"It's like I'm running away from me,
it's like I've taken the puzzle in me
and left it scrambled for all to see."
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When Arden Danvers' parents split when she was eight years old, she moved away with her dad from her...
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"Two feet standing on a principle, two hands longing for each others warmth. Cold smoke seeping out of colder throats, darkness falling, leaves nowhere to go."
Still - Daughter
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trigger warning: abuse, talk of suicide
XVII. \\ GHOSTS OF THE PAST //
The next morning, the dreaded feeling in Arden's stomach greeted her immediately when she woke up. It was if her body instinctively knew what today was before her mind was even fully conscious of it. For fifteen minutes, she just sat on the edge of her bed and stared at the floor. She sat there, listening to the sound of the rain outside hitting her window and she felt almost completely numb, except for this dull ache in the pit of her stomach.
It's been a year.
One year.
Those two words echoed in Arden's mind as she somehow managed to stand up from the bed and get dressed for school. She threw on a loose fitting sweatshirt and leggings, needing the comfort they would provide her today. Not bothering with make-up, she just brushed through her hair and slipped on her boots before grabbing her backpack off of her desk chair. As she headed down the stairs, she saw Koda lying at the bottom step and smiled lightly.
He stood up, wagging his tail as Arden bent down and pet him for a moment, before heading towards the kitchen so she could feed him and let him out to pee.
But when she entered the kitchen, Arden was surprised to see her mom sitting at the dining room table. As soon as she appeared in the doorway, her mom looked up from the laptop in front of her and smiled up at her.
"I already fed him and took him out."
Glancing over at his food bowl that sat on the floor next to the wall, Arden saw that there was indeed food in it and fresh water.
Arden frowned, "I thought you had work."
"I did, but I got off work early." She replied, "I wanted to make sure I was here when you woke up."
Of course she did. Arden thought to herself, but she said nothing. She just stood there, chewing on the inside of her cheek, not knowing how to respond.
"You know, you don't have to go to school today if you don't want to." Her mom told her, "I'd understand if you needed to take a day off. Especially today."
