself, he felt like he was. "Odie..." Quentin started, sounding much unlike himself. She looked so happy seeing him, something that was unusual, since he knew she was having a hard time in school. He didn't want to ruin her glee. But he had to. "Odie I did something horrible." Thin tears glided down his face and he sniffles loudly before he rubbed his sleeve against his nose. "Please forgive me!" He pushed the box towards her. The box addressed to her, clearly opened and with several empty candy wrappers framing the untouched present in the middle. "I'm such a horrible brother! Maybe Christian should be your brother instead!"

Odette giggled as he swung her around. They were so cheery towards each other, the perfect match. They could tell each other anything, that is what made her so confident and trusting when she talked to him. She loved him more than anyone in the world and she knew if the opportunity presented itself to switch him with anyone else, that she would not do it, even if meant her life. She did intially questioned the box, but nothing could have prepared her for his reaction to come.

Odette stared at the box with a slow look. "Quinn.." she said softly..she was not mad at him, just more...confused. "Quinn...Quinn...shhh.." she said in a calming voice and pulled him close. "It's alright...I am...just confused....why....why did you do it...?" She questioned him and looked into his eyes. She could see the hurt and sadness spilling over...the guilt he felt and the relief that she didnt hate him. Odette was understanding and she could never hate her brother....it just confused her why he would sit there and steal from her like that.

Quentin watched with a heavy heart as Odette's facial expression changed, as the image of the box in front of her sunk in and it's meaning became clear. If he didn't feel awful before, he did now.

His lips remained sealed as he sniffled with his sister squeezing him tight. It wasn't fair how well she was taking it, when he had done something so awful. He didn't even remember why he had thought it was a good idea in the first place. He never took things from his sister before, so why did he choose to start then?

When he finally found his voice, he answered completely honestly and in a tiny voice. "Because dad never sends me any packages." He couldn't elaborate, for it would bring forward ideas that he had only pondered over and never spoke of.

Odette bit her lip and sighed. "Quinn..." Her voice said strained. He seemed so mellow....she shook her head holding the box, looking inside she saw the candy he'd eaten...the unopened present, and the letter addressed to her. She looked at him almost with angry eyes. Yes it was true their father sent her a lot of gifts, but he surely sent Quinn something, right, but she seriously didn't know for sure.

She stood up and just sighed. "I don't know what to say Quinn...." She stated and started to walk away, box in arms. "I'm not papa....I'm your sister, why would even punish me for his mistakes, that maybe aren't even mistakes. Did you ever think that maybe you don't deserve it?" As soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted it. The anger hadn't come out at the beginning, but now it was showing, she wasn't taking it as well as she thought, but those words of anger made everything much..much worse.

Her arms retreated and Quinn watched as anger manifested into his sister's eyes. He felt awful. All the guilt that he carried from the time he had committed the crime and finally realized how bad it was to that moment was pouring in a steady stream down his face. He never meant to hurt Odette, and as she stood up to leave him, he ran to grab her hand. "Odette! Please!" His voice cracked with the desperation he was feeling. "I just need to know that you don't hate me!" He replied, but she was set on other things.

His hand retreated from hers at her words that sent daggers through his chest. She put to words one of his greatest fears. "You really think that?" Quentin asked, his voice sounding dead. "Do I not deserve to be loved?" His long legs were buckling beneath his and he had to sit down again. "Maybe you're right. But it seems to me that the only thing you have ever done to win over dad's affections was being born! He only likes you cause you look like mother! But she doesn't deserve his love! You know what she did to him! She ran off just for some money! She doesn't deserve to be loved and maybe you don't either! All you two ever do is take away dad's interest in me!" Quentin erupted. He finished his spiel and fell back onto the bench and then sobbed quietly. His face in his hands and his back quivering.

