lost little one

chapter 12

"hey lizzie?" i murmured.

"yes, honey?" she replied softly.

"will you be on set tomorrow?" i inquired.

"no, love, i won't," she answered gently.

"i'm feeling really tired, lizzie," i admitted sleepily.

"okay, honey, it's getting late. let's get you up to bed, love," she said kindly.

lizzie rose from the couch, lifting me gently into her arms. i wrapped my arms around the back of her neck, resting my head on her shoulder.

ascending the stairs, lizzie carried me into my bedroom. after tucking the covers around me, she leaned down to plant a kiss on my forehead.

"lizzie," i whispered.

"is everything okay, love?" she asked.

"i just wanted to say thank you," i replied.

"for what, honey?" she inquired.

"bringing me home from the forest that day.. if you hadn't, i wouldn't have known what could have happened to me," i said quietly.

"that's okay, love. you're safe now, and that's all that matters," she assured me warmly.

"goodnight, lizzie," i smiled softly.

"goodnight, love," she returned the smile.

lizzie left my bedroom, closing the door slightly ajar. i drifted off to sleep almost immediately.

"no, alex, you stay down here! i'll go up there!" my mom declared.

"got it, love," he replied obediently. my mom climbed up to the window and shook me awake.

"mom.. what are you doing here?" i asked hesitantly.

"i'm coming to take you back, eliana," she said harshly.

"you left me in the forest, and now you want me?" i replied, my voice trembling.

she slapped me across the face and then lifted me out of bed, throwing me out the window. fortunately, my dad caught me.

"what's going on, dad?" i asked, confused and scared.

"we're taking you back, honey. lizzie doesn't want you anyway. your mom and i want you," he told me, his tone firm.

"you want me now, after you left me in the forest? lizzie saved me. let me go back to her!" i pleaded.

"no, eliana! stop being a brat. you're back with us now!" he insisted.

"i don't want to be with you two! i hate you both!" i yelled in frustration. my mom jumped down from the wall and slapped me hard after hearing my words.

"get her in the car, alex!" she ordered harshly.

he nodded obediently and followed her command. despite my kicking and screaming, he wouldn't leave me with lizzie. he shoved me into the backseat and slammed the door shut.

as he started driving off, i had no idea where we were headed, probably back to the house.

suddenly, my eyes shot open. i was crying, breathing heavily. i didn't want them to take me. looking around, i realized i was still in lizzie's house, in my own bedroom.

my tears wouldn't stop, my breathing uncontrollable. i longed for lizzie, but i didn't want to disturb her. i'll have to get through this on my own.

i began to take deep breaths, a technique i've learned to calm my tears and control my breathing. while it eventually helped, i longed for lizzie's comforting hugs. that nightmare was truly dreadful.

could the dream hold significance? is it possible the universe is signaling that my parents are attempting to find me? i really hope not.

clutching my teddy bear tightly to my chest, it offered a semblance of comfort, second only to lizzie's embraces. her hugs were truly incomparable.

after a while, i found it difficult to keep my eyes open, so i surrendered to sleep, despite my fear of experiencing another unsettling dream.

** time skip to the morning **

i woke up to the sight of the sun just beginning to rise, indicating it was still early. feeling relatively alert, i doubted i could go back to sleep. exiting bed, i fully opened the door and made my way downstairs to the couch.

wrapping a blanket around myself to ward off the chill, i lay there, unable to shake the thoughts of the dream from my mind. ugh, i really don't want to dwell on this.

lizzie's pov:
i woke up and grabbed my phone from the bedside table, noticing it was 8:30am. since it was still relatively early and i didn't have work today, i decided against waking up lia.

i got out of bed and changed into my daytime clothes before grabbing my phone and heading downstairs. upon reaching the living room, i noticed a small figure on the couch, initially puzzled until i realized it must be lia.

deciding not to disturb her, i opted to keep myself occupied with washing up and laundry instead. as i returned inside after hanging the laundry on the washing line, i noticed lia sitting at the countertop.

"hey, good morning sweetie. did you sleep okay?" i inquired.

"i slept fine," she replied in a quiet tone.

"alright, love, feeling hungry?" i offered. she nodded silently.

"okay, honey, what would you like to eat?" i asked softly.

"can i just have a slice of toast, please, lizzie?" she asked quietly.

"of course, love," i smiled. she nodded and made her way back to the living room. i put the bread in the toaster before joining her.

"wanna watch finding dory love?" i asked, receiving a nod in response.

authors note:

word count: 882