goodbye

Aria

Remember your mental health is important. and if anything triggers you please focus on yourself. ❤️❤️

Five Years Ago.

I woke up slowly. The pain radiating throughout my body was unbearable, but I refused to cry out. I could hear an incessant beeping next to me. I couldn’t open my eyes yet. I could see bright lights around me but the pain radiating from my head caused me to not want to open my eyes. My wolf is completely silent in my mind. The pain was unbelievable.

How am I even alive? I wonder to myself. I slowly wince my eyes open against the glare of an overhead light. I hear the incessant beeping speed up and turn my head to the sound. My brow furrows in confusion. A heart monitors. How? What?

I glance around and find myself alone. I look down and find my leg in the air, a cast up to my knee. A cast around my arm and shoulder of one arm and a brace on the other. My stomach aches with each breath. My jaw feels wired shut, but I can still open it slightly. Not by much but I test my ability to whisper and find I can. I don’t know how I can, but I can. I feel for the remote I can touch with the tips of my fingers to press for help. I have no idea what has happened since my father threw me down the staircase, but I don’t feel safe. Not even here.

A nurse and doctor bustle in quickly and smile at me.

“Ah, you’re awake.” the nurse says smiling at me as she comes and checks around me.

The doctor steps up and smiles kindly at me, “How are you feeling?”

“Confused.” I whisper. My throat sore, I’m sure from the way my father wrapped his hands around my throat that I have bruising around it.

“Can you tell me your name?” he asks.

“Aria Baker.” I whisper. Looking down at my broken body. My heart rate kicked up.

He smiled and proceeded to ask multiple questions. Walking over to me and checking my eyes for a concussion. Checking me over before smiling.

“You are going to make a full recovery. According to Doctor Lee who was your surgical professional last night, it was touch and go. Honestly,thanks to your shifter healing, if you felt up to it, we could send you home as soon as this afternoon. Other than the broken bones there is no reason to force you to stay here.”

“Who brought me here?” I whisper.

“We aren’t sure, there was someone here for a short time last night, but they left, and no one has come back. Do you need us to call your family?”

I shake my head quickly. I can’t have Asher see me like this. I definitely don’t want dad finding out that I made it out alive.

“I need to get out of here as soon as possible. Please let me sign myself out. I got to leave.”

“We can help…” the doctor started.

“No!” I cry out then push my braced hand against my lips. The pain in my head caused me to feel mildly dizzy. But I was determined. I was going to use this. I was going to disappear.

“Just get the papers ready. I will have someone here to pick me up.”

The doctor nods and looks at me sadly. “As you wish."

They leave my room and I brace my head against my pillow for a moment before grabbing the hospital phone from the table. I dial the one person I know can help me. The person with connections that can help me disappear. My cousin Braylin from my mother's side of the family. It's not very well known that her father has mafia connections and underground connections. I can use this to my advantage. Dad refuses to associate with them. Always pretending to be better than they are. But he’s worse. He’s a monster.

“Hello?” Braylin’s voice answers after a few rings.

“Bray, it's me.” I whisper. My voice was unable to go above a whisper.

“Aria where the hell are you. You messaged yesterday saying you were coming but you disappeared. What happened?” she blurted words rushing over each other.

“I can’t say what happened, but I need you to go by my house. Grab any essentials you can as long as dad isn’t there. I need you to get into the hidden floorboard I showed you last year and get all the cash that's hidden there. Grab my phone from my car but don’t bring my car. I need you to come to Harborview. They are allowing me to sign myself out, but I need you to hurry. I need you to ask your father to help me disappear. Please. Don’t ask any more questions. I just need to know I can depend on you.”

“No problem. I’ll be there in two hours max. I will do you one better. You can come on tour with me. Hide on my bus, no one will know you are there. We will be heading toward Mexico. We will make it look like you went that way. I don’t know what happened, but I have a feeling it’s what we suspected...hey dad wait...damn it” her voice disappeared as my uncle stole the phone from her.

“He hurt you again didn’t he baby girl?” his harsh voice asks over the line.

“I can’t get you in…” I start.

“Yes or no.” he interrupts.

“Yes.”

“I’m having some of my men go grab your things. Bray will be there to get you in an hour. Don’t call anyone else. I’ve got you.”

I cry softly and nod, “Thank you.” I whisper.

“You’re family. Anything for you.” he says and hangs up the phone.

A nurse bustles in a few minutes later with copies of prescriptions to pick up. Instructions on care and when to get the casts taken off. Pamphlets for domestic abuse victims. I keep my head down and stare at my lap. I know it’s bad. I don’t know what my face looks like, but I do know that I feel like crap. I manage to get out of bed and wobble my way to the bathroom using the cast as a boot. I’m majorly off balance but at least I’m alive.

I use the bathroom and wobble to the sink. I look in the mirror and cry. The nurse brings me a set of scrubs to change into since my clothes had been taken as evidence by the police the night before. I kept my mouth shut. It didn’t hurt as bad when I did that. I probably shouldn’t have been talking so much.

I change slowly examining each bruise and mark that I can see without causing myself pain. I nod and swallow. The same nurse brings my discharge papers right as Braylin comes rushing into the room.

She slams to a stop at the sight of me and breaks down in tears. Her face says it all. I look horrible. Bruises cover every inch that can be seen.

“Ari.” She whispers walking over to me slowly. She doesn’t try to hug me. Probably afraid of the pain it would inflict.

The nurse pushes a wheelchair to the bed and helps me into the chair.

“Where are you parked?” she asks Braylin.

Braylin swallows deeply and tells her near the emergency entrance. The nurse and Braylin wheel me through the hospital and help me into Braylin’s car.

“Take care.” The nurse says softly before walking away with the empty chair. Braylin gets into the driver seat. Buckles in. Holds on to the steering wheel and takes a deep breath before facing me.

“I’m so sorry.” she whispers tears filling her eyes.

I shake my head and look away from her. My body is already feeling the effects of being moved around so much.

She faces the front, puts the car in drive and we leave. I don’t look around. I refuse to reminisce. I will never come back to Seattle after leaving today. I am walking away with my life. The price is losing my twin and all my family here. Losing my support system. But I think I have a plan. A way to hide. In plain sight.