I woke up calling out my father's name again. This time I had dreamed he and Gary were taken away from me and I was all alone in this world. Tears streamed out of my eyes and my breathing came in ragged breathes. I passed a hand over my forehead and found that a wet towel was placed over it. Confused I sat up, watching as the towel fell to my lap.
I scrunched my brows together when I saw that I wasn't in my bed. It wasn't small like my own but a fairly large one. Confused, I looked up to find myself in a room that definitely wasn't my own. It had grey walls decorated with graffiti from top to bottom. Its floor was a glossy wooden one. The shelves that loomed over me were stacked with books from fighting to football. But what really caught my eye was the mask that was place ever so majestically in a glass display box. The mask that had stripes across it. The mask that I made for a certain someone.
"I'm glad you're awake."
Startled,I backed up against the headboard, clutching the sheets around me. My hands were trembling slightly and my body felt weak. My clothes were damp which added to the chill that already surrounded me. I looked at Lucas who was standing in the doorway holding a tray with a steaming bowl of soup. He walked over to me, and placed the bowl of soup slowly on the bedside table.
He laid a hand on my forehead, frowning slightly. He tapped his chin for a moment before picking up the fallen towel and heading out of the room. I stared at his retreating back, confused. What was he doing? I waited but he didn't come back for a while and the smell of the soup was really tempting.
I glanced longingly at the soup from the corner of my eye. My stomach grumbled and gargled at the tantalizing aroma of the soup. Unable to resist, my hands moved on their own accord to lift the bowl off the tray and set it on my lap. I stared at the shimmering water in my hands, and licked my lips. Picking up the spoon slowly, I finally dipped it slowly into the steaming bowl of soup.
I raised the spoon to my lips and pressed its edge to my lips. I took a tentative sip and my eyes widened. It was fabulous. I had never tasted soup like this before. The flavours blended together splendidly. The spices, the sweetness and the creaminess of it all had me sighing in content. Soon, I found myself eating more of the soup. Scoop after scoop was being put into my mouth and soon, the whole bowl of soup had been devoured.
"You must be hungry," said a deep rumbling voice.
I looked up to see Mike standing in the doorway. His hair was tousled and his face was pale. He looked utterly worn out. I tilted my head to the side to study him. He was wearing a navy blue turtle neck shirt complete with a pair of faded blue jeans. I sent him a smile from my comfortable position on the bed. Poor Mike.
"Have you eaten?" I asked, pushing the covers aside and setting my foot on the well polished floor. I felt a shiver run up my spine.
I heard a chuckle coming from the doorway and looked up to see Lucas standing beside Mike, his arms crossed over his muscled chest. I looked up at him. He really had changed a lot since I last saw him.It was no wonder I couldn't recognize him.
"Elle dear, didn't you say you could take care of yourself?" Mike asked, raising a perfectly arched eyebrow at me.
I stiffened and turned my head away from him, a blush stealing up my face. I heard a deep chucked and the sound of footsteps as Mike made his way towards me and enveloped me in a big hug, hugging me so tightly I had trouble breathing. I thumped his back twice before he got the massage and released me with a sheepish smile on his face.
"I'm just so glad you're awake now Elle. You really had me worrying there."
I head a scoff and saw Mike turn his head sharply towards his son.Lucas was looking at me with a mischievous gleam in his eye and winked. I struggled to suppress the sudden laughter that bubbled within me. I saw him roll his eye and grip his father on both shoulders.
"I looked after her. Of course she'd be awake."
I smiled at his playfulness, feeling a warmth that spread over my chest, easing away some of the tightness. I saw Mike glare at his son before turning away from him and seating himself beside me. I looked at Mike and saw that his face was etched with deep lines. I reached out and traced them.
"You should rest," I said, moving to the edge of the bed to give him more space.
He caught my wrist and shook his head, smiling slightly. He pulled at my wrist so that I was forced to scoot closer to him. He then beckoned Lucas with a crook of his finger and pointed to the spot beside me.The bed tipped slightly when Lucas sat on it, leaning on his hunches,watching his father intently.
I saw Mike taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. He seemed a little tensed up. I frowned and tilted my head to the side,studying him. I saw him steal a glance at me from the corner of his eye before focusing his attention back at the mask in the box.
I heard Lucas sigh and shift slightly on the bed. We continued to sit on the bed in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence but a comfortable one. Finally, I felt Mike shift in his seat to face me.He took both of my hands in his and squeezed it gently. I looked down at our hands before looking back up at him, confused.
"Elizabeth,"Mike said; his voice gentle. I looked into his eyes and found that he looked sad. I frowned.
"What's wrong?" I asked. Worry gnawed at me. Did something bad happen?
"You know that I have been a friend to your father for years now. And I've seen you grow from that little girl into a beautiful, strong and independent woman," he said in all seriousness.
I nodded, unsure of where he was going with this.
"However,I have not been able to be with you in times of need," he said holding up a hand to stop my protest. "So, now that you are all grown up, I want to make a promise to you."
"A promise?"
I looked at him confused and reached up to push my glasses. I bit my lip when I realised that I had left them in the diner. I felt vulnerable without them but I stilled myself, waiting to hear what the promise was.
"Yes,"Mike said, nodding slightly. His eyes were now lit with a certain spark in it. "Elizabeth, I promise, no Lucas and I promise to------"
Suddenly there was the loud ringing of the front door, stopping Mike in mid sentence. I saw him scowl and stand up, grumbling under his breath. I looked at Lucas questioningly and saw him shrug in response. I heard the front door open and voices. It seemed to be a woman at the door and she talking rather quickly.
I frowned and looked at the clock at the bedside table. Eight thirty in the night. I gasped and stood up abruptly causing the bowl to go clattering to the floor, smashing into tiny pieces.
"I'm so sorry!" I cried, dropping to my hands and knees at once,gathering the shards to me.
"Hey! No it's fine! Leave it," Lucas said, dropping on all fours too.
Just then, the room to the door burst open and there standing at thedoorw ay was my step-mother flanked by my step-sisters.
Heather's eyes were still red but the swell had gone down. I saw both Tasha and her eyes widen when they saw Lucas on the floor with me. Fiona on the other hand was red in the face and her chest was heaving. When she saw me on the ground, she screamed and pointed a stubby finger at me.