A Giant Mountain (g/t)

Chapter 25-"Apology"

I kept it brief, leaving out all the undignified things that Lewis did to me. All I said was that I hadn't eaten in a week and that I was kept in a glass case, and even that I'd have prefered to not share. I debated on whether or not I should tell Nathaniel and Lesley about Marcus, they seemed to finally be at peace with his "death". But then I remembered that the only reason he helped me was so that I could tell them that he was in fact alive.

"And there's something else you should know. I escaped thanks to your... um, your dad,"

"I'm sorry, what?!" Nathaniel sputtered out.

"Are you sure you weren't confused? You haven't been well nourished and—" Lesley started.

"No! I know it sounds crazy, and it's kind of a long story," I cut her off.

I explained everything Marcus told me as best as I could. From him working for the authorities for years, to when he got the serum and had to fake his death, to when he decided to help me. I did however leave out the part when I, you know, held him in a headlock. But that bit wasn't important!

"That lying son of a bitch!" Lesley snapped when I finished.

Hm. Not the reaction I was expecting.

"Mom! Dad is alive, shouldn't you be happy?" Nathaniel asked confused.

Lesley took a breath before speaking again.

"Of course I'm happy. I'm just a little... pissed that he lied to me for 20 years. He said he worked as an accountant! And then he lied about dying! He put us through the worst year of our lives, and I'm not sure if o can forgive him just yet,"

"Well I don't know if you'll ever get the chance to, I'm pretty sure he has to get sent back to earth," I stated.

"Why does he have to go back?" Aiden asked.

"Oh just cause your stupid president wants to keep humans as pets so Marcus is just out and about gaining information," I said bitterly.

I was planning on leaving that little tidbit out as well, but they deserved to know the truth. The WHOLE truth.

"Oh. Well that is a lot to process. Kind of wish that dad really was an accountant..." Nathaniel said sadly.

"Yeah... well I'm no longer starving but I really need a shower so I will leave the 3 of you to "process" all this," I said and stood up.

But before leaving, I quickly kissed Nathaniel on the cheek. He kissed me back and smiled. I climbed up the stairs and entered the bathroom. I took a minute to appreciate the fact that I just came upstairs. BY MYSELF! I was loving this new height! I locked the door before ridding myself of the hospital gown. I ripped it up and threw it in the trash.

It felt so good to get rid of that thing. When I was about to step into the shower, I caught a glimpse of the mirror. I stepped in front of it and I hardly recognized myself. I was always pretty white, but I looked so sickly pale and my under eyes were even darker than during exam week. I was able to see my hair for the first time since it got cut off, and I wished I still couldn't see it. Blood had seeped through the makeshift bandage on my arm and a scar had formed on the back of my neck. And that wasn't even the worst part.

My entire middle was covered in blue, purple and yellow bruises. I rubbed at my side, but winced. I turned over to get a different angle when I realized that they had the distinct shape of fingers. All this happened by the hands of one single person. One single person did this to me. Without even trying. A few tears escaped me, but I quickly wiped them away. I didn't have to worry about Lewis anymore. I wasn't small anymore. And he was never going to find me.