The Guard To My Sanctuary - Chapter 13: Chapter 13
You are reading The Guard To My Sanctuary, Chapter 13: Chapter 13. Read more chapters of The Guard To My Sanctuary.
I dreamed of London last night which I hadn't done in three days. It sucked because I thought I had done away with the nightmares but like a boomerang; they left just to find their way back to me. I dreamed that I was watching television with Marco, we were nice and cozy on a couch just enjoying each other's company in a dimmed room when London just burst into the house with a group of niggas and shot Marco before he could even react. I dreamed that London snatched me up kicking and screaming but he subdued me and to Trenton. He brutally beat me and used me as his personal slave taking me whenever he wanted and beating me bloody. I was so scared when I woke up I started screaming. Marco made me get on face time so I could look at him while he instructed me through breathing exercises. My dad ended up bursting into my room to scoop me and my phone up and walked me all the way to the master bedroom and placed me on one side of the bed and climbed into the other. The both of them waited on me to fall asleep which made me feel so weak. I fell asleep and woke up an hour later at seven.
Marco had sent a text saying that he would see me tonight since it was Wednesday and he promised that he'd be here which boosted my mood a little bit. I was slowly realizing I did more than just rely on him I was growing to really like him in a romantic way. I knew I shouldn't since I wasn't anywhere near stable enough to act on those kinds of feelings but I couldn't stop myself from falling into the emotions. Fantasizing about him cuddling up next to me was how I passed the time, I couldn't think about sex with him though due to my past experiences.
I walked down the stairs to the kitchen. The kitchen was nice and open with lots of natural lighting. The sun poured into the room from the windows. I grazed my hands along the white wood cupboards and the black Quartz on top of them and made my way to the refrigerator grabbing eggs, bacon, and a bag of oranges to make breakfast with. I set all the items on the green painted wood island and went to grab a bowl, utensils, a pan, and a cutting board. Grabbed tin foil and placed bacon on it and placed the bacon in the oven. I turned the oven on 350° F and went back to the island. I busted a few eggs open then went to the refrigerator to get milk to pour into the bowl. I then grabbed pepper, garlic powder, salt and whisk the ingredients together. I placed the pan on and the theme on low and added butter to the pan before pouring the eggs in and scrambling them. I let them sit while I moved on to the oranges that I sliced up and made my way back to finish the eggs. I checked on the bacon that wasn't crisp enough so I washed the dishes then came back. When I was done I grabbed the bacon out of the oven and made two plates of food. I quickly ate mine at the counter and washed my plate and left my dad's on the counter then rushed upstairs hearing the sound of my dad in the shower.
I had been going to work with my Dad who didn't want me home alone yet which was annoying but understandable. Out of boredom, I had decided to enroll in online school to catch up with what I missed in my childhood a week before Marco left. My Dad had to pull some strings with his friends in the school board to get me reenrolled without the public finding out but he made it happen. I tested out of middle school classes and made it all the way to eleventh-grade classes which made me happy until I realized I sucked at geometry and chemistry. Spending the last three days feeling dumb, stupid, and inadequate I wished I could have gone to high school and done the after-school tutoring and prom dances but those experiences were taken away from me.
Walking into my bedroom and went into my dresser pulling out a shirt, pink hoodie, jeans, and undergarments to wear at my Dad's office. I then grabbed my pills off his desk and took them without the need for water and made my way into the bathroom. It was dark themed with subway tiles on the wall and tile on the floor that was cold against my bare feet. I placed my clothing on the hamper that was giving the door and turned the lights on that dimly lit the room. I used the toilet then washed my hands and reached into the medicine cabinet to grab my toothbrush. I squeezed a generous amount of toothpaste on my brush and proceeded to clean my teeth then floss. When I was done I ran myself a tub and stripped out of my clothes. I looked into the mirror and stepped back to get a larger view of myself and was pleased to see that all of the bruising healed and I only had a few scars on my body that would hopefully fade. I then stepped into the tub and sank into the water and turned the faucet off. I didn't have much time to soak but I took the time to take a bath any time I could since I hadn't been able to take one in years. I squeezed the mint scented soap into a rag and used it to wash my body before getting out of the tub and drying off with a towel I kept hanging up on the door hook. I then went to get dressed and hurried to grab my phone, charger, and laptop. I stuffed the computer into my bookbag that used to hold my money and put it on my shoulders as I walked out of the room and downstairs to where my dad was eating.
