Drowning In Shallow Water

~3~

I couldn't get any sleep so I dragged my bunny out of bed with me and slowly went down the stairs. I was always afraid of the stairs in case I would fall so daddy carried me sometimes. He wasn't in their room so I went downstairs by myself to find them. I heard voices and I followed the sound to the study where the door was cracked open a little.

"We have to make sure he won't get to her," I heard someone say.

The voice belonged to a woman with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes that reminded me of Barbie. I had seen her coming a couple of times and she was really nice. She was mommy's friend and brought me a lot of treats each time she came.

"How? Isn't that impossible? Wherever she is, he can track her down and find her," Mommy said, her voice light and rough.

"I know a way. We found one. He won't ever find her and we might just be able to destroy him. We both know who she truly is meant to be with," the Barbie lady said.

"We'll do that, then," Dad said. "We'll save our little girl."

▪️▪️▪️

I groaned as I opened my eyes, bright light blinding me momentarily before I got used to the morning sun. I take a minute to familiarise myself with my surroundings as memories slowly trickle back.

Danny is dead.

I'm not home anymore.

The smell of breakfast wakens me up completely. I decide to freshen up first especially with my hair sticking all over. Danny liked to make fun of my bed hair. I always looked horrible in the mornings. Grabbing a towel and my toothbrush, which I suspected Danny used on many occasions but lied that he didn't, I headed out to the bathroom I was meant to share with someone Martha told me wasn't home yet, but I would meet him soon. I reached for the door knob but the said door flew open and in the doorway was a broad chest. I crane my neck to see a pair of striking blue eyes looking into mine.

This was a much younger, and much more striking, version of Frank. He shared Martha's blue eyes and blonde hair. He was tall with a lot of muscle. I could tell because he stood shirtless in front of me. His eyes captivated me in a trance and I felt something click inside me.

"Hi," he said, a smile forming on his lips and his dimples rendering me breathless.

"Hi," I said back, my voice breathy before I cleared it. "Um, I'm Nicola. I'll be staying here for a while."

"Oh yeah, Mum told me about you. I'm Kaden," he introduced then stepped out of the doorway. "You can have the bathroom. I guess I'll see you downstairs."

I walked in side and closed the door behind me to lean my weight against it as I released a breath I had no idea I was holding. What was that? I have never felt this way about a guy before. Danny used to say there was something wrong with me. My best friend was my landlord who happened to be an old man and the only other friend I had was a weird boy at school. I hung around Danny and his friends. I am practically a tomboy who leaned more to old men styles because of Mr Martin's influence on me.

This was the first time in my entire life that my heart fluttered on seeing a boy. I could say it was the abs but I have been around a lot of rock hard abs, thanks to my interacting with my brother's friends at the gym. But then again, he was terribly handsome, so much that I went weak in the knees. His eyes, his wavy blonde hair and his smooth, velvety voice...

Focus.

I brushed my teeth three times, making sure my breath it fresh. Then I took a shower, something I never did in the morning. I picked that habit from Danny. I brushed my hair too before I tugged on my dull green wool beanie. I fixed my  pyjama bottoms and cotton top before I ventured to meet the Windrows downstairs

Martha was at the stove whilst everyone else was at the dining table. Martha smiled when she saw me coming and handed me a plate of bacon.

"Go grab a seat, honey," she said before joining us.

"I saved you a seat," Kaden said, pulling out a chair for me.

I blushed. "Thank you."

"So, you two met?" Martha said, dishing out food for Luther and Anna.

"Briefly this morning," Kaden answered for both of us.

I felt his deep gaze on the side of my face as Kaden spoke and his deep voice made my stomach flutter. I fiddled with the fork and nibbled on some eggs. Where was this coming from? With Danny, I gobbled my food like an animal. I finished al my foods in under five minutes. But here I was, acting like some fool.

"Aren't you hungry? Don't you like the food? Is something wrong?" Martha asked, concerned.

"No, I just..."

I drifted off, my gaze dropping on my plate as the fork remained on my lips. It might have been because of Kaden but I think it's mostly because of Danny. My brother, my family, is dead. Mom, Dad and Danny. They are all gone. I'm all alone now.

I thought I had the most miserable life ever. Moving from home to home was painful. Most times, I was not really welcome. Sometimes, the experience was traumatic. But I had hope. I had hope that I would be happy with Danny and we could be a family again.

But now...

"Can I please be excused?" I muttered, pushing back my chair and leaving the table.

The tears broke free after I had closed the door and slumped on the bed, my cries muffled by the pillow. My chest hurt terribly and the pain just wouldn't go away.

Come back, Danny. Please come back.

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