Moving Times (For Metalmess)
 

Kaitlyn took a deep breath as the taxi slowly came to a stop outside her father's house, she had been pretty excited during the plane ride and the bright lights as the taxi whizzed through the city centre but she had felt the butterflies in her tummy begin to multiply as she drew closer to her father's house, she had seen it a few times on skype and pictures but this would be the first time that she would see it for real. She brushed her brown hair out of her eyes and peeked her head out of the window, looking up at the house before she ducked back inside and quickly text her mother to assure her that she had arrived safely.

Kaitlyn slipped out of the taxi, taking the luggage that the driver helpfully unloaded for her "Thanks" Kaitlyn added with a small smile before she slung her backpack over her shoulder and dragged her suitcase towards the door, it had been a big decision to move halfway across the country; especially to such a big city but she really missed her father and the school that he had told her about sounded much better, it was upsetting to leave her best friends but they were determined to remain BFF's no matter what. She reached up and nervously knocked on the door, her mum had promised that she would phone her father to let her know when she was arriving but she worried that he might not be there.

Mark heard the door knock and inmediately stood up. It was the first time he would see her beloved daughter since she was 1 year old. Many things had changed since that. While the house he was living was fairly sized, being the only one sleeping in it made it feel empty all the times. Se, he spent the entire weekend cleaning what it would to be a family home again.

He also made a lot of changes in his lifestyle. Despite working as a lawyer in a goberment department, he still tried to enjoy the little free time he had and carried out a less than organized life. He tossed a lot of old rock band's shirts and stored away his trusty leather jacket changing them for a more apealing and mature style. He also had developed a mild habbit of drinking, so he resolved to leave the beer for good.

When he opened the door his heart skipped a beat. In front of him he saw a beautiful girl barely starting her puberty. Yes, he had seen her before in skype and in photos, but it was the first time he would be able to hold her in his arms since she was 2 years old.

"Kaytlin" he said witha nervous smile. "I'm happy you're here" added while slightly stretching his arm to embrace his daughter. "Please give me that and come in" added while pointing the big suitcase.

Kaitlyn blinked up at her father when he opened the door, he seemed genuinley happy to see her and returned his smiile "Uh...hi" Kaitlyn greeted belatedly, she slipped into the house when he offered to take her large suitcase and looked around the hallway curiously, everything looked so much bigger than it did on Skype, she peeked into the different rooms on the ground floor, feeling quite nervous as she tried to take everything in. The bright sunlight shone through the large window in the living room, making it look much more inviting although it was a slightly smaller room, the kitchen had a small island which seemed to be used as a breakfast bar which intrigued the young girl.

The part of the house that she liked the most was the large back garden that she could see out of the kitchen window, she could see a large tree which seemed to be as tall as the house; climbing trees was something that she loved to do in the woods nearby where she lived although she wondered if it would ever feel like the home that she had grown up in.

She felt her eyes begin to water at the memories of her old home, the butterflies in her stomach multiplying even more, she looked up at her father and shifted awkwardly; part of her wanted to run into his arms and feel him hug her tight and tell her that everything would be okay but another part of her wanted to scream and question why he hadn't been there while she was growing up "Can I check out my bedroom?" Kaitlyn questioned quietly, she just needed some time to think and digest everything that had happened, it had been a huge day for the 13 year old.

The father gently carresed his daughter's shoulder. Deep down he knew the troubles Kaytlin and her mother had to deal with all this years. Even though he was uncertain and very nervous about the girl's feelings, he anwsered with a confident smile "I'll show you a surprise".

He gently pushed Kaitlyn's lower back upstairs and guided her through the second floor. This time the floor was covered in a light brown carpet. There were thee doors, tho to the right and a big one to the left. Mark opened the latter and a big room was open to her eyes. It was as big as the kitchen and the living room combined. It had a perfectly clean bed, with a new night table next to it. On the side was a huge built-in closet with enough room to store an army. The room in general was sparkling clean, and only the old marks in the carpet and a slight male scent gave away the fact that it was originaly Mark's room. "Don't be shy sweetheart, come in".

