state of grace | fillie

chapter nineteen | the aunt.

millie sat on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands. she'd been up for nearly an hour, just thinking about her life. she thought about her father's abuse, finn, and her future. if finn hadn't came into her life she probably would've been dead. he was the first person to truly love her in years.

the curly haired boy yawned as he woke up from a deep slumber. his eyelids fluttered and he rubbed his temple. he looked sideways and saw millie on the edge of the bed. he'd almost forgotten that she spent the night with him.

"wh-w-wha-what are you thinking a-ab-a-a-a-about?" he asked her as he scooted closer to his favorite girl. he wrapped his arms around her waist and she smiled. even though they were reletively affectionate, they were both still very shy.

"i was just thinking about my aunt... we used to be kinda close when i was younger. she moved to maine though and we pretty much lost contact. i was thinking that... maybe she would let me live with her." millie explained in a quiet tone. she knew she couldn't spend another second in her own house. it was only a matter of time before her father finally murdered her.

"but that means i'd have to move away from you and our friends." she added moments later.

finn's heart crushed into eleven million pieces. he wanted millie to live in a safe home where she was loved, but he didn't want her to leave him. she was his everything. whenever he was sad, she made him happy. he thought about her all the damn time. he even dreamed about her almost every night.

the boy sniffed and swallowed hard. he wiped a his damp eyes and smiled.

"i-i-i-i w-w-want y-y-y-y-y-you to g-g-g-go live w-w-w-with y-y-y-your aunt."

millie nodded but stayed silent. she was doing her best to hold back a full mental breakdown. she couldn't imagine living a life witthout sadie, jaeden, and most importantly, finn. but it would be for the best. she had to leave.

she broke free from finn's grip and stood up. poor finn was sad that she was no longer in his arms. furthermore, he was mourning the thought of not being able to simply hug her again.

the brunette girl turned around to face finn. with tears streaming down her cheeks, she tried to think of something to say. however, her mind was blank. all she could do was collapse into finn's lap and bury her head into his chest.

finn gently kissed the top of her head. just feeling his touch made her feel like everything was going to be okay.

~~~

millie inserted a single quarter into the slot of a payphone. she was going to attempt to call her aunt in maine. she was rather nervous, as they hadn't talked in a long time. she was debating on wether to go through with it or not.

"operator, how may i help you?" the telephone operator said in a sweet tone. millie inhaled deeply and then sighed.

"i want to call winona ryder in derry, maine." the young girl replied. she was hoping that the operator would be of great assistance, considering she didn't have her aunt's phone number.

millie shifted her weight from foot to foot as she patiently waited for the call to go through. she kept wondering if she was doing the right thing. she felt bad for wanting to leave everything behind, but she knew she needed a fresh start.

"hello? who is this?" a woman asked through the phone. millie smiled at the sound of her aunt's voice.

"it's little millie. except i'm not so little anymore." she replied with a chuckle. winona almost dropped her phone. she didn't know if she'd ever hear from her niece again. she worried about millie pretty much every day.

the middle aged woman ran her fingers through her hair as she tried to think of something to say. her eyes began to tear up. she was unbelieveably happy. "how are you? oh my gosh, i've missed you a lot."

millie's heart began to beat faster. she was worried about telling winona the whole story. if she refused to let millie live with her, well, that wouldn't be good.

"it's a long story."

and with that, millie told her everything. she started with the year after her mother died. she spoke about how her father would get drunk and scream at her. she then moved on to when he began to hit her and violently assault her. she told her aunt that she knew she'd die soon if she stayed with her father.

winona was shaking by the time millie finished her story. she could only think of one thing to do.

"millie, you have to report him to the police." the woman said rather sternly. she didn't want to be mean but it needed to be said.

"i have no where else to go... unless maybe i could st-"

"i'd love for you to come and live with me." winona stated, cutting off millie.

the young girl was smiling harder than she had in years. she was beginning to think that she actually had a bright future.

she was hopeful.

***

this book is almost over!! thanks for all the support!! it really means a lot. as always, remember to vote and leave comments and feedback! also, make sure to go read my new book 'Breaking Bad'

thanks again!!!