Secrets

Over the Years

3 years later

The raven haired man watched as his daughter ran around with her stuffed giraffe. The toy was old and tattered. The little girl didn't care that it was used many times before her. She loved her stuffed animal all the same. Her laugh was infectious. The other children in the orphanage played with the girl.

Her blond curly hair bounced around as she ran. A bright smile was on her face and she ran from her friends. The other three children ran after her. It was a silly game that the mortals played with his precious daughter. He watched as she tripped over a tree root and fell to the ground, crying. Her knee was bleeding heavily. The caretaker only looked up from her book and saw the girl's knee. The woman only went back to her book instead of helping the wounded girl.

Fury rose inside of the god. How dare that insufferable woman leave his precious daughter alone when she was hurt? He stood up and changed into his mortal clothes before walked over to his daughter. The little girl looked up the man walking closer to her. She felt a unknown desire to walk into the man's arms and cry.

And that's what she did. She got up and walked over to the mysterious man and went right into his arms. Automatically, she felt safe and at home. She had a feeling like she could trust this man with her life.

The man kneeled down and set his daughter in his leg. "This looks nasty sweetheart." He kissed two of his fingers and placed them on her knee. The girl watched in amazement as her wound healed right in front of her eyes. The only evidence left was the blood that stained her skin. "There you go. All better." The man said and tickled the child.

She giggled, gaining the attention of the caretaker. Her eyes widened and she rushed over to the pair. "I'm so sorry sir." She breathed out. "I hope the girl didn't bother you." She said quickly.

The man simply chuckled. "Oh no. I've never met such a sweet and beautiful child in my entire life."

The caretaker, Ms. Simmel, looked at the god in shock. "Uh, thank you sir. She's up for adoption you know." Ms. Simmel stated. Loki just nodded. He held his daughter in his arms and never wanted to let go. He hadn't been able to see his daughter for a few months due to his annoying brother.

"I'm not ready for a child. But when I am, I will make certain that I come for this one." He promised.

"What's her name?" Loki asked. The woman paused, her mind desperately searching for one. She hadn't felt like naming the child and the other kids didn't have names either.

"Greta." She finally answered. Loki scrunched up his nose at the awful name. His child would have a proper name, not some name that no one cared to remember. He stroked the child's cheek before standing up.

"Thank you for letting me play with the child. Although, when a person is hurt, it is best to help them." The woman cheeks flushed red in embarrassment. Her head hung low at being caught. She never really took that good a care of the children at the orphanage. The only reason the place was created was because her late husband wanted children.

The God walked away from his daughter and the awful woman he swore to make pay for letting his child get hurt.

Greta watched the man disappear around the corner. If she had a father, she wanted that man to be hers. He had given her a comforting feeling that was foreign to her. She wanted to stay in his arms forever.

Ms. Simmons turned around and glared at the girl. She walked up to the child and roughly grabbed her arm. Greta cried out in pain and stumbled along after her caretaker. When they got back to the house, Ms. Simmons let go of Greta's arm. Red finger prints were printed onto her arms, the bruises already forming.

"You ever try to get someone's attention again and I will never give you dinner again. Nobody would want you- you're worthless. No wonder you're parents gave you up." She snarled and pushed Greta up to her room.

Greta's room was all one color. The walls and floor were all wood. A bed was on the wall in the very back. The metal of the bed was old and rusty. A cabinet had only one drawer full of clothes. Those clothes were the only ones Greta had. A bed side table was next to the bed. The only thing on it was an alarm clock that only worked half of the time. A black blanket was the only thing that Greta had to cover herself at night.

With a sigh, the three year old child climbed into her bed and tucked herself under the covers. This was the only place she could go that had the real feeling of privacy. It was the only place where Ms. Simmons couldn't bother her and the other children wouldn't pull at her hair to force her to play with them.

A lone tear fell out of Greta's eye. More followed and soon her pillow was soaked. Her eyes were painful and it hurt to keep them open. Greta closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.

-Dream-
A man his behind the cabinet and watched as Greta played by herself in her room. The man she saw earlier today watched her from afar. Greta stopped playing. "Daddy?" Her small voice echoed.

The man stepped out from behind the cabinet. "Hello princess." He replied and sat next to her. A soothing coldness radiated from him. It calmed her tense muscles.

Her father looked at her. "I want you to know that I love you and I will be back for you one day." His eyes looked into hers. "I never wanted this life for you. Never. But things never happen like we want them to. I love you so much. You are my only weakness." His hand stroked her blond hair.

He picked up her brand new doll and showed it to her. "Do you want to play?" He asked. A smile spread across Greta's face. Together, the two of them played for the rest of the night undisturbed.

-End of Dream-

Greta awoke with the smile still on her face. The man in her dream was the one she saw today that healed her. She wondered how he had made the cut stitch itself back together. In her dream, she had called that man her father. Is that what he was- her father?

Throughout her entire life she had wanted to find her parents. The people that gave her up. What she couldn't understand was why her parents gave her up.

Had she done something wrong?