To Be The Strongest

2. A Waiting Game

Thank you all again! I am shifting my chapters from another device, so hopefully I will be letting out a couple of chapters a day. I apologize if the chapters are short. I do promise that the other ones are lengthier as the story progresses!
-Sanford.

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Italics represent thoughts, flashbacks and memories.

Bold represents sign language or when Y/N spells into hands.

Underline represents important documents or letters being read aloud.

CONTAINS GRAPHIC LANGUAGE, THEMES, AND OTHER DEPICTIONS INVOLVING VIOLENCE.

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First Person POV:
I was very excited to see Gamma because she was momma's momma, and she was always letting me sleep in her actual bed, snuggled up right with her! It was amazing. She and mom would also take me on supervised strolls to the bits of ground exposed to the surface, soaking up what little sunshine filtered through. If I looked hard enough, I could almost make out what the sky looked like. Some days it was grey, and some days it seemed blue, like one of Gamma's favorite shirts.

It really was pretty wondering around, but then those days adventuring around turned into weeks, which then turned to  months. It was a long time away from our house, and I was starting to wonder if momma and me were ever going to get to go back home to daddy.

I tried asking momma on one of our strolls when we were going to see daddy again, but she got upset with me.
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I tugged on momma's sleeve, pulling her focus from the dirt and rocks above.

"Hmm, Y/N?".

I pointed both of my fingers and circled them around each other at the tips. I made my hands into fists and brought them down carefully, as if I was carrying really heavy water buckets.

"When can..."

I hesitated, remembering how sad momma was when we last saw daddy. I pointed to myself, and was about to make a 'v' from myself to momma when her smile faded.

" I see Da.." I made my hand flat and was going to tap my thumb against my forehead when she grabbed me by my wrist. Startled, I let out a huff of air, staring at momma with wide eyes.

"Y/N," she spoke sternly, "We cannot go back to daddy. He hurt us too much."

I felt tears form in my eyes. I couldn't see Daddy? In my confusion I tried pulling away from her, but her grip grew tighter.

"Listen to me, Y/N, he is a bad man. He may have loved you, but he needs.." Momma shook her head, "no, we need to get away. It isn't safe anymore."

She let go of my wrist and settled on holding my hand. Her thumb rubbed small circles into the back of my knuckles.

"Do you remember before we got the house, all of those mean people that would steal our food and money? All of the mean men who bothered mommy when daddy was at work?" She paused to meet my gaze. "Do you remember how scared you felt and how much you cried? Those horrible and unkind men?"

I nodded.

"Well," she sighed, "That is what it is to not be safe, baby. Those men who were mean to us..is how daddy is to mommy. That's why you and mommy needed to come to gamma. She can help us be safe again. If we go back to daddy, mommy is going to feel like we are in the streets all over again. Back to dealing with those mean, mean men."

She frowned and wiped away a tear that escaped my E/C eyes. She pulled me close, letting her lips rest on my forehead.

"I hope you will understand when you get older."

She pulled away and smiled weakly.

"I do this not for myself, but for you, too. Time is too short to be selfish in this world."

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Why would anyone want to be selfish, Momma?

I let out a long sigh, opening my eyes. We were waiting for momma to get back from the market; though, that felt like days ago.

I was laying on my back with my head across my Gamma's lap, letting my legs swing off the edge of the couch we were on. She let her hands rest across my H/C hair, twisting it mindlessly. If I closed my eyes enough, I could hear her whispering to herself; not that I could understand what she was saying, though.

I turned, letting my back face the room, with my face now looking up at her. I pulled my hands up, hesitantly.

"Gamma.."

She was mindlessly staring into the dark of the room, her eyes glistening from the faint light of the candle next to us. She looked down to me once she felt movement, and pulled her hands away from my head. She hummed, pushing me to continue when she saw me hesitate.

"Momma has been gone a long time. Will she be back soon?"

"Darling, you know I can't understand you when you speak that fast. I only know the basics," she mumbled.

I frowned, letting my hands fall back down onto my stomach. I forgot that gamma doesn't understand me all that much. After all, momma has been the one teaching me how to speak again after the accident. Not even daddy likes to help me, he just said I was "shy" and "needed to toughen up." Maybe him and gamma are similar in that way, though; they only want to listen to so much before it becomes an inconvenience to them. I felt my lips curve deeper, almost into a pout as I pulled myself up and off of gamma.

I turned to face her, noticing how spaced out she still seemed as I made my palm flat, letting my fingers brush against my forehead, closing them down to my chin.

"Sleep?"

Gamma shook her head at me, sinking down further into the couch.

"You go on ahead. I need to be awake for when your momma gets back. God knows when she will be back," she muttered under her breath.

I nodded, turning to the bedroom. I leaned against the frame and brushed my feet from the dirt I collected from the floor. I hopped into the bed while pulling myself into the covers. I hummed, enjoying the softness. As I felt myself relax, I smiled slightly.

Maybe we can steal Gamma's bed once momma comes back. It is so much cleaner and comfier than my blanket and floor.