[ Ellie is too shocked to even put two and two together that Matthew had seen everything, that he was aware that Ellie had been bitten and that secret was basically out. Not with such a heavy weight on her shoulders. ]
[ Crying in front of something is certainly not something Ellie is proud of or even wants to do. She's done it a few times since her arrival here, but that was with Joel, someone who might try to acknowledge her at least a little but is obviously horrible at it. She'd learned to internalize everything, to move on and try to forget about it. But this was her mother, the woman she'd wanted to know so badly for so long. That image of her face, her beautiful face covered in tears, that will never leave her. But for now? It practically haunts her with that large bite taken out of her. To have to give birth to a child, and then... ]
[ She knows Marlene had to do it. She had to kill her. Ellie had to do it with Riley, after all... ]
[ Ellie doesn't respond to Matthew, because she completely shuts down. She leans forward, putting her face in her hands and just... Losing it. Losing it completely when she can't do anything but feel how much her mom must have suffered. ]
no subject
[ Crying in front of something is certainly not something Ellie is proud of or even wants to do. She's done it a few times since her arrival here, but that was with Joel, someone who might try to acknowledge her at least a little but is obviously horrible at it. She'd learned to internalize everything, to move on and try to forget about it. But this was her mother, the woman she'd wanted to know so badly for so long. That image of her face, her beautiful face covered in tears, that will never leave her. But for now? It practically haunts her with that large bite taken out of her. To have to give birth to a child, and then... ]
[ She knows Marlene had to do it. She had to kill her. Ellie had to do it with Riley, after all... ]
[ Ellie doesn't respond to Matthew, because she completely shuts down. She leans forward, putting her face in her hands and just... Losing it. Losing it completely when she can't do anything but feel how much her mom must have suffered. ]