Sweet Sixteen
Clarice looked out of the large window for what seemed like the thousandth time. The rain was heavy tonight and the only sound other than the heavy pounding of it hitting the window was the crackling from the open fire and the soft breathing of Hannibal sitting in the armchair watching her, his fingers steepled under his chin. Nothing had changed since the last time she had looked which was about three minutes ago, so she resumed pacing back and forth in front of it, lost in her own thoughts, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.
Glancing at the clock Clarice noticed that it was now quarter past one in the morning; she was now over three hours late. Looking out the window again, she felt the anger raise in her throat once more. Turning around she stared into the endless depths of his eyes, momentarily lost. Snapping quickly out of it she regarded him with a cold glare.
" How can you be so calm? Godammit she could be anywhere! Lying in a damn ditch at the side of the road for all we know!"
Resuming her pacing she was lost in her thoughts again. Hannibal watched intently. That was the third time she had spoken to him like that in the last hour. He didn't have time to ponder for long though when his sensitive ears picked up the sound of the main door handle being slowly opened on the front door. He closed his eyes in a moment of intense relief, the only outward sign of it. When Clarice eventually heard the soft footfalls coming from the hall a few moments later, she froze in her tracks for a few split seconds before she was running to the door separating the living room from the hall. Throwing the door open wide, Hannibal could see the image of his daughter, soaked through and shivering, standing with wide eyes looking at the angry face of her mother. They stared at each other for a long moment before all hell broke loose.
" I am going to ask you this once, and I swear if you don't tell me the truth I will go through you like there's no tomorrow. Where have you been?" Clarice asked a little too calmly.
He could see her eyes darting to his for intervention, and seeing no sympathy opted to looking at her feet.
" I was at Kim's. We went to a party, and I lost track of time." She said quietly
Hannibal spotted it almost immediately, there was more to the story then she was letting on. Clarice was no fool either and grabbing her upper arm none too gently, she marched her through to the living room standing her in front of the fire, instructing her to take her wet jacket and shoes off. Hannibal allowed himself an inward smile at this, although she was angrier than he had seen her in a long time, she was still the caring mother to his daughter that he had always admired. He watched as silent tears started to track down his daughters face as she peeled away her soggy shoes. Once she was finished Clarice started again almost immediately.
" Now why don't we start at the beginning again. This time you can tell us the truth."
Micha stood with her head bowed, unable to meet the intense gaze of either of her parents. She had known this would happen when she eventually came home, but at the time it didn't seem to matter, she was simply having too much fun. Regret was insufficient to quantify her feelings now.
" I'm sorry. We were at a party and Kim suggested we went with the crowd to John's house. So I went. Kim couldn't drive as she had been drinking and I had to walk."
Instead of mollifying Clarice it seemed to add fuel to the already roaring fire. Even Hannibal jumped slightly when she shouted.
" Are you completely stupid!!! Do you know how dangerous it is to walk these streets at night alone? And who the hell is John? I swear to god you are grounded until you are thirty. I'm going to call Kim's mom and make sure she's ok. Did she leave with you?"
Tears were slipping freely between closed lids now and she didn't trust her voice to talk, so she simply nodded her head. Clarice stood up and with a final shake of her head in her daughter's direction stormed off to the telephone in the dining room.
Hannibal watched his daughter as the tears dropped from her chin to the floor. Her head was still bowed and her eyes closed. Taking a deep breath he tilted his head to the side.
" Micha" his voice was soothing and gentle. The complete opposite of Clarice's.
Micha head her name quietly spoken, but it made her jump none the less. Her mother's reaction was what she had expected. It was her fathers reaction she feared the most. Daring a glance to her right she instantly saw the darkness in his already dark maroon eyes. It made her shiver more than the cold.
Before he had the chance to say anything further, Clarice was back in the room.
" Kim is home safe and sound you'll be glad to know, although a little worse for ware. Kim said there were drugs at this party. Please tell me you didn't touch anything"
Micha's head flew up and regarded her mom with an angry scowl.
" I'm not completely thick you know. I would never touch anything like that."
Hannibal winced at her tone of voice. Honestly, the girl didn't know when to shut up. She certainly didn't take it from him. As predicted Clarice's hackles were up and she took a step towards her.
" Don't you dare take that tone with me. I have spent half of the night pulling my hair out with worry. I didn't know what the hell to think. I didn't know where you were and what if anything had happened to you, so don't.."
" If you would let me go to my friends party's then I wouldn't need to sneak away to them! All I want is to be treated like a sixteen year old, instead of a ten year old! I'm not a fucking kid!!!"
