Constancy [Watty Awards 2012] *COMPLETE*

Monica

The station was a nightmare.

Jane had beaten us there, and I wanted to start puking again at the look on her face. It was sickly sweet, the fake concern masking her utter anger. She thought it was all my fault for why I was being called to the police station, and when she saw Damien standing next to me her face became even more creased with lines of anger masked with worry. Damien fiddled with one of the chains on his pants as he was sat down. A few people looked at him very pointedly as they past. Let them look, I thought, keeping my own eyes away from his face. He deserved to be thought of that way after all he'd done to me.

But thirty minutes ago he saved you from being raped, or worse.

I shook the annoying little voice of reason out of my head. Damien had done what any normal person would do. He was trying to take advantage of me when he held me, he hadn't brushed his lips against my hair because he thought I was beautiful or he was worried, it was all just one of his little games.

Then why does he look so hurt?

"Monica Carter?" came a formal sounding voice. I looked around in the narrow hallway to find a man in a nice shirt and dress pants leaning against the wall with one arm looking at me. I gulped. The stance was casual in just a way that made me want to go find a private corner and hurl again. I wasn't going to be able to look at men for a while, it seemed, without this constant urge to revisit my last meal. "I'm Detective Owens," he said, stepping forward and glancing at Jane as she let her face turn into a blank mask. She hadn't found out why she was here yet, and had been acting like a proper lady for when she would be told. "I just want to ask you a few questions. Mrs. Carter?" He turned to Jane who straightened up and gave me a glance of pure loathing that was so fleeting I knew I was the only one to catch it.

"Yes?" she asked, looking up at the handsome detective with wide eyes, as if she were close to tears. What a hoe. She'd stolen my father from my mom, and then goes around flirting with detectives who plan on asking me about how I just nearly go raped? Can you say "'Watch out poison control"?

"Officer Tegan will inform you about what happened to your daughter."

"Oh, she's not my daughter."

A very puzzled look came over Detective Owens' face as she said this. I mentally began to melt into my shoes. My face was red hot and I stared down at the floor biting back my tears. Why did she have to say that? Why now? Here? In front of all these people who are concerned? In front of one person who I thought was just as mean as Jane, but turned out to be just as concerned (if not more) than the officers surrounding me in particular? I caught a quick look on his face and he looked ready to stab Jane. My heart gave an unhealthy jolt and I instantly turned to Detective Owens and said coolly, "Jane is my step-mother. I'm ready for questioning now. May we please just get on with it? I would really like to sit down after this." My voice wasn't my own. It was brisk and cold. To my delight, it cut Jane like a knife.

Her face went red as she understood what she'd been saying and she turned towards Officer Tegan who gave her a steady look. "Right this way, ma'am," she drawled, pointing to a private room. Jane didn't even bother to look back at me as she walked through the door.

I turned back to the detective who led me into an interrogation room. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Damien being led off to a similar room where they officers didn't look as nice as Detective Owens.

I answered the same questions over and over again. Why was I walking down there, do I know those boys, what my relation was to Damien, was I aware that the boy who'd saved my life had a record?

After about an hour of this I finally stood up to Owens' raised eyebrows. "I refuse to say the same damn answers over and over again!" I shouted, hating it that I had tears in my eyes. "Eric and Joey tried to rape me, I broke his nose, and Damien pulled me out! What more do you need to freaking know!"

Detective Owens gave me a strange look and shook his head. "I guess that'll have to do, then, Miss Carter."

"About time!"

"We'll be in contact with you over the court dates and if there's any more questioning we want you to do."

"What?" I snapped, but I knew he could read the fear on my face. I did not want to go to court. Even if it was for my benefit that Eric and Joey were sued up the ass, or put in prison. I actually liked a mixture of the two.