Don't Let Him Get You

Chapter 8

The next day, Kiara walked into the dining room upon a hushed conversation between Ronan and Lillian; a conversation that ended once the creak of floorboards announced her presence.

"Good morning sweetheart!" Lillian cheerfully greeted, unsuccessfully trying to act without raising suspicion. The table was already set and both adults had been sitting, sipping their coffee for an hour, waiting for their niece to come downstairs. In hopes of softening the circumstance surrounding their conversation, they went overboard with breakfast, making pancakes, eggs, bacon, hash-browns, smoothies and even some fresh rolls. The smells mingled together to create the perfect temptation that would make any stomach ask for more.

Kiara hesitantly smiled at her guardians' tense smiles. "... Morning." She pulled out her chair and sat down, surprised to find a steaming cup of peppermint tea waiting for her. They were all silent, sipping at their drinks, waiting for someone to breach the cone of silence. "When did you get up to make this breakfast? You even had time to make bread!"

Lillian chuckled. "I woke up around five and couldn't fall back asleep, so I decided to occupy myself with some baking." Ronan stayed silent, watching Kiara to see if she caught onto Lillian's lie; Lillian had in fact not woken up at five but rather hadn't gone back to sleep after picking up Kiara from her friends' house.

Kiara bit into one of the fresh rolls that still steamed slightly. The warmth of the bread slunk around her spine and settled in her stomach. Following Kiara's lead, Ronan and Lillian served each other. Ronan piled his plate high and grinned when Lillian made a comment about not breaking down any door frames when he didn't fit through them anymore. The tense atmosphere dissipated to one of laughter and content sighs. "So, Kiara, how was hanging out with your new friends?" Ronan asked.

"It was actually a lot of fun. We got to know each other better and then just sat around telling funny stories. They're all really nice." Kiara smiled as she thought of the friends she made and how lucky she was to have been accepted so quickly.

"That's great! And I'm guessing they're making it an easier transition to public school from being homeschooled?" Lillian jumped into the conversation.

Kiara thought about the first two days of school. Despite her fears about public school, nothing had happened yet for her to want to be homeschooled again. Sure, it was different to switch classrooms for each class and listen to teachers lecture and students whisper quietly so as not to get caught. "You know, I can't really make a clear decision yet which is better, if any is. So far, it's not bad. I like being around other people for school, it's a great way to watch how other people behave and interact," she paused, gathering her thoughts, "I don't know what else to say other than that I like it and hope it doesn't change too much in the coming weeks."

Ronan and Lillian exchange amused smiles. "It will get a bit tougher for a while as you get used to being around so many people, but you'll get used to it quickly. It's nice though that you have a group of friends who can support you if you are having trouble." Ronan smiled at Kiara. They continued to eat their breakfast and once it was all gone, they cleared the table. As Kiara made to walk back to her room, Lillian caught her attention and asked her to come sit in the living room. With a furrowed brow, Kiara sat in between Ronan and Lillian, looking between the two for any signs of what this conversation would be about.

They sat in silence, again, until Lillian gently took Kiara's hand in her own. She sighed and glanced at her husband, who nodded slightly. Sighing again, Lillian finally spoke in a hushed tone, "Kiara, we don't want to bring up any unwanted memories or cause you any pain by asking you about this; however, there are a lot of people asking us things and we want to know how you feel about it."