Taunt

Chapter 74- Taunting Rooms

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I sucked in a breath as I heard the bell ring, unintentionally clasping Leo's hand tighter. All of us stood still for a moment, unsure of how to go about this.

Mom broke the silence first. She turned to me, a smile on her face as she lightly patted my cheek.

"We'll talk about this later. Lets welcome Levi first."

She then turned and started walking away. I turned to Leo with a questioning gaze, and he simply reached over and kissed the top of my head. I sighed, all the tension leaving me as he did that. He pulled away after a moment and stared down at me.

"Go on, Moonie. We'll all be waiting for you here."

I let out a breath and nodded. I finally let go of Leo's hand and took a few steps forward to join Dad. Together, Dad and I made our way to the front door. Lillian had been in the bathroom this whole time and still hadnt returned.

Mom, Dad, and I stopped at the feont door and all shared a look. Dad gave mom a reassuring smile. At last, Mom took a deep breath before opening the door.

He was here.

No handcuffs, no orange jumpsuit- just plain old Levi.

Seeing him this morning was different than seeing him now. Now, as he stood on our porch with his head slightly lowered as he peered up at us, two officers behind him, I could almost smell the nervousness on him.

Mom spoke first.

"Come in, sweetheart."

Levi visibly relaxed and took a shaky step into the house. Our house.

The officers behind him had their hats in their hands as they paid respects to mom and dad, who both stood by the door.

"We deeply apologize for all that's occurred. We will do everything we can to make sure Levi's transition back into society is as smooth as it possibly can be," one officer said.

Mom and dad merely sighed and nodded. Then, the officers left and Mom closed the door.

We all stood in silence, and Dad broke it first. He immediately clamped Levi on the shoulder, and pulled him into a tight hug.

For the first time in my life, I saw Dad sob.

Tears pricked my own eyes, as I saw him cry his heart out. Levi was shocked, his hands limp at his sides as he let Dad weep. After a few minutes, I took a shaky step forward. I touched Dad's shoulder and he stopped crying abruptly. He pulled away from Levi after a moment and I was sad to see Dad's red-rimmed eyes. I shook my head at him, not wanting him to start this yet.

Levi was home.

For now, that was enough.

Dad nodded, understanding the message and quickly wiped his eyes. He took a step back from Levi, taking a few deep breaths as he stood a few feet away from us.

I turned to Levi then, and was surprised to see his eyes were glazed over with emptiness. I took a step towards him and smiled up at him. That seemed to snap him out of his trance, as he gave me watery smile back. I only patted his arm, noticing that he didn't like being touched much.

"Welcome home, Levi."

He smiled wider at me, wiping away at his eyes quickly.

He then turned to Mom. Mom was standing with her head lowered by the front door still. He reached out a hesitant hand and placed it on her shoulder. She looked up quickly, her eyes welling with tears instantly.