"I'm ready," I said and he looked up with a smile.
"Your brothers never made me breakfast before work, thank you," he said getting up and putting his plate in the sink. He was in uniform and would have looked intimidating if he wasn't my father. He walked over and threw me over his shoulder like I didn't weigh anything and carried me out the house only stopping to grab his briefcase. I protested all the way to the car but he only laughed me off and deposited me in the passenger's seat.
"Buckle up," he said getting into the driver's seat. I did as told and waited for him to pull off.
"So a lawyer is going to come to talk to you about releasing your trust. I set it up in installments that will be deposited into your old bank account you made in the second grade, okay," he said with a smile.
"Okay, daddy. Thank you, oh and when are you going to teach me how to drive," I asked as he pulled off.
"Why do you need to know how to drive. You have places to be, am I smothering you, darling," he asked with a questioning glare.
"No, you're not smothering me it's just that people my age know how to drive and I'm feeling a lot behind," I said in a voice even softer than my normal tone as I was getting emotional.
"What's really going on," he asked making a wide left turn.
"Nothing," I lied.
"Don't lie to me," my dad said sternly. I took a deep breath and rolled my eyes.
"I just feel so behind everyone else, I don't have a high school diploma, have no idea what I want to do with my life, I can't even sleep alone. People my age are in college or working. Some are seeing the world or getting married and I'm just stuck," I admitted. My dad continued driving the car to his station and parked.
"Look at me Elm," my dad said sternly. I turned my head to look at his face and saw that he was serious. "I want you to start allowing yourself time to grow, you have been through way more than I ever wanted you to experience and haven't had the ability to grow up. You have all the time in the world to travel, get married, go to college, have children. Right now your focus needs to be on learning how to live you have nothing to worry about London won't get to you not as long as I'm around. I need you to just enjoy being free, focus on getting through your classes, and focus on your recovery, okay?"
I listened to what he said and saw the worry on his face. I hated to see him worry about me since he had been doing it for a while.
"Okay," I said giving him a hug then hopping out of the car and walking into the station saying hello to everyone. My father was right behind me and said his hello's before we got into his office where a stack of papers was waiting for him. The face he made caused me to laugh so hard I snorted. When I finally calmed down I managed to get my computer out and started my United States history reading. We both worked in silence until a middle-aged woman with long black hair and monolid eyes popped her head into the room hours later.
"Hello I'm here for John and Elm Euthenia," she said with a warm voice accent that made me focus on her.
"Hello come in," my dad said pointing to a seat by his desk. I was sitting at a small table in a corner and got up to sit in the second seat.
"So I'm Cindy Ngung, I'm here to help Elm start receiving his trust funds," she said looking at me. I nodded kindly and waited for her to continue.
"Okay well I'm actually behind schedule so I'm going to get right unit things," she pulled out a few papers," Elm Euthenia has hereby been awarded his full claim of, $400,783.29."
"Pause," I said stunned, "People donated that much money to me," I asked my dad. He told me that there were nationwide search and outpouring for me but I didn't think I had that much support.
"Yeah that plus the house which came up to just a little under one point one million over four years," my dad said.
"We lost the other house to gentrification so I bought the one we're in now with the money for everyone I can turn it over to you if you want," he said.
"No that's fine," I said honestly," I'm sorry ma'am please continue," I told the lady.
"You're fine, this money will be given to you in monthly installments of two thousand two hundred dollars a month for approximately eighteen years."
I was just in a state of shock after that. I never had money before and now I'd have some every month for almost two solid decades. My dad smiled at me as the lawyer handed me papers to sign and date then left saying the first payment would be on the first of next month and they would continue like that till the money was depleted. I was riding a high all the way till the end of my dad work day and until we got home. As we pulled into the driveway I noticed a Nissan parked on the side of the road and almost jumped out of the car and ran inside the house. There he was, tall muscular, clean-shaven, and handsome. He was wearing gray sweats that showed everything and a plain t-shirt with socks on his feet. Marco noticed me and jogged over to meet me. I hopped up and he gave me a hug. I hadn't embraced him like that before but it felt good. He lifted me in the air and spun me around then sat me back on the floor.
