Bound to Earth

31: I'm Not A Parent

The next day Mirai hadn't stopped by my house. I figured she was too tired or excited from the zoo and went straight home. There was still a small knot of worry gnawing at my gut all evening, and not from my wounds, those were almost completely healed.

I was lying awake in my bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep had become more and more difficult the longer away I spent from home. The aching in my heart was always there, but it was easier to ignore when I focused on Mirai.

There was a small part of me that mocked myself, knowing this is what I wanted and asked for. They had given up, would never find me. I let that part of me scream loud enough to keep me awake at night.

I could no longer pass out from pain or exhaustion, and Mirai had made sure to limit how much I drank all day. Her tiny antics reminded me so much of the four men I loved. They would've loved her, and her them.

A thick wave of fear slipped on my tongue before my doorbell went off. I knew who it was before her tiny finger could press the button again.

Racing down the stairs, I threw open my front door. Mirai had her arms wrapped around her waist, blood dripping from her chin as she sobbed. Her pajamas were torn at the knees and arms. Beautiful, black, feathered wings tore from her back. "I didn't know who else to go to and—and—"

I pulled her into my home, closing the door and shushing her. Worry overpowered any anger I felt. "It's okay." I guided her to my downstairs bathroom and sat her on the toilet seat. I didn't have to ask to know what happened, her fear revealed it all. "Do you want to tell me what happened?"

Taking the nearest washcloth, I dampened it in the sink, tilting her head up to find where the blood was coming from.

The tears poured faster down her tiny face, those cobalt eyes wavering. Her wings promptly disappeared. "My father—he."

I nodded, understanding, and pressed the towel lightly to her split lip. "He did this."

She nodded, hissing in pain.

"Is he also responsible for your constant bruises?" I cleaned the blood and tears off her face, the split had finally stopped bleeding.

"You know?" Her cheeks reddened.

"Since the first day I saw you." I tilted her head, analyzing the red mark on her jaw. "You're going to bruise." I reached into my cabinet, pulling out a cream.

"I know." She angled her chin so I could reach better.

I applied the cream to her jaw. "Are there any other bruises?"

She lifted her shirt. A few fading bruises scattered her stomach.

Clenching my jaw, I added the cream there and moved on to her knees. It took all my self control, and the tiny girl sitting in front of me, from finding her father and disemboweling him.

"You're mad?" Her voice wobbled.

"Not at you, child." Murdering her father would solve nothing, it was something she'd have to decide for herself in the future. The police would chuck her into the foster system, where her life would be so much worse than it was now.

"But you're mad."

I sighed and patted her leg. "I'm always mad. I'm not a good person, Mirai."

She laughed, tearfully. "I know. You were dragging a giant trash bag of alcohol bottles when we first met."

I couldn't help but smile with her. "Yes, but that's not the worse I do. I don't mind hurting people to get what I need."

"We all make mistakes. Besides, you're nice to me." She rolled her pants back down, whipping her eyes. "You already told me you feed on other people's fear. And you can't be as mean as my parents."