"Who the hell are you and what are you doing with my daughter?" Dad asked, setting the pot down on a counter top in the kitchen quickly before walking over to both of us. My hand quickly released itself from Louis', digging into my coat pocket.

Dad crossed his arms over his chest as he stared Louis down, making my heart pound and my stomach feel like it was in my throat. Louis seemed to now realize just how much trouble he was in, attempting to smile and hold his hand out for Dad to shake.

"You must be Mira's father. I'm Louis, nice to meet you." He spoke politely, Dad holding up his hand as he turned his anger to me.

"You've been seeing a boy behind my back?" He asked angrily. His usually warm eyes were cold with rage, his condescending demeanor something that rarely appeared when he spoke to me. "I thought I raised you right to where we didn't keep secrets from each other."

"Dad, he's not my boyfriend, he's just a hiking friend I met in the woods." I attempted to explain myself, but Dad wouldn't have it.

"So you met a stranger in the woods and still didn't tell me. Mira what if he did something bad to you and I had no idea?" Dad spoke as if Louis wasn't even in the room, my eyes catching Louis biting his lip and rocking back and forth on his heels awkwardly.

"But he didn't do anything to me." I argued, mirroring my father as I crossed my own arms over my chest. Dad was becoming so concerned with my safety that he was suffocating me, clipping my wings so I couldn't fly anywhere no matter how hard I tried. "I can take care of myself."

"Mira, I think we both know you wouldn't be able to help yourself if your heart had a problem. Especially if he was around!" Dad pointed to Louis, still refusing to address him.

"Sir, I promise I had no intention of harming your daughter." Louis interjected with his hands held up in surrender, the cold look in my father's eyes scaring me like never before as they glared at Louis.

"Get out of my house and leave my daughter alone." He ordered coldly, my jaw dropping in shock.

"Dad, please just listen-" I begged, but Mark Lane only held a hand up to silence me.

"I would have listened had you told me you met this boy a long time ago in the forest, but you never did." He spoke quickly before turning back to Louis, who was attempting to make the situation better in anyway he could.

"Get out. Now." He ordered Louis again, who now looked to me sadly before walking towards the door. Once he left, Dad slammed it shut, making me wince. I bit my lip as I felt the first tear run down my cheek and drip to the floor, my hands balled into fists at my sides. Dad was silent as he walked past me back to the kitchen, continuing to prepare dinner just as if nothing had happened.

He had gotten rid of one of the things that made me happy here like it was nothing. He had told Louis to get out as if he were a dog, and I a petty toddler who brought him home and begged to keep him.

He really was clipping my wings. Louis was out soaring in the open sky and fresh air, and I was stuck in my nest admiring him from afar, unable to leave in fear I wouldn't be able to survive.

I was tired of being stuck in my nest.

"Mira, come and sit down for dinner." Dad spoke plainly, void of any emotion. There was no joking, no silly faces or witty sayings like usual as I quietly walked into the kitchen. I didn't sit at the table though, still choosing to stand in the doorway of the kitchen.

Dad had made Asian food tonight, beginning to scoop noodles, chicken, and vegetables into two bowls. He pulled two forks out of a drawer and set the food down on the kitchen table, placing a fork next to each bowl before sitting down in front of his meal. He finally looked at me, his aging face void of any emotion at all.

"Sit down Mira." He told me, my body refusing to move. I looked to the ground as a silence fell between us, me defying him for the first time. We had never really gotten into big arguments before, but this time he had gone too far.

"Mira Riley Lane, sit down and eat." Dad told me again, my small tears now becoming sobs as I looked up at him.

"Why? Why did you do that? He's nice, Dad, he's the only friend I have here and now you just got rid of him. Why did you do that?" I asked, watching as Dad set his fork down before answering me.

"Because I don't trust him. Mira, he could've hurt you-"

"But he didn't! I made my choice to see him again after we first met, and if anything he saved me from hurting myself in the forest!" I kept my argument vague, I couldn't let Dad know about Louis' abilities.

"I've seen his type before. At first everything will seem great, and suddenly he will change and he will hurt you, Mira, whether you accept it or not." Dad spoke silently, his eyes flashing to the heart locket around my neck before returning to my eyes. I wondered if he spoke from experience. Maybe not his own personal experience with a girl, but someone dear to his heart.

"You think you know him, but you don't Dad." I said truthfully. Dad had no idea about the amazing things Louis could do, and the amazing things he had done for me.

