"How's your soup sweetie?" I asked leaning against the doorframe to the lounge watching her carefully.
"The bestest! Sit with me!" Avari beamed slapping the floor beside her and Peanut. Her eyes going back to the cartoon on TV.
I complied and sank to the floor looking at the TV, gently placing my hand in her back giving it a rub every so often.
I soon turned my attention to her long black hair, which now reached the bottom of her back. It shone in the sun light and looked beautiful today.
"Ava? Baby what else did you see today at school?" I asked softly. Her spoon stopped mid lift, I watched as she shifted before looking at me.
"I- he told me not to tell you.."
I blinked "Oh, is it a secret?" I asked.
She nodded "But I told him that I have to tell you because he's not a nice person. That he's a baddie and you fight baddies. Don't you mommy?"
I nodded "I certainly do sweetheart."
My mind went to the picture burning in my back pocket, I knew it had to go into the box. But I didn't want to leave her side just yet.
"Shall I draw him instead? I can show you but not tell you."
I smiled "You're a clever girl."
She returned my smile and gave me a small hug "Love you mommy."
I pressed a kiss on her head "I love you too angel."
***
"Mommy?" Avari spoke as she slowly padded into the bedroom looking for me.
I looked up from the ironing I was putting away. Seeing her with a piece of paper in her hand, I had the inclination she had drew this new baddie she has saw.
"Yes darling?"
"I drawed him." She answered holding the paper up to me.
My blood ran cold seeing the photo but I kept a smooth face and nodded. "He's a funny character. What are they?" I asked pointing to them.
"Horsey feet. He has horse feet but only two and he stands really tall. Are you sure you can get him mommy? He's really scary?" She asked twisting her head at me.
I crouched down and smile "When have I ever let you down? Don't worry, I'll get him. Now you gonna get Peanut whilst I run a bath."
"Yep!" She replied running out the room to get him.
I ran Avari a bath, the usual routine we took after her school days so that I could make sure her hair was dry before we headed out into the night. I looked back at my little girl to see her rubbing her eyes, the usual sign of tiredness.
"You tired?" I asked helping her undress.
"No. Peanut stay." She ordered as he was sat on the floor. I smiled and made sure she was in the bath and sat down.
Whilst I bathed her, we spoke about anything, from special soup to Peanut.
"Mommy, am I weird?" She asked as I scrubbed her hair.
I paused looking around to see her face "Why would you think that baby? And no. No you're not."
"Tommy at school said I was weird and a freak." She frowned. "What's a freak?"
I felt a little angry but had to remember these are 5 year olds. They say a lot of stuff they don't mean.
"A freak? Means something unusual and do you know what? Unusual is the best thing to be." I replied.
"Why?"
"Because it means you're not like everyone else." I answered rinsing her hair free of the conditioner.
"I don't want to look like tommy. He smells."
"Avari..."
"Sorry mommy."
I smiled gently "It's okay poppet but remember, everyone has a different life. So some people will smell different, it's completely normal."
She nodded scooping up bubbles and blowing them. "I want to be a freak, but I don't like seeing all the scary baddies."
I frowned slightly and leant up to kiss her forehead "I know. I wish I could take them all away, I will soon."
She smiled happily. "It's okay if you can't. You tried. Mrs Lowe said it's important to try again."
My heart swelled for the little 5 year old who knew more than me in this forsaken Earth. I couldn't be more proud of her and it seemed all the time and attention I put into making sure she was living her life was working. Sure she saw some things but I couldn't stop them. Not yet, but I was trying.
"And I will keep trying for you." I replied.
After Avari's bath, I dried her hair and set her up in the lounge with blankets and pillows so she could snuggle in the couch whilst I finished up the housework and took a shower.
Stepping into the hot spray, I sighed letting it burn on my back to release the aching I had felt all day. I washed my body and hair before pampering my body.
As I stepped back, the shower curtain clung to my skin, cringing, I pushed it off, but it wrapped itself around my body fast like clingy film, sending me into a pure panic as it covered my face. My arms were flailing as the shower head was aiming directly at me, slowly filling the curtain with water.
"N-no!" I panicked pulling at the top to break the plastic clips. I tried to unravel it from my body but it got tighter around me instead.
It was only when the bathroom door slammed that I realised this wasn't a freak incident. This was something else.
Fighting to get to Avari, I toppled out the shower and hit the ground hard, snapping all the clips at once, bringing my fingers up to where my mouth was, I managed to tear a hole and gasp for air. Suddenly the pressure was off my chest and the curtain fell limp around my body.
I kicked out of it immediately and covered myself with the towel draped over the bathroom basin. Looking around the bathroom for some sort of sign of activity, I was met with emptiness and my heavy breathing.
Wasting no time, I tugged on my clothes and turned the shower off when screaming filled the air.
I pulled on the door handle hard until it finally gave way letting me out, running to the lounge, I found her on the floor screaming as she held her ears.
"I'm here!" I shouted holding her against me but she kept screaming at the top of her lungs.
"Avari! Avari it's me! Look at me!"
"BURNING!" She cried.
My eyes scanned her body frantically until they landed on her small cross necklace, I grabbed it and tore it from her neck hissing when it contacted my skin.
"It burns mommy! It burnt!" She cried as I pulled at her top to see red marks on her skin.
I could hear loud bangs through the house making me tighten my grip on her.
"LEAVE US ALONE!" I yelled.
The house fell silent apart from Avari's quiet sobs in my arms.
"It's okay, everything is going to be o-"
A loud bang erupted beside us causing Avari to scream in my arms. My eyes shot to the TV to see it has blown up, the screen was smashed and black scorch marks tainted the glass as I looked at it.
I looked at it closer to see our reflection, but the centre of the crack was in Avari's reflection.
"Baby get Peanut." I spoke still looking at the TV.
Her hand snatched him up instantly pushing him between us. "Okay we are gonna walk out calmly okay? I need you to grab your jumper which is on the top of your night bag, that's all I want you to do."
She nodded still pulling at her top.
"I'll get you some cream for it sweetie okay? After three. One, two, three."
***
After visiting the pharmacy and getting cream as well as some bandaids to cover the burns. I drove around Vegas trying to distract Avari, it wasn't hard to do with the glitzy lights and street performers, but as we were waiting in traffic, the atmosphere changed.
I looked in the rear view mirror and almost screamed myself seeing a dark figure beside her. It shot its hand across and grabbed her arm, my heart pounded as the touch registered in her mind. Her eyes locked with mine and her lip trembled before she broke out in a scream.
Putting the car in park, I took off my belt and twisted in my seat to get to her. Her little wrist was bright red as she cried trying to get to me.
"Hold on!" I panicked turning in my seat and driving on as the lights changed.
I raced across Vegas not caring what violations I was going to get.
I bit my lip trying to suppress my own tears as she begged for me to make it stop. Slamming the car in park, I got out and opened her door, unclipping her belt, I pulled her into my arms and took off running into the building.