Author's Note: I know it's been a month since I last uploaded, and I'm really sorry. I haven't been writing much. Anyway, here is the next chapter. It's not as long as usual, but I hope you all like it anyway.
Picture on the side is of Madeline.
PLEASE VOTE!
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Chapter Twenty Six.
Kyle's Point of View.
My brain was unable to register what I had just seen.
Back up a second.
I mentally rewound the last couple of moments, replaying the scene in my mind.
Cora's hand shooting out and making harsh contact with Madeline's cheek.
Madeline's head snapping back from the force, a shocked expression on her face.
The scene eventually clicking into place, my mouth dropped open and my fingers curled inward so that my hands had made fists. Madeline looked at me, terrified. Instantly, I moved in her direction, curling my fingers around the material of her dress and pulling her back toward me and away from her mother. She stumbled, but I pulled her back anyway, steadying her with my other hand as I stepped in front of her. Our previous argument dissolved as my need to protect Madeline came to the forefront of my mind.
A feral growl rumbled through my chest and fell from my lips.
"Don't you fucking touch her again!"
I was rewarded with an incoherent hiss.
My heart thundered within my chest, beating at what felt like a million times a minute. My stomach was churning with anger, and my palms were clammy. If Cora had been a guy then I would have knocked her the hell out by now.
I was still sorely tempted to do so.
Madeline placed the palms of her hands gently against my shoulder blades, calming me.
"Has she hit you before?"
I asked, though this time my words were clearly aimed toward Madeline.
"Kyle..."
Her voice was barely a whisper, and her vulnerability tugged at the strings of my heart.
But I had to know.
"Has she hit you before?"
I repeated, my voice rising a fraction.
I turned my head just in time to see a pained expression cross Madeline's beautiful face.
I had my answer.
Everything made sense now.
The limping.
The inexplicable bruises.
Her insistence on taking William with her everywhere.
I couldn't even put my uncontrollable rage into words.
I was also feeling a second, equally prominent emotion.
Sadness.
A great feeling of despair seemed to be weighing down on my heart, crushing it. It was so incredibly difficult to believe that someone would actually want to harm their child. Angry tears filled my eyes, and I instantly wiped them away with the inside of my wrist. Whipping my head and body around so that I was now facing Madeline, I placed my hands on her narrow shoulders. She looked up at me, her eyes wide and fearful.
"Madeline, I want you to go and get your brother, and pack a bag for each of you."
I could see the hesitance in her eyes, the immense vulnerability that filled her hazel orbs in the form of tears. I dipped my head and pressed a lingering kiss to her forehead.
"Don't argue. Just do it. Please."
The urgency in my voice must have alarmed her, because she scuttled off in the direction of her front door, taking care to give her mother a wide birth.
Cora's feet seemed rooted to the spot, shocked that someone was finally challenging her authority. Well what the hell was I supposed to do? Just leave Madeline and William there to get beaten?! I didn't think so! Anyone with an ounce of compassion in them would never be able to just walk away from the situation.
Cora continued to stare at me for the following five minutes, moving only when Madeline emerged with a sleepy William on one hip, a bag in her hand and another on her back. I took the bag that she was holding and swung it onto my back. I took Madeline's free hand, and without a word began to lead her away from the house.
Feeling a tug on the backpack, I released Madeline's hand and whipped around to face Cora, who was red in the face, the veins in her neck standing out, looking as though they were about to burst.
"You can't fucking do this!"
"Just watch me."
I said with a steely glare.
"Madeline get back in that house now!"
"Don't you dare go back!"
Madeline's head was whipping back and forth as she looked first at me and then at her mother, and she was clearly struggling to decide what to do.
"I'm going to make this decision for you."
Once again, I grabbed hold of Madeline's hand and pulled her forward, though this time with more force. I wasn't giving her a choice. She was coming with me and I was not going to take no for an answer.
"Rest assured that you will soon be hearing from a lawyer."
I called over my shoulder.
"A lawyer?"
Although I wasn't looking at Madeline's face, I knew that she was filled with dread and uncertainty. I squeezed her hand, and felt her squeeze mine back.
"Yes. We're going to get this sorted."
*~*
Carefully carrying two mugs of steaming hot chocolate into the living room, I paused just inside the doorway. Madeline was sitting on the sofa, her legs crossed Indian style. She was wearing one of my t-shirts and had also borrowed a pair of tracksuit bottoms. Both articles of clothing swamped her small frame, but she seemed comfortable enough. To Madeline's right, with her head lolling on my girlfriend's shoulder, was Sophie. She was sleepy, her eyelids drooping, but she was determined to remain awake.
A sigh drifted from my lips and I continued into the room, making my way over to the two girls. Both of them looked up as I approached, Madeline with a sad smile, and Sophie with a tired smile. Reaching them, I handed a mug to each, and they wrapped their hands gratefully around the hot cups.
"What's going on?"
I asked as I sat down on Madeline's other side. She gestured with one hand toward my father, who had a phone clamped to his ear whilst he paced up and down in front of the fireplace.
"I think he's talking to a lawyer."
I nodded, leaning back into the soft leather of the sofa.
"Right, okay...Yes that's right...Madeline and William Harwell...Seventeen and three respectively...Alright, thank you."
Dad ended the call, and slid his phone into the pocket of his levi's before he stopped pacing and turned to look at us. He glanced toward my mother, who was seated on the recliner looking incredibly distressed and nervous.
"Michael has agreed to be Madeline and William's lawyer."
