and I'm home (fifth harmony kidfic)

to be alone, to feel alone

**TRIGGER WARNING** contains child abuse
Once again its ~unedited~
This chapter is very harsh and love my bby lauren, but my writer ass has no chill.

-

She felt sad.

Very sad.

And the TV blasting a children's show isn't a big enough distraction to rid the the sorrow she had felt so much. The music coming from the broken piano that her seven year old foster sister was playing was not enough to drown out the arguing. It was never enough the wash away the stinging on her cheek or the way her back felt after messing up.

Lauren Jauregui felt sad, and that had not changed since the moment she was stripped of her childhood rights. The day she was taken from her group home and beaten until she couldn't cry extracted all the good thoughts from her head. But she had to be strong. She had to be strong for Alexa and Noah, her younger foster sisters who pleaded every night to escape the two adults in the household. She had to be strong for herself. Lauren had to be strong.

Before she could even blink the toy piano was thrown from other room and Lauren could feel her heart speed up. Alexa was in there and she needs her. Lauren anxiously gets up and enters the empty room to find the older woman raising her hand above the little girl. Immediately Lauren placed herself between the waiting hand and her best friend. She squeezes her eyes shut and waits for the burning sensation on her cheek.

“I need to punish her, move out of the way.” her foster mother spits, jerking Lauren up by the collar of her loose t-shirt. Lauren whimpers and shakes her head, allowing Alexa to push herself away.

“I'll take it for her.” Lauren whispers. She hears that laughter that makes her feel like nothing but worthless trash. It mocked her and reminded her she was nothing to them.

The moment the first ounce of pain landed onto her right side, Lauren realized she would never find a place to ever call home.

**

Lying on the floor with her head pounding was never an uncommon occurrence for Lauren. She had always had the heart of a hero, neglecting the fact that she needed a hero herself.

Her younger sisters sat on either said, exchanging worried looks as Lauren stayed unresponsive with her eyes staring off blankly. Alexa brought her hand to Lauren's and she could feel the girl's shaking body. The idea that she was beaten until numbness burned a terrifying amount of hate in the little girl. While Alexa and Noah rarely got physically abused (thanks to Lauren's good heart) but no one could escape the awful amount of vulgar and degrading language thrown at them. And seeing her best friend in constant pain only added to it.

Alexa gently lifts Lauren's ragged navy blue shirt to reveal the twisting colors of black and blue on her torso. The green eyed eight year old lets out a tired whimper that even breaks the heart of Noah, who was just over the age of six.

“Lex is she gonna be okay?” Noah asks quietly, sending the girl a scared look. Alexa sighs and brings Lauren's shirt back down. She meets the youngest sister's eyes and simply shrugs. She felt that's all she had energy for.

Alexa lays on the floor next to Lauren and lays her warm hand softly in her cheek. Lauren opens her eyes and locks them with the latter girl. Alexa smiles gently, a wavering and teary eyed smile, but it's enough to reassure Lauren she isn't alone.

“It'll stop hurting.” Lauren whispers, not knowing who she's trying to make believe. Alexa nods a little and gestures for Noah to come into her arms. She wants to hug Lauren, but she knows well it will cause too much pain. More pain. Noah is small enough to fight just right with Alexa.