"Mia, how many times am I going to have to bail you out?" Roger was towering over Mia as she sat in his office. She'd been fired from yet another job and Roger had been forced to come to her rescue. He'd paid the owners of the company a considerable amount of money to ensure they wouldn't pursue prosecution any further. The truth was, Mia had been sick of the way that they treated their staff, so she'd decided to give them a taste of their own medicine. It had taken them months to realise she was fiddling the books and paying herself and various staff members ridiculous amounts of overtime. In her opinion, it served them right for being so greedy and out of touch.
Mia glared up at Roger defiantly. She'd long since decided that she refused to feel afraid of the weak, pathetic little bully Roger truly was. "As if you haven't don't things ten times worse. Anyway, you owe me for keeping Reecey on a short leash for all these years. You've never done anything else for me." At that moment, Roger slammed his fist down on the desk, startling her. She saw the glee in his eyes when she jumped and it made her furious. Of course he found pleasure in frightening women, it was the only way for him to feel powerful. "I've funded your lifestyle and bailed you out of every ridiculous situation you've got yourself into. You're a pathetic mess Mia and I'd it weren't for me, you'd be down in the gutter."
Once he'd finished berating her, he'd told her to get out of his sight before turning his back on her. As she stormed outside to her car, Mia fought back the tears that were threatening to fall, determined not to let that monster upset her. He always made sure to remind her how worthless he thought she was, insisting that he'd saved her from a life not worth living. Mia was sure that she could have made a life for herself, a happy life, if it weren't for his manipulations. She was supposed to be seeing Reece that night, but all she wanted to do was go home and hide under the covers. Why couldn't she get anything right?
That evening, when Reece received a text from Mia advising that she didn't feel well, he didn't mind that she'd cancelled. They could barely go a day without screaming at each other now, so maybe they both needed the space. He decided to occupy his mind by finally organising the chest of drawers in his living room. As he rummaged through the first drawer, he smiled when he found Autumns wrestling medal, he hadn't seen that for years. As he turned the medal over in his hand, he felt a jolt in his heart as he thought of his sister. Was she happy? Was her heart starting to heal? His smile dropped as a violent wave of sadness washed over him. He missed her so desperately, all he wanted was a second chance to be the brother that she deserved. Holding the medal against his chest, he said to nobody "we'll find our way back Aut. Don't give up on me." Reece wasn't sure he really believed they'd ever be reunited but he had to stay hopeful. Hope was all he had.
As Reece wondered how Autumn was doing, his sister was wondering what was wrong with her. She been working at The Knight Nursery for a little while and as things stood, everyone despised her. Initially, she'd been resistant to the idea of making friends but now, she'd started to regret that decision. As she observed the friendships that blossomed around her, she longed to feel like somebody cared. Recently, she'd been trying to change, but she was half convinced that the damage she'd done could never be reversed. She'd never tell anyone, but Marjorie had finally found her way into her deputy's heart. The love and warmth that poured from the nursery managers heart had inspired Autumn and now, all she could do was try.
As she sat on her sofa, drinking wine on her own, Autumn stared at the roaring fire. Unbeknownst to her, things would be so different, so soon.
She was the nighttime, but he was the day.
She was the ice, but he was the fire.
They had loved each other before - maybe in another lifetime, maybe in a dream. Created from the same star, they were so close to finding each other again.
Autumn had no idea how much love and adoration was about to come into her life.
"When my time comes around
Lay me gently in the cold dark earth
No grave can hold my body down
I'll crawl home to her"
- Hozier (WORK SONG)
YOU ARE READING
THE LAST LEAVES OF AUTUMN - (TNN - PROM NIGHT- AUTUMN/REECE/MIA)
Fanfiction**WORK IN PROGRESS** What really happened before, during and after prom night? How did Roger's treatment and manipulations affect Autumn, Reece and Mia?