"Surprise?" Kaitlyn repeated with a small smile, she allowed him to guide her upstairs and curiously glanced around the second floor of the house; she watched as he pushed open the door on the left and peeked inside, her eyes widened in surprise when she noticed the size of the room which was definitely bigger than her previous bedroom although it was pretty empty "Wow" Kaitlyn muttered to herself, she looked up at her father when he encouraged her to enter the room and slowly made her way inside.

"You did this for me?" Kaitlyn asked in surprise, she walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed and took a deep breath, blinking back tears that began to fill her green eyes "But, why now? What happened to the last 12 years?" Kaitlyn questioned painfully, she hated showing her emotions and usually bottled them up until she exploded but too much had happened today for her to be able to keep it all in.

"Oh, Sweetheart. I'm so sorry" The father said, gently grabing her hands and kneeling down to be in front of her. "I'm sorry your mother and I got distanced, but I never wanted to leave you". It was an open wound for him as well, something that might never be forgiven. How could he explain to his little daughter that he had put his job before her, even if it was to give her everything she needed.

"But we are togheter now, and it's not too late. I'll always be your father and you'll always be my little girl, and nobody can change that" Mark said while hugging her in a gentle embrace.

"B-But you never even tried!" Kaitlyn argued angrily, looking away as her father knelt down in front of her and took her smaller hands in his own "Then why did you?" Kaitlyn questioned in confusion as her tears; that she was trying to hold back earlier, were now flowing down her cheeks. It was a question that she had asked her mother several times and usually received the answer that she was too young to understand but her father loved her and was trying to the best by everyone, she sniffed miserably and blinked as he pulled her into a gentle hug before throwing her arms around his neck and sobbing into his shoulder. it was the first time that she actually remembered receiving a hug from her father; since the last time had been when she was only two years old "You really want me here? Promise?" Kaitlyn questioned worriedly in a voice that was much younger than quieter than her own.

"Yes I do, I very much do" Answered the father while he embraced his daughter in a thight hug. For years he had longed to embrace and have his little girl in his arms, now it was a bliss he could not describe. He quietly waited until Kaytlin weeps were no more than a soft sniffling, an grabbed by her shoulders.

"Now we start a new life. You and I" told her while drying her tears. "And we'll have to give our best" he continued looking directly at her "That means there will be rules in this house that we'll have to follow" told her, gentle but firmly. Kaitlyn mother had told him how she was getting more and more difficult to handle, as she entered in those strange years called puberty.

Kaitlyn smiled weakly and tightened her arms around his neck; part of her didn't want to believe him, the part that she had spent years building up to protect herself against getting hurt. But, a bigger part of her, wanted to believe him more than anything and the young girl felt her emotional wall that she had built begin to crumble. It took more than a few minutes for her sobbing to subside, she pulled away slightly and sniffled as she wiped her nose with her sleeve and blushed, it had been a long time since she had cried in front of someone.

She nodded in agreement when he spoke about their new life, she already knew quite a lot about her father but it wasn't the same when you had to hear it all from someone else, she was quite excited about getting to know him properly and sharing everything about her life too. It had been pretty hard to grow up without a father but she had grown very close to her mother, until the last few years, anyway. All they seemed to do now was argue "What kinda' rules?" Kaitlyn questioned automatically, her eyes flicking up to meet her father's with a hint of rebellion in them; a frown beginning to appear on her features.

"First, you have to understand that the big city is not like the countryside you come from, you have to be careful all times" lectured the father as he stood up, looking directly to Kaitlyn's eyes. It was true, in the recent months crime rate had skyrocketed, especially robbing and rape. Walking alone in the street wasn’t safe for anybody and even less for a young girl. "That's why you'll have a curfew. At 9 o'clock you'll have to be here, and that's not negotiable".


“Secondly, you’ve come from far away to study in one of the best schools of the country. That’s a luxury very few people can afford and we can’t allow it goes to waste. So you’ll have to focus entirely on your grades and your schoolwork” added strictly. “Third and foremost, you are 13 years old now, not precisely a kid anymore, so it will be expected you behave like a lady…and that includes no frowns” scolded her.