DAISY {S.R X READER}

Promises

"Do you know how to type?"

The man asking me such a question was called Derek Morgan. He was tall, dark and very muscular. Not like Spencer. He was kind, but not as kind as Spencer. And to be frank, he scared me.

Spencer stayed in the room with me, calming my nerves and being my voice. He read me well. Sometimes I felt he could read me a little too well. But I didn't mind because he was always spot on in how I was feeling and what I wanted. Even without me writing it all down.

"Daisy? Do you?" Spencer asked me again. I nodded and used my thumb and pointer to show 'a little bit.' I had learned the basics before he took me, but he never let me practice.

He'd say the internet was bad, filled with useless information on the end of the world, aliens, and things that could be scary for little girls. I knew he was lying but fighting meant punishments. So, I just nodded and agreed.

"Would writing be easier?" Spencer asked, "or do you want to just type it at your own speed."

I thought about it for a moment, his soft voice telling me he didn't mind either way. I grabbed my notebook, writing down what I wanted. 'I can type it. I'll be slow. Is that okay?'

I slide it towards Spencer, looking at my hands in slight embarrassment. I was 22, and I knew these were life skills that I missed out on. But it wasn't my fault. No, it was Cals. He took my childhood and teen years away from me. He forced me to be silent. He did it.

"Of course, that's okay, Daisy." I saw the smile pull at his lips. It was...weird. He cared. No one had truly cared about me in ten years. And while it felt good, I was still a little hesitant.

I nodded and smiled, doing my best to keep the hesitation from my features. But he knew, of course, he knew.

"I know this can be scary and hard. But I'm right here!" He softly smiled, his eyes kind as they crinkled on the sides. "And if you want privacy, I can give you that too. Okay?"

I nodded before signing 'okay' back to, Spencer. I turned back to the computer in front of me, sitting up straight and looking down at the keyboard in front of me. I felt overwhelmed in a way I'd never experienced before.

What if I messed up?

What if I said something wrong?

What if there was a detail missing?

What if no one believed me?

That one haunted me the most. I was terrified that once this was written, and read over, my luck would run out. That they would kick me to the curb and Spencer would hate me.

I was also afraid of judgment. Putting it out onto paper made it real. It made it something I could no longer file into the back of my mind, saving it for later. There was a finality about it; similar to the way speaking made things final as well.

And the cherry on top of that? Cal was charismatic. He'd talked so many young woman into coming home with him; promises of a better, safer life swarmed in those eyes. And I was certain he'd get them to take his side.

Okay... so I wasn't absolutely certain. But I was worried.

"Daisy?" Spencers voice makes me realize I've written nothing. It also makes me realize ten minutes had passed. "A-are you okay?"

I shake my head.

"Okay! Okay... do you want to tell me why?" He slides the pen and paper towards me with a smile and nod.

'Cal can be convincing...' I wrote before showing Spencer.

"I'm sure he can. But I've seen what he's done with my own eyes. He won't convince me he never hurt you."

'You say that now'

He sighs "Daisy, no one will ever convince he that he didn't hurt you. You don't speak, you flinch when someone moves quickly , you don't like being touched? Those are signs of abuse. Clear and concise signs you've been hurt. Nothing can change my mind."

I'm almost in tears as he says that. But I shove them down, deciding to deal with them later.

'Promise?' I ask and hold up my pinky. It's clear that it shocks him for a moment, our contact being minimal prior.

But wraps his pinky around mine, shaking my hand slightly, "promise" before kissing his side of his hand.

"Promise" I whisper back before mirroring his kiss.