Finding Family

Chapter 11

Mia's POV:

I jolt awake. My heart drops to my stomach. My gut knots. Somethings wrong. I look to my right, Gabby's still fast asleep, I let out a shaky breath of air, knowing my wife's fine, only to gulp another load of oxygen down when I remember Briar may not be.

Creaking coming from the hard wood floors of the corridor cause my heart to drop again. My gut to knot tighter. I know it's not an intruder, their steps aren't heavy enough to be a fully grown adult, not to mention the extensive security, that Gabby doubled before Briar got here, wouldn't allow anyone to even reach the gates to the drive way.

Briar. It's must be Briar. I check the clock in the wall, 3:30am, what is she doing walking around at this time? I have to make sure she's ok, something tells me she's not. Something tells me she's far from being ok.

I'm scared she hasn't been ok for a long time. Maybe even ever.

Briars POV:

Darkness. That's all I can see. It's as if my eyes are covered by a black cloth it's so dark. I'm sitting on the floor. It's cold. Really cold. I curl my legs into my stomach and wrap my arms around them. It's still cold. Thump. Thump. Thump. Echoing footsteps get louder. Thump. And louder. Thump. And louder. BAM! A boot smashes to the floor in front me. "You've be a naughty little boy." His low, grating voice whispers. "You've been a naughty little boy" his low, grating voice speaks. "You've been a naughty little boy" his low, grating voice roars.
"You've been a naughty little boy"
"You've been a naughty little boy"
"You've been a naughty little boy"
It's gets louder and deeper each time until it's hurting my ears and my head. Until it's filling my brain and killing all other thoughts.
"Stop! Stop! Stop! STOP" I scream, loud enough to drown him out. Loud enough for everything go fuzzy. Loud enough for the world to turn. Loud enough for the only sound to be the ringing in my ears. I fall to the floor and then through it. My breath is sucked out of lungs when freezing water invaded my eyes, nose, mouth, ears. I cant breathe. I can't move. Nails dig into my scalp. Water burns my nostrils and my throat. It fills my lungs and my eyes. I can't see. I can't hear.
I can't breathe.
I can't breathe.
I can't breathe.
"You need to be punished"
"Punished"
"Punished"
"Punished"
I scream again. Water rushes down my throat. It feels like fire. I choke. I cough. But I don't stop screaming. I can't.
A fist flys at my face. The water is gone. I can see. I can hear. I can breath. White hot pain explodes through my right cheek. Red hot blood spills down my face. It drops onto the floor and I watch it. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.

Drip.

The water hits the sink, echoing through the bath room. I take in a shaky breath and dip my hands into the cold water, cupping some and bringing it up to my face. It's sticky with sweat, my hair stuck to it, my tears staining it. I scrub it all off. Wishing I could scrub away the memories too.

I didn't mean I fall asleep. I was just so comfy, so warm, so safe. I couldn't stop it. It's my fault. It's my fault I feel like this. I should've stopped it. I should've known better. No matter how comfy and warm and safe that bed is, sleep will never be comfy and warm and safe.

Sleep is evil. Sleep is weakness. And I learnt long ago not to show weakness. Not to sleep.

Mia's POV:

"Briar? Are you ok sweetie?" I whisper, slowly walking towards her. She's standing outside our door, staring at it. Shes dazed, her eyes are unfocused, her hair is wild, her entire face is sunken and pale. Her throat bobs as she gulps, then she runs. She sprints back towards her room "Briar!?" I shout, louder than I meant. I run after her and watch as she scrambles into the bathroom and spills her guts into the toilet.

I carefully walk over to her as she throws up her dinner and pull her hair from her face, holding it at the nape of her neck. My other hand rubs her back as she continues to throw up "it's ok, it's ok, I'm here, you're safe. You're going to be just fine" I whisper into her ear as she dry heaves into the toilet, chocking and gagging but producing nothing.

I see a single tear roll down her cheek and land on a scar on her cheek bone, I hold her closer "I know it hurts but the pain will go, I promise" I whisper, wiping away the tear and kissing the scar.

Briar turns around and jumps away from my arms, wiping more tears from her face. "I-I" she takes a deep breath "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you" she mutters, her eyes looking anywhere but mine. "It's ok, it's more than ok actually, I'd prefer you to wake me than suffer alone." I reply, keeping my tone soft and my voice quiet.

Briar nods slowly before standing up, I stand up with her "do you want to tell me what happened?" I question, not wanting to force anything out of her "home sickness I guess." Her fingers hold the bottom of the shirt so tight they've gone white. She's lying. "Thanks,
I'll go back to sleep now" she mutters, leaving the bathroom.

I follow her out. "Do you want me to get you anything?" I ask, I'm not going to push her to tell me anything, but she still needs looking after. "No. Thank you" she says in a clipped tone, still gripping her shirt. Still lying.

"Ok, goodnight. I hope you feel better hon" I say, leaving her room and making my way back to mine.

"Gabby, Gabby. Wake up" I whisper shout, shaking my snoring wife awake. "What? What's   wrong? Are you ok? Is Briar ok?" She questions, abruptly sitting up in bed "I'm fine, but I don't think Briar is"
"What do you mean? Is he hurt?" Gabby frantically asks, jumping out of bed bed, I take her hand and tug it, signalling her to sit back down, she does so with no hesitation.

"I woke up and heard creaking outside our door, I knew it was Briar and went to see if she was ok. I found her standing there, just staring at our door and when I asked if she was ok she ran away. Following her I found her throwing up in her bathroom. I comforted her of course but once she had finished throwing up she jerked away from me, refusing to look me in the eyes, obviously desperate for me to leave. She said it was home sickness. She was lying" I explained as quickly and simply as possible.

Gabby let out a huff of air, bringing me into a hug and getting back under the covers, holding me to her chest. "Her records say she was taken from her parents on accounts of child neglect and also because they were arrested for drug abuse and drug dealing. She was found scared, alone, dirty, malnourished and littered with bruises. They suspect child abuse but it can't be proven, Briar won't say anything and most of the bruises could have been plausibly caused by a few falls" she whispers sadly, holding me tighter and playing with my hair.

"She's not ok, is she?" I question, though I already know the answer.

"No. But she will be. We'll help her, we'll love her and raise her. One day, hopefully, she'll open up to us, let us help her" she replies, and I can tell she really believes what she's saying. And I believe her too.

Because I won't stop being there for her and comforting her. Even if she screams at me to stop. I'll always be there with open arms if she needs some love. I've got tons ready to give her.

I get out of bed and run down to the kitchen, making a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows and whipped cream.

I knock on Briars door as wait for her to answer "yes?" She calls unsurely, I push open the door and tip toe inside, she's wrapped up in the sheets, clutching her knees to her chest. I place the cup on her bedside table "my mum would always make me a mug of hot chocolate with whipped cream and marshmallows whenever I was sick or sad. I though you might need some, and if you need anything else, just come ask." I whisper.

Briar looks from me to the cup before speaking "thank you so much" her fingers uncurl from around each other and she unlocks her arms, letting her legs fall from her chest. She reached for the hot chocolate and holds it carefully.

"This means a lot" she locks eyes with me and smiles.

A/n
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's so said I know but I really liked writing it. Let me know if you have any suggestions or ideas of what can happen next!!!