spoken word. (gxg)

thirty-two.

thirty-two.

I didn't go to school the next day, either. Jean had taken me into her arms, an enormous bear hug, after she saw my swollen eyes and trembling hands; she explained that she'd called the school when I was first kidnapped and every day since to let them know I had a fever and was sick at home. I gripped her a little harder after that-- it felt good to be looked after.

Part of me wondered if it would be better to go to the police, better to arrest Alpha, but one look on Tyler's face told me that would only exasperate the problem. It made sense that, with how tied up their family was with the illegal fighting ring, that they would probably face consequences as well.

Which was why the news Tyler delivered to me, Wednesday morning, my head buried in June's chest while we listened to another audiobook on their comfortable couch, was shocking.

"Prison?" I repeated, appalled, though relief washed over me like a wave. June watched me wordlessly.

"Yeah, for the foreseeable future," Tyler confirmed.

"How?" I asked him, baffled. Wasn't getting the police involved a bad idea? Would this compromise their own safety? I didn't ask the words on my tongue, but the way Tyler's eyes hardened told me he knew already.

"I would never endanger my family," he stated, harshly, like he was repressing something.

"No, no, I know, I just..." I trailed off. "Wow."

June, finally, smiled at me-- a small smile that made my stomach flip. She brought my hands up to her lips, kissing them lightly. A blush worked its way up to my ears, and Tyler groaned dramatically.

"You're safe now," she said.

"So, can I go home?"

That was another pretense that had been placed upon me. I was not to leave the house under any circumstance until Alpha's fate had been decided. I didn't mind, necessarily, but I missed wearing my own clothes. It was a little tragic, I decided, that going back meant I couldn't sleep on the comfortable guest bed anymore, close in proximity to June (who never stopped sleeping on the floor next to me, no matter how I begged for her to return to her own room and be comfortable).

Now, I could finally return, back to the small futon I slept on every night, my weird roommate, and the countless people like Charlotte and Caelan who had supported me when I was in a pinch. Nostalgia hit me when I recounted the mornings I spent there, and then a fear when I realized I would be alone, vulnerable.

June and Tyler didn't know about Asshole-- Henry.

"Absolutely not." Tyler's voice, enraged, snapped me out of my memories. I turned to him, startled. His eyebrows were furrowed, his usually cheerful demeanor unusually tense.

"I-"

"I promised to protect my family, Mia-- letting you out there again would only make matters worse." My heart dropped at his words.

"Sorry," I said weakly. "Sorry for getting your family mixed up in this."

"You..." Tyler huffed, exasperated. "It was us who got you mixed up in all of this, don't apologize. And stop glaring at me, jay-jay, I didn't mean it like that." I looked at June, who's glare melted as soon as our eyes met.

"It's easier to protect your family if I'm not here?" I offered. June's grip tightened on me.

"No," she stated, coldly.

"No," Tyler asserted, hurridly, his panicked eyes falling on his sister. Which was kind of adorable.

"You are our family, doll, Tyler's just too emotionally constipated to admit it." A new voice entered the living room, brandishing a large wooden spoon. She hit Tyler with it. "Dear, would you help me in the kitchen for a sec? I'm afraid I can't bake as well as I could in my golden years."