Contents
Chapter 68
Overview
Teen Mabel comes home in a storm and catches Cess and Ness in bed as Elliott barges in, spewing abuse and ordering Mabel to leave. Cess fiercely defends Mabel and denounces Elliott’s history of harm. Overwhelmed and confused, Mabel runs to Daphne for refuge, deepening the rift with her father and exposing family truths.
Summary
In heavy rain, teen Mabel feels unwell and rushes home, skipping the library. On arrival she sees her father Elliott’s car and, terrified, slips inside. From the stairs she hears Elliott hurl slurs at Cess and claim the house.
Mabel reaches Cess’s doorway and sees Cess and Ness on the bed, confirming a relationship she hadn’t considered. Elliott berates them, while Cess stands her ground and indicts Elliott for abandoning Mabel, blaming her for her sister’s death, bullying her mother to suicide, smearing Mabel over Mr Loukas’s murder despite another woman’s confession, and forcing Mabel into fantasy for solace.
Elliott mocks Mabel as “Mad Mabel” and orders her to pack. Cess reassures Mabel and asks Ness to take her downstairs, but Mabel bolts, sprinting into the storm and putting distance between herself and the confrontation.
Ness calls after her, but Mabel keeps running, leaping fences until she reaches Daphne’s house. Sobbing, Mabel can only say she saw Cess and Ness and that Elliott saw too. Confused about queer women due to limited, biased knowledge, Mabel can’t explain further.
Daphne doesn’t press for details; instead she shelters Mabel, giving her the refuge she needs after the shock, Elliott’s rage, and the sudden upheaval in her understanding of Cess and Ness.
Who Appears
- Mabel (Elsie)Teen narrator; discovers Cess and Ness together, is targeted by Elliott, and flees to Daphne for safety.
- Cess (Cecily)Aunt/guardian; caught in bed with Ness, fiercely confronts Elliott and defends Mabel.
- NessCess’s partner; in bed with Cess, gently tries to help Mabel before Mabel runs.
- ElliottMabel’s father; storms the house, hurls abuse, orders Mabel to leave, triggering her flight.
- DaphneMabel’s friend; provides immediate refuge and comfort when Mabel arrives distraught.