Tyson POV

I can't believe Tiana's getting out of the hospital today. After about a week of staying in the hospital, I knew she'd be happy to get out of here.

Am I insecure if I want her away from the stench of death? In case she decides to join it?

"Where's the house?" she asks, her voice sounding so so tired.

"Right next to ours," I say, smiling. Trying hard to have enough energy for the both of us.

She sighs. "You don't have to do that, you know?"

"Do what?" I ask, even thought I'm not stupid enough to not know what she's talking about. I do.

"I'm not stupid, you know? I know when someone's pretending," she says, her voice emotionless yet so full of emotion, her eyes piercing yet dull.

"I know, Kitty. I know," I say.

"You don't always have to be strong," she says again and I smile, a tired, honest smile.

"I know," I repeat, letting my shoulders sag. I know what she's saying. I never have to pretend around her.

"Neither do you. Especially not you," I say, giving her a tired smile.

She smiles then, and it's a lot more than I thought I'd get. "I know," she says, looking back up at the ceiling. "I know."

"How are you?" I ask, closing my eyes.

"Tired," she whispers, closing her eyes as well. "So so tired."

I thread my hands through her hair as I sit next to her in a plastic chair. She tenses up for a brief second, then relaxes. "I know Kitty. But you'll get there. I know you will."

"I'm so scared," she whispers, the words coming out as a sigh. The curtains were drawn and there was no one in the room except the two of us. The little sunlight that came through the curtains created beautiful patterns on the white floor. The atmosphere was quiet and melancholic and calm. It was soft. Peaceful.

"Of what?" I whisper, afraid of ruining the atmosphere.

"So many things," she says, chuckling slightly, a dark little thing.

"Isn't everyone?" I whisper and I hear her hum in agreement.

"I don't like being afraid," she whispers, still looking at the ceiling. She scoots a little on the bed and pats the empty space. I chuckle slightly and lay down next to her, looking at the ceiling too.

"You're human though," I say, crossing my arms behind my head, letting the softness of the atmosphere seep into me.

"And, like every human, I am afraid," she says, closing here eyes for a second and opening them again.

"What are you afraid of?" I whisper, looking sideways at her. The soft light from the green curtains looks beautiful on her, giving her a sort of glow that seems to be coming from deep within her. Her emerald green eyes seem to shine in the green light, making her look ethereal.

"You, me, everything," she says, a confession in itself.

"Me?" I ask, expecting it and yet surprised by it.

"Yeah. You're everything I promised myself I'd stay away from," she says, eyes never straying from the ceiling.

"I won't leave, I prom-"

"Don't finish that sentence," she interrupts me, closing her eyes with a pained expression. "Don't promise. Prove it. But please don't promise."

I nod my head and look at the ceiling, letting the monochrome colours comfort me.

"What are you afraid of?" she asks then, and from the corner of my eye, I see her finally turn her head to look at me.

I look at her and give her a small smile. "You," I whisper.

"Good," she says, though her eyes have dulled now. "I'll just destroy you. That's all I know to do anyway."

"No, not because of that," I say, looking back at the ceiling.

"Then?" she inquires, eyes still on me.

"I've only known you for a week, Kitty," I whisper, letting the fear creep into my voice. "Why do I care so much for you already?"

She chuckles a little and says, "I ask myself that very question everyday. Why do I care so much for you? Why do you care for me?"

"You care for me?" I ask, surprised.

"Of course I do. I wouldn't let you help me if I didn't," she says, sighing and closing her eyes again. The atmosphere is so soft and calm and lazy and I can't help the unnatural feeling to tell her everything. Tell her everything that I am and everything that I'm not until I'm left raw and vulnerable.

"Thank you," I say instead, a warm feeling spreading through me.

"You shouldn't thank me," she says in reply. "I'll destroy you."

"You won't Kitty. You'll help me grow up."

"Stay young while you can," she says, a sort of wistful expression in her face. "You won't be able to after some time. They won't let you. I never got the chance. I don't want to steal it from you."

"I know. But that doesn't mean I have to stop learning," I tell her. She smiles. I smile too.

I wonder when her happiness became mine.

We lay there like that for sometime, doing nothing. Just existing. Relishing in each other's presence. Relishing in the calm and soft atmosphere. Relishing in the calm within ourselves.

"This Saturday... we'll go to this place I know where we can just look up at the stars at night," I say, looking at her. 

Her eyes widen and she smiles the huge smile I love that lights up her eyes. "I would love to."

I smile too. A real, honest smile. We look back at the ceiling.

"I wish I could touch it. The stars,"she whispers wistfully. "They were one of the only things I had held on to when I had nothing left."

"That's so cliche," I say, sending her a big, teasing grin.

"I know it is," she says, chuckling. "But they were always so constant. Always there. When everything went, they stayed. I had only them to talk to cause I had no one. They were the only ones I could talk to, the only once I could rely on. Them, and the moon. I felt so much worse whenever it was a New Moon night."

