viridity |•| t.s daughter (1)

going home

♡mara♡
age fourteen

2010

"I want to leave," Mara dropped the bomb at the dinner table, looking directly at her father. She had just been discharged from the hospital a few hours ago, now she was back in her fathers Malibu mansion where everyone was acting like things were normal. Mara was fine with them totally ignoring what had happened in the past couple of days, but she could no longer stand playing house with her father.

"What do you mean?" Tony asked, but he already knew. He had seen the look in his daughters eyes, he had known what it meant. In reality, he couldn't blame her. He'd want to leave too. But he missed his daughter, and letting her leave hurt.

"I want to go back to school, and not in another month. I want to go now," Mara was out of control here, if she stayed much longer, she knew it would just get worse. Going back to the academy would fix things. She would more than likely be punished, but it's what she deserves. She needed to be punished. "I miss my friends, and I miss my ballet. I need to feel normal again, and I just can't right now."

How could Tony argue that? He couldn't, not really. Not unless he wanted to look like an asshole. Was being an asshole really worth it? No.

"We could do something fun again," Pepper pitched in, even though she wasn't exactly part of the conversation. Mara looked to the woman, giving her a deadpan look.

"Water parks are not fun. You can not expect to have me live somewhere for years, then have me come here and enjoy it. I am homesick," Mara was putting on an act now. Home sickness was not a feeling she'd been familiar with in a long time. She didn't have friends at the academy, that would be stupid. They were all competitors, enemies.

Guilt swallowed the room whole, coming from both Tony and Pepper. Tony had been the one to send his daughter away, and Pepper had let it happen. She rarely ever came home, and that was on their account.

Mara had hurt their feelings, but she did not care. That was the point, she was done caring. If she began to care, then she was ruined. She would not throw years of training down the drain. She would not fall from being number one to being nothing.

"If it's what you really want, then I will not argue," Tony had a hard time letting the words come out, but there was nothing else he could do. This was what his daughter wanted, she wanted to go home. Tony had to accept that this wasn't her home, it never had been.

"It is," Dinner was awkward after that. Tony had quickly disappeared down to his lab afterwards and Pepper made herself busy with making the arrangements. Mara was glad to finally be alone, considering both had been overbearing.

The conversation about Obidiah had been horrific. Tony had told Pepper, which then lead to the words 'therapy.' Mara was not going to therapy. That would be the last place she would go in order to escape her feelings. Therapy was about working through your feelings and understanding them, the exact opposite of what Mara wanted.

Mara made herself busy with packing, which hadn't been much. All she had to do was clean her room, which wasn't hard. She wasn't stupid enough to bring her new clothes with her to the academy, so she left them in her dresser and closet. Instead she pulled out the suitcase she had brought with her from the academy, which was still packed with the ugly clothes that Miss Sokolov had picked out.

Mara was almost dreading her meeting with Miss Sokolov, but she knew it was for the best. Her mentor would remind her what it takes to be the best. In the end, the pain would be worth it. She deserved the pain.

Pepper had let her know that the plane would leave the next day, early in the morning. Mara was readier that ever to get out of this place, to escape the demon of Obidiah and the love of her father. It was better this way, it would always be better this way.

Mara went to sleep early that night, ignoring the heartbroken thoughts of her father. He deserved the pain too.