Fixing You

22. Journey Home

"I will fucking kill you, Daniel. Come here!"

"Mia, run," Dan whispered, stepping back before turning around and running into the bedroom with Mia. He locked the door and rushed to the window.

"Danny, I'm scared!" Mia cried, gripping tightly onto Dan's shirt while the man on the other side of the door was going berserk on busting the door open.

"Mia, hide in the closet!" Dan said, still struggling to open the windows. The latch decided to betray him that day, of the many days that their father hurt him.

"No, I'm coming with you!"

"I'm sorry, but I can't protect you--" he said. The next thing Mia knew was him climbing out the window just as their father broke the door. Mia stepped aside and pursed her lips to muffle her hiccups.

"Son of a bitch!" The man scowled. He spat out the window, his chest heaving breaths of anger. Mia's gaze shifted to the belt on the man's hand. She stepped back and accidentally bumped onto the closet. The man looked around and scoffed. He took one long puff of his cigarette and locked the window.

Mia dropped on her knees and shook her head as she sniffled, holding back her cries. "I'm sorry... I won't do it again. I'm sorry, daddy. I won't do it again!"

The man hushed, crushing his cigarette butt on the floor. "Of course you won't. You will never leave, Damian. Stand up."

Mia clasped her palms together, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

Mia was startled by the thunder outside just as she was about to get whipped by her father's belt. Not physically, but mentally. The memories live inside her like a bad dream she can never wake up from.

"Are you okay?" Carter whispered, frowning as he brushed her cheek with his thumb. "You had a bad dream?"

Mia nodded, realizing she was clutching onto his shirt the whole time - the same grip she had on Dan's shirt before he ditched her. She loosened her grip and shook her head as she buried her face in his chest. "Just a bad dream," she hummed, easing into his embrace.

Finally, unlimited snuggling period with Carter. The guy had just sat for the last of his examination, and Mia didn't even realize when he came over.

"Mia, we should leave now," Carter pressed his lips on her forehead. "I'm starving, and I want to get home before dusk."

"Have you packed all your things?" Mia asked, "When did you get here? How was your test? Wait, where do you live? Do you live alone?"

"Hey," he kissed her lips, "Yes. I just got here and sneaked into bed with you. I'm pretty sure I did well on the test but one can't know for sure. I live an hour away, it's a family house but I live there alone since my mother moved to another place last year."

"Wow, you're rich rich," Mia gaped at him.

"Uh-huh," he kissed the confused look on her face and sat up, "Get up."

"I'm tired," she sighed.

"Of what? You slept all day."

"Excuse me? I was waiting for you and this is how you're going to act?"

Carter bit his lip, then pinched her cheek. "You're so adorable when you're mad."

"Sweet talking doesn't solve anything, Carter Wilde."

"Really?" He asked.

"Well, not everything."

"Come on, we need to leave before the road gets congested. I want to leave this damned place. I'm sick of it, especially this small bed."