~Averys POV~
Lydia and I were sitting on my bed and reminiscing about the past. Everything we had done, everything we planned to do and all of the craziness in-between.
"Did you know?" I asked her quietly as I chewed on a Dorito. Lydia knew what I was getting at seeing as we had talked about my so called family for the past thirty minutes.
"Did I know what?" Lydia asked me. I looked at her with a raised brow and waited for her to answer my question. She sighed and shook her head.
"Yeah, I knew. I'm sorry, Aves. There were so many times that I wanted to take you and run, take you away from that misery. You never realized their lack of love for you because in your head it was normal. You saw how they treated Jasmine, yet you refused to believe that there was a divided love between you." It was true. There were so many different occasions that their true colors would show, but I refused to acknowledge them.
They were my family and I didn't want to believe that they didn't care. So I chose to rather live in a lie than to face the truth.
"Don't criticize your choices," Lydia said as she grabbed my hand.
"You wanted a family, many people would have done what you did in a situation like that. Because facing the truth would meaning loosing those you believe you love. And that pain isn't something one normally chooses to go through." She continued.
"I've missed you so much." I said as I wrapped my arms around Lydia and held onto her tightly. Something I'm going to do for the rest of our lives.
"I've missed you too, Aves,"
The sun was starting to set outside the window. Natasha had gone on an errand and would be back soon and Lydia was asleep with her head leaning on my shoulder.
I held the picture of me and James in my hands, caressing it like I do every day. How I wished for all of this to be over.
"I'll be home soon." I whispered to the picture.
"I wouldn't be too sure about that." My head snapped to the door and my breath hitched in my throat. It couldn't be. Was I dreaming?
"Hey there, sweetheart, I think it's time we had a talk." He seethed through his teeth as he took short menacing steps towards me. Lydia was still sleeping beside me. I wanted to get of the bed and run, but I couldn't leave her. I pushed myself up against the wall as hard as I could. Thinking that it might be some sort of protection. There was nothing else I could do. He was standing beside the bed.
Jack, the man I believed to be my father. He raised his hand and was ready to strike. As always I closed my eyes and awaited the impact.
"AVERY, GET DOWN!" Natasha yelled from the door as she lifted her hands and Jack was thrown into the wall.
Natasha came running up in front of me, shielding me while holding her grip at Jack. He was Immobilized.
"You close your eyes when you're being attacked?" Natasha scolded me. I shrugged and shrunk back on bed. I really needed to stop closing my eyes.
I looked behind me to see Lydia still sleeping. How could she not wake up?
My eyes grew wide and I felt myself starting to hyperventilate. With a shaky hand I reached over and slowly placed it on her neck.
"No, come on." I begged as I pressed harder. I felt it. She was breathing, she had a pulse. But why wasn't she waking up?
"She's under a spell. Give her this!" Natasha yelled and threw me a dried piece of plant. I looked at it and than back at Natasha.
"What do I do with this?" I screamed in panic. Jack was struggling to break free, and Natasha was visibly struggling to keep him at bay.
"Put it in her mouth!" Whatever magic Natasha was doing was powerful. Everything in the room started to move. Her hair was flowing and the winds were making it hard for me to move. As though there was a storm brewing in the room, and you were waiting for lightning to strike.
I quickly opened Lydias mouth and pressed in the plant before closing it up. She still looked to be deep asleep.
"Come on, Lydia, please wake up." I begged. I stroked her head and kept an eye on Jack in the meantime. He wasn't supposed to be this strong.
If Natasha's magic could contain James then Jack shouldn't be a challenge what so ever.
Unless, Oh no. I looked at Natasha in panic, only to see that she was already looking at me. She showed me a weak smile, her eyes looked drained. She wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.
The winds in the room were growing stronger, Natashas dress was aggressively flowing around.
I shook my head. This couldn't be happening. Her eyes were growing weaker by the second.
"I know," she whispered to me. She knew. She knew what he was doing and she was letting him do it to her. Only to protect me. Natasha was dying.