Meet 16 year old Harper-Ariana Reed. Her father had been abusing her for years after her mother was shot. The once happily family Harper remembered was just a faint memory of what it could have been like. Instead, she has to live day after day being...
After we flooded the bathroom with bubbles we got dressed and headed for the kitchen. Then I realize how we are still in Hayden's parent's house. Time to leave...But food first. What? Food is very important!
I dial the nearest pizza place and ask for two large margarita pizzas before waiting for them to deliver it. Luckily his parents didn't seem to be home, otherwise, they would probably convince us to stay. That or make me leave Miko by herself. Ha! I would never do that in a million years. My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a doorbell. A large smile danced across my lips as I opened the door, money in hand. "That will be £5.95" I have never been so happy to be greeted with a dull monotoned voice. I hand him the money, collect me change then grab my backpack. "You ready to leave pumpkin?" I ask smiling as I gave her my hoodie for her to put on. The sleeves were too long and it trailed past her knees but her smile never faltered once. "Yep!"She squealed making me laugh as I grabbed her hand and shoved the pizzas in a carrier bag before heading out. The sound of our feet beating against the cracked and worn pavement filled our ears while the smell of the pizzas captured our attention and sense of smell. "Once we get there we can eat" I reassure her and she nods her head eagerly, eyes fixed on the covered pizza boxes.
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We passed the entrance to the woods and down a hidden gravel path that weaved between the growing trees. Then it broke into an abandoned trail of rails that had been suffocated by moss The mass of moss had taken over the trees and growing plants creating a canopy and dome of moss and created the most beautiful path towards my secret place. Miko's eye widened as she saw it and giggled as she chased the many butterflies weaving amongst the green mass. The ground was soft beneath our feet and Miko froze at the end of the long tunnel.
Slowly passing a sleeping stream we followed the walking water along a steep drop. The millions of droplets plummeted into a crystal lake at the bottom Her eyes sparkled and you could see the admiration for this spot in her eyes even at such a young age. "This place is...wow"She sighed jumping down the path to the pond of water. (Image above) A single tree had fallen across the place and allowed many flowers to bloom on its weakened trunk. "You like it" I laughed following her down. "Like it? I love it!" She squealed again gripping my legs "Thank you mummy" She sighs still hugging my legs. I freeze, the words stuck in my head and my voice was stuck in my throat. She called me her mum... It's only been two days and she already thinks I'm her mum. (It's mom for you, other weirdoes) Tears welled in my eyes as I crouch down to hug her back "your welcome pumpkin". "Can we eat now" She grins as she pulls away causing me to laugh. "Yeah I'm starving" I grab her hand again leading her to a small rock shaded by the overhang of the eroding earth. I pull out the pizzas and rest them on the clear space of rock before we eat. "Dig in" I say turning back around to see her already eating, pizza sauce and cheese covering half her face already, a huge smile plastered on her adorable little face.
As I eat I replay the kitchen scene in my head. How can suck a small adorable young girl hold as much power as she claims to have? "Mummy" Miko whispers and I twist myself around to face her. "Yeah" Her small body is shaking as I look over to see two large wolves. 'Not again' i groan in my head. The wolves crept from the beauty of the woods staining the perfect image of mother nature with their greasy, battered and bruised appearance. "Stay behind me baby" I whisper and she nods her head as we stand up. Don't let them touch Miko a loud voice growls and I look around for the source. No one. No one but me, Miko and the two wolves. A loud snarling and a cry from Miko brought my attention back to our current situation. They had advanced and were only a few feet away from us. A weak whimper of fear from Miko made a sudden growl from the back of my throat escape. It was low and animal-like and made the wolves jump back a bit. "Stay back" My low voice wavered and a dangerous growl dared them to come and further. This caused the advancing wolves to hesitate and me to smirk a little. "On my count, you need to run and climb the nearest tree. Okay?" We slowly twisted and were in a defensive circle my eyes fixed on the wolves. "Three" I whisper back away slightly. "Two" I count making myself look as big as possible. A moment of hesitation caused my brain to finally acknowledge the situation and the adrenaline began pumping through my veins. "ONE" I shout and Miko bolts for the tree behind us but so does one of the wolves. It was the smallest of the two. Its dark brown fur was coated in mud and dry blood and its eyes bloodshot and glowing red. Hes after Miko get him the same voice from before grwls and my body unvoulenterily jolts towards the wolf. My feet pounded against the dirt floor and I flung my body aginst the wolf knocking it off its feet and into another tree. It yelped loudly and stayed down whimpering. In seconds I was punced on. Its claws digging into the skin of my back and its teeth trying to get to the skin of my neck. Spinning round I slam backwards against the tree over and over again before it let go and fell down whimpering. The the first wolf charged at me again. I instantly drop to the floor and kick upwards letting my feet come into contact with its stomach. The sound of breaking bones and a pained yelp echoed through the woods. "LEAVE NOW" My voice was not my own. It was deeper and more powerful than my voice could ever go but a slight hint or recognition and feeling my lips move helped me to know I was the one who said that. Either way, it sent the two wolves cowering and whimpering back into the forest. "Are you okay Miko?in" I ask turning around to see her nod, shaking slightly. "Thank you for saving me.....again" She frowned climbing down. "Now thaI'm here" I smile hugging her " No one will ever be able to hurt you ever again". "Promise...." her voice was weak and doubtful.
"Promise" I smile ignoring the excruciating pain in my back. I felt the crimson liquid seeping through my thin layer of clothes and it ached badly.
"Let's go home"
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ANOTHER CHAPTER DOWN!
And Harper is fending for herself now!
Well...defending Miko but still! It counts!
Also! Why is there a voice in her head?
Lets just say there are a few...twists in the chapters to come XD
