Child of a King

Chapter twenty-seven - 4 months and 15 days

Groaning, I stretched my limbs with a big yawn as I slowly woke up from my deep slumber. I grimaced when I felt most of my body ache, my legs feeling rather sore. Batting my eyes open, I didn't recognize where I was at first until I recalled yesterday's events.

Mean Marc.

Running away.

Getting lost.

Being found.

And staying in dad's room.

Biting my lip, I couldn't help but wonder what it might be like now. Marc was back and he had made it clear what he thought about me. How was it going to be to live under the same roof together when he couldn't stand to be around me? A feeling I couldn't quite name reached to the surface as I wondered how the rest of my family was going to handle this uncomfortable situation. For sure, it was going to leave its mark, and everyone would get affected by it.

A ray of sunshine peeked through the curtains, making me squint my eyes together as it lit up the dimmed bedroom. I noticed that I was alone on the big bed, a duvet tucked tightly around me. Brushing my fingers across the fabric, I enjoyed how soft the satin felt, almost like butter against the skin. I truly felt like a princess sitting on her royal bed from how the beautiful light golden color shined. It looked like a treasure chest.

I shimmied slightly to the side, butt scooting off the tall bed of royalty to land on the floor with a small thud. Carefully making my way through the large space I found the bathroom. After doing my business, I spotted my backpack next to the bathtub. Opening it, I reached a hand inside, retrieving the photo of Gary, Liam and me. It got a little wrinkled due to the heavy rain I had been trapped in yesterday. Cautiously, I laid it on the counter, not wanting to damage it more.

"I see someone is awake".

Turning my head to the side, I saw dad strolling closer to me with a soft smile. Squatting down next to me, he brushed some of my tangled hair behind my shoulder. "How did you sleep?"

"Good", I mumbled, fumbling with my fingers.

"And how are you feeling?" He enquired.

"Fine, I guess". I shrugged a little, shifting from one foot to the other. "I feel a little tired but not really at the same time. My legs are sore, and my throat feels scratchy", I added, listing one thing after another as I took my time to feel my body. Perhaps I wasn't as fine as I thought I was.

Dad hummed, using the back of his hand to feel my forehead. "You don't feel warm. I don't think you have a fever. Maybe you should take it easy today", he concluded, reminding me of a doctor.

"That sounds good", I murmured, the thought of a lazy day at home appealing to me.

"What were you doing?"

Gazing down at the backpack where dad pointed, I held it out for him to look. "I was just unpacking".

"What's this?" Dad's frown turned into a full teeth smile as he pulled out Luca's red flannel where small droplets of water dripped onto the bathroom tiles. Some of the heavy rain must have seeped through the backpack. "Oh, I recognize this", he said, beaming brightly as his hands tenderly grasped the soft material.

"It's Luca's favorite shirt", I mumbled, memories of how often she would wear it swarming my mind.

"Really?" Dad's eyes brimmed with emotions as he gazed at the flannel shirt like it was the most precious thing in the world.

Frowning, I tilted my head slightly as I laid a hand on his arm. "Are you okay?"

He nodded, holding the shirt a bit tighter to him as his Adam's apple bobbed a few times. "This was actually mine", he mumbled after seconds of silence.