HIRAETH

Twenty Seven

MADELAINE

I spend the next few days pretty quietly. I didn't want to be treated like a puppy that had been run over. For the most part, I wanted to just leave it alone and move on. Then, there was a small part of me that wondered if I should just up and leave New York. I had started thinking I should just go home.

Home.

I don't even know what or where home is anymore.

I hear Aurelia giggle in her room as she plays. That is what makes New York feel like home. The love I have for that little girl is practically the only thing keeping me here at this point.

After Sebastian stayed the night with me, we had yet to speak of what happened again. I don't want to talk about it. He has tried to talk to me and I constantly shut him down before he can even start the conversation. I appreciate his concern, but like I said, I don't want people treating me differently.

"Mimi? Come play!" Aurelia yells into the living room.

"Okay." I sigh under my breath and move toward her room. It's an absolute wreck.

"Aurelia? Why does your room look like this? It's a mess." I sigh again.

"A tornado came through the town and now everyone is homeless." She says. Well that's kind of dark for a four year old. Oh, that's right. This is Aurelia. She is far from being a normal four year old.

"Okay." I say as I sit with my legs crossed in her floor.

I think about her words. A tornado came through the town and left everyone homeless.

Hm. That kind of sums up what has been happening in our lives.

Sebastian and I had our own home in each other. We built it from the ground up, without anyone knowing. Then, Alexia came sweeping through effectively destroying everything. Stupid Alexia. She just couldn't leave good enough alone. I still couldn't believe she had turned down Sebastian's offer to see Aurelia. Then again, even when she had free reign to see her child, she refused. How could she not want to see this beautiful yet, dark and twisted child?

Did I just call a four year old dark and twisted?

Man, I should probably go to therapy.

"Mimi!" Aurelia yells from across the room, making me jump.

"What? Why are you yelling?"  I ask, raising my voice a little to add effect.

"You aren't paying attention." She groans and I can't help but laugh at how dramatic she is.

"I'm sorry, I was thinking." I laugh.

"Are you thinking about daddy?" She grins and tries to wiggle her eyebrows at me.

"No, you little rat." I laugh at  the face she makes.

"I'm not a rat." She huffs and dramatically crosses her arms.

"Oh yeah? You're little and always getting into things you shouldn't get into." I say with a small smile and lean back against the side of her bed.

"Yeah, well..." She looks around the room as she tires to think of a comeback, "you aren't funny."

"You told me yesterday that I am hilarious." I point out.

"Well, I take it back." She says as she tilts her chin up.

"Oh really?" I challenge and begin to get up.

"Really." She huffs, trying to keep a straight face.

"Then you better not laugh!" I say as I take off after her, chasing her out of her room and around the living room. She giggles and squeals as she runs around the furniture and into Sebastian's bedroom. I run in after her and trap her when she jumps on Sebastian's bed.