Take me or leave me

Valerie did feel intimidated sitting here in front of her parents, the only one reminding her of her true worth was Andrew, still holding her hand and giving her reaffirming squeezes. She knew that her parents didn't see her as capable, they still saw her as a rebellious teenager, and maybe part of her still was. But with Andrew everything just felt ... right. It felt like she was finally allowed to be herself, be that wild spirit she always had inside of her. And when the daemon by her side confirmed everything she felt the warmth spreading around her body. A comforting blanket that covered her entirely and making her feel truly alive. She couldn't help but chuckle, looking down at their hands as he called her a loudmouth, smiling from ear to ear, and who could deny that she didn't look the happiest she ever had? Giving his hand a squeeze before he returned his attention to her parents. Without looking at her father, she knew he was boiling with anger - It was as if she could smell it in the air around her. But her mother? Valerie turned her gaze, looking at her mother and for the first time she could see conflict in the lycan's eyes. "Joaquin hurt you?" the mother said, her face in disbelief. The father grunted, waving his hand as he didn't see it as real. "She's a wild girl, of course they would end up fighting," he said in a firm voice. Valerie ignored her father, because she saw an opening coming from her mother's distraught face. She got up, letting go of Andrew's hand, taking a napkin from the table. She moved calmly, sitting down on the armrest next to her mother. "Take my make up off, mommy," she pleaded, handing her mother the napkin. She was afraid of showing it, but she also knew her mother had to see to believe. With shaking hand the older lycan took the napkin and slowly started removing the make up from her daughter's face. Blue and yellow bruises appearing where she wiped, making her gasp. "Joaquin is not who he pretends to be ... But both of you never listened, and you wanted me to be with him, so..." she whispered, looking down as she trailed off. One thing was letting her parents see her like this, another was knowing how angry Andrew would get from seeing her face this beat up. "I've got bruises mostly hidden ... But sometimes he can't control himself and he just ... just ...," she said, feeling tears coming in to her eyes.
"This is ridiculous!" her father bursted out, standing up and swinging his arms out to the sides. "Are we supposed to believe this when a daemon - more than capable of making these bruises - is sitting here?" he said, but this made Valerie react, standing up herself, her mother looking on in complete surprise. "Andrew would never hurt me, in fact he has been the only one able to heal the bruises and cuts that Joaquin has made on my soul," she said. It seemed to shut her father up, walking over to Andrew, taking his hand once more, and she knew he could feel her shaking. She was scared, but she also felt so brave for finally speaking out. "I demand my passport and other papers that belong to me - And I will return when I feel like it, not because you ask it of me," she said. She felt like a child standing in front of a giant, but with Andrew by her side it felt possible.
There was a bit of silence, her father surprised at his daughter's will, her mother fiddling with the napkin as she considered everything. In the end the mother got up, walking over to a drawer and opening it up. She stood with a passport, handing it out to Valerie, but she kept a sharp eye on the daemon. Valerie took her passport, nodding at her mother before looking at her father. They hadn't given their blessing, but it was sure that her mother was willing to see her daughter happy, her father was still unknown. "If you leave, there will be nothing to come back to," her father warned her, his voice harsh and rough. Valerie felt tears gathering in her eyes before looking at Andrew. She was willing to do this for them, for the two of them to have a real chance together, and she hoped he wasn't disregarding what she was doing right now. "I understand, daddy-" - "Don't call me that," he said in a dismissive tone. Valerie felt her heart drop, this was breaking her more than she thought. Despite her childhood she still loved her parents. Looking to her mother, who was looking away, she swallowed, nodding again before heading for the exit.

//Outdated -- End of topic//