"Someone's happy to see me," he said with a huge smile.
"Not really," I lied which was obvious due to me blushing.
"Yeah right," he joked looking me in my eyes. I tucked my lips in to stop from smiling and looked in his eyes taking in everything about him until I heard a throat clear. Marco looked away from me and at my dad who was giving us a weird look that made me feel embarrassed for some reason.
"Hello John," Marco said walking over and dapping him up.
"Hey Marco," my dad said dropping his briefcase on the ground and nodded at me before heading to the kitchen. Marco walked back over to me held his shirt out which I took a little quicker than I intended to and he chuckled m we walked over to the couch and he turned the television on.
"So what have you been up," he asked so it told him everything I had been feeling and the issues with school then I told him about the money.
"You're doing your best with what you have been given, pace yourself it's a marathon, not a sprint, and you can afford a tutor now for school so things should fall into place for you," he told me as he began rubbing my hair. I noticed he was being more affectionate with me and I was soaking it all in.
"DAMN IT, FUCK WHY CANT PEOPLE JUST HAVE SOME SENSE," my dad yelled.
"Daddy," I said getting up and going to the kitchen.
"Sorry Elm there's a hostage situation going on at the mall, I have to go," he said running upstairs.
"Wait what," I asked confused.
"Your dad's a SWAT supervisor remember, he handles stuff like this," Marco said from behind me. I felt a panic attack coming on. I hated having my father in the line of fire I had just got him back in my life now he was going to have to go off willingly into a dangerous environment. My dad came down five minutes later In full gear he looked at me and brought me into a hug.
"I'll be fine I'm just going to negotiate and I very rarely go inside dangerous areas okay. Don't watch the news and eat something I won't be home till late but I promise you that I'll be coming home," he said and then ran out the door. Marco held me as I watched the door close and brought me into his arms from behind.
"Come on he'll be okay it's not like the movies alright, how about we make some food," he said pulling me to the stove. I stood there trying to keep calm while he began finishing the steak and potatoes my father was making for dinner. By the time he was done, I had managed to keep a short grip on my sanity and was nibbling off the plate he gave me. The food could use some seasoning but I didn't have to cook it so I didn't complain.
"Elm I've been-" Marco started to say but the doorbell cut him off. He stood up offering his shirt for me to grab which I did and walked to the door. He opened it and I was startled by what I saw. In front of us were many news reporting agencies and I thought the worst and tears fell down my face.
"Elm how does it feel to be back home after all this time," yelled one of the reporters.
'Huh? Oh, wait... They figured out I had been found'
I calmed down slightly and watched as Marco pushed the door closed.
"Looks like someone leaked information."
Marco had sent a text saying that he would see me tonight since it was Wednesday and he promised that he'd be here which boosted my mood a little bit. I was slowly realizing I did more than just rely on him I was growing to really like him in a romantic way. I knew I shouldn't since I wasn't anywhere near stable enough to act on those kinds of feelings but I couldn't stop myself from falling into the emotions. Fantasizing about him cuddling up next to me was how I passed the time, I couldn't think about sex with him though due to my past experiences.
I walked down the stairs to the kitchen. The kitchen was nice and open with lots of natural lighting. The sun poured into the room from the windows. I grazed my hands along the white wood cupboards and the black Quartz on top of them and made my way to the refrigerator grabbing eggs, bacon, and a bag of oranges to make breakfast with. I set all the items on the green painted wood island and went to grab a bowl, utensils, a pan, and a cutting board. Grabbed tin foil and placed bacon on it and placed the bacon in the oven. I turned the oven on 350° F and went back to the island. I busted a few eggs open then went to the refrigerator to get milk to pour into the bowl. I then grabbed pepper, garlic powder, salt and whisk the ingredients together. I placed the pan on and the theme on low and added butter to the pan before pouring the eggs in and scrambling them. I let them sit while I moved on to the oranges that I sliced up and made my way back to finish the eggs. I checked on the bacon that wasn't crisp enough so I washed the dishes then came back. When I was done I grabbed the bacon out of the oven and made two plates of food. I quickly ate mine at the counter and washed my plate and left my dad's on the counter then rushed upstairs hearing the sound of my dad in the shower.
