While this chapter is not violent (IMO), I'd still like to suggest that sensitive readers continue at their own risk.

Chapter Sixteen

Aria was five years old when the boy from next door told her that monsters lived under her bed. He had cruelly told her that as soon as she turns off her lights at night, they would come out and eat her. Aria had laughed at the boy, because after all, monsters don't exist. Her mother and father had constantly told her that. They had also told her how much of a trouble maker 'that kid from next door' was. But that night, as she lay in her bed listening to the music box on her dresser play a lullaby, she heard a noise from under her bed.

She had called for the one person she knew could protect her; the one person who would know what to do.

Her father came running into her room the moment his name left her mouth. Her bedroom door slammed open and the light flicked on to reveal the terrified face of her father.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" He asked. His concern was over flowing. He had never seen his daughter cry like that before.

"There's a monster under my bed." She whispered through tears.

Byron felt relief flood through him knowing his daughter was safe and unharmed, but that was soon replaced with anger.

"Did the boy from next door tell you there are monsters under your bed?"

Aria hiccuped and nodded her head meekly.

Byron sighed and made a mental note to visit the neighbours first thing in the morning.

He tried to assure his daughter that monsters are not real, but nothing he said seemed to calm the scarred little girl. Byron had told Aria he would be right back and returned with a can of spray and quickly sprayed the substance under the bed.

"Monster spray." He had told her. "It's like the spray we use when we want to keep insects away."

Aria calmed after that and soon fell asleep with the knowledge that her father had killed what ever monsters were under her bed. Her father was a hero in her eyes. So every night, until the age of 10, her father came into her room to say good night and then sprayed under the bed. She had eventually grown out of that phase and forgotten all about the monster spray.

It wasn't until she was older that Aria had asked about the 'monster spray'. Her father had laughed and told her it was just a can of air freshener that he had put his own label on.

She had admired her father for not dismissing her fear of monsters as silly and childish.

But now, as Aria sat curled on Ezra's couch, did she realise that monsters don't live under your bed, they live inside your head.

She had fought a battle with her conscious. The constant blame and guilt she put on herself became to much for her sometimes. During her darkest times, when she couldn't escape her thoughts, she would put on her headphones and let the music fill the void. As soon as she arrived at Ezra's she asked him to put on some music. He had obliged and put on his Radio Head album. Aria had always appreciated Ezra's taste in music. He never went for the mainstream bands and she was always happy to listen to a band she had never heard before.

As Ezra made breakfast in the kitchen, Aria thought about a story her mother had told her once.

Ella had always been an avid fan of Duran Duran since she was a teenager.

"I used to love their mullets." She had laughed. "Your father was more of a Billy Joel fan. Of course, after we had dated for a while my tastes began to change."

"Please don't tell me you started wearing leather." Aria teased.

Ella swatted Aria playfully on the shoulder. "When you're with someone long enough, their taste becomes your taste. It's like you become one person, best friends for life."

Aria had written the conversation with her mother down in her diary. She used to retread it over and over dreaming about the day she would meet the person who would become her best friend for life. When she had met Ezra at the bar for the first time, she knew there was something there. He had traveled to the same places as her, had the same love for literature and even had the same taste in music.

But if her parents, who she thought would be together forever, could fall out of love, what hope was there for her?

"Aria this can't go on." Ezra finally spoke.

They had sat silently on the couch as Ezra ate his scrambled eggs, but Aria only pushed her food around.

Ezra now stood at the sink and scraped the untouched food from Arias plate into the bin and placed it into the soapy sink. His shoulders where hunched and his head hung low, but he took a deep breath and turned back towards the girl curled up on his couch. "You need to go back to Dr Sullivan."

She didn't look at him, her eyes were fixed on the flickering candles sitting on the coffee table. "I've survived long enough with out any help Ezra, I'm not going to start now."

"You called me, remember?" He said.

She could tell he was trying to contain his frustration. She had totally shut down once they arrived back at his apartment. It was like the adrenaline had worn off and the memories of the last couple of months were seeping back into her mind. She had tried to engage in conversation with Ezra, but all she could think of was 'What will happen next.'

"So don't make me regret it." She warned.

He seemed taken a back, but soon recovered and began rubbing his temples. "You've changed since the car ride home. It's like you've completely shut down."

"I just don't want to talk about going to a therapist. I'm not crazy Ezra!"

His face crumpled then as he understood."Oh Aria, I do not think you are crazy."

"So why are you telling me to go to Dr Sullivan?"

Ezra joined her on the sofa then, and draped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into him. "Because you do need help, there is no denying that. All you have to do is look at the scars on your arms and protruding bones."

