Childish

16

Alex sat down on the couch beside me and handed over the bottle of formula he made for me. I no longer detested it like I used to. It was one of the few things I could eat or drink that I didn't have to chew and wouldn't upset my stomach.

I set my bear in my lap and put the nipple of the bottle between my lips. I was starving and I didn't like the empty taste in my mouth. I didn't know how they were feeding me while I was unconscious. Maybe a feeding tube but that wasn't my area of expertise.

"I guess I should start back with the day I didn't pick you up from school. I had been avoiding my father since I brought you to live with me. I knew he was suspicious that something was going on. Especially after your parents left town."

"They didn't leave town. You took them and left me here."

He sighed, clearly annoyed by my interruption. "Anyway, he came to my office that morning and started asking me questions about you. He wanted to know how the experiment was going and if I planned on erasing your memory like we had done with Megan. When I told him that I wasn't going to, he got mad. He told me I was wasting my time trying to get you to see reason."

"He was right."

"He tased me before having a handful of security guards take me to the cells in the basement of the building. Most of the people in town don't even know they exist. So no one knew where to find me."

"I tried calling Monica to tell her you might be in trouble. She thought I was faking it."

"You called her? How did you get a phone?"

I shook my head. "You finish your story first."

"Right. So I didn't have much contact with my father while I was in the cell. I didn't see anyone until Naomi found me. She checked the security cameras and figured out where I was. I don't exactly know how she got clearance to get as far as she did but she's the one that broke me out. We were trying to find you when we heard the first shot go off. I was hoping it wasn't you. Only... when I rounded the corner... it really was you."

I scrunched my eyebrows together as I remembered the events that took place. "I remember hearing another shot go off. That wasn't you, was it?"

A smile tugged at the corners of his lips but it didn't last long. "Actually, my mother shot my father."

"Your mom?" I knew everyone had a mother and a father but for some reason, I couldn't picture Alex having a mother. At least not one that was around. He never talked about her at all.

"She oversees things at the lab. She knew my father was up to something. I don't think she was expecting Monica to get shot though."

"I didn't know he even had a gun until it was aimed at my head." The thought of the gun pointed at my head made me feel queasy.

"I'm sorry you got hurt, Lyla. I was supposed to keep you safe and I didn't."

"I should have known your family would be messed up after knowing you."

"I'm being serious, Lyla."

I shrugged. "So am I."

He sighed. "It wasn't supposed to happen this way. We were only supposed to keep you in line, not... torture you to death."

"I'm not mad at you for what happened. Even when all the bad stuff kept happening to me, I couldn't stop hoping you were okay."

He finally allowed himself to smile and rested his elbow on the back of the couch, propping his head up with it. "You were worried about me?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, I was. You promised you wouldn't leave me at school yet you kind of did so I got worried that something was up. When I realized who your dad was, I knew we were both in trouble."

"Okay, so you need to tell me how you managed to get a phone. No way would someone have given you one willingly."

"So after your dad... screwed me up, he sent me to live with Kelsey and Robert. He thought I forgot what was going on and expected everything to be fine. I found Kelsey's cell phone and it had the lab's number under her contacts. Honestly, I just got lucky. Except Monica didn't exactly do anything once I called her and it was the only time I was able to use a phone without being caught. Kelsey eventually figured out I was full of shit and brought me back to the lab. Your dad gave her this stuff to inject into me to make me forget everything. I had no idea who I was for days. But... I managed to use it against her. I got her to bring me to the lab so I could find Monica and then find you. I didn't exactly have a plan beyond that but Monica did. It just... Your dad outsmarted us."

"Holy shit. I can't believe you managed to do all of that."

I smiled, really liking the praise I got from him. "I did what I had to do."

"Was it really that bad? Living with Kelsey and Robert, I mean."

The plan all along was for me to be with them. I assumed they couldn't have kids of their own and I would have been their adopted child. It was good in theory except I didn't want to go along with it. "It was like being with you when you hated me. It was awful."

"I never hated you, Lyla."

"It felt like it."

"As much as I wanted to, I didn't. You acted out a lot but you had every right to act the way you did. You still do."

I pushed my stuffed animals to the side and crawled over to Alex. "I just want things to be normal."

He rubbed my back. "I'm really sorry about this. About all of this."

"Can you promise me something?"

"Name it."

"There are two things. First, no more testing. I know... I know you have to do stuff for work but... I don't want to be a part of it anymore. I don't think I can handle it. And second, I want something in writing that says you're the only one who can make decisions about me."

"What, like a custody agreement or something?"

I nodded. "I don't want anyone making decisions about what happens to me other than you."

He grinned. "I had my suspicions and it turns out I was right."

I scrunched my eyebrows together. "Right about what?"

"I had a feeling you wanted to stay with me all along."

At that comment, I rolled my eyes. "There are worse places I could be."

He shook his head. "No, you like it here. You like being with me."

I lifted myself up onto my knees, as close as I could get to standing, and hit him with my bear. "No, I don't."

He scooped me into his arms. "You wouldn't have tried so hard to find me if you didn't."

I hid my face in his shoulder, really not wanting to admit that I actually really cared about Alex. He had done some shady things and, at times, made my life worse. But he protected me more times than he hurt me. "I was only trying to do the right thing. I would have done it for anyone."

He hugged me. "I know you would have."