"Hey." His voice crackled from the other end of the phone.
"Hey." I smiled. We called each other like clockwork, every day, morning, afternoon, evening.
"Wanna head out to see the stars?" I could hear the grin in his voice and my lips pulled up into a bigger smile.
"Sure. Come pick me up." I held the phone to my ear with my shoulder, pushing myself up from the thin mattress I called 'bed'.
"Right, give me ten minutes." I could hear his slow breaths through the phone.
"Alright." I replied.
"Alright." He repeated.
"Alright." I raised my voice, grinning.
"Alright." He echoed.
"Alright." I half-shouted into the phone.
"Alright." His voice came back with a hint of suppressed laughter.
"Gosh, you're annoying. ALRIGHT." I broke into laughter and I could hear him cackling on the phone. I waited for a few seconds and hung up. The silence of the cramped room hit me as I set the phone down. I pulled out a few pieces of second-hand clothes from the rotting closet and quietly dressed myself. Pulling my long, unruly brown hair behind my ears, I stared at my own reflection in the mirror. I was bone-thin, sickly looking and pale. Scars ran up and down along my arms and legs, bruises crowding along my face.
"Hey you! Shout in your room one more time, and you're not calling this your home!" My step-father's gruff voice pierced through the thin door that led to my 'room', otherwise known as the storage room. I slipped into dirt-caked shoes, giving him no response to his threat. I glanced at the mirror one last time before I kicked the door open, flicking my hair out of my face as I jogged to the front door.
"I'm heading out." I reported to no one in particular before stepping onto the snow-laden porch. The cold, crisp air of winter hit my airways, sending a hacking cough that rattled my entire body. I glanced at my phone, he should be here anytime now.
My phone rang with an Unknown Number and I picked it up.
"Hey, come meet me at the lake instead." His voice sent a spark of warmth in me. Before I could open my mouth to respond, he hung up. Somehow, his number was never saved. My legs ached as I trudged through the snow, every breath I took slowly became harder and harder as I walked alone under the moonlight, towards the lake in the middle of the woods. I stopped, vision swirling before me. His face appeared in my mind, and my heart was sent racing once again. I blindly broke through the thick line of trees and to the side of the lake, glancing wildly around for him.
There he was, standing beside the lake, its gentle waves crashing against his tall black boots and harsh wind tousling through his shoulder-length, silvery-white hair. Wind found its way through the scrappy pieces of fabric that hung off my body to my skin.
"Come here." He called towards me.
Each step I took brought me closer to him. His arms were reached out towards me, a smile tugged at his lips as he watched me make my way towards him. I was barely breathing as I stood before him, watching his intense grey eyes. He wrapped his arms around me, and I laughed feebly from joy. The only times I've felt safe and protected was when I was with him. He doesn't hit me, he doesn't blame me, he doesn't assault me like all those other people do.
"Do you want to be with your real family?" His breath was as cold as the wind as he whispered into my frost-bitten ear.
"I want to be with you." I burrowed deeper to his side.
"I'll be with them." His gloved hand cupped the side of my face as he pulled away from the hug.
"Then bring me to them right now." I felt the rush of blood through my bloodstream, my voice barely made a sound, it sounded pathetic– needy and powerless, something that I would have been taunted for if someone else were in his place. He held my gaze for a while longer, grey eyes softening. He walked to the edge of the lake and dove in.
And I was on his heels, leaping into the dark water with the rush of adrenaline through my veins. The sharp coldness of the water clawed hungrily at me as I barreled into the depths of the lake, air bubbles fighting their way back up the surface while I went the other way. I felt my legs go completely numb as I looked for the glimpse of white hair I desperately wanted to see. My eyelids fought to stay open. Blackness crowded my vision as my lungs screamed for air. I lashed out, survival instincts kicking in as one last piece of information registered in my mind. Death.
"It's alright Lyra, from now on, I'll be part of your family, and I'll take care of you. You can let go now." His voice twined its way into my ears and I succumbed to the painful darkness, water rushing into my body and freezing me from the inside out. There was absolute nothing for a few seconds.
"Welcome to my dead world, Lyra. " I stood under a sea of stars, his hands were wrapped around mine, warmth flowing throughout my body and energy rushed beneath my smooth, unmarked skin. My eyes welled with tears and I pulled him into a hug, sobbing in relief, anguish and everything else. I let out a horrible gurgling sound, realising that all the years of suffering had come to an end. Pieces of untied information came together, one by one, branching out and connecting with one another as I began to understand the past few months with him. He leaned in towards me and my heart broke apart into pieces, falling down to my knees.
Family. Finally.