She flinched at his words but did not pull away. She didn't think he had noticed her dramatic weight loss and guilt swelled in her chest.

"I do not think you are crazy." He reiterated again. "But I do think you need to speak to someone about this."

"Why can't I talk to you?" She asked.

Ezra kissed her forehead and wiped away a tear that was silently falling down her cheek.

"Do you really want it to be me, when you are reliving the pain and anguish you felt at the hands of your father? Do you want me to hear you explain all the intimate details of your self harm and eating disorder?"

A shiver ran up her spine. He knew too much already and she couldn't bare his reaction if she told him her deepest darkest secrets. She didn't want him to know how weak she was. She feared to spill her heart out only to be told she was acting like a teenager. She lost count of the times her parents told her to act her age. But this is the age she was at now, she didn't know how to act any differently.

She always felt that her life experiences had forced her to grow up quicker than usual. She was sometimes told she acted like a 40 year old in a teenagers body. But when your mother leaves, essentially tearing the family apart, and your forced to take her place; hanging with friends and having fun is the last thing on your mind. So with all the maturing she had sapsosedly done when her mother had left, why wasn't she handling things better? Why couldn't she have left her father earlier, or told the police? Why couldn't she handle her emotions any better, instead of taking a blade to her wrists and skipping meals. These were the kinds of things she did to feel in control of her life, but at the end of the day, her life had spiraled too far out of control.

Aria wished she could just call her mother and tell her everything that had happened and beg her to come home. She needed someone to tell her what to do.

"I can't do this alone." She whispered. A pained look crossed Ezra's face and he moved forward to wipe the tears Aria didn't know she was crying.

"You won't have to." He replied. "I'm here for you."

She cried into Ezra's shoulder then. Violent sobs rocked her body and her tears soaked Ezra's shirt. She didn't know how long she cried, but eventually her tears dried up and she calmed down.

"What am I going to do?" She hiccuped.

"With what?" Ezra asked and he gently played with her hair and kissed her forehead.

"Everything! I have no where to live, no colleges lined up and no future."

Ezra frowned. "You can live with me."

Aria opened her mouth to protest but Ezra placed his finger gently on her lips.

"Listen. I will get a bigger place, somewhere close to a bakery. You can have your own room and spend your nights painting and watching old movies while I sit at my desk and write a novel."

A genuine smile tugged at Arias lips and Ezra pulled her into his chest.

"As for college, well, my mother is a benefactor at a number of colleges. I'll make a few calls and you will be living off Ramen in no time."

He brushed a curl behind her ear and placed a kiss on top of her head.

"And will you be apart of my big bright future?" She asked hopefully.

Ezra paused for a moment, genuinely surprised. "If you will have me?"

"Of course!" She replied, as if it was a given.

Ezra let out a sigh of relief. "I thought for sure you would say no."

"There's still time." She said smiling.

"You will be stuck with me for a very long time Miss Montgomery."

"In that case." Aria sighed. "I need to get some help."

Ezra smiled widely. "I'm so proud of you."

"Not so fast. First we need to sneak into my house while my fathers gone and get my stuff."

Ezra frowned then. "I'm not so sure that's such a good idea."

"Ezra, I can't sleep in your old college T-shirts forever." Aria joked, but deep down, she didn't think it was a good idea either.

He nodded in amusement.

"Byron has a class first thing this morning, I can drop in quickly while he's gone and fill a suitcase." Aria stood up then and began to do the dishes.

"Okay, but I'm coming with you." Ezra replied, joining her at the sink.

"Ezra you have classes all day."

"If you think your going back to your place alone then you are delusional."

Aria crossed her arms but Ezra didn't relent.

"I already called Mr Hackett this morning."

"When?" Aria asked in disbelief.

"While I was driving to pick you up. I told him I would need a couple of days off."

"And he just accepted it?"

"Well, I do have two weeks of sick days saved up."

Aria shook her head and laughed. "You are a rebel."

Ezra smiled back and pulled her into a hug. "Now we can get everything sorted for you. Get our ducks in a row."

She held him tightly, trying to portray her gratitude through their embrace.

"I don't know what I would do without you." She whispered into his chest.

"Ditto."

. . .

"His car isn't in the driveway, neither is Meredith's. I think it's safe to go in."

Ezra stopped the car in front of Arias house and turned off the ignition. They had waited until 10am, when her fathers class was supposed to start. Ezra had insisted they drive around the block a couple of times to ensure no one was in the house and finally stopped after the third time around the block.

