Ruthless ; B•E

Two

"You know the drill kid. You stay behind, Vincent guards the door, Natasha makes you dinner and you leave the house how we left it. Got it?" Elijah said while setting down a briefcase.
    Aliza just nodded, letting out a small frustrated breath.
    "I mean it. Love you."
"Love you too Eli. Please be safe..."  she breathed calmly while walking up to her room.
    Soon enough she heard their motorcycle start up and fade off into the distance and they rode further away from the house.
   Aliza sat in her room until Natasha came up, ready to ask for her dinner request.
    "Surprise me... remember I don't like my..."
"Vegetables cooked. Yeah, yeah." Natasha cut her off making Aliza smile.
    "Thank you Tasha." She felt a bigger smile tug at the corners of her lips, which she never fought around Natasha.
   "Always kiddo." Natasha made her way down to the kitchen where she began preparing Aliza's meal.
  But while dinner was being cooked Aliza had quickly taken a shower and made her bed so she could sleep comfortably.
   And then it was time to eat.
She rushed down to the dining room and waited for Natasha to come settle down with her, which really never took that long.    
    "Spinach and garlic pasta with grilled chicken and sliced bell peppers on the side." Natasha smiled while sliding the plate infront of the girl and sat down in the opposite side of the table.
    "You always make the best foods ever." Aliza gave a great big smile before she dug into her meal.
   Not soon after it was time for Aliza to choose what they were going to read tonight as they had already finished the Great Gatsby twice this month.
    "Maybe we should give A través de mi ventana a go." Aliza said quietly while climbing up on her bed.
     "Well...you better be thanking god I grew up in Puerto Rico for 9 years."  Natasha laughed silently and slid into bed with Aliza.
    She soon began reading and before you know it, Aliza had fallen asleep like a baby, her head resting on the woman's chest while she delicately combed her fingers through her hair.
  Like said earlier in this story, Aliza's parents had passed away when she was 11 Natasha had been the closest thing to a mother in the last 8 years so she embraced it.
   Sometimes Aliza calls Natasha mom or mama.
They're just that close.
In the morning Aliza had woken up, it was still dark, but it's 6:24am.
Usually she never wakes up this early.
"Alex and Eli home yet?" Aliza questioned while walking into Natasha's office.
"Not yet. But they will be around noon. Why are you awake so damn early?" Natasha asked while Closing her laptop.
"I had another nightmare. I'm fine though."
Natasha took a breath and scooted away from her desk.
"Go back to your room kiddo. Get some rest." She urged the girl.
Aliza found herself walking to her room and just standing outside her own door.
"Could I maybe go into the library? Just for a few minutes. I want to get a different book."
Her eyes were wide and hopeful, knowing that it was very rare for Natasha to tell her no.
"Less than 10 minutes. No nook, just choose a book and leave everything how it is. You know how Alex is."
Aliza squealed and hugged the elder woman.
The first step into the private library was always so exciting being that Aliza wasn't allowed in there.
Alexander keeps the library locked just so Aliza doesn't spend all day and all night in there.
She turned on the light and walked in, enjoying the scent of dusty books.
She walked around and finally found the selection she was looking for.
"What are you choosing?" Natasha asked while walking in.
"I'm leaning more towards Shakespeare. I just can't get over his writing." Aliza smiled while looking through the alphabetical order of books by Shakespeare.
"Have you read King Lear?"
"Hundreds of times. It's my favorite." Aliza beamed, instantly pulling that exact book out.
   "That's what you're choosing?"
"Mhmm." Aliza happily hummed.
     "Go to bed now. I'll wake you for breakfast around 9am."
     Aliza in fact did not go to bed. She stayed awake reading the book.   
   She finished it.
All 384 pages.
     And it was the best thing she had ever done.
She added it to the stack of books in her nightstand and looked at the time.
   9:32am.
Damn.