Break The Cycle (Chris Motionless' Daughter)

Chapter 11

Riley's POV

"Believe us; touring the world is not nearly as fun when your lead singer is a baby when it comes to flying and heights." Vinny says.

"Hey!" Dad says.

"Which is ironic, since your dad is like, the dictionary definition of heights." Ricky says.

The guys are telling me about what it's like to be on tour. Hearing that my dad is afraid of heights reminds me of something I learned in school.

"Actually, it's not usually heights that people fear; it's falling from those heights." I say, "Which makes perfect sense, as it sounds God awful. Survivors of long falls often report feeling the sensation of time slowing down; which is a natural reaction to struggle to maintain a feet-first landing, resulting in the fractures of the leg bones, lower spinal column and life-threatening broken pelvises. The impact traveling up through the body can also burst the aorta and heart chambers."

They all stare at me, eyes wide.

"What the hell was that?" Balz asks, sounding confused.

"You guys are staring at me weird..." I say.

"You're intelligent?" Ryan asks.

"Oh. Uh. I guess?"

"Well considering you were kept in captivity for the last ten years, we just didn't expect all of...that." Ghost says.

"I was one of the top students at my old school." I point out.

"You were?" My dad asks.

"Yeah. I was on the honor roll, the dean's list; they even wanted me to join National Junior Honor Society but that requires parent's permission and six hours of community volunteer work a week and a bunch of other stuff that you can't do when you've been kidnapped."

They all blink.

"Holy shit." Vinny says.

"Are we sure she's my kid?" My dad jokes.

"Well, back then, school was the only thing that really made me feel like...like a normal kid." I say, "I've also got a crazy good memory. I suppose I may have read a few more books then the average kid may have, but that was how I explored the world: through other people's words and experiences. It took me some place else; somewhere in another world and another time where I was another person and..." I trail off.

Everyone falls silent.

x

I walk around my room, organizing a couple of the other things I got for my room. A few little decorations, some books. It's nice to have a little space that I can really feel like is my own.

There's a knock on my door, then my dad peeks his head in, "Hey."

I smile, "Hey."

He walks in and over to me, "What are you up to?"

"Just putting a few things up; trying to darken up the room a bit."

My dad chuckles, "Good; I want you to be able to make yourself at home."

I give a small smile, "I do feel at home."

"Are you sure? I want you to feel safe here."

I nod, "Believe me; I feel much...much safer here. That other place was just..." I trail off, swallowing the lump in my throat.

"You okay?"

I pause, "I don't know..."

"Do you wanna talk? We've got a couple hours until Sabrina's coming over."