Her Only Hero

Chapter 29

I notice the rips in her white dress and the dirt that ruins the plain material, but the red splotches on her chest catches my attention more than anything.

Her long brown hair has become knotted and messy, looking like a bird attempted to make a nest on top of her head.

I glance to the side to look at Axel for answers. He knew she was here. How did she get here? Where did she come from?

I don't have to say a word for Axel to understand what I want to know. "She snuck in while the two psychos kept us trapped in the house."

I put it together in my mind. She escaped Nathan and Chris, and ran out of the house. While she hid, we arrived. When we were taken into the house, tied up, and beaten, she came out of her hiding place and jumped in Axel's car before he led the two brothers away.

I look back down at my scared little sister, still nestled between the seats.

"Are you okay?" I ask, softly.

She gives me a nod.

Staring at the blood on her dress, I ask, "Did they hurt you?"

She nods.

My heart races waiting for her answer.

"He pulled my arm and hurt it." She lets go of the beanie with one hand and holds out her arm to me.

"What about the blood?" I gesture to the front of her dress.

She looks down at it. "It's not mine," she says. "It's Nathan's. Chris cut Nathan's hand and then he grabbed me." Still looking down, she mumbles, "He told me you wouldn't come for me."

"He didn't know what he was talking about," I tell her.

She looks up at me, sadness glossing over her brown eyes. "I thought you wouldn't care."

A pang hits my heart. I had always felt that way about Mum. I know Mum will never care about me or Misty. Now, I had done the same thing to Misty. What kind of awful person am I?

"I'm so sorry I made you feel that way," I admit. "I may find you annoying sometimes, but you're my little sister. I will always care about you." That's the truth. I couldn't accept her unfailing love for our mother when she never received any care from her, and because of that I abandoned her and treated her the same way. I hate myself for it.

Misty gives me a pout and pulls herself up, holding my beanie in one hand. She steps forward and hesitates.

I open my arms to encourage her and she throws herself onto me. Burying her head in my neck, she breathes heavy. I feel her heart thumping faster than mine against my chest.

Gripping her tight, I lift her up and move back from the car.

"I can't get service here," Wyatt says. He holds his phone up, waving it around, staring at the illuminated screen.

Misty pulls back but stays sat on my hip.

"We can head back to the house," Axel suggests, sounding unenthusiastic, "and see if we can call from there."

"Yeah. Alright." Wyatt puts his phone away and walks around the car to the other side with Jonah.

I set Misty back down on the car floor and scoot in beside her as she takes the middle seat.

Under her feet, on the floor, her stuffed rabbit lies face down. I wonder how she didn't see it. She had to use my beanie to cling to for comfort instead.

I stare at the beanie in her hands as she glances up at me. Looking down and back up, she places it in my lap with a weak smile, and I take it and put it on, returning the smile.

Leaning forward, I pick up the rabbit and hand it to her. She takes it, resting it in her lap, staring at it's worn and bloodied face. "Where's Mum?" she asks, quietly.

"She's at home," I answer, my heart receiving a crack.

Axel pulls the car back, leaving the black car in front of us, and turns around to drive down the dirt road.

Knowing about Axel's driving, we all put on out seatbelts and I buckle Misty up while she stares at her favourite toy.

While we drive, Jonah winds his window down and a cool breeze fills the entire car. It relaxes me a little and has me wanting more. So, I find the button on the door and watch the glass slide down until the air hits my face.

"Did she know I was gone?" she asks over the whipping sound of the wind, keeping her stare locked on her rabbit.

I don't want to give her the answer. "Yes." Of course she knew. Did you see the state you left the house in?

The moonlight flickers through the tall trees as we speed down the bumpy and winding road. I can tell we're nearing the end of the forest area when the thickness of the trees start to die down.

"Did she care?" she asks, drawing my attention away from everything out the window.

I stare down at the small girl who refuses to take her eyes from the old toy in her hands.

A lump forms in my throat as I try to answer, stopping the word from coming out. I wish I didn't have to answer, but I can't stay silent.

I could lie, but she deserves to know the truth. And Mum doesn't deserve the lie that will make her look like a better parent. Besides, I'm sure Misty would be able to see through that lie no matter how attached she is to our mother.

"No," I answer.

She goes quiet again. Then, without warning, her rabbit flies past my head and out the window. I watch it land in the dirt and get left behind in the darkness before flicking my head back to look at Misty, quizzically.

"Why did you do that?"

"I don't want it anymore." Her eyes don't meet mine, but rather stay down at her hands in her lap, avoiding the stares from everyone around her.

"Why?"

"She doesn't care about me," she says. "I don't care about her."

Her fingers find the end of her dress and she fiddles with the material, keeping her head down.

For years I've wanted her to accept her mother's abandonment and let go of whatever affection she had for her, but now that she's done that, I want to bring it back for her. She looks so sad and tiny sat between Wyatt and I. So young and innocent. So broken.

Wanting to give her comfort, I pull the beanie off my head, and place it over top of her hands. She takes it and looks up at me, moisture in her eyes making them glisten.

Giving her a smile, I get a half smile back and she pulls it into her chest, hugging it tight.

From the corner of my eyes, I can see Wyatt smile, Jonah grinning as he pulls his head back around the chair to face the front again, and Axel glancing back in the rear-view mirror.

She rests her head on my arm, and I pull it away to let her fall against my side, wrapping my arm around her small shoulders.

***