"Let's get in and out quickly before he gets back." Ezra moved to open his door but stopped as Aria laid her hand on his shoulder.

"Wait. I don't want you too see the house the way it is."

Ezra looked at her in confusion. She took a breath. She wasn't sure how to explain it to him. She didn't want to see what her father was capable of. She knew the minute he saw the broken photos and empty beer bottles that he would imagine what she had been through. And she didn't want that image in his head.

"He goes on drunken rampages sometimes." She started quietly. "He becomes very emotional when he sees items and photos that remind him of mum. The place is-"

"It's okay." He assured her. "I'll wait in the car if that is what you wish. I can keep a look out for Byron."

Aria smiled in relief and placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, I'll let you know if I need you."

"I'll honk if I see him coming." He called after her.

The house was the same mess she had left. Her father had not bothered to clean up any of his whiskey bottles or the broken glass of the photos he had smashed. If anything, the house was in a worse state then she had left. He had obviously become quite irate once he had discovered Aria was missing. She shivered at the thought. She just hopped that Meredith was safe.

She ascended the stairs quietly and breathed a sigh of relief to see that Byron hadn't taken his anger out on her belongings. But she still felt a sense of dread grip her stomach and moved quickly to her cupboard to pull out her suitcase. She didn't want to spend anymore time in that place that was absolutely necessary.

She grabbed as much clothes as she could, thinking in the back of her mind that she might be able to come back for the rest of her stuff. Then she grabbed her school books and diary, a few toiletries and finally, Pigtunia. She contemplated packing a few books and CDs, but she knew Ezra had the same ones as her anyway.

Aria looked around her room once she had finished packing her bag, and sighed. Was this a part of growing up? Leaving behind her yellow wall paper and stuffed animals? Would her father leave her room the way it is or destroy it the moment he finds out she has left for good. She hated to say goodbye, but she knew Ezra was waiting in the car with a new chapter of their lives.

She grabbed the suitcase off her bed and turned to leave her room forever.

She was surprised that she didn't hear his footsteps. She wondered whether he had purposely snuck up behind her. She tried to remember if Ezra had blown his horn to warn her, but the horrible thought that he had been waiting for her this whole time hit her like a tonne of bricks.

"Going somewhere?" Byron was still wearing his alcohol stained shirt and his eyes were bloodshot and dull.

She tried her best to compose herself but her voice still shook as she spoke. "I think it would be best for both of us if I stayed with a friend for a while."

"You thought it best did you?" He hissed. "And I suppose this 'friend' is Mr Fitz who is waiting out the front?"

She took a step backwards and tried to remember where her phone was.

"Is your little bed buddy helping you abandon this family?"

Aria swallowed loudly and slowly slipped her hand into her pocket. "I'm not abandoning you." She whispered and prayed he wouldn't notice her trying to access her phone.

"You need some time to work through some things."

"No!" He yelled back. "I'm the adult, you do not tell me what to do!"

She felt anger rise in her chest and she found herself yelling back before she could stop herself. "Then act like the adult! Stop drinking yourself into a stupor and moaning about mum leaving you. You're the reason you're in this situation!"

She regretted her words instantly. Barons face turned a deep shade of red and she could she could see his hands balling into fists.

"Your fault." She heard him spit and before she could react he lunged forward and wrapped his hands around her neck. The force of his attack sent them both flying and he landed on top of her with a sickening thud. Her tiny fingers clawed at his hands feebly and she barely managed to plead with him to stop. His fingers only seemed to tighten as she struggled to breathe under his death grip.

In her darkest moments, Aria had thought about death. Whether it would be a peaceful reprieve, or just a dark oblivion. She had told herself that anything would be better than the situation she was in now. But if she was completely honest; Aria was afraid of dying. Often the thought of not existing anymore would send her into a panic. She often scolded herself after she had regained her composure; she really oughtn't think of such things, but sometimes the thought just crept up on her. She had told herself that she had a long time before she had to think about death, and there was no use getting herself worked up.

So now, as she lay on the hard wood floor, while her fathers fingers tightened around her neck, it wasn't death that Aria was thinking about, it was Ezra. How she should have kissed him a little longer, loved him deeper and held him tighter. She had spent to much time being apart from him. She kept thinking; if only. Aria felt a tear slip down the side of her face and then she let her hands fall to the ground. She didn't have the strength to fight anymore. Maybe it was for the best.

She took one last look at the man sitting above her, and then her world turned to black.

I know what you're thinking, 'About time!'. I'm sorry, life got in the way. Hope you liked this chapter. I'd appreciate it if you could leave me some love ;)

Snellee