𝐑𝐄𝐃 𝐇𝐀𝐙𝐄 || 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐕𝐈𝐈: 𝐆𝐔𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈𝐀𝐍

. . .

𝐎𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐒 got back to the, he felt tired again, bored. He hadn't forgotten about the books he'd got, it was on the coffee table right in front of him, he just didn't know if he actually wanted to read it.

Miles sighed, he'd figured he had nothing better to do. Flora was in Kate's room, playing with the dolls she'd gotten and the thrift store, Kate herself had dropped him and Flora off at the house and went to the grocery store to buy stuff for dinner, Rose was shut in her bedroom doing who knows what. He'd just bee in sitting on the couch for ten minutes, debating what to do.

He picked up the book and opened it up to the first page, scanning it quickly before he began to read.

"The summer I was eight years old, five

hours disappeared from my life. I can't explain. I remember this: first, sitting on the bench during my Little League team's 7 P.M. game, and second, waking in the crawl space of my house near midnight.

Whatever happened during that empty expanse of time remains a blur."

M

iles sighed as he leaned his head back, he was getting bored, and not so much bored as unhappy. He'd barely finished the first paragraph.

Miles didn't like reading, he liked music and noise and banging on shit with until his arms got tired and his ears started ringing, reading was quiet, he didn't like it.

Miles breathed deeply as he picked at the corner of the first page of the book, it was worse doing nothing and it being quiet, so he began to read again. Miles picked this book because he knew it would be familiar, he didn't like trying to understand knew things, he knew he'd understand this.

Not even through the first chapter, he already felt the sense of familiarity he liked. Blackouts, hours of his own life gone from memory, a semi-worried family trying to figure out what was wrong with him all the time.

Except Miles wasn't eight years old, Miles wasn't in Little League baseball, and he surely remembered the 'who did this to you?' Aspect of it all. Miles was 12, in his own home, with people he liked. And it didn't stop, not for two years.

. . .

𝐌𝐈𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐃 the door of the apartment open, he turned and leaned over the back of the couch as Kate walked inside. "Did you call?" Was the first thing he asked, Kaye gave him a confused look "What?" She asked, setting down a few plastic bags for a groceries by the front door. Miles sighed and rolled his eyes. "Our uncle, did you call him?" Miles asked, Kate paused.

"You told me to do it when I got back." She said, Miles shrugged "You had time just now, didn't you?" He asked, "I was at the grocery store." She said harshly "You could've called in the car." He argued, Kate groaned. "Miles, look, I was busy. I will call when I can." She said as she carried one if the bags over to the kitchen.

"Just call now." He pushed, Kate didn't say anything, Miles stayed silent for a moment. "I know you think you're doing us a favor, but you're not. You're not our mom, you're not our friend, your Flora's babysitter." Miles said, his tone was harsh but his face was mostly blank aside from the slight furrowing of his eyebrows. "You don't have to play mommy and pretend like you're taking care of us. Just call someone who actually can, we're not your responsibility." He finished.

Kate took a deep sigh and leaned into the kitchen counter, rubbing her eyes before looking at Miles. "Why do you hate me so much? I have tried very hard to look after you kids, I was ready to spend a decade of my life taking care of Flora until she finished school and I've been nothing but nice to you, I don't understand." She said. Miles stared at her. Was she serious? Was she fucking serious?

"No one asked you to. We were fine before you came. You can't pretend like you're doing anything good for us and like we owe you any respect because you showed up when nobody wanted you. You're not a fucking hero Kate, we don't want you." Miles snapped, raising his voice only slightly, Kate just stared, she didn't say anything.

"You're fucking insane, you are fucking delusional. Figure out your shit next time before you try to take care of anyone ever again." He added, Kate took a deep breath and bit her lip. She looked like she wanted to say something but she knew whatever she could possibly say to defend herself Miles would say something back.

"I called your uncle." She said quietly, Miles furrowed his eyebrows "Yesterday, after you feel asleep." She added, Miles looked confused, "What?" He asked and sneered, Kate sighed. "Listen I'm sorry, Miles. I'm sorry that you hate me and you're upset and I'm sorry for everything else but you're going to have to get used to it because your uncle doesn't want a single thing to do with you or Flora." She said flatly, Miles felt his face fall.

What the fuck? What the fuck. That's not what's supposed to happen, he couldn't just do that, he was their legal guardian, why wouldn't he just come get them? He had to, that was his job now.

"Anything you need, he'll buy it, he'll send money to take care of you and Flora, he'll get us a bigger place we can all stay in, but he doesn't want to see you or Flora, ever." She added, Miles stayed completely silent. "I know you don't like me but you're staying with me, that's how this is going to work. So just keep doing what you're doing and pretend it's what you want, for Flora." Kate said, she sounded pleading.

"Why won't he come he us?" Miles asked slowly, Kate sighed. "I don't know, Miles. Just let it go, read your book." She mumbled as she began to put some groceries away. Miles didn't say anything and sat down on the couch. He was fucking angry.

Everything would have been so much better if Kate never came. Now he has the live with strangers and the only alive member if his family doesn't even want him. Everything was fine before, everything was getting good again and now its not. She ruined everything.

[a/n]: Okay so here's the part where I stop sugar coating things. Stuffs acc about to get serious and there's not going to be anymore 'implied' stuff, every mention of Miles being groomed and stuff by Quint is just going to be either very explicit or straight to the point enough you know what's happening because I feel like with me implying everything it doesn't feel as serious and it's harder to understand the effects it has in his character. Another quick disclaimer, I'm not putting trigger warnings on chapters anymore. This entire book is about the effects of grooming and sexual assault, you all knew what this is about going into this so I don't feel like there's a need for trigger warnings at the top of every chapter since it's in the intro and the description and other chapters. That's really all I have to say for this chapter, next one will probably be out today or tonight. Thanks for reading.