Safe now

One part of me...

Jay tilted her head back letting the rays of sun shining through the trees hit her face. She opened her eyes and looked at the water sparkling in the sunshine.
She was sitting in her favourite spot deep in the woods. It was her special place. A place she found many years ago as a child. Somehow this little clearing in the woods with a stream and small pond shut off from the rest of the world made her feel safe. That was something she didn't feel often.

It was in this clearing only a short while ago she came across the only other person she had ever meet that deep into the woods. I say person...they weren't totally human.
Their name was Munk and they were a werewolf. Jay wasn't scared the first time she met Munk. He had the softest eyes she had ever seen and a kind soul. There was just something about this creature that made her feel safe and calm. It didn't take long for the two of them to become close friends.
Over time Jay learned about the land of Ishness and Munk's other friends there. They talked about everything together, even how Munk became the creature he is. That broke Jay's heart hearing the awful things that happened to him.
Hearing that story and Munk trusting her enough to tell her all this made her feel sure she could trust him with what was troubling her.

Jay sat there staring at the glistening water waiting for Munk to arrive. She really needed her friend today. She was already struggling to keep herself together and the tears at bay. She had no idea how Munk was going to react to what she had to say and it terrified her. He was her only real friend.
Soon enough she could hear the rustling through the bushes as he made his way into the little clearing. Almost skipping up to Jay he dropped down and sat next to her in the grass. He was about to start with one of his funny one liners until he saw Jay's face. He knew straight away something was up. Immediately he switched on his 'protective big brother' mode.
Scootching closer he put his arm round her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug.
"What's wrong Jay?" He said quietly. Jay took a deep breath still trying to keep it together.
"Promise me you won't ever hate me!" She said turning to face Munk, looking him dead in the eye with tears starting to form.
"What the hell jay! That's never gonna happen. Now what's going on?!" Munk asked again this time with a touch of fear in his voice.
"My dads back...." Munk already knew as soon as she sad 'dad' it wasn't going to be good. He knew she had a troubled past with her dad but she never wanted to talk about and he never pushed it. He hugged her tighter.
"I don't know what to do" she continued "I never told you what happened between us and I don't want you to hate me". Munk didn't want to interrupt, he just reassured her by squeezing her tightly.
"My dads one of those people who should never have had kids. Ya know kids should be seen and not heard. No mess. No fuss.  No life changing for him after kids were there."
Jay continued to tell her story to Munk.
"He was married before my mum, so I have 3 older siblings. Didn't see them much and one of them scares the hell outta me. Mum and him split. We came back here so I only saw them every Christmas. He'd phone now and then but was still so controlling even from that far away. Anyway one year me and my younger sister went over to see him. I must have been 17 as I was learning to driving. It was our last few days there and he took us and 2 of my other siblings away to this place. Now you gotta remember I was still learning to drive ok."
Munk nodded.
He had shifted his seating position to face Jay but was holding her hands in his. Jay continued her story unable to look Munk in his eyes afraid of what she would see. She was pleading in her heart that he didn't hate her once she finished.
"My dad made me drive the hire car back to where we were staying. A posh car ok. So I was already a bit nervous of damaging it out on the dirt roads. I see a car coming the other away so I pull over to let it pass. Single track. I was doing right. So I thought. That's when everything went to shit"
A single tear rolled down Jay's face. Munk so desperately wanted this pain to stop in his friend. But he could see she needed to let it out. She had been holding on to this for so long.
"The next thing I know my dad is screaming at me to drive. I'm telling him I can't I've gotta wait. He's gesturing his arms to drive. My older brother is telling my dad to calm down. But he continues to scream at me. I don't even know when the other car passed us but I started to drive while my dad continued to scream at me. My little sister starts to cry. I'm shaking. So I stop the car. The next thing I know my face is bleeding."
Munks body tensed up and he held her hands tighter. Jay just stated at the ground in a trace telling her story.

"It felt like ages but was only probably seconds but I looked over to see my dad staring at me. Pure rage in his eyes. Then thud again. This time I knew what is was. My dads fist and arm with his watch. I touched my face again out of shock. Bright red staring back at me. I panicked and got out of the car. Just started walking. Then I was on the ground. My back hurt. But I got up and carried on walking. Ground again. This time I couldn't get up. I rolled over to see my brother pulling my dad away from me. He had a metal pole in his hand. I found out later that's what he used to hit me with and knock me to the ground. My dad got back in the car and my brother helped me up. Dad speed off in the car leaving me and my brother to walk the 2 miles back in the bush back to the house."
Munk was beginning to feel very uneasy, angry and kept shifting his body. Thankfully Jay didn't seem to notice she kept going.
"My brother helped me walk back but as we got closer to the house I told him I couldn't go in there. He asked he what I wanted to do. I stood there for ages. Dad wouldn't let me phone mum and tell her. She would probably blame me anyway. I had no money. Nowhere else to go. All my stuff was in the house with him. We were miles and miles away from anyone else I knew. No one would come and save us on Christmas Eve. I touched my face. All swollen and sticky with blood. I started to get angry. How could he do this? Over stopping for a car! What had I done wrong? He was supposed to be my dad. He was supposed to love me not hurt me. I looked at my brother and said I wanted to call the police. I was expecting my brother to talk me out of it but he didn't. He helped me. When I knew they were coming we went back to the house."
By this time the tears were just streaming from Jay's eyes. Munk wanted to hug her so badly but he could see she needed to finish her story. He was still waiting for the part that was supposed to make him hate her...
"We walked into the house. My brother first. Just in case. My older sister was cooking a roast chicken. My dad was watching tv. It really was a 'WTF' moment. My sister didn't even look at me. My dad asked where we had been. I think that's when a red mist came down as I don't remember much except my brother getting me up the stairs into my room really fast and then stuff to clean my face. Which I refused to do. I told him I wanted the police to see what he had done. I had no camera. Dad was acting like nothing had happened. I needed the police to see. They came. They took my statement. My brothers. My younger sisters. My older sister refused to give one. They told me that if I wanted to pursue things I would either have to stay in the country or come back. Neither of which I could do. So he would get away with it. And he did. He got away with it Munk."
Jay lifted her gaze to meet Munk's still afraid of what she would see in his eyes. All she saw was love.
"What in anything you said would make you think I would hate you Jay?"
"I called the police on my own dad"
"Yeah and.... Look what he did to you. Is that where that scar is from?" He asked gesturing to a small scar by Jay's lip.
She nodded. Munk took his sleeve and wiped the tears away from her face.
"I've never gone back. Not even to see my other family or friends. He still acts like nothing happened at all. That scar might have faded and my tooth I'm so used to not being perfectly straight anymore but that look in his eyes and those scars inside are as fresh as yesterday"
Munk stood up and pulled Jay to her feet. Wrapping his arms round her he pulled her into a tight hug.
"Listen you, he may have come back but you are strong and powerful and don't have to have anything to do with him anymore if you don't want to. Plus if he comes anywhere near you I'll bite his hand off" he said with a smirk making Jay giggle.
Pulling Jay's face into his strong warm hands, looking into her eyes...
"I mean it Jay. I'm your friend for life now. He can't hurt you anymore. You are safe now."

He