madison's POV

the thunder was loud and i couldn't hold it in anymore. the last time there was a thunderstorm, my sister disappeared and i went straight to drugs. it wasn't my first time, but i hadn't done drugs too often, but i think it is what properly started my addiction. only josh knew about what had happened to my sister. i haven't seen her for couple years now and it is very possible for her to be dead. i try not to think about her too much, she was like my best friend, but it was hard when i could hear the same things i heard back when she first went missing. she was the only good thing in my house and the reason i stayed. once she was gone, my addiction got bad and then i left, met amelia and here we are. i can feel the tears streaming down my face, thinking about her makes me so upset and i have to stop. amelia can't know about any of this, she cares to much and would feel awful about it. i try so hard to stop the tears, but i can't. after a couple hours of crying, i realise i need amelia and head to her room.

i climb into amelia's bed and lay there as quietly as possible. just being near her calmed me down a little. i am so thankful to have her. i am crying less but still sniffling a bit. amelia turns over and opens her eyes.

"i'm so sorry amelia. i just needed to not be alone right now." i say through tears.

"hey, come here." she opens her arms and i snuggle into her chest. "do you want to talk about it?" she says tiredly

"i don't know if now is really a good time. can i just sleep here for the rest of the night?" i am really hoping she says yes because i don't think i have the strength to get up and head back to my bed.

"yes mads, of course you can" mads. that was a new nickname, i like it. amelia turns over and i lay my head on her chest. she really is the best.

amelia's POV

i wake up and sneak out of bed so that i don't wake up madison. i didn't sleep too well after she came in because i was so worried about what happened, and i still am. i mean, i really don't know what happened last night and whether she will ever talk about it but i think i am going to ask her about it this morning. as if she knew i was thinking about her, she appears in the kitchen.

"morning mads" i say

"hi, sorry about last night, i hope i didn't disturb you too much"

"no, no i was fine. i promise." i smile at her just to make sure she knows i'm telling the truth. "do you want to talk about it now?"

"no not really" she pauses "but i probably should, it is something you should know anyways"

"okay, well i know i've told you before but you can tell me absolutely anything, just take your time"

"the problem last night was mainly the thunderstorm i guess. i have just had a really bad experience with one so it kinda triggers me in some sort of way." i can see tears forming in madison's eyes.

"can you explain more?" i ask as nicely as possible, trying not to push too far.

"a couple years ago, there was a huge thunderstorm, and my sister was out and i tried to call her to get her home safely, but she never came back. i haven't seen her since that day. and-" tears start streaming down her face. "i-i miss her. a lot. there haven't been any big thunderstorms since it happened, so i didn't really realise how many memories were going to come back. i tried to cope with it all, but i couldn't stop crying and thinking about her. she was the only person that cared for me in that house, and when she was gone, i couldn't take it anymore." i take madison's arm and pull her in for a hug. i gently drag her the sofa and cuddle her close to my chest. she starts to cry more and i hug her tighter to try and comfort her. this is not what i was expecting to hear this morning.

"it's okay mads, i've got you. i'm here and there is no need to worry. i know this must be hard. i lost my brother in a car accident many years ago and so i know how it feels to lose a sibling. however, it must be a lot worse not knowing if your sister is still with us or not. all we can do is hope that she is and if you ever find out any more information, i am here for you. always."

madison doesn't say anything after that, she just snuggles into me and slowly begins to calm down. i feel awful for making her cry, but i think that it is better for her to have got it all out. i doubt many other people know about all this other than her family, who obviously never gave her much comfort. then it occurs to me. this all happened a couple years ago. she said that her addiction started two years ago.

"mads"

"yeah" she replies quietly

"is all this the reason you started taking drugs?"

"um kinda, well, i had done them before, but this was the first time i took a lot. then i just couldn't stop. being high just stopped me thinking about my sister and everything that could have possibly happened to her" i always knew that there was something deeper than her just taking drugs for fun. i feel so sorry for her and everything she has been through, but she has been sober for a couple weeks now and i am so proud. just a matter of time to see how long she can make it last.

"i love you, and i am so proud of you for being sober" i say

"i love you more." mads falls asleep in my arms, probably because she barely slept last night. i relax on the sofa until i feel her wiggling around, flailing her arms.

"get off me, get off me. leave me alone." i hear her whispering. instantly i realise she is having a nightmare. i shake her gently to try and wake her up. she jolts awake and hugs me.

"mads, it's okay, i've got you. no one is going to hurt you. everything is okay. i promise" i whisper in her ear over and over again.

"thanks mum. i love you"