Winters Daughter

Joyride

Scout and I are laying on the floor instead of sleeping like we should. I just couldn't sleep, and who was to blame me. I didn't know how to feel anymore. I heard my door creek open and my mother poked her head in. 

"Eddith, why don't you ever sleep on you bed like a normal person?" She inquired. 

"Because I'm not normal mother." I replied, and it was as simple as that. 

"Come on." She said, attempting to pick me up, but I was a dead weight. "Eddith, now." She said pointing to my bed, it looked foreign to me. So I absent mindedly obeyed her. I flopped onto my bed face first. I felt her cold bony fingers on my back, tracing patterns. 

"What's wrong?" She asked. 

I turned my head moving my thick brown hair our of my face. "Really? Isn't it obvious, I don't want him to leave again." 

She closed her eyes and when she opened them I saw something in them I never had seen before; empathy. "I know its hard. Goodnight, Eddith, I love you." She kissed the top of my head and left. My room was so dark and cold. Not in the physical sense but in the sense that it was lonely and it took up all the space. I've never had anyone to call a friend except Scout and he kept me content when I was younger but now I wanted more. 

When I woke up the next morning I had devised a plan, and now that I think about it again it wasn't a very good one, but still any plan was better than no plan. When I went into the kitchen my mother was making pancakes. She put a stack in front of me, with strawberries on top, just how I liked them, I knew this was only out of pity though. 

"Eddith could you please brush your hair today, it looks atrocious."

"I'll see if I can work it in. I don't have time for that stuff." I said with a mouth full of pancakes. 

When I was finished with my breakfast I didn't have much of a choice because I was corraled into my bedroom, my least favorite room, and she yanked and pulled at my hair. 

"OW!" I screamed. 

"Oh, stop, your fine." She said frustrated. I sighed, she doesn't understand me. I looked in the mirror and didn't recognize myself with my long dark brown hair in a french braid. 

I looked at the clock on my wall, it read ten twenty two. It was almost time for him to leave. I went out the front door to the car and I had luck, his bag was already in the back. I opened the door and crawled inside carefully and closed the door quietly. I could hear what they were saying in the house, the windows where rolled down. 

"Bye Lucie." I heard my father say, "Where's Eddiee?" 

I heard my name being called by my mother. "Well, I hate to leave without saying goodbye but I really do have to go, tell her I promise I'll be back and I'll see her soon." 

I heard footsteps coming down the front walk way, they were his and Steve's. I crouched down quickly on the floor making my self as invisible as possible. It was a bumpy ride and I did my best to be as silent as I could. When we came to a lurching stop, I thought it was safe to now sit in the backseat and act like nothing happened. 

When my father got out of the car and saw me through the window his eyes widened he opened the door and I hopped out and gave him a big hug. 

"Eddiee what are you doing?" He said, "You are going to be in a lot of trouble." 

I didn't understand, I though he'd be happy to see me. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "But...I-I don't-I didn't-Don't leave me." I said finally. He bent down to my level grabbing his bag, Steve now behind him. 

"Eddiee I have to go, but I promise I'll be back. You can't do things like this, anymore. I love you." He said and gave Steve a hug and said, "Could you bring her back for me?" Steve nodded. I watched as my father walked away, I slightly smiled as I saw he still wore his hat lopsided. I don't know what I thought. 'you can't do things like this anymore'. What did he mean? Was it because I'm ten now, and should know better? 

"Eddiee why did you-" Steve began but I cut him off. "Don't call me that." I said harshly. I tried to hold back the tears that where forming in the back of my eyes, threatening to breach my defenses. He was quiet the rest of the way home. When I got back home I ran straight for Scout to tell him that our plan didn't work out as well as we had thought. I could hear the voices of my mother and Steve echo through the house. I sat on my uncomfortable bed already knowing I was going to be punished. When she walked in the room I knew I wasn't going to like what she had to say. Her face was red as she spoke: 

"What on earth, Eddith! I don't know what made you think that was a good idea but you can't go around doing things like this. What more do I have to do to get through to you. I know it's hard for you, it's hard for me too, but this doesn't mean you get to do stupid things like this. This is not okay! You aren't four anymore, you can't get away with everything. Start thinking with that head of yours and don't start and try to convince me this was just another one of your's and Scout's missions because those days are over. You've been demoted. Now you can sit here and think about all of that." She said coldly. 

I didn't say anything back to her, I didn't need to. 

I spoke to myself instead, "Yeah well maybe if I had a friend I wouldn't feel so all alone. But one things for sure I'm not giving up any missions." 

"EDDITH!" I heard my name yelled. I scrunched up my face, curse her and her superhuman hearing.