Safe Haven Pt. 4

I remembered the way they cowered from Mykel as he spoke, glancing in my direction as if I would speak up...or if they could reach me...

"You were smaller," Mykel said softly, kissing my cheek. He rested his forehead against where his lips met my skin and sighed.

"I wasn't when I ran off," I countered.

"Things are different now than they were then, also, Mattie," Liz said. I looked at her and shrugged. "Think about it, doll," she went on, "when you ran away, you'd had sixteen years of abuse that you dealt with every day. You were kept in a state of fear. They trained you to be afraid.

"Now...you're not alone now, Mattie. And we won't let anyone hurt you." Liz slid closer to me and kissed my forehead, leaving her hand on my chest. "You're in a place where you're loved now. You're finding out what it means to be happy. You're not there anymore, baby. You've grown beyond that kid you were. And so, despite how you reacted upon seeing them, you now see them for what they are."