TORTURED SOUL | abby littman

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗿𝘁𝘆 𝘀𝗶𝘅.

"I would love to give you a tour of the house but I need to leave now if I wanna get to my job on time." As Bob talked, he rushed around the main room, picking up things from the floor to place on the sofas or table. "I work in Rhode Island you see, it's quite a drive. It's not every day, though, only thrice a week so I will be here most the time but with this being such short notice I couldn't get the day off. Feel free to look around, it's pretty spacious so I think you'll love it." Rowan followed him as he made his way to the hallway, quickly putting on his jacket and grabbing his keys from the bowl on the shoe rack. "Your room is the last room on the left once you go up. Make yourself at home."

Rowan didn't get a single word out before he was whizzing out the house, a flash of red passing her eyes from his hair. The door was about to close before a hand grabbed it and Bob poked his head in with a frazzled smile. "I hope you like the place, Rowan. Paul speaks highly of you. And hey, if you wanna skip school today I understand. I've left money for you in your room, I understand you don't have access to your own right now so anything you need, just ask me and I'll be happy to give it to you."

He didn't say lend. Rowan wasn't sure why that was what stuck out most but he didn't say he would lend her money, but rather give it to her. He wasn't expecting anything in return. Either way, Rowan would pay him back for his kindness. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay." Rowan was alone again in a matter of seconds, the bang of the door echoing around the house. Unlike when she lived in her old house, it didn't send a surge of fear through her body. It didn't do anything. "Okay," she whispered to herself again with a short nod, turning on her heel and making her way to the stairs. She already knew what she wanted to do now that she was free from juvie but for that she needed money so first thing first, she needed to find her room.

Like Bob said it would be, the room was last on the left with a sign stuck to the door of her name with what seemed to look like a pikachu, from pokemon, face at the end and Stevie's name scribbled at the bottom of the paper.

Rowan shook her head lightly at the sight, the tiniest of smiles gracing her features before opening the door, sucking in a breath at the room. It was clear Stevie had some play in the decorating of it as, rather than it being bare, one wall was covered in posters of Rowan's favourite bands and artists, another wall with drawings stuck up which Rowan knew had to be done by Marcus. The third wall had a moon tapestry hung across it, the bed in front of it and the fourth wall was smaller than the rest due to being sloped but was covered in paper stars and faux leaves. Rowan walked past the bookshelf against the poster wall, running her finger across the spines of them. The one that stuck out the most was The Perks of Being A Wallflower. It was Rowan's annotated book, one she let Abby borrow though she doubted Abby ever read it and now it was back here, giving her a sense of familiarity in the new room.

On the pillow was a wad of cash, easily two hundred bucks in tens, held together with an elastic band. Not sure of how much she would need, Rowan pocketed the entire thing, taking the bottle of pills out as she did so. She looked down at it with a sigh, twirling it around in her hand to see the label. She knew it was meant for a good cause, to help with her insomnia, but she knew addiction ran through her genes. Xanax was a guess of what could help, she couldn't rely on that. And she surely didn't want to get addicted to such pills. She didn't need anything else to remind her of her father.

So, without a second thought, Rowan tossed the bottle in the bin by the bed and left the house.

    

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Almost three hours and two train rides later, Rowan stood outside the Littman house, waiting for someone to open the door. She wasn't sure if Abby was going to be awake but it wasn't like she could ask, she still didn't have a phone.