Odette tried to cut him off. She didn't mean to make him angry and she hadn't meant what she had said, it was just a mistake from her side. "Quinn...I didn't mean it...I was just angry." She started to explain, but the words that came spewing out of his mouth made it clear to her that the anger had been building up for a long time. She looked at him sadness building up in her heart and tears falling down her cheeks hearing what he had to say. "You really feel that way about me....? She asked, her voice very unsteady. "I'm just like mother.am I? ...father only loves me because I look like her...." She sobbed barley holding a an understanble voice. "I'm sorry that you feel that way...Quinn....I......didn't realize that I was such a burden on...you....." She broke down into heavy sobs. "I'm sorry....I'm sorry......I-." She shook her head and opened her teary eyes. "Here." She shoved the box into his hands. "This is yours now...you deserve it more than I do..." she turned and started to walk away she knew he hated her in that moment she couldn't take it anymore...she suddenly was gone from the room and ran off.

The things Quentin had said were things that he had been cultivating for years. He never spoke of them before because as much as he was jealous of his sister, he loved her dearly, and figured his father's love would come in time. However, with the package that came for Odie and none for him, it became clear that that wasn't the case and Odie's words finally pushed Quentin too far. He was usually good natured, but hearing what he feared sparked him.

His words were completely out of order and he immediately regretted them. If he didn't already think he earned the "worst brother" award, he certainly did when she handed him back the box and went off crying. Quinn sat with the box in his lap and eased his stuttered breathing and dried his face off. Once he was calmed, he reached into the box, pushing aside the candy wrappers, and grabbed the little gift that was wrapped up. A slim finger pushed through the paper and made an incision in the wrapping. His heart sank when he saw what was inside. A doll. Odie was always fond of dolls and he used to play with her whenever she asked. He'd never admit it, but he enjoyed the stories they played out. Seeing the doll in front of him only made him realize how broken they were starting to become.

He stood up. "Odie!" He called, and then chased after her. A hand rested on her shoulder and he handed over the opened doll. "It's yours. I'm sorry." Quentin sighed. "If you're not too mad at me, we can play with it together later...if you're not too cool to play dolls with your big brother."

Odette glanced at her brother as he stopped her. He held a doll in his hands and handed to her...the doll was made of fine glass...like a China doll... She loved dolls...however she just shook her head. The words he had said to her echoed in her mind...she backed away... "Too cool? Too cool? Is that really what you are worried about?" She yelled. "You're so stupid!" She glared at him. "Why would you even say something that?" She said referring to what he had said earlier. "He only likes you because you look like her...You don't deserve his love!!" She mimicked his voice taunting him. "You were wrong!!! Papa loves me...for me....and....and.....-" She started crying. "You don't understand!!!" She screamed...then there was a pause...silence...she looked at the doll in disgust. "Well Papa...will love you now...." She glared at the doll....seeing as though she meant nothing to her brother....or her father who only saw her as a blatant image of her mother..."I hate papa...." She whispered tears falling down her cheeks..."I hate this doll..." She said a little louder and raised the doll and threw it to the ground and right as it shattered she screamed. "And I hate you!!" In that moment she took off running so fast that he couldn't catch her

Quentin had been ready to stop the shouting and hug it out with Odie and thought that she was ready for the same, but her face twisted as it looked at the doll and suddenly she was upset with him again, for a reason he didn't understand. They had both said things that day that they shouldn't have, but he was starting to think he was wrong to assume that. Maybe he didn't mean much of what he had said to her, but she had meant everything she said to him.

He got quiet as he looked at her in shock. The things she was saying were horrible. "It doesn't work like that..." He tried, sounding so small as she screamed at him. Just because she stopped loving their dad, didn't mean the man was suddenly going to pay more attention to him. If Odie left their dad like their mom did, the man would be a mess and Quinn would be reduced to less than a sidenote he was before.

He watched as the doll shattered on the mosaic floor of the garden and she ran off wailing out of the building. He couldn't chase her even if he tried. He really was an awful brother. Her words made that clear. He never wanted to return home now.

Dropping to his knees, his long fingers picking up the pieces of the shattered doll's face. He thought him offering to play dolls with her would've appeased the fires that had been set in their conversation. He was ready to lower his weapons and make up, but she didn't want that. This only made it all the more apparent of how much he had screwed up. Tears slide down his face and he let them fall as he stared with blurry vision at the wrecked doll. He remained like that for a few moments before wiping his face clean and then reaching for his wand. Waving it above the pieces of the doll, he whispered, "reparo" and watched as the doll came back together and smiled up at him with a perfect porcelain smile. Even the doll looked like his pretty sister.