Will you let me be your moon? Will you let me take care of you when no one else will? I wanted to ask, but I knew that would scare her away, so I kept silent.

"It's funny how people rely so such on such small, unreachable lights in the night sky," I say, smiling a lopsided smile.

She chuckles, but stays quiet.

Just then the door opens and my mother comes in.

"Tyson? Can you come out here? I have something to tell you," she says. She looks on the verge of freaking out so I get up, give Tiana an apologetic smile and an "I'll be right back," before I get down from the hospital bed and walk out the door, closing it softly behind me.

"What the hell, Mom?" I ask, glaring at her. That was the closest I've ever gotten to her.

"I'm so sorry son but... I have something to show you. He's waiting in the waiting room," Mom says, her eyes conveying an apology I have yet to know the reason for. I wonder who "he" is.

"Okay," I say cautiously and walk with her to the waiting room. When we reach there, she leads me to a middle aged man. He's handsome in a cold, calm and collected way. He has brown hair with a few white hairs mingled in it. He's about as tall as me, maybe a inch shorter but that's it. He looks well build, though there is a hint of a protruding stomach shown through his suit, and his clothes look expensive.

His eyes though, his eyes look scary. They're blue. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was the icy quality to it. They way they shone with cruelty. They way they held anger and pride and distaste. Everything about them made me disgusted.

I look at my mom, raising an eyebrow inquisitorially.

My mom cleared her throat. "Tyson, meet Andrew Collins."

Fuck.

"What?" I growl, glaring at the disgusting excuse of a man in front of me. He merely looks amused by my reaction.

"I can introduce myself," he says, rolling his eyes and looking at me with amusement-filled eyes.

"I'm Andrew Collins, Tiana Collins' father."

"You are not her father," I growl, taking a step forward.

"True. But I'm her legal guardian," he says, and he looks so smug that I just want to punch him.

"You are nothing but her abuser," I spit, looking at him with as much disgust as I can muster. The amusement in his eyes don't lessen. It just increases.

"Oh, the little slut has told about me, hasn't she?" he says and I lunge forward, ready to punch him. My mom holds me back though and I struggle against her.

How could she ever hold me back?! Why would she?!

"Calm yourself Ty," she whispers while I struggle. I see the amusement that's clearly visible in that shit's eyes and I stop struggling. I don't want to amuse him further. I won't be the source of his amusement.

"Why are you here?" I ask, as calmly as possible and with as much steel laced in my voice.

He smirks then, a deadly, devious smirk that practically stinks of trouble, and says, "What am I doing here, you ask? I'm here to get my daughter back."

My mom snorts. "Andrew. She's not your daughter. You can't take her back."

He raises an eyebrow. "Oh? Why can't I?"

"Because," my mom says, then smirks. "I called child services."

The man scowls. "You have no proof."

"There's blood on the sofas in your house, Andrew," my mom says, rolling her eyes. "And the neighbores were quite vocal about the screams they had heard. Apparently they wanted to help but didn't know if it would make it worse. They had their own children to deal with too. And they thought it wasn't their business. One of the neighbors were quite helpful. Had voice recordings of you both and had also collected money for Tiana to use. They were planning on filing a case the day... it happened."

"Then why isn't he in jail?" I ask.

"Because we need Tiana's official statement," mom says, smirking.

But at this, Andrew smirks.

"What?" I ask him through narrowed eyes.

"Do you really think Tiana will go against me?" he asks, laughing.

I'm about to retort that, yes, of course she would, when I stop.

Fuck, she still cares for him. He's the only father she has. She still harbours some hope that he'll care for her.

"I'll just tell her a few sweet things and she'll come behind me like a puppy, begging for affection," he says, full on laughing now.

"Fuck," I whisper, helpless.

"Nice to meets you, Bents. But Tiana will always be mine. Her need for a family will always be her weakness," he says, then walks away, his gait confident and purposeful.

"Mom," I whisper and she sighs.

"I don't know, honey. I don't know."

I bend my head down and walk back into Tiana's room. I peak in to see that Tiana's sleeping, curling into herself and whimpering. Nightmare.

I crawl into bed with her and put an arm around her. It doesn't stop the whimpering, but she's now burrowing closer to me, like she craves affection and comfort. I try my best to give it to her.

Slowly, I kiss her hair and sigh.

"What are you doing to me, Kitty?"I whisper, holding her close.

I won't let her go.
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Hey!! So that's what Tiana's shit dad looks like. And yea... I was having a very calm day. And the atmosphere in the first part of the book was the exact atmosphere I was feeling. I love dull lights and empty rooms. So peaceful.

Thank you for reading!!! Please tell me what's wrong in this book!! Also, I PROMISE, next chapter she'll be going to the house. I'm having vacations now so I'll try updating as fast as I can. Thank you!!!

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Bye:)