Childish

14

"I must admit... I wasn't expecting you to pull off what you have. And in record time. You're a lot savvier than I expected."

I watched Dr. Owens pace the floor, his hands clasped behind his back. Mine were in a similar fashion only mine were held together with handcuffs that dug into my skin. They were clearly meant for small hands like mine.

The man that found me had dumped me onto the floor, knowing I couldn't walk and get away. The handcuffs only added to my inability to move.

"I didn't do anything wrong."

He stopped where he was and looked down at me, the darkness in his eyes intimidating me. "You have broken the law. You've committed serious crimes. You deserve to be punished for your disobedience."

"I'm just a kid. I've only ever been just a kid. You're treating me like I'm some adult that killed someone."

He knelt down in front of me. "Don't pull that bullshit with me. No child would do the things you have done."

I leaned away from him, not liking him being so close to me. "I was only doing to you what you did to me."

Time slowed down as he lifted a gun from the waistband of his dress slacks. He held it against my temple. His hands were steady while mine were trembling.

"I am in charge, Lyla. My ancestors formed Alpine to protect the children of this world from outside forces. Children don't need to be subjected to obscenities. Our only goal here is to protect you. Why are you so hell-bent on disobeying us?"

My mouth was dry. I couldn't form even the smallest sound. I couldn't focus on anything other than the gun against my head.

"Dad."

Both of us turned to see Monica at the end of the hallway. She wasn't wearing her lab coat anymore and I liked her better without it. The maroon shirt she wore made her tan skin appear deeper.

He stood up and walked away from me. "Monica... this doesn't involve you."

My shoulders relaxed only a little but I didn't dare make a move.

"I can't let you hurt her." Her voice was barely loud enough to reach us.

"She's dangerous-"

"She's a baby, dad. Look at her."

My eyes widened as he turned his back to me once more. I didn't always feel the innocence that my appearance radiated. There were times I was able to forget that I was a baby. But with Dr. Owens staring at me, a gun in his hand, I felt as small as I'd ever been.

"She's confused and hurt. Her parents were taken from her. Alex was taken from her. She's afraid."

For a second, I thought he was understanding her words. But as quickly as his face softened, it hardened back up and he narrowed his eyes at Monica. "All she had to do was follow the rules. She's never going to comply now. There's no other option, Monica."

"Let me take care of her. I'll make sure she does what she's supposed to."

He looked between her and me before he pulled the trigger and shot her. She collapsed to the floor, her eyes widened in shock.

"You're too involved, Monica. None of you can be trusted." When he looked back at me, I felt all the fear in my body come to the forefront all at once. My body trembled as I anticipated what would come next.

The bullet pierced my skin just as the sound of the gun going off hit my ears. My body fell backward and into the wall. A hot stinging arose in my chest and slowly spread to the rest of my body.

The gun went off once more before my ears started ringing.

The warmth that spread through me was hot. Too hot. I was afraid that if I moved, it would only intensify.

I squeezed my eyes shut and saw my parents. The parents I knew before Alpine. Dad helped bandage my knee after I scrapped it riding my bike. Mom pulled down my tutu backstage at one of my dance recitals. Mom looking down at me as I laid in my crib, my bunny tucked in the crook of my arm. Dad watching TV with me, a bowl of popcorn sitting between us. Ms. Diane looked back at me, her warm brown eyes scrunching as she smiled. I saw myself coloring at her desk on my first day at school. My first time meeting Alex. The day he picked me up from school when I thought he wasn't going to. The relief I felt when he walked into the room.

"Lyla?" Hands touched my face, bringing me back to the present. To the searing pain in my chest.

I opened my eyes and found myself looking straight at Alex. Dark circles drug his eyes down and his cheeks were hollowed out just enough that I could see the exhaustion he must have felt. Overall, he looked thinner and it pained me to see him like that. It was the worst I'd ever seen him.

This was the worst he'd ever seen me.

"Lyla, it's okay. You're gonna be okay."

"Daddy?"

His hands began to tremble as he brushed the tears off my face. "Daddy's here, baby." He hovered over me, his body protecting me from the noise and sight around me. He slid his arms under me and lifted me against his chest.

Pain radiated through my body and I took a sharp inhale. I'd never felt such pain before. Liquid filled my throat and before I could stop it, I threw up a mouthful of blood. I couldn't see where it went but I was sure both Alex and I would be covered in it.

Alex took off running and everything started to blur. I didn't know what was going on or where we were going. But I felt safe with him.

He kicked his foot against a door and a few seconds later, it opened. An annoyed woman glared at him, her arms crossed over her chest.

"What do you want, Alex?"

"I need your help."

She looked down at me. "What did you do to her?"

He shook his head. "I didn't..."

Her eyes wavered on him before she stepped out of the way. "Put her on the bed." As Alex carried me to the bed in the center of the room, the woman went to a cabinet and started gathering tools and medications.

"What can I do to help?" Alex asked as he stood over me.

"You do exactly as I say, got it?"

Alex nodded once.

"What happened to her? I need to know so I can help her."

"She was shot."

The woman looked at Alex, her expression causing me to panic even more than I already was.

"I know." Alex said quietly.

"Rip her dress. I need to get to the wound and see how deep it is."

As Alex tore my dress off me, the woman jabbed a needle into my arm. I cried out in pain, afraid of whatever it was she injected into me.

"Ly, it's okay. You're okay."

As the woman fed an IV into my arm, she looked up at Alex. "Is she your daughter?"

Alex looked down at me, his eyes meeting my dazed ones. "Yeah."

The woman shook her head as she took something in her hand from the cart beside the bed. "I never thought I'd see the day."

My vision and mind faded before the woman was able to use the tools on me and I was grateful for that. I was already in enough pain. I didn't need anymore.