Primordial Expanse: I have the Strongest Talent!

Sunlight streamed through the kitchen window, casting a warm glow on the room.

It was morning, and Mira sat at the table, her feet dangling joyfully from her chair, swinging back and forth as she nibbled on her breakfast.

Opposite her Officer Jones looked over with a smile, bustling around the kitchen, making pancakes, his back to Mira. The smell of coffee and freshly cooked breakfast filled the air, creating a sense of normalcy and comfort that Mira had rarely known.

"Did you sleep well?" Officer Jones asked, glancing over his shoulder with a warm smile.

This was his first time in his 35 years of life that he had taken on the role of a father, and he had enjoyed every moment of it ever since he had taken Mira in.

He had always been unsure on whether he wanted kids or not, but after spending time with Mira, his opinion had completely flipped.

Seeing Mira happy made him even happier, and it was the highlight of his day when he saw her laugh joyfully, especially after she had been through the kind of hell she had lived in for the past 9 years.

He even became more motivated in his everyday life, at work, at almost everything.

Taking Mira in had been the best decision he had ever made, and he would never regret a thing.

Though he did feel a little bit guilty of burying her under all that rubble when he first breached her house…

Mira nodded, her mouth full. She swallowed quickly and smiled back.

"Un, the bed you gave me is very comfortable Uncle Jones."

Mira had stopped calling him Officer Jones now, as it seemed a little too formal for their relationship.

But he also didn\'t want her to start calling him \'dad\' either, as he didn\'t feel comfortable with it considering her past…

"Remember, you can just call me Uncle. You don\'t have to call my last name every time you speak to me. We\'re family now," he said, flipping a pancake with practised ease.

Mira\'s heart swelled with an unfamiliar sense of warmth at the word \'Family\'. It felt strange and wonderful to think of herself as part of a real family now.

"Okay, Uncle," she replied shyly.

Officer Jones finished up in the kitchen and brought a plate of pancakes to the table, sitting down across from Mira. He began to dig in, giving a few of them to Mira to nibble on too.

"How was school this week? Did the other kids treat you nicely?" Officer Jones inquired, cutting into his stack of pancakes.

Hearing this question, Mira\'s mood lowered a little and her feet stopped waving as joyfully.

In a quiet tone, she spoke. "I don\'t like school…"

It was clear to Officer Jones that starting school for Mira would still need some work, but he believed that with time, things would work out.

"I know you\'ll do well. You\'re a smart, brave kid, Mira. I heard Mrs Johnson even gave you a gold star for your reading yesterday." Officer Jones chuckled, trying to lighten the mood a little.

Mira didn\'t reply, but he did notice her ears and cheeks becoming slightly red. It seemed she still hadn\'t gotten used to getting praise, as it was still a new concept to her, after only receiving contempt and manipulation over the years.

\'Huh?\'

However, Officer Jones\' expression changed mid conversation, growing more serious and concerned.

Mira noticed but didn\'t say anything. She was still just a 9 year old kid, she was still getting used to reading people\'s expressions and didn\'t fully understand what his look meant.

Officer Jones took a deep breath and stood up. "I\'ll be back in just a minute. There\'s something I need to take care of."

Mira nodded, watching him leave the house. She didn\'t question it much.

Officer Jones often left to go run errands, or most likely just work.

She continued eating her breakfast, savouring the rare peace and happiness she was feeling after years of constant anguish.

Crash!

But the tranquillity was quickly shattered when she heard a loud clang outside, followed by grunts and whooshing sounds.

Mira\'s heart raced with anxiety. She got up from the table and inched closer to the front door, opening a small crack to take a peek outside and see what was going on.

However, her blood ran cold at what she saw.

\'Uncle Jones…\'

Officer Jones was laying on the ground, unmoving, with a man standing over him.

Mira recognised the man immediately.

It was her father.

He stood there, a cruel smirk on his face, holding a long blade, which Mira quickly noticed was impaled in Officer Jones\' chest.

Panic and terror gripped Mira.

She slammed the door shut, screaming and crying, as she ran towards her bedroom to hide, her tears blurring her vision.

She crawled under her bed, sobbing uncontrollably.

Her mind raced, trying to make sense of the horror she had just witnessed, hoping desperately that it was all just a nightmare and that she would wake up soon.

But nothing she did could wake her up from this nightmare.

In her desperation, she reached into her shirt, taking out a small necklace that Officer Jones had given to her on the first day he brought her home.

He told her that if she ever felt herself in danger and scared, that she should press the button and everything would become better, that she would no longer be scared when she did so.

With trembling hands, she pressed the button.

Immediately, a loud, high pitched alarm starts blaring from all directions outside the house.

Mira didn\'t know what she expected to happen when she pressed the button, but this wasn\'t it.

She had no clue what the sound was for, but it was all too well known to the other occupants of the neighbourhood.

It was a panic alarm given to all police officer\'s families, for them to use if they were ever in an emergency or under attack.