I breathed a huge sigh of relief, and placed one of my hands on Madeline's knee. She shot me a delicate smile and took a sip of her drink before speaking.
"Thank you for arranging all of this."
She whispered, her eyes locking with my dad's. A gentle smile crossed my father's face as he moved to stand in front of Madeline. He crouched down so that he wasn't looking down at her.
"You're a part of this family, Madeline, and in this house, we take care of family."
Madeline dipped her head, staring down into her mug, and I could tell that she was fighting hard not to cry. Her shoulders trembling with the effort, and Sophie, sensing that Madeline was becoming emotional, put her mug down on the coffee table and slid her arms carefully around Madeline's waist, hugging her, though she was careful not to jostle Madeline's mug.
A mangled sob left Madeline's mouth, and I squeezed her knee reassuringly. She lifted her head so that she could look at me, tears shimmering in her eyes though she tried to hold them back.
Not wanting to overwhelm Madeline even more, my dad stood up and moved to stand beside the recliner where mother was sat. He placed a hand on one of her shoulders.
"It's been a long day. We should turn in for the night."
He looked pointedly at Sophie, and my sister sighed and unwound her arms from around Madeline. She leaned forward and picked up her mug of hot chocolate.
"I'll finish this upstairs. Night, everyone."
Following Sophie's lead, my mum stood up and took dad's hand before leading him from the room.
"Goodnight, you two."
I waited several moments before breaking the silence.
"Shall we head upstairs?"
Obviously not trusting herself to speak, Madeline nodded her head, taking another gulp from her drink before she stood up. We walked up the stairs and along the corridor, passing the guest room that William was currently asleep in. Reaching my bedroom, I opened the door, letting Madeline go inside first before I kicked the door shut behind us. The room was almost pitch black, so I flicked on the lamp that sat on my bedside table.
Madeline was sitting on the floor, leaning against the side of my bed with her knees pulled to her chest. Her arms were wrapped tightly around her legs. I suck down to the floor beside her, and she looked at me, the tears finally spilling onto her cheeks. Wordlessly, I wrapped my arms around her, and she leaned into me.
I placed my chin on the top of her head, tucking her against my chest. I hated her mother. Hated her. She had left irreparable damage on her children, especially the eldest. If only she could see Madeline now. Would she care that her little girl was hurting? As much as it pained me to admit it, I doubted that she would.
That fact hurt me more than I could have imagined. My mind failed to comprehend what could possibly possess someone, a mother, to harm a child. A child who was so dependent on their mother to take care of them. Madeline and William had not had the good fortune of having a mother like mine and Sophie's. Instead they had had to contend with a mother who had abused them and taken them for granted. Fingers crossed that William would not remember this when he was older, but Madeline would have to deal with the memories for the remainder of her life.
I instinctively tightened my arms around Madeline, and her face turned slightly so that her tears soaked into the soft material of my shirt. I didn't care, though. All I wanted was for Madeline to be okay. I didn't know if she would ever be able to overcome the trauma of her horrific childhood, but I hoped and prayed that she would.
I don't know how long we stayed like that, Madeline and I, but her tears eventually subsided. She lifted her hands to her face and rubbed at her eyes with the heels of her hands as she reluctantly pulled away. The skin beneath her eyes was tired-looking and puffy from crying, and her cheeks were flushed and stained with tears. However, she still looked beautiful to me.
"Better?"
Madeline shot me a tearful smile and nodded her head.
"You know, I'm still mad at you about Jenny."
She said softly.
Damn.
I had hoped that she wouldn't bring that up.
"I know."
Sometimes I was impulsive, and I guess that the entire party atmosphere mixed with alcohol had made me more careless than usual. Swallowing my pride, I opened my mouth to speak again.
"I'm not going to make excuses...But I am really, really sorry."
Madeline cracked a small, ghostly smile, her lips lifting slightly at the corners.
"I know you are."
I returned her smile with one of my own, and gently bumped my shoulder against hers.
"We good?"
Her smile widened.
"Yeah."
I leaned toward her, and playfully pressed my lips to the tip of her nose. I was rewarded with a hint of a giggle.
"Good."
I stood up and held my hand out to Madeline. She took it, and I pulled her up off the floor before tugging her onto the bed.
"I don't know about you, but I'm beat."
"I am too."
"Well in that case, let's hit the sack."
Madeline nodded her head, and burried herself beneath the duvet. I got in beside her, and leaned out for a moment to turn off the lamp. My eyes adjusted quickly to the darkness, and I let my head sink into the pillows. A moment later, Madeline siddled slightly closer to me, and I didn't hesitate to wrap her in my arms.
"Everything's gonna be okay, y'know."
I felt rather than saw her nod.
"I hope so."
I held my breath for a moment, tentative to broach the following subject.
"You're going to have to tell your dad."
Madeline tensed, and I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping that she wasn't going to be mad at me for mentioning her father. A moment later, I felt her relax which in turn, made me relax slightly.
"I know. What I don't know is how I'm supposed to tell him."
I couldn't even begin to imagine how hard it would be for Madeline to tell Jason. Also, I couldn't bear to think about how Jason would take it. I knew that he loved his daughter, so I knew that it would be incredibly hard to hear his little girl tell him about what her mother had put her through.
"Just tell him the truth. He has to know."
Madeline sighed and nodded her head.
"Yeah."
We lapsed into silence, each of us becoming absorbed in our own thoughts. God only knew what was going through Madeline's mind right now. I slowly sunk into unconsciousness, the events of the evening plaguing my thoughts.