My Father's Daughter, Book II (Completed)

Chapter 4. Cellmate

Alina

Father had gone out for the evening. My mother and I were seated at the dining table. It was the happiest I had been in a long time.

No one was poking me with needles. No one was chaining me down. No one was forcing me to train and harness my quirk until I collapsed.

I could sit with her, hold her hand, and eat hot food. It was wonderful.

"Does Father hate me?" I asked.

"No, my darling. He and your grandfather are just trying to prepare you for the outside world." She spoke softly.

Her smile didn't reach her eyes, and her golden eyes held a deep pain in them that I saw reflected in me.

"Did grandfather do this to you?" I asked.

My mother sighed heavily and put down her silverware. She scooted her chair back enough so she could hold my hands in hers.

"You are so much more than just your quirk, my darling. Don't let them tell you otherwise. Be stronger than me. One day, I will make this right. One day, I will be strong enough for you. For both of us. I promise." She leaned close and hugged me tightly.

"Having sweet dreams?"

I opened my eyes to find the man with the scars again. He was standing by my head, looking down at me.

"Why are you here?" I croaked.

It had felt like weeks since I had been captured, but according to Overhaul, it had only been four days.

Every day and night, he would come to my room and knock me out. I suspected he was taking blood samples. I had bruises coating my arms. My wrists were raw from being chained to the wall and trying to break free.

I was far too weak even with my scarred savior, bringing me a drop of blood during the day when Overhaul didn't come to me.

"To keep your strength up. You're no good to us dead. That moron can't see past the end of his nose. You'll die if you don't get blood." His stapled scarred hands grasped the edge of the mattress.

"What do you need me for?" I managed to ask through the dry cracked soreness of my throat. The fire in my chest had all but disipated. I only felt weak from hunger.

"You don't need to know. Now open your mouth." He commanded.

Unable to resist the single drop of blood, I eagerly parted my dry, cracked lips. The bittersweet taste of blood coated my tongue with just one drop.

The pain in my body eased, and I felt slightly more alert, but still pretty weak.

"Thank you." I breathed.

"Don't thank me. I need you alive."

"What's your name?" I asked.

Surprised by my sudden question, his eyes widened for a brief moment.

"Rest. Overhaul will be here soon." He turned and headed for the door. He paused with his hand on the knob.
"Dabi." He spoke over his shoulder before leaving.

"Dabi." I hummed.

A faint memory of Bakugou speaking that name crossed my fuzzy mind. It hadn't been long, but my memories of Bakugou and school and Aizawa were beginning to fade. I had a hard time recalling the sound of Bakugou's voice or the way his scent filled my nose when he'd stand close. I was starting to forget. I was forgetting who I was outside of this room.

Soon, I wouldn't be here at all. Nothing but a dying dried up shell of what I used to be. A mindless monster desperately thirsty for blood.

My mother's words rang true in my head. I was more than my quirk. I had to stay strong. I had to stay strong for both of us.

My eyes fluttered closed as I dozed. It wasn't until a few moments later when the door creaked open that my eyes flew open alert.

Had I been asleep long enough for a whole afternoon to pass and have my nightly dosage?

A small shadow entered the room and closed the door behind it. Even with the drop of blood to help my night vision, I could just make out a small form moving across the room and stopped at the end of the bed.

"Who's there?" I whispered.

"Eri. My name is Eri." The shadow sounded like a little girl.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Nobody. I heard the grown-ups talking about you. They want to use your quirk and mine together. That's why you're here." She explained.

So that's why I was kidnapped.

"You're a prisoner too?" I asked.

Eri had fallen silent. I could make out her small shape standing by the edge of the bed.

"Come closer." I spoke gently. She obeyed and stood near my head. With what little vision I had, I could see that she was just a little girl. A little girl with silver hair and big innocent eyes. Her arms had bandages, and she was wearing a hospital gown.

Those bastards were hurting her, too.

This made me angrier than when I had been taken.

How dare they hurt this poor little girl!

I was going to kill them all.

Dabi.

"Has Dabi come to you? Has he helped you?" I asked.

"I don't know who he is. I only ever see Kai." 

"Who's Kai?" I asked her.

"He says he's my dad because he takes care of me. He calls himself Overhaul."

My heart nearly stopped beating. Overhaul was her father? That monster?

"He let's you out?" I asked.

"No, but I have escaped a few times. He always finds me and gets mad when I come back. It's my fault he's always angry with me." She frowned.

Calming myself down, before I became angrier than I already was; I thought about it and realized Eri and I had a lot in common. She reminded me of myself when I was her age, but she was far braver than me.

I never had the courage to escape. To disobey my father in fear of making him angry.

"Where's your mother?" I asked.

"I don't have a mother." She spoke softly. I could hear the sadness in her voice.

"I'm sorry. I-I don't have one either."
"Eri, did you hear them talking about what they were going to do with us?" I asked her.

"Kai said the man in charge has big plans for us and that I have to be a good girl and stay here."

"Do you know when?" I asked as a plan began to brew in my head.

"No, but I can find out." She exclaimed. 

"Good, cuz if we are going to escape this place together we need a plan."

"Escape? Together? You're going to escape and take me with you?" Eri asked, leaning forward. Her innocent face was eager.

"Of course. We're cellmates now. I'm going to get us out of here. You better go before they find you in here. Come back tomorrow at the same time. We can formulate a plan then. Okay?"

"Okay, I will." She placed her small hand on my leg before disappearing out of the door.

I was going to get this little girl out of here if it was the last thing I do. I rattled my heavy chains defiantly.

If I was going to do this, I was going to need a lot more blood, and Dabi was going to help me.