6

MIA'S POV

I wake up at ten the next morning. Anna isn't up yet, so I decide to shower to kill time. I turn on some music with my new phone.

When I get out of the shower, I change into a tight grey crop top with an unbuttoned flannel over top, ripped black jeans, and some Nikes. I pull my hair into a high ponytail, which I taught myself how to do. I put on some light makeup as well. I already know how to do makeup because I had to put makeup on to hide any bruising my parents gave me.

Around eleven, I walk downstairs and see Anna making pancakes, so I just sit down at the island to watch her.

"Ooh, right on time!" Anna says when sees me, and she plops a plate down in front of me.

I eat my pancakes and when I'm done, I put the dishes in the sink, then sit back down next to Anna.

"Hey, what's your Instagram username?" Anna asks, pulling out her phone.

"miaanderson, but I should change it to miakendrick." I pull my phone out of my pocket and open Instagram, changing my username. "There."

"Followed you," Anna smiles.

"Are people going to get suspicious?" I ask.

"Probably. But, those are just rumors until we actually tell them what's going on," she tells me.

I just nod and sit there awkwardly and wait for her to finish eating. When she does, she puts her plate in the sink, just like I did.

"What do you want to do today?" Anna asks.

I shrug. "I don't know. What is there to do?"

"Well, first, let's go set up you're school." Anna pulls me up the stairs.

We walk into my room and I sit at my desk with my laptop. We sign up for this online school that has a five-star review. I don't actually start school until Monday though, and it's Saturday.

"Alright. All set," Anna smiles. "Now, we can go to get fro-yo if you want."

"What's fro-yo?" I ask.

"You seriously don't know what fro-yo is?" Anna questions, astonished.

"I wasn't allowed to go anywhere or eat anything for five fucking years. No, I don't know what fro-yo is," I chuckle a little. "But, yeah, we can go do that."

"It's just frozen yogurt. You'll love it." 

We grab our sunglasses and Anna grabs her keys before we head out. On the way there, she turns on Ariana Grande music, and some Beyoncé, that we jam out to.

When we arrive at the frozen yogurt place, we put our sunglasses on and head inside. Anna's stopped by a few fans on the way in, so I step to the side and let her do her thing. 

"Sorry about that," Anna says when we sit down. "The fans can be crazy sometimes."

"It's okay," I reply.

We get our frozen yogurt and I take a bite of it, tasting a delicious fruity sensation in my mouth.

"Wow." I widen my eyes. "This is so good."

"I know right," Anna laughs. She takes a bite of hers. "So, do you want to do acting lessons, or singing lessons? We could do both if you want."

"Can I do both?" I ask with a smile.

"Of course. I'll ask my acting coach and singing instructor if they can coach you," Anna smiles.

I squeal with excitement, then finish my frozen yogurt. 

When we leave, there's paparazzi outside, so we quickly walk passed them, into the car. We listen to same music that we were listening to on the way to the fro-yo place.

Suddenly, my phone starts to ring. It's a FaceTime from Evelyn. Shit, I forgot to tell her that I was leaving.

"Who's Evelyn?" Anna asks, looking at my phone.

"My friend from my old school in Arizona. I forgot to tell her I was leaving. What do I do?" I ask.

"Answer it," Anna laughs.

I press 'answer' and Evelyn's worried face shows up on the screen.

"Hey," I shyly answer.

"M, where are you?!" Ev shouts.

"Um..." I look at Anna, who nods, but mouths 'tell her not to tell anyone'. "Are you alone?"

"Yeah. I'm in my room. Why? Just tell me where you are! I've been so worried about you," Ev says. I can't tell if she's mad, upset, or just relieved that I'm okay. I move the camera so Anna is in the frame. "Oh my God! Is that-?"

"Yeah," I reply without her having to finish. 

"How? Why?" Ev asks, clearly flustered.

"You can't tell anyone this..." I give her a stern look. "But, Anna's my birth mom and I'm in LA with her now. I'm staying here."

"Wait, Anna's your birth mom?" Ev asks.

"I am," Anna laughs.

