Stardust // Reggie Mantle (3)

Chapter Fourty-Two

Caia couldn't believe she had just admitted something to a suspected cult leader that she hadn't ever admitted to herself.

Edgar seemed to appreciate this. There was something in his eyes that showed he was proud he had finally been able to break down Caia's walls. "Do you think maybe this is the reason you've turned to vices, such as your drinking and smoking? To cure some of that unresolved pain from when your mother died?" He probed. Caia slowly shook her head. She faltered, unsure of how to proceed. "It's okay if this is hard for you. Take your time."

Caia took a shaky breath in and finally continued. "When my mom left, my dad started to get angry more and more. He turned to alcohol to cope and then, eventually, he started hitting me," she admitted. "Sometimes it got to be too much to handle. Alcohol seemed to help, I guess. And now, with everything that's happened these last two years, it just seemed like the only option."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Edgar responded. "Besides you father, have you ever been hurt by anyone else in your life? Emotionally or physically?"

Caia blinked rapidly, trying to keep her emotions in check. "I guess- I was cheated on twice. Once with one of my best friends. That kind of sucked," Caia admitted. "I was also tricked into believing someone who was masquerading as my mother, who was been dead for five years, only to find out that it was all a ruse to help their own interest."

Edgar nodded, reaching across the table to set his hand comfortingly on Caia's. "You deserve a family, Caia. Someone who can further help you through this pain you've felt, and provide you with a safe place. You deserve healing, Caia. Healing you've never gotten before."

*

Caia left the building a few minutes later. She was more conflicted about the Farm than she had ever been before. Edgar had made her feel appreciated, heard. But at the same time she felt more than it was because she had finally talked to someone about her feelings than that the Farm was a reputable and good thing to join. It still sketched her out.

In the end, the only thing Edgar' s interview had shown Caia was not that she needed to join the farm, but maybe that she just needed a good therapist. Or even just that she shouldn't keep her feelings so bottled up all the time.

Caia decided to head to the Speakeasy to hang with Reggie after all. She hoped he hadn't been waiting for too long, especially now that she realized that she had forgotten to cancel on him.

Once there, Caia caught sight of Reggie standing outside of the door to Pop's. He was obviously waiting for her, and frankly, he looked a little dejected. Caia hurried over to him.

"Caia!" Reggie exclaimed, once he caught sight of the girl. "Where have you been? I've been waiting for you."

"Sorry," Caia appoligised, approaching the boy. "I had to take care of something before I got here, and I forgot to let you know."

"Oh," Reggie responded, taking Caia's arm and leading her to the door. "It's okay."

At the ticket booth thing, Caia tried to pay for her own ticket, but Reggie has already slid the bills under the window before she could. Caia glanced up at him. "You didn't have to do that," She reminded.

Reggie shrugged, taking the tickets and walking toward the speakeasy entrance. "Don't worry about it, C. It's not a big deal."