Phoenix ✔️

Chapter 11: Low Key

Sometimes, after the usual beatings from Colin, I just lay on the ground and imagine what my life would've been like had my mom not forced me into the marriage. Sometimes, I wonder how Dom, Elena, Dad, Nina, and everyone else around me are doing when I'm not around.

I think about how Dom and Lara are doing, and I hope that they're doing great, and if they're considering having kids. I want to live to see Dom-bear have little cubs of his own. That is, if I ever get back home. I hope that they're still together, because Dom and Lara are made for each other. It's a match made in heaven.

I wonder if Nina is still pursuing her degree at USC, and if she's forgotten me and moved on with her life. The most important thing to me is wondering if Elena and Dom kicked our mom out. They wouldn't have forgiven her after what she did to me. They would've done so much worse, had it not been against the law, but they know the best thing to do is to just isolate her and cut her off from everyone in the family.

But, I also know one thing. Dom and Elena will never stop trying to look for me. They don't care if they die doing it. They will look for me, and find me, if it's the last thing that they do. A memory in regards to this would be when Dom almost lost me at the park, as a kid, and I thought he had given up on looking for me, and left.

When he found a sobbing and hysterical 5 year old me, he told me that if I was lost, he would never stop looking for me. He pinky promised me that when I was a kid. Gosh, I hope he keeps that promise.

"Get up. We're going to dinner," Colin barks in my ear. His voice bounces off my ears and goes elsewhere, which is a place where I can't evaluate them. I look back at him, and roll my eyes. He nudges me a little bit, and enunciates his words a little bit more.

"Are you deaf? I said we're going to dinner," he reiterates, and I sigh. I continue to lay there, with pain still stinging my body, as I hope that he'll go away. When he realizes that I'm not going to move on my own, he grabs my upper arm and yanks me so that I'm sitting up. His other hand places itself on my other upper arm so that I stay upright. My palm plants itself on the floor to keep some balance so that I don't fall back on the floor.

"I already told you twice, and I won't repeat myself again. You're lucky that I repeated it once already. Get dressed into something nice, and we'll go for dinner. If you don't, I'll dress you myself. Mark my words," he threatens, which earns another eye roll from me. I can't help but call out his bullshit on such threats, as they're emptier than a cardboard box. But, I have to go with it. I'd end up with broken bones if I tried to defy him. I stand up, and straighten out my ruffled clothes.

"Where are we going?" I ask, as I run my fingers through my hair. He sighs.

"My idiot dad wants to have us over for dinner, for some odd reason. I don't know why, considering I already told him that I don't want him in my life. He's trying to get closer to me, or some crap like that. I'm just so done with his bull crap," he says, while he heads into the closet to fetch something to wear. I roll my eyes again at Colin's insensitivity.

At the same time, my heart aches for my own dad. It's times like these when I miss his hearty German accent bouncing off the walls, along with his warm hugs, genuine wisdom, and loving nature. In this marriage, Colin lacks any affectionate qualities, but if my dad's here, then he will make everything feel better. The fact that Colin doesn't appreciate his own dad makes me miss my own, but also makes me loathe him even more. 

In addition to that, Isaac is almost like the angelic version of Colin. I'd give anything to spend a day with him instead of spending 3.5 years with Colin. "Fine. I'll come with you," I sigh, and I get up to go and put something nice. Colin scoffs.

"It took you long enough. I swear, I don't know how I put up with you," he whines, and he goes into his closet to pick out something.

"Trust me, the feeling's mutual," I think to myself, and I go through my closet to see what I have to wear. After some looking, I pick out a long sleeved, full length black dress.