little bird // r.keene

xxi. not like this.

Hawk knocked once, nothing. He waited for a moment and listened, not a sound.
"Wren?" He called out but received no response. He pushed the door open and his eyes scanned the room.

It was flooded with warm light emanating from a lamp beside a small bed and a string of fairy lights strung above a windowsill. He saw a stack of books by the bedside and above it, an abundance of postcards from all over the states.

It was a beautiful little space filled with light and literature. Warmth and homeliness.

Hawk's stomach dropped.

He finally stopped looking around and his eyes fixed on the girl sat on the wooden floor by the end of the bed, her head lying back on the blanket.
"You have to understand, you were never supposed to find out about that." Wren's words were soft and fragile. Keeping her head lying back, she looked at him, still standing by the door.

"You live alone." Was all he managed in response.
"Yep." She answered, defeated and processing.

"So... In theory... He really could-" He broke himself off, taking a step towards her and sitting on the end of the bed, next to where Wren sat on the floor. "He really could get social services to take you away..."

"He won't."
"Wren, you don't know that."

"Yes, I do." She said, a newfound firmness in her voice which startled him slightly. Wren pushed herself up from the floor and stood in front of him. And right then, in that light he saw the raw edges of her eyes, red and tender, as if she had been rubbing them relentlessly. "Yes, he could in theory but he won't because he's a coward!" She yelled, waving her hands out in front of her, "He always was and he just-" A strangled noise erupted from her throat as she stood behind a chair, gripping the top of it until her knuckles turned white even with their bruises from how hard she had been training over the past few days.

"Hey, hey..." Hawk said softly, standing up and trying out to reach for her but Wren just shook her head sharply, looking away. He seemed to understand and proceeded to sit back down. "Talk to me, I know now so let it out. I want to know if you need to tell someone. Please." He told her in the softest voice he could muster and he watched from afar as her face crumbled, tears burning in her as she took a deep steadying breath, refusing to let any tears fall.

She took another breath before swallowing hard. "The last time I saw him was the morning of the All Valley Tournament." Hawk remembered her bruised, cut face. He couldn't help but clench his fists.

He knew it.

"I- I didn't let you or Miguel hit me that day because in my mind... In my head he was still there- watching me and I wanted to show him- p-prove to him that he couldn't hurt me anymore." She swallowed again, her throat burned at the memory. "I wanted people to be afraid of hurting me."

Hawk didn't say anything.

"But now they're just afraid of me. Period." Another long breath, Hawk could hear her breath shake and he wondered if it was from fear or anger. "I have a father, but I never had a dad." She sounded tired, oh so tired.

"And your mom?" Hawk found himself asking gently, leaning down to rest his elbows on his knees, pressing his hands together to rest his chin on them but he kept his eyes on Wren.