The Monster Hero

Chapter 11 - Trust

"But why, Dad?!" I ask, "Why?"

"Because! Have you seen what those....things do?! They tear apart villages, they kill innocent people and children!" Dad yells at me.

Then his face softens and he places his hand on my cheek. I move away and cross my arms.

"Look....I just don't want you to get hurt. I know you seem to trust him, but what if he turns out like the others?" Dad says.

"What if he doesn't turn out like the others? Huh? What then?" I counter.

Dad sighs in frustration, "I don't see what you see in him! How can you trust him!"

"Because!" I yell at him, "You don't understand, Dad. You didn't see him. He isn't like the others."

"What did he do?" Dad asks.

I look up at him.

"He saved them," I say.

Dad looks perplexed.

"He saved all the Wolfums in captivity. When his friend got stuck, he went back, he risked his life and almost died."

I look back down. Dad comes over and puts his hand on my shoulder, again. This time I don't pull away.

"I didn't know. I was thinking something else. I'm sorry," Dad says.

He goes back to the garage. I go to the guest room. When I open the door, Elliott isn't there. I panic. Where could he be? Could he be in trouble? I go back into the hallway. As I start down the hall, I hear something padding around my room. I open the door, and I see Elliott looking at the posters of Michael Jackson, Bruno Mars, Sam Smith, One Direction, Adele, and Earth Wind and Fire.

He waves in my general direction. I just stare at him for a few minutes, then I just burst.

"What are you doing?!" I ask, "You're supposed to stay in the guest room! Why are you in here?"

He looks at me and shrugs.

"I got bored waiting for you to come back, so I came in here," he answers as if it was as simple as taking a walk in the park.

"I also needed something to distract me from your conversation," he added.

I gasp, "Were we that loud? How many people heard us?"

"Relax," Elliott puts his hands in his pockets.

I relax just by looking at him. For someone who could get caught at any point, he was pretty chill.

"I just have super sensitive ears is all," he looks back at the posters.

I also look around my room. During the last few weeks, Elliott and I have really come to understand each other. He told me he has 18 older brothers, his left eye is color blind, and that their Mom died when Elliott was six.

I told him my younger sister died in a fire when I was nine. She was three. Her name was Ella, but we called her Blue. I told him I don't know what happened to my Mom, because Dad never talked about it. After that he asked me what my real name was.

I kicked him on his good leg and we started talking about something else.

"You hungry?" Dad asks, surprising me.

I shake my head. Dad looks over my shoulder at Elliott, he also shakes his head. Dad leaves, and slams the door. Elliott winces. I walk over to my bed and sit down. Elliott plops down on the floor. We sit in silence for a while, even after Dad leaves.

"Do you miss them?"

Elliott looks at me with a confused expression.

"You know, them, your family," I say, as if it was obvious.

Elliott looks down, "Yes, I miss them. Though, Slash probably doesn't miss me."

I nod in agreement. Elliott had told me all about Slash.

I curl my legs up to my chest, and I say, "Well, I miss Blue and Mom. I went to visit my grandparents, and when I came back, Mom wasn't here."

Elliott asks, "What was her name?"

"Betty," I answer, "Hey, have you ever listened to Michael Jackson before?"

Elliott shakes his head. I smile and get off my bed. Elliott watches as I go over to my desk, where I had abandoned my headphones last. I pick them up and go back over to Elliott.

I sit down in front of him and hold out the head phones. He takes them and puts them on. I pull my phone out of the pocket of my jeans. I press play and Michael starts singing.