The Broken Warrior’s Daughter by Cooper

Chapter 0295

At the first bus station, my mother pulls us off the bus and we buy tickets to another destination. This continues through three more bus stations, changing destinations midway through our journey.

When we finally get to a place where she decides we can stay, it’s the middle of the night two days later. I’m exhausted and there is only one motel in this small town. We crash on the bed and I fall asleep immediately. I realize, somewhere in the back of my mind, that my 12th birthday present was escaping from my father, and I know it’s the best present that I’ve ever been given. For today, my mother and I are safe..

Mom decided that we could stay in this small town. She said that we were not on any pack territory and although there are packs around, in this part of the Appalachian Mountains, they stay to themselves.

My mother enrolls me in school and she gets a job at the only diner in town. She finds a place for rent, what the humans call a mother–in–law apartment. It isn’t much, but it is safe and I don’t have to wake up to my mother healing from bruises or worse every morning.

It’s nearly a year before it starts. Every day after school, I go to the diner and sit at the ice cream bar. I do my homework while I wait for my mother to finish her shift. She works double shifts every day, so that we will have enough money in case we ever have to run again.

On this particular day, everything is normal, until suddenly, my mother drops. her tray and doubles over in pain. Her initial cry alerts the owner, who is also the cook. He comes running out and sees her on the floor, writhing in pain.

“What happened?” He asks.

don’t know,

an ambulance, we need to get her to a

s of

says, “Sweetie, go get me a glass water, I’ll be okay in a minute.” I can see the effort it takes for her to even get those

no, Benny is

and something passes between them. “Go get your

+15 BONOS

glass of

my mother tells Benny, but when I come back, he’s got my mother sitting up. I bring her the water and she drinks it down. “I’m okay. “Paige, I can handle

Benny helps her stand up. “Grace, take your mother home and get her into bed.”

go collect my things and before I leave, Benny gives me a to–go box for dinner.” Let me know if she

into bed, my mother takes my hand. “Sit down Grace, we need to

to her on the bed. “Sweetheart, do

my hand and I can see the important thing is, I think you are safe from your father now. I think that he has stopped