whirlwind

Eleven - Bitter

"Just do it, and get it over with,"

Benjamin did his best to comfort her, which was an extremely horrid attempt.

"Easier said than done, Ben," Cara crinkled up her nose, shifting her weight from one foot to the other as she nervously looked over her shoulder to see the two very tall and very intimidating men standing behind her. She huffed, her eyes flitting between them.

"I know that you two are my bodyguards, but can you like, not?"

They looked between one another, an unspoken word being sent, almost in a question, before turning back to her, their emotionless faces boring into hers. She understood that look.

It meant that they weren't budging. Though in all fairness, it's not like she could blame them, she certainly wouldn't want to be the one to anger Nicolas.

The two men, or, bodyguards, had been his idea. Even though it's not like he planned on letting her out of his sight anytime soon, Nicolas was insistent on making sure she had two guards - minimum - near her at all times. For his peace of mind, he had said.

This very moment would be one of the last times she would be without him. Cara knew that she couldn't avoid her parents for very long, but she also knew that she had to make a decision. And the choice was clear.

Cara was standing on the front door of her house with Benjamin so that she could collect her belongings. She wouldn't be staying here any longer. School had ended only a week ago, and Cara was surprised her parents hadn't sent out an Amber alert for her, even though it had been a week since they had last seen her, after the accident, after they found it she was pregnant.

Cara didn't think they were going to let her go without a fight, but she knew for her sake, Nicolas', and the baby's, she couldn't stay there any longer.

Cara took a deep breath and opened the door, not even bothering to knock. As soon as she took 1 foot inside the house she turned to invite the two men behind her in, but she heard a voice she had been listening to her entire life.

"What is wrong with you?"

Of course her father would be the one to dash angrily at her, but it's not like that mattered.

Upon seeing the patriarch of her family step even remotely in her general direction, the two bodyguards behind her took a countering step forward, almost in front of her. It was a clearly protective manner, and her father was shocked.

Since he didn't look like he was in any place to speak, Cara did instead.

"I'm leaving. You can't hold me any longer, and I know you don't want me around. After everything that's happened, I'm not the daughter you always wanted, and I'm sorry, dad, but I won't ever be. I'm taking my things and then leaving. I have a place to live, and I'll be safe and happy, that's all that matters. You have to let me go," she spoke, then not even listening for his response before she took several steps forward, tying to step into her room.

Unfortunately her path was blocked upon her journey, her mother emerging from her room; her brain not even bothering to find a logical reason why she was in there in the first place. Trailing behind her was Cara's elder brother, Kevin and his girlfriend.

At this point she knew that she wasn't going to leave without an interrogation, and she heard a very low whisper come from one of the guards, and she only assumed it was a warning sign. They didn't like this at all. Cara didn't particularly either, but she made a move to turn and hold her hand up, singling to them that they could calm down, that it was okay for now. The girl could've laughed if she saw herself, acting as though she had power over these men. In reality, she guessed she sort of did.

"You're home," her mother cooed instantly, throwing her arms around her.

"I'm leaving." Cara pulled away from her. "This isn't my home anymore."

She looked shocked and it almost broke Cara's heart to see the expression on her face, but she had to do what was right for her for once in her life. Ever since Cara could remember, everything she had done was to make sure her family was well-off, so that they had a good image, so they wouldn't see her as the disgrace of a daughter who didn't fit into the perfect little family. But that wasn't Cara anymore.

"I love you, I do, but I need to leave. This isn't my home anymore," she repeated.

The most shocking fact about this entire day was her brother. In an instant, he looked at Cara and gave a solid nod, turning and moving their mother out of the way, allowing Cara to enter her own room.

Cara quickly darted in, grabbing her suitcase and throwing in the clothes that were piled in her drawers, hopefully there could be something that she could use aside from her toiletries and makeup.

When Cara exited the room, her father was holding her crying mother while her brother - girlfriend free- simply looked at his little sister.

Cara raised her eyebrows and watched him, confused.

"Go," he said, and Cara was shocked. "Go, little sister, you deserve it. You deserve him."

The girl was even more shocked.

"Cara," her brother spoke again. "You deserve him, but you let him know that if anything happens, I will rip him to pieces."

Cara couldn't help but smile at the older brother who always seemed so distant. She guessed that in reality, he just wanted to protect her.

Moving over to him quickly, she hugged him tightly and threw her arms around his neck.

Very quietly, in almost an inhumanly quiet voice, she whispered. Only he would hear. "It's a girl."

He seemed to grin and he gave another short nod and a squeeze to show that he got her message. He was happy for her, and she was happy for him.

"I'll be back later, but don't try to look for me," Cara told her mother and father. "This is better this way."

Better it was, as the guards took her bags and Benjamin took her hand as they exited out the door and towards a brighter future for her.