Run and Hide

Chapter 32: Home Sweet Home

Chapter 32: Home Sweet Home

Hiccup

The hold we had on each other felt like it went on forever. Our grip on each other tightened from time to time because none of us wanted to let go and why would we? This was the moment each of us longed for, for what feels like eternity. The tears never stop falling down my face; I didn't want them to stop either because this moment was just too memorable to let go of. However sooner than later we had to let go of each other. The moment we did and I looked up into my parent's eyes, each pair of glistening emerald smiled down at me mirroring the position of their lips. I felt my mother place her hand back on my cheek again removing the tear falling just as she did earlier; "Val, I think it's best we head inside," both my mother and I looked up at my father who spoke but away from his booming hollow voice I heard the first time I met him, it was now of a whisper which had a cautious tone to his voice that made me think he was worried about something. The way he shifted his positioning closer to the pair of us as well, the way in which he nodded his head slightly in the direction behind my back it caused me to turn my head round slightly but still keep a close distance to both my parent's to look at the looming crowd slowly coming in our direction. Suddenly, the rush of fear started to search its way through my body to make an appearance out in the open. Each person which slowly started to head in our direction were muttering to one another, trying to get a better picture to what was in front of them because they sussed the situation out and knew what was going on; or better yet, wanting to know if they were right.

But the fear, the fear which started to creep inside me made my body language curl up slightly and I felt myself stumble backwards into the security of my mother. The looming eyes from every direction which landed on me made feel uncomfortable, the voices were exploding inside my ears just like earlier on and the feeling was unbearable especially as the dizziness started to creep back in. I felt my mother place her arms around me immediately once my weight crashed into her. As her arms held onto me I felt safe within them and she turned me around so I wouldn't have to look at the scene any longer. Once I knew I was safe within her security and to make sure I wouldn't have to see the looming crowd, I reburied my head within her chest as she held onto me tightly. I could feel her move in her position and I followed her exact movements to sense that we were heading up the hill which I saw the moment I came here; as we did this I could here the voice of my father behind us telling everyone to get back to their business, how there was nothing to see here. The noise behind me started to drown out and the coldness which the wind made present in the atmosphere was gone as I could feel a surge of warmth pass through me; with the close of the door behind which I heard clearly I could feel my body relax and something inside me told me that it was okay to look up again because I was somewhere which I could call home. However, I didn't listen to my instincts and I wasn't sure why. I could still feel the banging of my heart pumping trying to reach the outside of my chest and I could see the rush of people mirage in my head with their voices trailing behind with it; I couldn't get it out of my head.

Through it all I could still feel myself moving across dark because at the moment that was all I could see. I didn't know exactly where I was going but I knew that I could trust the woman holding me, I could trust my mother because it was clear that she knew what was best for me as did my father otherwise they would never have got me out of that situation. The movement came to a halt and I could feel my weight drop down gradually; the sweet voice I heard outside came back taking the image away from my brain as she spoke "Hiccup, it's okay you can look up now...you can look up." The way she spoke was soothing and my heart started to slow down its pace so that it could beat at a normal rate and let me feel at peace again. I hesitated slightly by shaking my head but as she smoothed her hand up and my arm as she held my close I knew that it was okay, just like I did before but now I knew for sure and I had the courage to lift my head out from her chest. When I did so I didn't immediately look at her, instead I looked at the new surroundings which they took me. By the right side of us there was a fire already crackling sending small little sparks into the air. Over at the back of the room lay a table with three chairs sat around it, there was one big one at the back which I assumed was my fathers and the other two were obviously for my mother and me. Now that I looked in that area I remembered it slightly from my memory which put a small smile on my face as I enjoyed the fact at being somewhere I belonged.

There were a set of stairs behind me which led to a room upstairs but I didn't know what but I was sure I would find out in my own time; which only left the door which was to the far side of my right view and from it I could see the bigger figure of the man walk away and bring one of the chairs round to sit with my mother and me. As I now looked at the pair of them I didn't know what to say, the shaking which my body would make was starting to die down slightly and the whispering words which escaped my lips were "Thank...thank you," each of them nodded at me. As my father went to link his hand with mine, a flash from the Grimborn compound invaded my brain suddenly and made my flinch towards my father which I didn't want to happen but a scared notion just suddenly flushed through my body again, just like earlier because so much damage has happened to me. My hand rejected his own and I knew that I pulled a terrified expression on my face as he looked at me with a sorrowful look but also it seemed that he was hurting inside just like I was. I gently laid my hand back down; back to the place where his still laid and this time when he went to hold it I didn't pull back, I let him move. "I'm sorry," my voice cracked as I spoke to him; he just shook his head at me holding back the tears in his eyes this time but I couldn't hold mine back I didn't have the energy to do so because I knew this was killing them inside. "You have nothing to be sorry for. We understand that this will take time and we aren't going to rush you into anything and most importantly you don't have to tell us anything that happened if you don't want to," his voice was heart warming as I shared a smile with him; I watched as he let a single tear fall from his face as this smile was shared and I held onto his hand tightly especially as I made it seem I didn't want him to let.

"We're just glad to see you again," the voice of the woman still holding onto me made me feel relaxed and at home; just seeing the pair of them did and I had the courage to say them "I wanted my family back for so long...but I lost hope that I would never see you guys again. I don't want to lose you...not again," the crack in my voice was more evident than ever and the looks upon their faces of distress and grief were present "We aren't losing you again Hiccup. We won't ever let that happen to you again, we promise it," hearing the words come out of my fathers mouth sent the rush of adrenaline which still passed through me away and I could let myself relax; my head dropped down on my mother's shoulder as I held onto my father's hand as tight as I could and let the moment between us live for a while longer. Time between us passed and the moment was relaxing as each of sat there in silence taking in the beauty of the frame which we sat in. From the amount of tears in which I cried I could feel my eyes dropping slowly and the silence between us only urged this feeling on. I could see how my father's eyes shifted from their position and focused on the actions of my eyes so let his voice rise in speech once again "Hiccup...like...upstairs..." I couldn't actually hear what my father was saying because the drowsiness in which I was feeling started to already take over my body and I was letting it do so. I felt my body lift slightly until I could no longer feel my feet on the ground. The booming sound of footsteps made a hollow noise as they height was starting to rise around us and from what I could gather I was heading upstairs.

My weight was dropped gently down on something, but from what I could feel it was the same feeling as the bed I have back at the Edge so I knew that I was safe. I then felt warm covers be placed over my body and the shiver which I never knew I had disappeared and I felt safe at home. The texture of the material which my head was placed on was soft and it was easy to drown my sleep in. A felt a callused hand move their way across my forehead and I could feel my hair be pushed out the way before it casually fell back into place. I opened my eyes slightly to see my father depart the room quietly while my mother came in and kissed my forehead gently and let her gentle hand fade out from mine. But within an instinct I quickly held back onto it as she looked round at me abruptly. My voice was low and timid as I asked her "Please...please don't leave me alone," she smiled down upon me and lifted me up tenderly from my position to lie in next to me. She wrapped her arm around me letting me rest my head against her chest again as she ran her fingers through my hair lightly and through time, I slowly let myself fall asleep in her arms, no longer afraid to what might happen when I wake up.