Hannibal saw the hand moving before Micha and closed his eyes. He heard the slap loudly in the otherwise quiet room. Opening his eyes he saw what he expected to see. Micha's face was still to the side, her hand slowly coming up to rest on the stinging cheek. Clarice had tears of her own now, and her body was slightly trembling. Her hand was over her mouth. Before either had a chance to react fully, Micha ran towards the door and bolted up the elegant staircase. Hannibal could hear her footfalls across the hall before a resounding thud signified that she was in her room.
Signing heavily he stood, and made his way over to Clarice, still standing in the same position she had been before. Standing in front of her he swiftly took her in his arms and smoothed her hair.
" I don't know what to do," she whispered into his shoulder
Hannibal kissed the top of her head and moved her to arms reach, massaging her upper arms with his thumbs. She looked tired and defeated. The eerie glow from the fire, the only light in the room, caused shadows to appear over her face, highlighting the lines.
Nodding his head in understanding he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to her lips.
" Go to bed. You'll feel better in the morning. I'll go and talk to her"
Sighing heavily she nodded her agreement and kissed him quickly before turning and heading down the hall to the master bedroom.
Chapter 2
As he neared the door he paused, straightening his jacket and taking another deep before knocking. There was no response so he turned the knob and peeked his head around. He could see her sitting at the window seat, her legs drawn up to her chest; arms wrapped around them and head resting on top.
" May I come in?" he asked gently
She didn't move or answer him, so he took a few stops inside and closed the door softly behind him. Looking around the room he had seen so many times, he smiled briefly at how girlish it was. It was ironic that she had shouted about being treated as an adult and yet wouldn't part with her beloved stuffed toys.
Making his way over to the bed, he rested at the edge of the sinfully deep mattress, hands crossed in his lap.
" Micha, I think we should talk." His voice was till low and gentle, as was the normal when he was speaking to her.
When she didn't look at him or give him any sign that she had heard him he continued.
" I find I don't like speaking to your back as much as I do your face Micha. It would please me if you could rectify that." His voice hadn't increased in volume, but the tone had changed and he saw the slight flinch in her.
Slowly she turned around, uncurling from the ball, letting her legs dangle from the edge, playing with the buttons on her pyjamas.
" Much better, thank you"
" First of all I would like to talk about your behaviour towards your mother this evening." He saw her sign in resignation.
" Your behaviour was nothing short of appalling, and quite frankly i'm disappointed. Your mother deserves a lot more respect than that micha. I am of course expecting an apology from you in the morning."
He could see the fresh tears glinting in the soft light thrown from the small lamp in the corner of the room.
" Micha, look at me."
Slowly she raised her head to look at him and almost immediately the sobs came unbidden. Jumping down from her perch she ran towards him. He opened his arms to her and she practically fell into them, burying her head in his jacket, her small body shuddering with the impact from the sobs. He murmured soothing sounds into her hair, rubbing soothing circles on her back until she settled. Lifting her to sit beside him, he motioned for her to get under the covers, which she did, the odd hiccup making her sniffle. He handed his handkerchief to her, which she took with a croaky thank-you. Once she was settled he began to speak again. His voice was just above a whisper, almost hypnotic.
" I realise that you are angry and upset just now Micha. Being sixteen is not easy. You're not a little girl anymore, but not yet a woman either. Your mother and I love you dearly and we only want what is best for you. I know you know this."
He reached out with his hand and soothed the angry red mark that covered her left cheek.
" You're tired and upset just now Micha. Everything will seem a little brighter when the new day comes. Close your eyes. Good girl. Imagine yourself lying in a field of bright green grass. Everything around you is quiet except for the warm breeze that wraps you like a blanket. You can feel the sun touch your skin, warming and relaxing it. Everything is calm and quiet. You can feel your body relaxing and sinking into the soft grass. Warm and calm, warm and calm."
It wasn't long before her breathing turned deep and the hand that had been holding his own, slipped to rest on the blanket. Moving the stray hairs from her face, he leant down and placed a soft kiss to her forehead.
" Sleep well Micha," he whispered as he slowly made his way to the door.
Softly closing the door in his bedroom, he quickly divested himself of his clothes and silently slipped in beside his wife. He wasn't surprised when she spoke.
" Is she ok?" she asked, her weariness trapped in her voice.
Pulling her so that she was resting against him, her head on his shoulder, he lovingly caressed her face.
" She will be fine Clarice. She is sixteen. I'm sure you can remember what that was like. She should be back to her normal self in the morning, I promise."
He felt Clarice relax with his words, and sinking deeper into the comfortable embrace, he too finally relaxed.
" I'm sorry about all of this Hannibal," she murmured as sleep began to take its hold.
Hannibal smiled into the darkness, feeling sleep skirt around the edges.
" I wouldn't have it any other way," he whispered before he too, drifted away.
