Chapter 195: Hope
However, the mood was quickly brought down by Officer Jones when he brought up another concerning topic.
"Your father is a very, very bad man. He has killed many people today, and we are trying to find him. Do you know where he could have gone?"
***
The scene paused at this point, with the real Mira turning to Alex, her eyes reflecting the depth of emotions she was feeling in this moment.
"My father didn't just 'kill many people'; he blew up a hospital, killing 2500 people as a result. Nobody made it out alive."
Mira had chosen this moment to explain just how bad of a person her father was, as the scene was made up of her memories, so she knew that it wouldn't go into any further detail about what happened, as she only found out the facts years after the fact.
Alex's eyes widened in shock.
He knew her father was sick in the head after hearing, and seeing the kinds of things he did to Mira when she was just a kid.
But this was a whole other level of fucked up.
"How could he do such a thing?"
Mira took a deep breath before continuing. "The hospital was the same one I was born in, and where my mother died. It turns out he didn't just blame me for her death, but blamed the doctors too. And then, one thing led to another, and he started blaming the whole hospital."
Alex could see where this was going. "So your father, who was an alcoholic who beat his daughter every day, also turned out to be a psychopathic mass killer as well…"
Mira nodded, her expression sombre. "Yes. He was a broken man, consumed by his grief and anger. And I, along with the hospital, was just a constant reminder of what he had lost."
***
The scene resumed.
Mira shook her head again, indicating she had no idea. Officer Jones sighed, then smiled at her reassuringly.
"That's okay. Let's forget about your father for a while and focus on you."
Mira looked worryingly at the Officer, unsure of what he meant.
But Officer Jones looked even more conflicted.
With kids like her, there were two options.
She could either end up in an orphanage, receiving an education until she became an adult and could start working for herself.
Or, she could be sent to a foster family and receive similar treatment, only in a real family, instead of an institution.
However, Mira's situation was so bad that he knew neither of these would go well for her.
She would most likely be bullied by the other kids for not knowing anything, and for being so skinny etc, as kids her age could be so cruel to each other.
This would only make things worse for Mira. Discover secrets at m-vl-emp _yr.
Seeing the anxious look on Mira's face, Officer Jones made a split second decision.
'Ah, screw it.'
"How would you like to come home with me?" he asked gently.
A flicker of surprise and happiness crossed Mira's face, but she quickly suppressed it, not wanting to get her hopes up. Officer Jones noticed her reaction and smiled warmly.
"You'll be safe with me. Your father won't be able to hurt you."
This was one thing he was confident in, as he was an E- rank awakened, while there were no records of her father being anything but a normal human.
Mira felt a strange sense of trust towards Officer Jones. Maybe it was because nobody had ever been this kind to her before, nobody had treated her like a normal kid, while Officer Jones had.
She hung her head low, and nodded sheepishly, agreeing to go with him.
With a caring smile, Officer Jones leaned in and softly hugged Mira, picking her up out of the bed.
Feeling the warmth of a protective father figure, Mira couldn't suppress her emotions any longer.
She burst into tears, wailing as she let out all of the pent up pain and fear she had been holding in all these years.
Officer Jones just stroked her back, and held the hug, silently comforting her.
Her small body shook with the force of her sobs.
When she finally calmed down, he gently set her back on the bed and looked into her eyes.
"Mira, I'm going to take care of you from now on. You won't have to go back to that house, or see that sorry excuse of a father ever again. I promise."
Mira nodded, her eyes still filled with tears. "Okay," she whispered.
Officer Jones smiled and ruffled her hair. "Good girl. Now, let's get you something to eat. You must be hungry."
Mira's stomach growled in response, and she nodded shyly. Officer Jones chuckled and stood up, holding out his hand.
"Come on, let's go to the kitchen."
Mira hesitated for a moment, then shook his hand, feeling a sense of security she had never known before.
As they walked to the kitchen, Officer Jones spoke softly to her.
"I know this is all very new and scary for you, but I want you to know that you're safe now. No one will hurt you here."
Mira looked up at him, her eyes filled with a suppressed curiosity. She nodded to him, letting out a small "Thank you."
"You're a very brave girl. Things are going to get better from now on."
As they reached the kitchen, Officer Jones set about making her a simple meal.
He would have loved to present all kinds of delicious dishes to her, but feeding someone who had been starving for so long, so much food at once would only be more damaging than helpful.
Mira watched him with wide eyes, still trying to process everything that had happened, and before she knew it, a plate was placed before her.
She hesitated for a moment, before digging in, her hunger overcoming her fear.
Officer Jones sat across from her, watching her eat with a thoughtful expression.
"Mira, do you have any other family? Anyone else we can contact?"
She just shook her head.
It was just her and her father.
The scene ended there, and changed once again.
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