Two Graves ~ D.Dixon

•°•Day Ninety Two, 001•°•

They hadn't been walking for a while, but to little Sophia and her aching legs it felt like decades. Lynn was walking slower than usual, allowing the child to go at a leisurely pace. Little whines escaped Sophia's lips every now and again, her legs yelling at her to just sit down and give up... But, she wouldn't. Her dad would've given up, and Sophia was the complete opposite of her father. She'd grow to admire that about herself.

Finally, the two blondes were able to spot the Pierce's family home... Well, what had been their family home ever since Jaxon turned eighteen and was able to get his little sisters out of their toxic household in Vermont. Where Jaxon and Lynn had grown up wasn't a home, it was just a house with an abusive monster and absent mother. "Is this where you live?" Sophia asked, trying to hide her concern at the building's condition.

It had been better when social services checked it out during the trial to see whether or not Jaxon could be granted custody... But, ever since then? It'd been falling apart at the seems. Lynn let out a small breath, watching as a plank that had been covering up one of the broken windows fell down at comedic timing, disappearing into their overgrown lawn. "It's not much, but I promise it's safe. It'll do, until we find your momma."

The mention of Carol Peletier brought a large smile to Sophia's face. Her mother. The only person she'd ever known who had loved her. Carol did everything she could to protect Sophia from her dad, and for the most part it worked. Sophia had only been physically beaten by him on occasions where Carol was too weak to move. However, living in constant fear, watching her mother be beaten nearly daily, having to lie to teachers why she couldn't sleep... It was all something she'd never recover from.

Especially ever since the third grade christmas sleepover in their classroom. Sophia had wet the bed like she had done many nights throughout her childhood, and was bullied relentlessly for it up until the world fell apart. The poor young girl hadn't known many days of peace in her life.

Sophia walked through the space available when Lynn unlocked the creaky gate for her to walk through. She said a quiet 'thank you' as her eyes ran across the dingy cottage. Lynn's gentle hand touched the top of Sophia's back when the twelve year old hadn't moved in a while. "You live with your little sister?"

"And my big brother. Come on, they'll be excited to meet you. We haven't seen alive people in a little while." Lynn offered her a smile, and so Sophia nodded and pushed herself forward. When nervous, she had the tendency not to talk. Her father told her to shut up a lot, her mother made her be quiet when hiding from her father, the kids in her school just laughed at her when she spoke... Really, she'd never had much need for speaking. 

The twelve year old watched as Lynn did some kind of secret knock on the front door, and less than two seconds later there was clicking and the the door was ripped open. "Lynn!" A small girl cheered, before running forward and launching herself into the blonde woman's arms. 

"Missed you too, Lia." Lynn laughed picking up the girl and holding her on her waist. "It's been a real long twenty minutes."

Holding a Barbie doll in her left hand, and a Hot Wheels racing car in the other, Lia's arms were wrapped around her sister's shoulders as she peppered kisses onto Lynn's cheeks. "It's dangerous out there and-" The child cut herself off when she finally clocked the slightly older girl on their porch. "Who're you?"

"This here is Sophia. We're gonna help her find her momma." Lynn said, before motioning for Sophia to enter the house. Following her inside, Lynn locked the door behind her again and Lia jumped down from her arms, before standing in front of Sophia.