I had been going to work with my Dad who didn't want me home alone yet which was annoying but understandable. Out of boredom, I had decided to enroll in online school to catch up with what I missed in my childhood a week before Marco left. My Dad had to pull some strings with his friends in the school board to get me reenrolled without the public finding out but he made it happen. I tested out of middle school classes and made it all the way to eleventh-grade classes which made me happy until I realized I sucked at geometry and chemistry. Spending the last three days feeling dumb, stupid, and inadequate I wished I could have gone to high school and done the after-school tutoring and prom dances but those experiences were taken away from me.
Walking into my bedroom and went into my dresser pulling out a shirt, pink hoodie, jeans, and undergarments to wear at my Dad's office. I then grabbed my pills off his desk and took them without the need for water and made my way into the bathroom. It was dark themed with subway tiles on the wall and tile on the floor that was cold against my bare feet. I placed my clothing on the hamper that was giving the door and turned the lights on that dimly lit the room. I used the toilet then washed my hands and reached into the medicine cabinet to grab my toothbrush. I squeezed a generous amount of toothpaste on my brush and proceeded to clean my teeth then floss. When I was done I ran myself a tub and stripped out of my clothes. I looked into the mirror and stepped back to get a larger view of myself and was pleased to see that all of the bruising healed and I only had a few scars on my body that would hopefully fade. I then stepped into the tub and sank into the water and turned the faucet off. I didn't have much time to soak but I took the time to take a bath any time I could since I hadn't been able to take one in years. I squeezed the mint scented soap into a rag and used it to wash my body before getting out of the tub and drying off with a towel I kept hanging up on the door hook. I then went to get dressed and hurried to grab my phone, charger, and laptop. I stuffed the computer into my bookbag that used to hold my money and put it on my shoulders as I walked out of the room and downstairs to where my dad was eating.
"I'm ready," I said and he looked up with a smile.
"Your brothers never made me breakfast before work, thank you," he said getting up and putting his plate in the sink. He was in uniform and would have looked intimidating if he wasn't my father. He walked over and threw me over his shoulder like I didn't weigh anything and carried me out the house only stopping to grab his briefcase. I protested all the way to the car but he only laughed me off and deposited me in the passenger's seat.
"Buckle up," he said getting into the driver's seat. I did as told and waited for him to pull off.
"So a lawyer is going to come to talk to you about releasing your trust. I set it up in installments that will be deposited into your old bank account you made in the second grade, okay," he said with a smile.
"Okay, daddy. Thank you, oh and when are you going to teach me how to drive," I asked as he pulled off.
"Why do you need to know how to drive. You have places to be, am I smothering you, darling," he asked with a questioning glare.
"No, you're not smothering me it's just that people my age know how to drive and I'm feeling a lot behind," I said in a voice even softer than my normal tone as I was getting emotional.
"What's really going on," he asked making a wide left turn.
"Nothing," I lied.
"Don't lie to me," my dad said sternly. I took a deep breath and rolled my eyes.
"I just feel so behind everyone else, I don't have a high school diploma, have no idea what I want to do with my life, I can't even sleep alone. People my age are in college or working. Some are seeing the world or getting married and I'm just stuck," I admitted. My dad continued driving the car to his station and parked.
"Look at me Elm," my dad said sternly. I turned my head to look at his face and saw that he was serious. "I want you to start allowing yourself time to grow, you have been through way more than I ever wanted you to experience and haven't had the ability to grow up. You have all the time in the world to travel, get married, go to college, have children. Right now your focus needs to be on learning how to live you have nothing to worry about London won't get to you not as long as I'm around. I need you to just enjoy being free, focus on getting through your classes, and focus on your recovery, okay?"
I listened to what he said and saw the worry on his face. I hated to see him worry about me since he had been doing it for a while.
"Okay," I said giving him a hug then hopping out of the car and walking into the station saying hello to everyone. My father was right behind me and said his hello's before we got into his office where a stack of papers was waiting for him. The face he made caused me to laugh so hard I snorted. When I finally calmed down I managed to get my computer out and started my United States history reading. We both worked in silence until a middle-aged woman with long black hair and monolid eyes popped her head into the room hours later.
"Hello I'm here for John and Elm Euthenia," she said with a warm voice accent that made me focus on her.
"Hello come in," my dad said pointing to a seat by his desk. I was sitting at a small table in a corner and got up to sit in the second seat.
