She sat in her confusion and fear for a few minutes, before she saw the door open slowly. A figure then stepped through, and it was one that was probably the best she could have hoped for here.

Her father. He stood at about 6 feet tall, and had a fit build, though his loose clothing hid it decently. His own strawberry blonde hair matched her own, though he had a different eye colour than her... mostly.

He looked haggard and tired, and his eyes were a bit red, with dark circles under them, but he made his way over towards her.

"...Desiree..." he said when their eyes met and he was right up close to her.

"I'm sorry." he apologised.

"I let it come to this... and I shouldn't have." he said further.

"Are you all right, Honey?" he asked, guilt and sadness in his eyes.

Her father was silent, biting his lip slightly, before he leaned in and gave her a hug. He held her close and brought his face close to hers, almost resting his chin on her shoulder. He held it for a moment, before making it so she was looking right at him again.

"I waited too long." he said.

"And it came to this. I should have seen it coming. Maybe I did. But I hoped it would get better. It didn't. I'm so sorry." he told her further.

"But you're safe now." he continued.

"I took you away from them. You didn't deserve what they were doing to you. Please... please forgive your father." he added, near tears once more, as he'd been crying earlier.

There was still sorrow in his eyes. He knew that his words probably didn't reach her. Not all of them, anyway. He knew this. But he knew he wanted to help her.

He HAD to help her.

He then dug a small pad of paper and a pencil out of his pocket, and wrote something on it, before handing it to her.

I'll make sure you have everything you deserve in life. I promise I'll protect you from here on out. it read.

'I may have done you wrong up until now. But I'll change that, I swear.' he mentally vowed.

The man was obviously flustered. He was stressed, sad, angry, and confused. He suddenly found himself separated from his daughter, and it seemed like these people wanted to make it permanent.

To say this was taking its toll on him would be understating it.

"I keep telling you!" he said to those that were questioning him, exasperation in his tone. "I was with her because she is my daughter!" he protested.

"My biological daughter!" he insisted.

"Why do you not believe me!?" he asked them, trying his best not to let his anger get the better of him.

"I'm telling you the truth!" he insisted.

"She IS my daughter! She's my child!" he said.

"I don't know why or how she's a mage, both myself and her mother aren't mages, but that's what happened!" he insisted further, trying his best not to lose his temper.

"She's alive because I took her away from her mother and brother as well, I've told you all this!" he continued.

"And all I want to do is give her the life she deserves! A safe and stable one!"

"Why...?" he asked.

"Why won't you believe me...?" he asked quietly, tightly gripping his hair in his hands, as he laid his elbows down on the table and leaned forward.

"I'll tell you the same thing, again and again, it's the truth." he muttered, despair in his tone now.

Meanwhile, another adult had approached her, and sat down beside her. He didn't say anything at first, but offered her a bottle of water, still unopened.

"...here." he said.

"This can't be easy for you." he commented.

"........" the man was silent for a moment as Desiree responded.

The stutter was unmistakable, but was it because she was scared, or was there more to it?

'....hmmm...' he thought.

"Why were you with him?" he asked her.

She didn't respond.

"....." he was then silent again, before snapping his fingers.

Again, she didn't respond.

So he made sure he got her attention, and when she was looking at him, he spoke.

"Do you have problems hearing, dear?" he asked her, mouthing the words as well as he could.

"......." he was silent again, before sighing.

"I wish you would speak to us..." he said.

"I dislike hunters with a passion, but I somehow think that that man is telling the truth." he muttered.

"But I have no real influence in situations like these..." he then lamented, shaking his head.

'Damn it.' he thought.

He then got her attention once more.

"Is that man your father?" he asked her, gesturing to the where her father was.

"...." again, he was silent.

He then got in front of her and knelt down so that he was looking right into her eyes.

"Listen to me." he said.

"The people in there have him in there, because they think he's a bad man, and that he's taken you away from your family." he told her.

"Is that true?" he asked.

"Did he forcefully take you away from your family, against your will?" he asked further.

"......" the man was silent for a moment, but he could see the sincerity in her eyes.

He could tell she wasn't lying.

"...I believe you, dear." he told her.

"I'll do what I can to try and help you." he said further.

When she nodded, he stood up and made a call on his cell phone.

"Hey. Listen, can you come here?" he asked, giving his location. "Like, NOW? I think the people here are making a very big mistake." he told them further.