Clarice looked out of the large window for what seemed like the thousandth time. The rain was heavy tonight and the only sound other than the heavy pounding of it hitting the window was the crackling from the open fire and the soft breathing of Hannibal sitting in the armchair watching her, his fingers steepled under his chin. Nothing had changed since the last time she had looked which was about three minutes ago, so she resumed pacing back and forth in front of it, lost in her own thoughts, her arms wrapped tightly around herself.
Glancing at the clock Clarice noticed that it was now quarter past one in the morning; she was now over three hours late. Looking out the window again, she felt the anger raise in her throat once more. Turning around she stared into the endless depths of his eyes, momentarily lost. Snapping quickly out of it she regarded him with a cold glare.
" How can you be so calm? Godammit she could be anywhere! Lying in a damn ditch at the side of the road for all we know!"
Resuming her pacing she was lost in her thoughts again. Hannibal watched intently. That was the third time she had spoken to him like that in the last hour. He didn't have time to ponder for long though when his sensitive ears picked up the sound of the main door handle being slowly opened on the front door. He closed his eyes in a moment of intense relief, the only outward sign of it. When Clarice eventually heard the soft footfalls coming from the hall a few moments later, she froze in her tracks for a few split seconds before she was running to the door separating the living room from the hall. Throwing the door open wide, Hannibal could see the image of his daughter, soaked through and shivering, standing with wide eyes looking at the angry face of her mother. They stared at each other for a long moment before all hell broke loose.
" I am going to ask you this once, and I swear if you don't tell me the truth I will go through you like there's no tomorrow. Where have you been?" Clarice asked a little too calmly.
He could see her eyes darting to his for intervention, and seeing no sympathy opted to looking at her feet.
" I was at Kim's. We went to a party, and I lost track of time." She said quietly
Hannibal spotted it almost immediately, there was more to the story then she was letting on. Clarice was no fool either and grabbing her upper arm none too gently, she marched her through to the living room standing her in front of the fire, instructing her to take her wet jacket and shoes off. Hannibal allowed himself an inward smile at this, although she was angrier than he had seen her in a long time, she was still the caring mother to his daughter that he had always admired. He watched as silent tears started to track down his daughters face as she peeled away her soggy shoes. Once she was finished Clarice started again almost immediately.
" Now why don't we start at the beginning again. This time you can tell us the truth."
Micha stood with her head bowed, unable to meet the intense gaze of either of her parents. She had known this would happen when she eventually came home, but at the time it didn't seem to matter, she was simply having too much fun. Regret was insufficient to quantify her feelings now.
" I'm sorry. We were at a party and Kim suggested we went with the crowd to John's house. So I went. Kim couldn't drive as she had been drinking and I had to walk."
Instead of mollifying Clarice it seemed to add fuel to the already roaring fire. Even Hannibal jumped slightly when she shouted.
" Are you completely stupid!!! Do you know how dangerous it is to walk these streets at night alone? And who the hell is John? I swear to god you are grounded until you are thirty. I'm going to call Kim's mom and make sure she's ok. Did she leave with you?"
Tears were slipping freely between closed lids now and she didn't trust her voice to talk, so she simply nodded her head. Clarice stood up and with a final shake of her head in her daughter's direction stormed off to the telephone in the dining room.
Hannibal watched his daughter as the tears dropped from her chin to the floor. Her head was still bowed and her eyes closed. Taking a deep breath he tilted his head to the side.
" Micha" his voice was soothing and gentle. The complete opposite of Clarice's.
Micha head her name quietly spoken, but it made her jump none the less. Her mother's reaction was what she had expected. It was her fathers reaction she feared the most. Daring a glance to her right she instantly saw the darkness in his already dark maroon eyes. It made her shiver more than the cold.
Before he had the chance to say anything further, Clarice was back in the room.
" Kim is home safe and sound you'll be glad to know, although a little worse for ware. Kim said there were drugs at this party. Please tell me you didn't touch anything"
Micha's head flew up and regarded her mom with an angry scowl.
" I'm not completely thick you know. I would never touch anything like that."
Hannibal winced at her tone of voice. Honestly, the girl didn't know when to shut up. She certainly didn't take it from him. As predicted Clarice's hackles were up and she took a step towards her.
" Don't you dare take that tone with me. I have spent half of the night pulling my hair out with worry. I didn't know what the hell to think. I didn't know where you were and what if anything had happened to you, so don't.."
" If you would let me go to my friends party's then I wouldn't need to sneak away to them! All I want is to be treated like a sixteen year old, instead of a ten year old! I'm not a fucking kid!!!"