"It doesn't matter. I don't want you seeing him anymore. Now come sit down, you need to eat to keep your heart healthy." Dad picked his fork up again, but my rage had been sparked.

"You're seriously banning me from seeing him? You can't do that!" I yelled, Dad unflinching as his anger returned.

"Yes I can, I'm your father." He spoke, my breathing becoming dangerously unsteady as my sobs combined with my angry mind.

"I can take care of myself, but you wouldn't know that because you never let me do anything on my own!" I practically screamed, Dad eyes scrunching closed at my accusation. His eyes opened again, focusing on me before delivering a final blow.

"Mira, I think we both know you aren't capable of taking care of yourself."

My anger froze over as Dad's words cut me to ribbons. The pain only intensified as I realized what he said was true. This was going to be my life so long as my heart continued to struggle to keep beating: forever looked after by my family, restricted from living my life like other people did by a problem I was born with.

"I-I'm not hungry anymore. I'll be in my room." I shakily said, Dad sighing as I turned to hurry up the stairs. I think he figured it was better to leave me be, my sobs only getting worse as I hurried into my room and slammed the door shut. My back slid down the door as I sat on the floor of my room, burying my face into my arms as I just let it all out.

I wasn't sure how long I had been crying, but I knew it had been a while when my breathing became an uneven pattern of hitches and gasps. I tried calming down a little bit before something bad happened, but before I knew it the horrible pain from a few days ago returned.

I gasped as the pain spread the same way as before, burning like alcohol in my veins. My hand pressed to the top of my chest as I scrunched my eyes closed in pain, a single thought running through my mind at lightning speed.

Please stop please stop please stop please stop please stop please stop...

Thankfully, it did.

I felt like I had just run a marathon on a hot summer day as I sat on my floor, my sobs having ceased almost completely. My heart was still beating, and just like before, I held onto that fact like it meant everything was fine.

My mind wasn't allowed much time to think over the pain as I heard a knock soon after. My eyes looked around the room in confusion. The knock hadn't come from my bedroom door, so where was the person?

It didn't take long for my eyes to lock on Louis on my balcony, knocking gently on the glass doors so I could let him in. I struggled to get up, but managed to, unlocking the sliding glass doors only to be pulled in for a tight hug.

"Oh my God, are you okay? What just happened?" Louis asked, his eyes cloudy with concern and worry as they stared into mine. He must have seen me when my chest was burning.

"I'm fine, Louis." I weakly answered, suddenly feeling tired and desiring nothing more than to just go to sleep and forget this night. Louis didn't seem to agree with me, helping me over to my bed and sitting me down next to him on the covers. He let me lean against him, my head resting on his shoulder as exhaustion consumed me.

"What happened? Was it something with your heart?" Louis asked, my head nodding.

"That usually happens if I get too worked up. If I start crying a lot, if I get too happy, if I feel too much of pretty much any emotion, my heart can't take it." I explained slowly, feeling one of Louis' hands brush through my hair gently.

"Do you want to talk about you and your dad?" Louis asked softly, making me sigh.

"No, I just want to sleep actually. It's been a long day, and besides, we never stay mad at each other for long." I said, Louis nodding before making me get up from the bed. He pulled the covers back and told me to get in bed, my tired body complying with his request. I felt like a child as Louis tucked me in, asking if I was warm enough before shutting off the bedside lamp.

The moon shone clear and bright through my glass doors, illuminating Louis' face in a way that was breathtaking to me. I couldn't help myself as I reached out to him, my fingers barely grazing the stubble on his jaw as he smiled at me.

"Please stay." I whispered, wanting to savor this moment as long as possible before dawn, when I would have to be away from Louis. "At least for a little bit."

Louis took my fingers in his hand and held them tight, leaning down to me so he could kiss my forehead goodnight.

"I'll stay until you fall asleep, how about that?" He offered, smiling again when I nodded.

I fell asleep that night with Louis playing with my fingers, his voice softly singing as I couldn't bear to keep my eyes open any longer. When I woke up the next morning, Louis was gone, but something was left under my pillow.

It was a silly Polaroid of Louis with his eyes crossed and tongue sticking out, a small caption messily written on the bottom.

Good morning, Magical Mira. -L

A/N: Dedication goes to @lwtsbabygirl for always leaving multiple reaction comments on chapters (most of the time they're hilarious and make me smile) :) -M