Safe With Me |18+

A Sweet Vacation.

8 Years Ago

"Granny, can we have some pasta tonight?" I asked, tugging on her sleeve.

"No you can't. I have a little surprise for you later so you gotta keep your tummy calm." She said, grinning at me. I furrowed my brows and I walked slowly away from her.

I sat at the bottom of the stairs and I leaned my chin on my hands. What kind of surprise was she talking about? It was exciting.

I peered into the neighbouring room to see her sweeping the kitchen floor. Granny was a strong woman. She'd been through shit I knew. Her Grey curls hung over the sides of her head and bopped to her movement as she swayed, getting every nook and cranny.

She was awfully optimistic and I never let my guard down because of her. She taught me well. And if I needed to be that someone for El, I wouldn't hesitate one bit.

Her eyelids drooped. She was rather old. Being 76 was no joke of course, you gotta give the woman credit for such hard work into making it almost a century in.

Her wrinkles showed well to know she had worked every part of her life to get where she was. Away from drama. She knew what kind of a man daddy was and she scolded him.

But a kind of man like my dad was nowhere near gonna listen to his beloved mother. For all I knew he could've spat her in the face and hit her with a shovel if he could. It's just his pride and preservation of strength that made him think otherwise.

After my parents dropped me here five years ago, she made it her mission to keep dad away from me. But she failed bitterly because he took me away constantly after school to fight kids who could barely break their own milk teeth.

I helped her out as much as I could. I am older now. I was 12. I could definitely take care of her and El if I were to fall into that situation.

I was going to be 13 soon. In just a week I was excited to enter the teen years. Who wouldn't be? I would finally show off and tell people I was 13 and tell them how puberty was gonna do wonders.

I was fucking wrong. Puberty fucked me up no less than adulthood I know.

I turned around as I heard footsteps walking towards me from the stairs. I looked around to see Elora grinning at me.

"Cora?"

"What are you doing? You'll fall down!" I said, standing up.

"No. I can walk." I smiled slightly and tilted my head to see her take the last step. She stood in front of me and she grinned again. "See?"

"You're amazing, kid." I smiled and cupped her cheeks. I kissed her head and I brushed her hair away.

"Your hair is so curly! You could look like Goldilocks from that book I read you!" I said. She laughed. "That's why I love that book."

"Is that so?" I smirked. She nodded.

"So? What's granny making?!"

"Well, I told her to make pasta but she said she had a surprise for us. Any idea what that could be?" She shook her head.

"Hmm, I guess we gotta wait. Come on. Why don't we play with your toys?" I asked. "Okay! I wanna be the princess!"

I chuckled. "You're always the princess, Elora. You're my princess." She giggled. "Who's my prince?"

"I can be your prince, I'll save you from all the dragons and monsters out there!" I said, raising my fist and punching it through the air.

She laughed again. "Come on!" She grabbed my arm and we ran to the living room. She fell to the floor and grabbed her toys out. I sat patiently as she laid out the sequence of the dramatic scene about to portray before me.

"Okay! Look, Cora! The dragon has come to the castle and is trying to steal the princess! What's gonna happen next?" She gestured, pulling her dragons and princess models into place.

I grabbed the prince's head and I smiled.

"The prince comes in with a mighty sword and screams at the dragon. "Leave her alone!" He says. The dragon loosens its grip around the princess and she falls to the floor!"

"The princess runs for safety into the woods to save herself. She watches the prince fight with the dragon!"

"The prince jumps onto it's back and cuts the dragon but it throws him off to the floor."

"Oh no!"

"The prince gets up and the dragon hits him with its tail but misses! The prince slides under the dragon and kills it by plunging the sword into its heart!"

"Then the dragon dies! The prince and princess live happily ever after!"

"Yay!!" She clapped her hands and I chuckled.

I could see granny in the corner of my eye smiling at us. I'd do anything to protect this rascal.

"How good was that story?" I asked.

"Awesome!" I giggled. "You're learning real quick, El. Pretty soon you're gonna be a genius." I smirked. She giggled.

The doorbell rang and granny went to open the door. I heard muffled voices and a figure appeared in front of me.

Helga grinned. "Hey, kiddo!" "Auntie Helga!" I got up and I wrapped my arms around her. I wanted to cry. I wanted to sob into her arms but I couldn't. I'd be shown as weak. And I couldn't be a fucking wimp in front of my little sister.

She rubbed my back and she smiled.

"You're so big now!" She said. "I've missed you so much!"

"I know. Who's this little one?" She asked.

"This is Elora. She's my little sister." I said.

"Oh my god! She's gorgeous! The golden locks of hair! The blue eyes! She's Goldilocks!"

"That's what I said too!" I giggled. El blushed and hid behind me.

"El, this is Auntie Helga." "Hi." El whispered. Helga grinned and opened her arms wide. "Come here. I wanna get a good look at my beautiful niece." El approached her slowly and Helga stared at her.

She frowned and then she smiled. "Oh wow."

"She's beautiful isn't she?" I smirked. "She really is." Helga whispered, her eyes glued on El.

"Auntie Helga, what are you doing here?" I asked.

"Well, I know I had to stay in New Jersey for so long. But I came back for a vacation and I figured I'd take you guys."

"Really? What about school?" "It's okay. It won't be so long. I just wanna spend my time with my favourite one. And now I got a new one too!" She grinned at Elora.

"Are you for real? So,it's a vacay?" "It's a vacay! So pack up. We leave Friday night." "Okay!" I hugged her tight and I smiled.

I remember just how happy I felt. Getting away from dad and taking a vacation with his harmless sister was everything I ever wanted. She had no idea how she made me feel. And I planned to keep it that way.

She got up and she walked to the kitchen with granny as they had their own adult conversations. I looked at Elora and I smiled at her.

"Elora, you're a big girl now. So I need you to help me, okay?"

"What?"

"Promise me you don't say a word to auntie Helga about daddy. You don't want me to be hurt right? So don't tell her." She nodded.

"Good." I smiled. "What's a vacation?"

"A time where we skip school and forget about our worries. A time to have fun, just you, me and Helga." I smirked.

She smiled at me and nodded.

"Let's go pack!" She said. She zoomed up the stairs and I chuckled, walking after her slowly up the stairs. I was fucking aging. How fucking brilliant.

I took a glimpse of Helga talking to granny with a frown on her face. Bad news. Fuck. I shook it off and I went up the stairs ready to bury my pain in my past for a temporary period of time.

*****