silent

58

I open my McNuggets and pair it with a chip before putting them both in my mouth, beginning to become lightheaded. Maybe my dad's right; maybe I do need to eat. I haven't had a lot of energy, so food will give me that.

Suddenly I'm eating faster until every crumb of my food is gone. When it's all gone, I frown again but lean back onto him. He takes the rubbish and shoves it back into the McDonald's bag.

     "How are you feeling, Amalia?" Elijah asks, voice tainted with nerves.

     "F-fine." I whisper.

     I think he knows it's a lie. I think everyone in the car knows it's a lie. But they don't question me on it. They just accept my fib, and my father wraps me up in his embrace, holding me close to him.

My cheek smushes against his chest, but it's okay.

•

I wake up when I feel myself being passed into someone else's arms. I reach out immediately for my fathers warmth again, but all my hand connects with is air.

I peel my eyes open, glancing up at Elijah, who has a soft, gentle expression on his face as he begins to walk. Then I'm set down on something soft, and it's only when he glances at me does he realise that I've woken up.

He smiles. "Hi, angel." He says. "Are you feeling alright?"

     I nod as I look around, at the interior of my fathers room. I furrow my eyebrows, and he seems to translate the question in my eyes.

     "Dad wants to be able to keep an eye on you, so he wants you to stay in here." He explains quietly.

I shake my head. "My room."

He tilts his head, but just then our father walks in. He smiles when he sees that I'm awake, but my frown lingers as I push myself up onto my elbows. "My room." I say again, tiredly.

     "What?" He questions, glancing at Elijah.

"She wants to go to her room." My older brother informs him.

"Okay, who do you want to stay with you?" My dad asks. I furrow my eyebrows again, and his expression seems to soften even more.

"Petal." I decide.

He tilts his head. "I mean a person, baby."

"Petal."

His lips knock up into a smile. He seems to relax a little bit; his shoulders become less tense, as though he's just realising that everything's alright now.

"Okay. She's in Mason's room. Do you wanna come with me to get here and see him?" He asks gently.

I nod tiredly. He wordlessly puts his hands under my arms and lifts me up, setting me onto his hip. He keeps a hand on the back of my head, laying it on his shoulder. I hear Elijah follow.

He knocks on Masons door, but there's no answer. He waits for a moment, then walks inside. He turns the light on.

Mason is laying in bed, shirtless—ew—and he groans when the light hits them, digging his face into the pillow. "Get out." He mumbles into the fabric.

"Mason." Elijah says.

"Im trying to sleep—"

"Amalia wants Petal." Elijah tells him, lips tilting up.

He grabs Petal and holds her out. But then he sits up, bringing my puppy back down onto his lap. He snaps his head toward me, and when our eyes meet his whole face melts.

He climbs off the bed quickly, rushing over to me and taking me from my dad, holding me in his arms steadily as he turns around, away from Elijah and our dad. He holds me to him tightly, resting his nose in my hair.

"Thank God." He whispers, over and over and over again. When I peer up at him, at his watery eyes, I frown and bring my hand up, wiping away a stray tear. He smiles and kisses my cheek, sitting down on the edge of his bed and folding me up on his lap. He engulfs me in a bear hug, completely cocooning me in his strong arms.

     I glance over his shoulder, finding the doorway empty, but I can hear the faint sound of Elijah and my dad talking.

     "I missed you so much." Mason admits, his voice slightly shaky.

     "I—I m-missed you t-too." I whisper. He holds onto me even tighter, rocking me back and forth as though I'm a baby who can't get to sleep.

     A little bark sounds from beside me. Mason looks over at an excited Petal, who continues to bark, her tail wagging, when I look at her. She reaches her paw up, and I swoop my arm and take her, holding her to me.

     "I love you so much, Lia." He says, and when the words leave his mouth he lets out a small sigh of relief, as though they've been building up for a while.

     I smile. "I love you too."

     He holds me tighter, planting another kiss in my hair.

•

My dad retrieves me from Masons room after about ten minutes of just cuddling, and my older brother lets me go with another big hug. After saying goodnight to Elijah, my father takes me into my room.

     When he shuts the door a little bit too loudly, I send him a disapproving look.

     Amusement shines in his eyes. "What?"

     "People are sleeping." I whisper the last word.

     He smiles. "Oh, right, sorry."

     "Don't say sorry to me," I begin, "I'm not the one sleeping."

     "Well, if I say sorry to them I'll be waking them up." He replies, walking over to my bed.

     I frown. "Oh."

     He laughs as he sets me onto my bed, under the covers. Then he sits beside me. "I'm gonna stay with you, is that okay?"

     I nod. "But why?" Although, I can't deny that I'd feel safer if he was here. I don't know what happened to Briana, or where she was taken, so to know that my dad will stay and protect me is sort of a relief that I didn't realise I ached for.

     "From now on someone's gonna be with you all the time." He says after a moment. "To make sure you're okay."

     I furrow my eyebrows, but I don't reply. He leans down and kisses my cheek.