Hannibal saw the hand moving before Micha and closed his eyes. He heard the slap loudly in the otherwise quiet room. Opening his eyes he saw what he expected to see. Micha's face was still to the side, her hand slowly coming up to rest on the stinging cheek. Clarice had tears of her own now, and her body was slightly trembling. Her hand was over her mouth. Before either had a chance to react fully, Micha ran towards the door and bolted up the elegant staircase. Hannibal could hear her footfalls across the hall before a resounding thud signified that she was in her room.
Signing heavily he stood, and made his way over to Clarice, still standing in the same position she had been before. Standing in front of her he swiftly took her in his arms and smoothed her hair.
" I don't know what to do," she whispered into his shoulder
Hannibal kissed the top of her head and moved her to arms reach, massaging her upper arms with his thumbs. She looked tired and defeated. The eerie glow from the fire, the only light in the room, caused shadows to appear over her face, highlighting the lines.
Nodding his head in understanding he leaned forward and placed a soft kiss to her lips.
" Go to bed. You'll feel better in the morning. I'll go and talk to her"
Sighing heavily she nodded her agreement and kissed him quickly before turning and heading down the hall to the master bedroom.
Chapter 2
As he neared the door he paused, straightening his jacket and taking another deep before knocking. There was no response so he turned the knob and peeked his head around. He could see her sitting at the window seat, her legs drawn up to her chest; arms wrapped around them and head resting on top.
" May I come in?" he asked gently
She didn't move or answer him, so he took a few stops inside and closed the door softly behind him. Looking around the room he had seen so many times, he smiled briefly at how girlish it was. It was ironic that she had shouted about being treated as an adult and yet wouldn't part with her beloved stuffed toys.
Making his way over to the bed, he rested at the edge of the sinfully deep mattress, hands crossed in his lap.
" Micha, I think we should talk." His voice was till low and gentle, as was the normal when he was speaking to her.
When she didn't look at him or give him any sign that she had heard him he continued.
" I find I don't like speaking to your back as much as I do your face Micha. It would please me if you could rectify that." His voice hadn't increased in volume, but the tone had changed and he saw the slight flinch in her.
Slowly she turned around, uncurling from the ball, letting her legs dangle from the edge, playing with the buttons on her pyjamas.
" Much better, thank you"
" First of all I would like to talk about your behaviour towards your mother this evening." He saw her sign in resignation.
" Your behaviour was nothing short of appalling, and quite frankly i'm disappointed. Your mother deserves a lot more respect than that micha. I am of course expecting an apology from you in the morning."
He could see the fresh tears glinting in the soft light thrown from the small lamp in the corner of the room.
" Micha, look at me."
Slowly she raised her head to look at him and almost immediately the sobs came unbidden. Jumping down from her perch she ran towards him. He opened his arms to her and she practically fell into them, burying her head in his jacket, her small body shuddering with the impact from the sobs. He murmured soothing sounds into her hair, rubbing soothing circles on her back until she settled. Lifting her to sit beside him, he motioned for her to get under the covers, which she did, the odd hiccup making her sniffle. He handed his handkerchief to her, which she took with a croaky thank-you. Once she was settled he began to speak again. His voice was just above a whisper, almost hypnotic.
" I realise that you are angry and upset just now Micha. Being sixteen is not easy. You're not a little girl anymore, but not yet a woman either. Your mother and I love you dearly and we only want what is best for you. I know you know this."
He reached out with his hand and soothed the angry red mark that covered her left cheek.
" You're tired and upset just now Micha. Everything will seem a little brighter when the new day comes. Close your eyes. Good girl. Imagine yourself lying in a field of bright green grass. Everything around you is quiet except for the warm breeze that wraps you like a blanket. You can feel the sun touch your skin, warming and relaxing it. Everything is calm and quiet. You can feel your body relaxing and sinking into the soft grass. Warm and calm, warm and calm."
It wasn't long before her breathing turned deep and the hand that had been holding his own, slipped to rest on the blanket. Moving the stray hairs from her face, he leant down and placed a soft kiss to her forehead.
" Sleep well Micha," he whispered as he slowly made his way to the door.
Softly closing the door in his bedroom, he quickly divested himself of his clothes and silently slipped in beside his wife. He wasn't surprised when she spoke.
" Is she ok?" she asked, her weariness trapped in her voice.
Pulling her so that she was resting against him, her head on his shoulder, he lovingly caressed her face.
" She will be fine Clarice. She is sixteen. I'm sure you can remember what that was like. She should be back to her normal self in the morning, I promise."
He felt Clarice relax with his words, and sinking deeper into the comfortable embrace, he too finally relaxed.
" I'm sorry about all of this Hannibal," she murmured as sleep began to take its hold.
Hannibal smiled into the darkness, feeling sleep skirt around the edges.
" I wouldn't have it any other way," he whispered before he too, drifted away.