Daddy's Precious Little Girl

Back to the Sanctuary

Ashlynn's POV

The sun felt a little warmer, the sky a little brighter, and as Ethan walked me to the Sanctuary, I couldn't stop the happy fluttering in my chest. After days of being sick and cooped up in the dorm, I was finally heading back to see my friends. Even the walk felt like freedom.

I hadn't been to my morning classes because Dr. Mitchell wanted to check me over one last time. His smile was kind when he said, "All clear. Just take it easy, and you can go back to the Sanctuary today." Those words were like music.

As soon as Ethan and I walked through the Sanctuary doors, I saw Markie's head pop up from behind the art table. His face broke into the biggest grin, and he dashed over, barely stopping himself before hugging me tight. "Ashlynn! You're back! I missed you so much!" he practically shouted, bouncing on his toes.

I giggled, hugging him back. "I missed you too, Markie! I'm so happy to be back."

Next, Anna and Bryan ran over, their smiles just as bright. "We were worried," Anna said, holding out a little drawing she'd made. "Look, we all made you cards!"

Bryan handed me his with a shy smile. "Welcome back, Ashlynn."

I took each card in my hands, feeling a warm glow spread through me. "Thank you! These are so sweet." I looked at each one carefully—colorful crayon drawings with stick figures of us all together and messages scrawled in bright colors.

I glanced back to see Ethan watching, a soft smile on his face as he nodded toward Ms. Hannah. "I'll see you later, sweet girl," he said, his voice warm as he gave me a small wave. "Have fun with your friends."

"Bye, Daddy!" I waved back, feeling like today was already perfect as he headed out, leaving me with my friends.

Markie grabbed my hand, tugging me toward the block area. "Come on! We saved you a spot. We're making the biggest tower ever!"

"Yeah!" Anna chimed in, "We almost ran out of blocks yesterday."

I laughed, letting them pull me into the project. The rest of the class felt like a celebration—filled with laughter, catching up, and just being with my friends again. I felt so lucky to be back, and for the first time in days, I didn't have a single worry.

Then, as I glanced around the room, I noticed someone at the far end of the play area. My heart clenched. Marcy. She was sitting by herself, her head down, not even noticing the play going on around her. Panic started to bubble up inside me, but then I realized...she looked different. Sad, almost.

Markie noticed me freeze and gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "Ashlynn, are you okay?"

I nodded slowly, my gaze still on Marcy. The excitement of being back shifted into something else, a quiet uncertainty as I watched her, wondering what had changed.

Even though I tried to keep my mind on building the tower with Markie, Anna, and Bryan, I found myself glancing over at Marcy every now and then. She kept to herself, picking at the edges of a picture she'd colored, and each time I looked over, she seemed even smaller and sadder. Part of me still felt nervous seeing her, but another part... I couldn't quite shake the feeling that something was wrong.

"Hey, Ashlynn, look!" Markie said, placing a final block on top of our tower. It wobbled but stayed put, and we all clapped and cheered as he did a little victory dance. I laughed along with them, feeling lighter, but my eyes drifted back to Marcy. She was watching us, but when she noticed me looking, she quickly looked down, her hands fidgeting in her lap.

Before I knew it, the afternoon had flown by, and the door opened as Ethan came in to pick me up for our last two classes together. His smile warmed me as he walked over, waving to my friends. "Ready to go, sweet girl?" he asked, reaching out a hand.

"Yeah," I said softly, reaching up to take his hand.

As we headed to the door, I noticed Marcy across the room, her head still down. Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a tall figure waiting for her—Franklin, her caregiver. He didn't look happy, his face set in a hard line as he reached for her.

I froze, gripping Ethan's hand a little tighter. Franklin's hand wrapped around Marcy's arm, and he started leading her out, his grip so tight it made her wince. I saw her try to pull her arm free, but he only held her tighter, and that's when I noticed the tears in her eyes.

"Come on, Ashlynn," Ethan said gently, giving my hand a soft tug. I nodded and followed him out, but I couldn't shake the sight of Marcy's tear-streaked face as she disappeared down the hall with Franklin. My stomach twisted, and suddenly, I wasn't in the mood to talk or smile. A lump formed in my throat, and I stayed quiet as Ethan walked me down the hall to his classroom.

When we reached the room, Ethan gave me a warm smile. "You're doing so well, Ashlynn," he said softly, guiding me to the small desk set up for me at the front of the room. "We'll just finish these last two classes, and then we'll head back to the dorm to relax, okay?"

I nodded, but my mind kept drifting back to Marcy. Why had Franklin been so harsh with her? And why was she crying? I wanted to ask Ethan, but every time I opened my mouth, the words stuck in my throat. What if I wasn't supposed to notice? What if it was normal and I just didn't understand?

Ethan began the lesson, his voice calm and steady as he introduced the topic to the class. Normally, I liked sitting beside him and helping him demonstrate things, but today I felt distant, like I was watching everything from far away. My friends' happy faces from earlier blurred together with Marcy's tearful one, and no matter how much I tried to shake it, I couldn't ignore the sadness that lingered in my chest.

For the rest of the afternoon, I stayed quiet, keeping my hands folded on the desk as Ethan's class continued around me.

Ethan's POV

The door closed behind the last of my students, and the classroom fell quiet, leaving just Ashlynn and me. She'd barely said a word all afternoon, and each time I glanced over at her, I couldn't shake the worry that had settled in my chest. When I dropped her off at the Sanctuary earlier, she'd seemed so much better, her face lit up with excitement to see her friends. But now... she was a shadow of the little girl I'd brought there, quiet and withdrawn.

I walked over to her, taking a seat on the edge of the desk beside her. She had her hands clasped tightly in her lap, her gaze fixed somewhere down near her feet, almost like she was lost in her own thoughts. I leaned down to catch her eye, giving her a warm smile. "Hey, sweet girl," I said softly, hoping to draw her out. "You've been awfully quiet today. Is something bothering you?"

Ashlynn looked up for just a second before shrugging and glancing away again, her expression guarded. "I dunno," she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.

The shrug worried me even more. This wasn't like her. Normally, she would at least talk to me about her day, her friends, anything. "Are you still not feeling well?" I asked gently, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

She gave another small shrug, looking anywhere but at me. "I'm fine," she whispered, but there was something distant in her voice, something that felt like it didn't belong there.

I considered pressing her, but I stopped myself. Whatever was bothering her, maybe she just wasn't ready to talk about it. She'd come to me when she was ready; that much I was certain of. "Alright," I said softly, giving her a gentle smile. "I'm here whenever you're ready to talk, okay?"

Ashlynn nodded, a barely-there movement, but her shoulders relaxed just a bit, as if knowing she didn't have to talk right now was a relief.

"Let's head back to the dorm and get changed for dinner with Markie and Lana," I suggested, hoping a change of pace and some familiar company would lift her spirits.

With a quiet nod, Ashlynn slipped her small hand into mine as we left the classroom. As we walked down the hallway, I could feel the weight of her silence pressing on me, the worry that maybe I'd pushed her back to class too soon tugging at the back of my mind. I had hoped today would be a fresh start for her, a chance to reconnect with her friends and routines, but it seemed like something had shifted.

I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but whatever it was, I'd be there to help her through it, just like I promised. For now, though, I'd let her have the quiet she seemed to need. Sometimes, that was all you could do.