"Are you sure?" I asked.
She didn't answer that, and just opened the door and walked out. I turned off the car and followed her outside. The sun was still not quite up, but the sky had turned a lighter blue now. Though her house provided no light at all.
"Just wait outside," she told me, as we got to the door.
"And why would I do that?" I asked.
She looked at me with an annoyed look, but since she wouldn't let me know why I wasn't about to wait outside. She found a key lying under the doormat and then unlocked the door. It creaked loudly, as she pushed it open and then poked her head inside, looking around.
"Dad?" she called.
There was no answer, and I saw all the tension just leave her body. So, that was who she was scared of. Her own father.
"Okay, come in," she said and waved me inside.
She closed the door behind me and locked it, which told me even clearer, that the one she feared was someone, who could arrive at any time and perhaps surprise us. Not that I would let him. No one would hurt her, as long as I was around her.
"I will go pack some things," she said."Please, don't feel at home. This place is a shit hole."
I raised an eyebrow and then saw her disappear down a hallway and into a room that I guessed was hers. It gave me a chance to look around, but nothing I saw really made me very happy. Everything looked like it just needed to be thrown out and replaced. I walked to the kitchen and looked through it to see if there was any food. I just wanted to see if Lara was being fed. She had been so hungry at breakfast, but I was unsure if it was just because she hadn't had a chance to eat dinner yet. I found nothing but beers in the fridge though, and it told me it hadn't just been because she missed dinner.
"Lovely," I said and closed it.
I then went to find Lara. I had expected to see her pack everything pretty much because there was no way she was coming back to this house. Instead, I saw a bag on the bed that seemed to already have been packed, and I wasn't sure if she had been really fast, or if she had had that bag ready for another reason.
"Lara?" I called when I couldn't see her in the room.
I couldn't believe she was that stupid to already have made a run for it. It wouldn't make sense either. She wanted to leave this place for good, and by coming with me, she would without having to spend a cent on it. So, where the hell was she?
"Lara?" I called again before I was pushed inside her room.
I turned around looking at her confused, but she looked so scared, breathing hard while leaning up against the door she had closed behind her.
"I thought he wasn't home," she said, just as someone started to knock on the door and yell her name. "Shit!"
"Lara, open the damn door!" a man yelled on the other side.
I had a pretty good idea about who it was on the other side, and I smiled cruelly, just as Lara locked the door and began to push her dresser in front of the door.
"Just let me handle him," I said and took a step forward, but she got in my way.
"No!"
"Lara!"
More pounding.
"Why not?" I asked confused.
"Because ... because I just want to go, okay?" she said. "I just want to put it all behind me."
"Why are you protecting him, little one?" I asked and reached out to touch her because she was shaking, and I wanted to help her, but she pulled away.
"I'm not. I'm just done with all of this."
"Done with the piece of shit of a father?" I asked.
"He is not my father!"