Left Behind // Scarlett Johansson x Daughter

Trial and Error

THIRD PERSON POV

The infection hit Yn like a merciless hurricane, leaving her on the brink of unconsciousness for two long and painful days until, at last, the antibiotic performed its miraculous healing. However, this improvement wasn't sufficient for Yn to rekindle her vitality and enthusiasm for family life, as Scarlett had hoped.

The young girl refused to come down to the table to share meals with the others, and her interest in activities such as afternoon games or home movie nights had completely vanished. Scarlett was consumed by worry and stress, feeling the progress achieved in previous days crumble away. Colin, on the other hand, believed that Yn was undergoing a painful process of grieving and adapting to the changes, and that everyone needed their own time.

In a desperate attempt to reach her daughter, Scarlett quietly entered Yn's room. She found her lying in bed, pretending to be in deep slumber. With infinite tenderness, she whispered in her ear that food was ready and planted a gentle kiss on her forehead, like a mother yearning to feel her daughter's warmth once more. While doing so, she checked her temperature with extreme delicacy, seeking signs of improvement. The absence of response elicited a sigh of concern and desperation from Scarlett, who felt that her efforts were in vain, and her connection with Yn was fading.

With the certainty that Scarlett had finally departed, Yn, feigning deep slumber, opened her eyes. She waited for a while before leaving the bed and resuming her call with her friend Ava. Her eyes, typically brimming with life, now mirrored profound sadness and a sense of loneliness that she couldn't express in words but weighed on her heart like a heavy burden of lead. The call with Ava was her sole refuge in a world that appeared hostile and unfamiliar to her.

"I noticed your mum seemed sad," Ava remarked, her voice filled with empathy.

"She's not my mother," Yn replied with a brusqueness that she hoped would conceal the deep pain those words caused her. Her emotions welled up inside, threatening to overwhelm her. "Ava, this is not my home. I need to escape, please, you have to help me," she pleaded, tears welling up in her eyes and her voice trembling with distress.

Ava, with her unwavering friendship, sought a solution to Yn's desperation.

"What if you tell Scarlett what's happening with Rose?" she suggested, her tone full of compassion and care.

Yn hesitated, feeling the weight of her secret and the difficulty of the situation. "Do you want me to tell her that her adorable daughter is a little brat? Do you want me to reveal to someone I barely know that she's given birth to a little monster?"

Ava let out a soft laugh, trying to lighten the tension in the conversation. "I'm sorry, that was funny, but, indeed, it doesn't seem like a good idea. But what can we do?"

The question that had been on Yn's mind for a while echoed in the silence.

"I would like to stay with Aunt Shannon and you, but I'm afraid they won't allow me," she sighed, casting a worried look at the door as she sensed a whisper in the hallway, as if the shadows were conspiring against her. "Ethan won't accept me on the ranch, and he won't hide me, at least not until he gets over his anger. Our fortress is all that's left."

Ava understood the gravity of the situation and the uncertainty that engulfed her friend.

"Well, Yn, you hide in the fortress. And then what?"

Yn swallowed the lump in her throat, not having contemplated a plan beyond the escape route represented by the fortress. She shrugged, though Ava couldn't see her, feeling the weight of an uncertain future.

"I suppose I'll hide there until I'm older, until I can face the world on my own."

"And how do you plan to get here?" Ava asked, her tone filled with concern.