Broken (Edited edition)

Family

We went to Pax, did the signings, walked around the building so many times I memorized the building layout. Big games on the top floor, lower games on the bottom floor. Mark is packing up his things at the signing table, and Jack is leaning against me. He's really tired, and I'm just glad we're getting ready to leave. I'm exhausted, and my legs feel like three million pounds each. Everything hurts, even my the tip of my fingers. I think might becoming sick or something, because I just feel really tired. Jack is leaning on me, and I almost collapse. He catches me, and picks me up. I rest my head on his chest, and he hugs me close to him. I fall asleep in his arms, and don't wake up until we're in the car." How can such a tiny girl get so exhausted?" I hear Jack ask Mark, and Mark starts laughing." The same way we have so much energy." He says, and Jack laughs a little as well. He's holding me still, and he's put a jacket around me." She's so precious, I'm so glad you adopted her." Jack says, and strokes my arm very slowly." I am to, she's one of the things keeping me going." Mark says, and I smile a little bit.

"Hey, I need to clear something up with you." Jack says, and Mark stops the car." What's that?" He asks, and he turns off the car. Jack picks me up, and carries me." I heard Lyca talking to Danny a few nights back. That you scared her when you were drunk. Is she...scared of drunks?"

"Well Todd was a drunk, and he abused her while drunk. That memory was burned into her mind that alcohol is a terrible thing, and that she shouldn't get into it." I squirm, and Jack looks down at me." Hey sleepy head." He says, and sets me down." That's not true." I say, and I put my hand into Mark's hand." Well then what is it?" He asks, and I sigh. We walk into hotel, and go to the restaurant inside. We sit down and I play with my fingers together." My father is an alcoholic, Todd was an alcoholic, and even my Mom was an alcoholic when she was sixteen. I don't want to be that, I want to be someone who goes to booze for healing. Plus, I'm not going to drink my problems away. Maybe for enjoyment. The only reason it scared me was because you weren't yourself. You kept asking me how I got there, and you were stumbling all over the place."

Mark rubs the bridge of his nose, and pulls his glasses off." Sarah Fischbach, you should know that I care about you. Even if I get drunk one night, you should know it's not going to be like this all the time. Just when I'm having a good time, and just drink a little too much on accident." He says, and I look up at him." Wait a minute, did you call me Sarah Fischbach?" I ask, and he looks down at me." I..guess I did. You're my kid aren't you? So you should have my last name, because you're mine right?" He asks, and I keep smiling. I feel myself shaking, and I kiss his cheek. I hug him, and he starts laughing. He kisses my cheek again, and I hold onto his hand. We all get hot chocolate, and share a plate of food." Sarah Fischbach, that's got a nice tone to it. Why don't you go by Sarah?" Jack asks, and I make a face." Because, that's the old me. The name my Mother gave me, because she said it was the name of her favorite actress. Lyca is the name I gave myself, it's what I saw myself as. It's a name that I believed to show myself beautifully." I say.

I look down at my hands, and see them trembling." Let me guess, you like to be unique?" Jack asks, and I shrug." I.. I guess so." I say, and Mark puts his arm around me. We're all really tired, and everyone went to bed hours ago. It's almost three in the morning, and we have a flight in the morning. Jack's coming to L.A. for a little bit, which means sleeping with Mark for about three weeks." Let's get to bed, can we sleep in your room Jack?" Mark asks, and Jack nods." Sure thing, but I call sleeping with Lyca!" He says, and gets up. Mark glares at him, and I pat his bare forearm." You get to sleep in the same bed as me for three weeks. Don't get jealous over one night." I tell him, and he sighs." Fine, just for tonight." He says, and takes my hand into his. We go up to Jack's room, and it's completely empty. They're probable all in our room, because you have the keys." Mark says, and Jack nods." Yeah, because they were scared of losing them." Jack says, taking the keys from his pocket. He unlocks the hotel room, and we walk in. I yawn loudly, and pull my shoes off my feet. I pull my socks off as well, and my jacket falls off of my shoulders.