"Oh my God, hi, Anna! I love you so much!" Ev fangirls.

"Aw, thank you," Anna smiles, staying focused on the road.

"Well, I have to go, but I'm glad you're okay. I miss you. Have fun in LA," Ev smiles.

"I will, and I miss you too."

I hang up and lay my head back.

"She seems nice," Anna says, breaking the silence.

"Yeah," is all I say.

We arrive back home and we get out of the car, unlocking the door and walking inside. We both sit on the couch and I lay my head in her lap.

"Let's watch The Greatest Showman," Anna suggests and I just nod in agreement as she strokes my hair.

~

When the movie is over, I sit up, looking over at Anna.

"That was a really good movie," I tell her.

"I know. It's one of my favorites," she laughs. 

Suddenly, there's a knock on the door. Anna goes to answer it, with me close behind her. We see Hailee standing there.

"Hey. I was just heading to the studio. Do you guys want to come with?" Hailee asks.

"Sure. Mia, is that okay with you?" Anna asks me. I eagerly nod my head and we walk out.

When we get to the studio, we sit down by the booth and Hailee shows me how to use the buttons and stuff. 

"Do you know Most Girls?" Hailee asks.

"I know, like, every song to your album," I laugh.

"Go in there and sing." Hailee lightly pushes me toward the door.

"U-um... okay," I stutter, entering the booth.

I put the headphones on and stand by the mic, waiting for the music to start playing. When it does, I sing the best I can, nailing every single word. 

When the song is over, I look over and see Hailee clapping and Anna tearing up a little.

"Babe..." Anna says in shock. 

"You have the voice of an angel," Hailee compliments, making me blush. "How have you not been discovered yet?" Anna nudges her, shaking her head vigorously. "What?"

"It's okay, Anna," I say, coming out of the booth. "I'll tell her." I walk toward Hailee and look at her. She has a concerned expression on her face. "I was never allowed to sing back 'home' in Arizona. I was abused by my parents for five years and I wasn't even allowed to talk that much, let alone sing." I pull up my sleeve, showing her the faint bruises and scars that are starting to go away.

Hailee's eyes filled with tears. She tries to say something, but she can't form the words, so she just wraps her arms around me. I start sobbing and Anna joins us in the hug.

When the moment is over, I wipe Hailee's eyes, then Anna's.

"Please don't feel sorry for me. I'm okay, now that I live with Anna," I smile at Anna.

"I'm glad you have this one to take care of you now." Hailee gestures to Anna.

"Me too."

We all walk out together. 

We say goodbye to Hailee when we get home and head inside. I walk up the stairs and change into pajamas, falling asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.

*DREAM*

"No! Please, stop!" I yell as my father tries to pull me away from Anna. "No! Stop!" I scream. 

It seems as if Anna can't hear me, even though I'm screaming at the top of my lungs. We father keeps dragging me to the car and I kick and scream, but nothing is working. It's as if  the whole world can't hear anything coming out of my mouth. As if nothing exists.

When he finally pulls me into the car, he starts to hit me and punch me. Then, he starts to take his pants off...

*END OF DREAM*

"NO!" I shoot up.

I wake up in my bed, sweating and panting like a dog. I frantically look around the room, tears flowing down my face.

"Mia?!" Anna screams, running into the room. 

I put my head in my hands and sob. I can feel my heart pounding out of my chest.

"What happened?" Anna sits next to me, putting an arm around me. "Baby, you're shaking..."

"I-I had a d-dream that M-Mr. Anderson took me away from y-you," I stutter. "And, he hit me and..." I pause. She doesn't know about him raping me back home. "He raped me. Not just in the dream. He raped me." I sob some more.

"Baby, why didn't you tell me?" Anna asks as a tear falls from her eyes.

"I was embarrassed." I look down, but she lifts my chin with her finger so I'm looking at her.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about," she assures me. "Come here." I fall into her safe arms and we both lay down. 

"Please don't leave me," I beg.

"I would never leave you," she replies, stroking my hair. "I love you."

I look up at her. "No one's ever said that to me before."

"Well, I do. I love you," Anna smiles.

"I love you too."