CHAPTER 2

"This thing of darkness, I acknowledge mine." – William Shakespeare, The Tempest

Ariel didn't sleep, she made a mental list of all the things Miranda and her needed to leave and she was going to take her away tonight. She'd drop Miranda off at school, Joji would be leaving for his work at around 11:30, that gave her four hours to get everything they needed and leave before he came back home.

The money was a must, that had to be done first. She learned long ago that Joji looked through her room whenever she was in the Hansha closet, meaning every other week.

Once she heard Joji enter the kitchen with a groan she pounded on the door, "let me out," Ariel said, trying her hardest to keep her voice even.

"Why shouldn't I just leave you in there all day?"

"Because Miranda won't be able to hide the marks you gave her yesterday by herself," Joji huffed and walked into the laundry room. He didn't look twice when he swung open the door, immediately pivoting and heading back to the kitchen.

Ariel took a breath of fresh air then closed the Hansha closet behind her, she got the first good look at her left hand, it was swollen and purple and blue circle surrounded the broken blood vessels. She clenched and un-clenched her hand, finding it workable but in pain, she carried on up the stairs to Miranda's room.

"Mir, time to wake up," she knocked softly on the door. Opening it to find Miranda sitting up in bed, multiple books spread out next to her. "You didn't sleep either, huh?"

"I never sleep when you're in the Hansha closet," Miranda ran and tightened her arms around Ariel's waist. "I tried to get the key, I made too much noise," her voice quivered.

"I know, let me see," Ariel knelt down and Miranda pulled down one side of her tank top to show a large bruise on her shoulder blade, she then pointed to a similar mark in front of her ear, dried blood stuck to her hair.

"I hit a corner." This never got easier, seeing marks on her baby sister.

Ariel took her hand in hers, squeezing it lightly, "let's clean you up and get ready for school. It's Thursday, you know what that means?"

"Pizza day!" Miranda said excitedly. Every Thursday her school brought pizza in from the restaurant next door.

"That's right, pizza day. Pizza day is the best day of the week," Ariel helped Miranda jump up to the counter.

"I wish every day was pizza day," Miranda spoke quietly.

"Me too."

After a moment of silence, Ariel started cleaning the wound at her head, "I heard what papa said yesterday. He said you weren't his daughter. Is that true?"

"I've had my suspicions. I look nothing like him and I carry no traits of his."

"Then who is your papa?"

"I don't know and don't care. You'll have to wear a hat today, okay?" Miranda simply nodded and jumped off the counter. Ariel didn't want to tell her the plan, so that her teachers would believe the lie she had thought of the night before to get her out of school. "You should take a jacket, your black one."

"But it's warm outside," Miranda questioned lightly.

"There is a cold front coming in today, you'll thank me later," Ariel lied.

"Bye-bye, Papa," Miranda said as they left the house. Joji said nothing back, Miranda sighed and closed the door behind her.

"Do you have your homework?" Ariel asked as they walked side by side.

"Yes, I did it yesterday at school," Miranda beamed. "It was questions about Charlotte's Web. I remember the story from when we read it last summer so it was a breeze."

At school, Miranda sat down in her seat in the front row by the window. She could see Ariel walk back down the street. She found this weird as her school was in the opposite direction; she told herself that Ariel had forgotten something and had to head back home. Miranda payed attention when her teacher stood up from her desk.

"Good morning class, question of the day is 'if you could go anywhere in the world where would you go'? Let's see," the teacher stood in front of Miranda's desk, "Miranda, if you could go anywhere you wanted, where would you go?"

"Heaven," Miranda said confidently without hesitation, "because then I could be with my mother."

The other kids started to whisper.

"That's…nice," the teacher said trying to calm down the rest of the students. "But all of us here would miss you very much. Alright, everyone pass your homework to the student on your left and we'll go over the answers."

Miranda handed in her homework, she laid her chin on her hands. Ariel had always told her that Heaven was a paradise that only special people were allowed to go to.

Right before the bell was about to ring for lunch the assistant principal along with Ariel burst into the classroom, "Miranda, grab your things and come at once."

Miranda hesitated but then grabbed her backpack from the cubbie and headed out, not looking at the strange stairs from her classmates.

"Ariel?" Miranda eyes filled with tears, her heart speeding up.

"It's father, Mir, he got in a car accident," Ariel held tightly onto her sisters hand.

"You'll be excused from school for the rest of the day. I'll pray for your family," the assistant principle said opening the front door for them. "I can give you a drive if you wish."

"No, thank you," Ariel spoke, "I got us a ride." Ariel pointed to the taxi parked in the front of the school.

Miranda slid into the back of the cab, her tears now dried on her cheeks. "Drive," Ariel said to the driver.

"What happened to papa?" Miranda asked, sliding on her grey jacket.

"Nothing, Mir, we're going to the airport. We're leaving, for good."

Miranda took a second to process the words. Leaving. Never coming back.

"You may not like it, but I promise it will be better-" Ariel was cut off when Miranda hugged her awkwardly around her neck.

"Where is our new home?"

"We're going to be living in this giant mansion in England, it's in the country side so the school ride is going to be a long one, but there will be other families like ours. You'll love it, Mir. It's like a castle."

Miranda laid her head down on Ariel's lap as the cabbie rode them to the airport. For the first time in a long time, Ariel felt hope stirring in her chest.

Little did she know what awaited them at the England Mansion.

"That world is ended, as if it had never been. Let the race of Adam and Eve take warning." – C.S. Lewis, The Chronicles of Narnia