Animals (sequel out)

🗡️45🗡️

I don't really do much except sit outside the office with my headphones. I don't want to go to my room and Josie's in class. About twenty minutes into sitting I grabbed a soda and started drawing in my sketchbook.

I thought about my mom and then my father and then it made me wonder if Caroline only cared about me because she had a thing for my dad back in the day. I pushed that thought out of my head. She's treated me like family for years.

Alaric would never let me get to close to Caroline. She would invite me on family trips and outing. I was too shy to talk to her and Alaric enforced the idea I was to be perfect and quite. Caroline would try to talk to me and I'd just not answer.  He'd told me she blamed me for my fathers death and talking to me just hurt her and she only did it to be nice. It took me a long while to get used to her and being around her.

In the back of my mind the thought of her only being nice to me became of my dad faded away and I started leaning more and more on her. Cautiously of course if it was big enough she'd tell Alaric. It took Alaric's many inappropriate advances and the sort of code switch he did with his family around. That made me realize Caroline had no clue what he was doing and wouldn't condone it.

My mom and I didn't really have the stay away from adult men talk until I was like thirteen but even if it was had sooner I still don't think it would have done much. I thought Alaric fell into the trusted adult category. I held resentment towards my mom for how he treated me but I didn't ever tell her.  I'd get snappy with her and get myself suspended because I just wanted to get away from him.  I wasn't even sure what Alaric did was something I didn't sign up for. I never really had a father figure besides him.

Josie didn't remember the times I'd ask her if he was like that to her when she was much younger. I remember getting yelled at by Alaric and lightly scolded by Caroline for asking inappropriate questions.  I didn't know what I was asking was inappropriate because Alaric talked to me like that all the time. Honestly I probably was terrified of Caroline after that she wasn't harsh but I was embarrassed.

"Hope" Caroline taps my shoulder and I pull out my earbuds.

"We finished" she smiles trying to hide what's in the back of her mind. "They want to see you." She rubs my back.

I intertwine my hand around hers and she walks me into the room.

Freya had been crying and Keelin still is holding her head in her hands.

"Hope"Freya's voice chokes as she stands up from her chair and Keelin pulls her face from her palms

I look at the floor and hold Caroline's hand and cowering behind her.

Freya walks up to us and holds my other hand "Let's get out of here"

I nod at her and cling to hand while releasing Caroline's.

We all walk in silence out to the car. Freya helps me into the back seat and they both get into there's.

"Are you okay?" Freya asks not looking back in the mirror.

"I'm alright." I look ahead

"I wish I would have called or visited more" she stares ahead. "It should have been different" she throws her fist into the dash breaking the skin on her fist and cracking something that's probably in her hand.

"Son of a bitch."  She cries over her probably broken hand.

"Freya" Keelin tries to look at her wife's broken hand.

"I can help." I bite the skin off of my hand and offer her my blood.

"Hope." Freya sighs "I don't want.. I don't....."

"Please just take some you'll heal faster and the only doctors office in town is Elena's. Please just take some" I offer my wrist up to her.

She swipes blood off of the bite I made and wipes it on her knuckle.

"Thank you hope, but please don't do that again." Keelin smiles then looks back at her wife's hand.

"I fixed her hand" I throw back. "How am I the one getting scolded what should I do just sit here and chill while Freya's hand is literally broken and I can heal it immediately."

"Hope you shouldn't have to and we don't want I to be an excuse for you to hurt yourself." Keelin looks me in the eyes.

"I need air." I open my door.

"You can't keep running off Hope." Keelin runs outside after me.

"I'm doing what I can" I yell back.

"I know things must be horrible now but we want to help you please let us."

"I don't need help." I yell back and freya climbs out of the car.

"How long has he been doing this." Keelin asks.

I can feel the tears forming in my eyes.

"You're upset and scared and running is easy and you just want something to be easy after all of this. Let me help you it will be hard at first but it will get easier. Please Hope." Keelin starts crying softly.

I let go of the tears I'd been holding on to.

Keelin slowly walks up to me and pulls me into a hug.

"It's okay. I'll make everything okay" She holds my crying slumped over body and starts rocking me. I wrap my arms around her neck and she carries me back to the car and she holds me on her lap for the rest of the ride.