I started to tear up a bit and then I just started to sob. Mrs. Clark brought me up to her chest and cradled me with one hand while rubbing my back with the other one.
"You're safe now little one shhh it's okay, just let it out." She repeated over and over and I didn't even realize that the car had stopped moving.
"Alright little one we're home." Mrs. Clark said softly.
"Hannah, I hope you're excited for family movie night and for the pizza." Josh said kindly and then everyone got out of the car to head towards the front door.
"My husband is very excited to meet you, so be ready for a little bit of energy." Mrs. Clark smiled has Josh opened the door in front of her.
"Oh my goodness where is she!" A deep voice yelled excitedly right when the door opened and I flinched.
"Mark, you need to be quiet and calm." Mrs. Clark said has she walked through the door.
There stood Mr. Clark. He was tall, even by giant standards, and it was extremely intimidating that I still had to look up to see him from Mrs. Clark's hand.
"I'm sorry dear I didn't mean to scare you. My name is Mark, what's yours?" He bent down and spoke very softly.
"I'm h-Hannah." I stuttered out of fear.
"Oh honey I'm sorry if I scared you I really didn't mean to." He said sadly.
"Hannah is scared of giants." Josh said.
"I think her parents mentioned that." Mark said.
"You knew my parents?" I asked.
"You didn't tell her yet?" Mark looked up to Linda.
"I was waiting until we got home." Linda said.
"Here Hun, I'm going to set you down here on the counter" Linda said and there was the kitchen with an extended L shaped counter where three people could sit and eat while someone cooked.
Linda walked over and set me on the counter. She stood behind me while Josh and Mark sat on the stools at the counter.
I pulled my knees up to my chest and had a death grip on my bag. I hated all eyes were on me but I had to know what was really going on here.
"How much do you about what happened to earth?" Mark asked.
"My mom told me that if I stayed on earth that I would get very sick and since my dad got sent away she couldn't afford to come with me here. She used all her money to send me here." I said while holding back tears at the memories that seemed like lifetimes ago.
"Well, your mom got a hold of some people that are on our planet and your mom called us. She wanted us to adopt you, which is why no else adopted you until we got there." Linda said.
"How did she find you?" I asked.
"I honestly have no idea." Linda said.
"Well thank you for adopting me, I know I'm not an easy child in this situation." I said looking down at my feet.
"Hey don't talk like that. You're fine and we just want you to be comfortable here." Linda said.
After that, Linda started on the pizzas and the boys went into the living room to get the movie ready. I just kept my spot on the counter and watched silently has Mrs. Clark made the pizzas.
"Hannah, what movie do you want to watch?" Mr. Clark asked from the living room.
"Um, I actually have never really watched movies before. We couldn't afford that stuff." I said.
"Oh my goodness well how about you Josh? What should we watch?" Mark asked.
"I like scary movies dad. You know that." Josh said looking through the cabinet underneath the TV at the movies.
"We can't watch a scary movie with Hannah." Mark said.
I remembered that I knew I couldn't be trouble because that's what sends kids back to the orphanage.
"No it's okay. I'll watch that, I mean I should try new things." I said quickly.
"Hannah you really don't need to watch it. We can pick another movie." Linda said.
"It's okay I really want to watch it." I said. I actually wasn't to sure about this but I didn't want to be burden.
"Alright I got one." Josh said holding up a movie.
After they all ate pizza we all moved into the living room, where there were two recliners and a L shaped couch. Mark sat in a recliner and so did Linda. Josh laid out on the couch.
"Hannah do you want to sit over here with me?" Mark asked since I was standing on the table in front of the couch.
"Um o-okay." I stuttered. I had an awful time trusting men every since I had a bad experience with my father.
"Hun you don't have to I just know this movie is scary and I don't jump at the scary parts." Mark said.
"It's okay." I said more confidently, then Mark came over and gently scooped me up and went back to sit back in his recliner.
"Alright I'm going to lift the foot rest up so hold on." Mark and and I held his thumb.
Once the foot rest was up Mark leaned back and just set me on his chest.
Josh started the movie and immediately there was a jump scare with made me yelp.
"Are you ok?" Mark asked.
"Yes I'm fine." I said and I yawned.
"Here just lay down." Mark said and I did what he said. I laid down and I still whimpered a bit has another jump scare happened. Then Mark laid a hand lightly over top of me.
"Better?" He asked gently.
"Y-yes." I said.
"It's okay no one will hurt you with me here. I promise." He said gently.
"Thank you." I said and I yawned and fell asleep.
Mark POV
She fell asleep right there on my chest and she looked at peace. Finally at peace.
"Is she ok?" Linda asked from the other recliner.
"She is asleep." I said.
We all continued to watch the movie when I felt a light kick on my hand. I looked down and saw Hannah squirming with her face twisted in fear.
"Pause the movie." I said quickly and moved my hand.
"No no no! Please no!" Hannah screamed and thrashed around more.
"She is having a nightmare." Linda said getting up.
"Hannah, Hannah wake up." I said trying to keep my voice low since her small ears would hurt if I yelled.
"Don't hurt me!" She screamed and started clawing at herself.
"Dad you got to wake her up!" Josh said worriedly has he helplessly sat by and watched.
I quickly picked her up and made sure her arms were pinned down so she didn't claw herself.
"Hannah dear please, please wake up." I said while stroking her head with my finger.
She was weeping in my hand but she finally opened her eyes and then screamed again.
"Please don't hurt me!" She yelled.
"No Hannah it's me. I would never ever hurt you ok? I'm Mark remember?" I asked pleading for her to remember.
"Oh I'm so sorry." She was about to reach up and hold her face but realized her arms were pinned down.
"Why are you holding me like this?" She asked has I felt a few more tears fall on my hand from her eyes.
"In your nightmare you started clawing at yourself so I had to hold them down." I said and she looked at her arms and saw the marks.
"I'm so sorry." She said.
"What was it about Hannah?" Linda asked.
Hannah's POV
"Um well, it was about my dad. When I was little my mom had a business trip that she had to go on for a year so it was just my dad and I. Once she left he started to get really mean. If I even spilled some milk I got chained in the basement for three days and he would whip me." I paused and turned around and lifted my shirt. The long gashes were still there and always would be.
"That sick bastard." Mark said.
Linda was about to say some thing but I kept going.
"After about seven months of this there was one night that my school bus broke down and I came home about thirty minutes late and when I walked in he was waiting for me in our living room. He screamed at me and started beating me with a bat and also his hands. Our neighbors heard me screaming and they called the police. When the police got there they arrested my dad and my mom had to come home from the trip which caused her to lose her job. It's my fault my mom is going to die on earth because she would've never lost her job if it weren't for me." I started crying even more and Mr Clark brought me up to his chest. I gripped his shirt and started weeping, my whole body would shake with each cry, and Mark rubbed my back with his finger.
"Oh Hannah please don't cry. It's okay little one. This isn't your fault, none of this is your fault." Mark said over and over again.
"It is my fault. If I just didn't scream and put up with my dad for 5 more months then my mom would still be alive." I cried.
Then Mark pulled me away from his chest and raised me so I was looking him in the eye.
"That was not your fault Hannah. Your only 8 years old ok? You deserve to be a little kid and not have to worry about stuff like that anymore. No one here will ever hurt you. I promise." Mark said slowly and gently.
"Yea Hannah we're all going to take good care of you." Josh smiled.
