His Survivor

Ashley's POV Sometimes I like to think that, whatever the greater force is, wanted me to live a life harder than the others. My parents had a messy divorce years ago and that is when my problems started. Now that I am 16 years old, they just seem to increase.  "Ashley, come on honey", my stepmother calls out to me. I straighten out my black dress and grab my clutch before opening the door ad coming face to face with her, the woman who broke my family apart. I ignore her and go downstairs, ready to go to my mother's funeral.  My mom died in a car accident two days ago and my father, the man I loath, came along with his wife and her children to take me with him. I don't want to go to Australia with him as I am happier here but without my mom and a guardian, I cannot stay alone.  My father left me with my mother when I was ten years old, just a child who didn't understand why her parents stayed apart. I visited him once every year and the bond we used to share before became weaker and I stopped going all together . I didn't want to go there and face the woman who destroyed my life and her children who looked down on me. My father behaved like a real father with them but he couldn't even pretend to be nice with me and that is when I turned bitter towards him and refused to even see him in person.  "Get in the car, Ashley", my father tells me and I don't respond to him but sit inside anyway.  "Hey Ashley", my father's daughter, Chloe says and I again remain mute. The boy ignores me anyway and Ian, my father, starts the car.  "I am so sorry for your loss", Chloe says and I nod at her, not wanting to be rude.  "How are you feeling honey?", Martha, Ian's wife asks me. I don't respond and my father sighs loudly.  "She asked you something Ashley", I still don't talk.  "It's okay, Ian", Martha smiles at me and I look away, not wanting to hit her in the face. We reach the symmetry first. Others are yet to arrive and I have no family from my mother's side but she was a very genuine and an amazing person so she has a lot of friends. Almost the entire town loved my mom because of her beautiful soul.  I leave the family and go to stand beside my mom's casket where the priest is doing the last minute procedures. Ian decided on the closed casket burial as she was badly injured during the accident. I sit beside it and put my hand on it, saying my goodbyes which I didn't get a chance to.  "I don't want to go away mom", I place a kiss on it. "But I know you wouldn't want me to be alone, especially now", I wipe the traitor tears and stand straight, smoothening the creases on the dress.  Everyone eventually arrives and my only friend, Kiara, hugs me to her, muttering sweet nothings in my ear though they don't do much.  "I am going to miss you Ash", she wipes her tears and I just nod, not wanting to speak to anyone.  "Come on sweetheart", my father places a hand on my back and all I want to do is remove it.  We all sit in the church for the rituals which go on smoothly. A lot of people spoke about mom but I didn't because I couldn't get the words out of my mouth and thankfully no one forced me to.  "Your luggage is already shipped, let's go", Ian says and I turn around once more, taking it all in. The best and the worst memories were made in this house. This is the house that I grew up in for the past 16 years. Ten of which were pure bliss but later it became difficult eventually.  "Just a minute", without waiting for a reply, I race upstairs, towards my mom's room.  Once I enter, I take in the empty room which was full of her things just two days ago with her sitting on the bed, doing my braids and talking to me, asking about the boys that do not exist in my life. I finally let the tears break free and collapse to the floor in a heap of tears. I scream out loudly, the ache in my chest tightening with every second.  "Ashley, honey, breathe. Look at me, baby", Ian sits in front of me, with his hands on my shoulders, shaking me, his cheeks damp with tears.  "Breathe in and out, slowly. Yes, that's my good girl", these mere words, infuriate me. I shake his hands away from my shoulders and wipe my cheeks, glaring at him.  "WHY DON'T YOU JUST LET ME BE?!", I scream and he looks at me with shame in his eyes. He knows he wronged me. I was a daddy's girl when I small. For every little thing, I used to go running to him. Whenever I got hurt, my daddy was my safe place, the person who would, magically, take away all of my pain but the man who stands in front of me is not the same man I loved and admired. He is not my dad.  "I am so sorry baby. I really am", he tries to hug me but I take a step back.  "I am sorry for hoping that someday you would have come back to us and we could have been the happy family we once were", I wipe my tears and leave him in the room, rushing downstairs.  "Where is Ian, honey?", Martha asks me but I walk past her, as if I was deaf. I have nothing against the woman except she along with my dad, broke us all apart. Until the day my mother died, she loved my father. She started self doubting when he left us alone. But in the last six years, she has made progress. Her entire life revolved around me. She asked me to meet my father many times but I never listened because I didn't care about him. Yes, I loved my father, somewhere I still do but I am not sure I can forgive him. He betrayed us and he hurt mom and I to the extent that none of us could recover till this day. I sit in the taxi, and rest my head on the window, trying my best to control my emotions. Showing emotions is something I avoid and the episode that happened a few minutes ago, will never happen from now on. We board the plane for Australia and I sit near the window while Ian sits beside me and then Martha beside him. Chloe and Blake sit on the isle beside ours, busy talking about something.  "Ashley, you want something to eat honey?', Marth asks me as a airhostess comes with a tray full of food. I shake my head in denial and rest my head on the backrest, not wanting to converse with anyone. "Thank you", my father says accepting something to eat I guess.  "I am keeping a burger here if you get hungry", he says but I do not acknowledge him and with my eyes closed, I fall asleep.  "Ashley, get up honey, we are about to land", Ian says and I open my eyes and look outside. It is pitch black outside telling me its late already. After we landed and collected the bags, a car was waiting for us at the gate. The driver opens our door for us and I silently thank him before getting inside. Martha sits beside me while her children sit there, with their earphones in their ears. "Sweetheart, we have already set up your room upstairs. Your luggage is upstairs as well and the maids will take care of the arranging and stuff tomorrow. Go and rest, okay?", Martha says as she leads me to my room. She opens the door to my room and I go in, taking in the surroundings.  The room is definitely bigger than the one back home. The walls are painted lavender, the color I used to adore once but now, not so much.  "If you want to change anything, just let us know, okay? We want you to be comfortable and feel at home", she smiles at me but I don't. This is not my home. My home is back in my town, where the house wasn't this big and we didn't have as much things on our name but I was happy, with my mom. She worked hard to make our needs meet and with my baggage which she always assured wasn't too much as Ian used to send the childcare fund but I knew it wasn't enough.  "Good night, honey. We will talk more tomorrow", she says and leaves the room, closing the door softly behind her.  I enter the bathroom and freshen up, changing into some comfortable shorts and a t-shirt. With my hair in a bun, I sleep on the comfortable bed but I can't help and miss the bed that we had back home. I wrap myself in the duvet and close my eyes, trying my best to fall asleep .  My door opens but I keep my eyes closed, already knowing the person. Ian sits on the floor beside me, just looking at my face. I have mastered the art of pretending to sleep so not even once do my eyelids flutter.  "I am so sorry baby girl. I should have tried harder. I should have been the father that you deserve. Now that you are here, I promise you my love, I will not give up. I will take care of you the way I should have", he caresses my face so softly I almost thought I imagined it.  "Good night pumpkin. I hope the fairies and the rabbits come in your dreams and throw a tea-party for you", he whispers and kisses my hair softly before closing the door behind him. I open my eyes and a lone tears falls from them. He remembered that when I was five, all I wanted was fairies as they were my favorite and rabbits because they were the fluffiest and the cutest animals out there to throw a party for me and whenever he tucked me in the bed, he always said the same thing to me. After a very very long time, I felt like, I saw a glimpse of my daddy that I had lost years ago.