Page 224 of The Harbinger

“Look, Sarah, she’s too grown up now to call me daddy.”

I smirked, but my heart wasn’t in it. I’d waited for this day since I’d awakened and now wanted it to end. I wanted to sleep, the time change messed with my head and the need to escape whatever nightmare Sacha tossed me into. He didn’t even have the heart to give me a lifeline should I need it.

My father settled into the chair beside me, his reassuring presence a balm to my troubled soul. Across the table, my mother’s sharp gaze was fixed on me, her questions firing at me like arrows. To my left, Lex leaned in with a charming smile, her confidence putting me at ease.

I answered their questions with as much honesty as possible, but my heart was heavy with secrets I couldn’t share. Some questions I skirted around, while others I managed to change the subject without answering.

But when my mother suggested a welcome home party, my mind darkened. Memories of that fateful night came crashing back like a tidal wave. I found myself stumbling over my words in a desperate attempt to evade the subject.

“Why don’t you go upstairs and get settled, and I’ll make your favorite dinner, steamed Salmon and rice.”

My heart thudded against my ribs. “Thank you, but maybe we could have that tomorrow night. I’m not feeling very hungry.”

“Of course.” My mother’s lips pursed in disapproval, but she relented with a tight-lipped smile. I rose from my chair, with Lex following close behind.

“Let me help you with your things,” my father offered.

“I don’t have anything.”

He furrowed his brow in confusion. “The hospital didn’t release your belongings?”

The hospital? Did they think I’d been in the hospital all this time? “Um… no. I just didn’t want any of it.”

My father’s expression softened. “Ah, I see. Well, you still have your clothes in your closet. If you need anything, just holler down.”

“Thanks, Dad.” My brows twitched as his comment tore through me. “Daddy,” I corrected.

He turned to me, his eyes brimming with affection. “Anytime, doll.”

As I ascended the stairs, memories of our fight swirled like a whirlwind of emotions. The echo of my footsteps seemed to match the pounding of my heart as I watched the events of that night play out in my mind’s eye.

I had been furious with my mother and even more so with Lex for tattling on me. I had stormed up the stairs with such force that a picture frame came crashing down and shattered on the ground.

Now, as I looked down at the soft, carpeted steps beneath my feet, it was as if I was watching my ghostly self, reliving the moment I had slammed my bedroom door in a fit of anger.

Lex trailed behind me, but I turned to her with a hand raised. “I’m tired, Lex. Can we talk later?”

She stuck her foot in my door as I moved to close it. “What was that down there?”

I frowned and shook my head. “What was what?”

“You pretend you don’t know where you sit. Or how about not drinking your water with ice.” She put her hand on her hip. “You never drink water without ice in it.”

I gulped and braced my hand on the door. “Maybe it was a luxury I wasn’t afforded in the hospital.”

“Okay. Well, what happened to your finger?”

“I broke it.”

“How.”

“Slammed it in a door.”

“Why?”

“Lex…” I huffed. “I’m tired, and I just got here. I don’t want to fight with you.”

“The old Mia would have told me everything. We were best friends.”

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