Dangerous Minds | john wick

Chapter Seventeen: Gold

The light clanging of the wind charm perched on my windowsill eases my frustration at my sleepless night.

Sighing I rub at my puffy eyes. One thing I can guarantee I won't be doing today is looking in a mirror. I already know my face is swollen and tear stained, I don't need to be reassured.

I glance over at my half open window and take in the silent and dark morning. Nobody is awake yet, or at least nobody has gotten up. So the only sound that comes from outside is the ocean breeze rustling the palm trees and the distant crashing of waves.

It's an almost immediate response as I push myself quietly from the bed and grab a cardigan from a pile on the floor. Despite the slight chill I know watching the sunrise will be my medicine for the day.

I tip toe soundlessly through the inky darkness, hoping that I don't run into of the many pieces of obscure décor. It's rare to see the house so still and soundless. There seems to always be somebody around the corner.

Eventually reaching the back of the house, I slide open the glass door and step into the fresh morning air. It almost immediately cures my tiredness. There's just something about early mornings that feels so surreal, so cosy.

It takes me a little while to get down to the beach as I enjoy the environment around me. I've never appreciated being alone so much. I needed this.

The sand swallows my feet as I wander over to a large rock, placed in perfect alignment with the oncoming sun rise.

Surprisingly comfortable, I lean back on my arms and close my eyes. I let the sound of the waves and the caws of distant birds calm me. Taking deep breaths I smile as the smell of salt and fire from a chimney mix together creating a scent that could never be replicated by a candle.

I almost feel zen. Like all of what happened yesterday, just didn't occur. But it did. And it's something I have to come to terms with. Currently, in this environment, I trust myself to think about it, too process it all.

So where to start? My life is complicated, so much so that I don't really understand it myself. My father, my true biological father, is somebody I can't seem to read. He brought me here to spend time with me and while we have done some things together, it hasn't been the most bonding experience. Yet... I feel this connection to him that I guess comes with being family. Huh. Family. It feels wrong to use that word with him but he's really the only thing I have left.

I feel beyond disconnected from my adoptive parents, which I didn't expect to happen so quickly but I was never truly close with them in the first place. They focused on their work and I focused on my schooling, simple. So, it's hard to want to go back home to that.

Honestly, if somebody saw everything I've gone through they'd probably think I was stupid for just staying here and not trying to put up a fight. But the thing is I don't really have a choice, and I know that. While my father has been nothing but kind and accommodating, I know people like him can turn quickly. I'd prefer my imperative stay to be pleasant rather than filled with fear. I've thought about escaping a few times and there have been some windows where I may have had the opportunity. Yet every time I think about it theres alway been something to stop me. I have no money, no people I know, no transportation and pretty much zero idea about where I am. Even if I ignored all that and went to the police, there's no guarantee they aren't already wrapped around Viggo's or other mafias fingers.

And on top is still the morality of it all. I just found my father, why should I leave now?

And then the most confusing part of all: John. How does he fit into all of this? Why-