"So I'm Cindy Ngung, I'm here to help Elm start receiving his trust funds," she said looking at me. I nodded kindly and waited for her to continue.
"Okay well I'm actually behind schedule so I'm going to get right unit things," she pulled out a few papers," Elm Euthenia has hereby been awarded his full claim of, $400,783.29."
"Pause," I said stunned, "People donated that much money to me," I asked my dad. He told me that there were nationwide search and outpouring for me but I didn't think I had that much support.
"Yeah that plus the house which came up to just a little under one point one million over four years," my dad said.
"We lost the other house to gentrification so I bought the one we're in now with the money for everyone I can turn it over to you if you want," he said.
"No that's fine," I said honestly," I'm sorry ma'am please continue," I told the lady.
"You're fine, this money will be given to you in monthly installments of two thousand two hundred dollars a month for approximately eighteen years."
I was just in a state of shock after that. I never had money before and now I'd have some every month for almost two solid decades. My dad smiled at me as the lawyer handed me papers to sign and date then left saying the first payment would be on the first of next month and they would continue like that till the money was depleted. I was riding a high all the way till the end of my dad work day and until we got home. As we pulled into the driveway I noticed a Nissan parked on the side of the road and almost jumped out of the car and ran inside the house. There he was, tall muscular, clean-shaven, and handsome. He was wearing gray sweats that showed everything and a plain t-shirt with socks on his feet. Marco noticed me and jogged over to meet me. I hopped up and he gave me a hug. I hadn't embraced him like that before but it felt good. He lifted me in the air and spun me around then sat me back on the floor.
"Someone's happy to see me," he said with a huge smile.
"Not really," I lied which was obvious due to me blushing.
"Yeah right," he joked looking me in my eyes. I tucked my lips in to stop from smiling and looked in his eyes taking in everything about him until I heard a throat clear. Marco looked away from me and at my dad who was giving us a weird look that made me feel embarrassed for some reason.
"Hello John," Marco said walking over and dapping him up.
"Hey Marco," my dad said dropping his briefcase on the ground and nodded at me before heading to the kitchen. Marco walked back over to me held his shirt out which I took a little quicker than I intended to and he chuckled m we walked over to the couch and he turned the television on.
"So what have you been up," he asked so it told him everything I had been feeling and the issues with school then I told him about the money.
"You're doing your best with what you have been given, pace yourself it's a marathon, not a sprint, and you can afford a tutor now for school so things should fall into place for you," he told me as he began rubbing my hair. I noticed he was being more affectionate with me and I was soaking it all in.
"DAMN IT, FUCK WHY CANT PEOPLE JUST HAVE SOME SENSE," my dad yelled.
"Daddy," I said getting up and going to the kitchen.
"Sorry Elm there's a hostage situation going on at the mall, I have to go," he said running upstairs.
"Wait what," I asked confused.
"Your dad's a SWAT supervisor remember, he handles stuff like this," Marco said from behind me. I felt a panic attack coming on. I hated having my father in the line of fire I had just got him back in my life now he was going to have to go off willingly into a dangerous environment. My dad came down five minutes later In full gear he looked at me and brought me into a hug.
"I'll be fine I'm just going to negotiate and I very rarely go inside dangerous areas okay. Don't watch the news and eat something I won't be home till late but I promise you that I'll be coming home," he said and then ran out the door. Marco held me as I watched the door close and brought me into his arms from behind.
"Come on he'll be okay it's not like the movies alright, how about we make some food," he said pulling me to the stove. I stood there trying to keep calm while he began finishing the steak and potatoes my father was making for dinner. By the time he was done, I had managed to keep a short grip on my sanity and was nibbling off the plate he gave me. The food could use some seasoning but I didn't have to cook it so I didn't complain.
"Elm I've been-" Marco started to say but the doorbell cut him off. He stood up offering his shirt for me to grab which I did and walked to the door. He opened it and I was startled by what I saw. In front of us were many news reporting agencies and I thought the worst and tears fell down my face.
"Elm how does it feel to be back home after all this time," yelled one of the reporters.
'Huh? Oh, wait... They figured out I had been found'
I calmed down slightly and watched as Marco pushed the door closed.
"Looks like someone leaked information."
End of The Guard To My Sanctuary Chapter 13. Continue reading Chapter 14 or return to The Guard To My Sanctuary book page.