Another Chance

Chapter 13

ANNA'S POV

"We couldn't find anyone inside of the house, ma'am" the cop said to me, shoving his flashlight into his back pocket and nodding towards my apartment. "Although it does appear that somebody has broken in through the window. It's shattered."

I gazed down at my wrapped hands, them covered in white bandages that the paramedic had put on for me. The cuts weren't deep, but, they were concerned about infection, so they advised me to keep them clean and allow them to scab over on their own.

"Do you have any idea who could've done this?" another cop asked me, frowning at me as she scribbled down some notes on her small notepad, clicking her tongue.

I sighed. I didn't want to admit that I suspected it would have been my Father. An investigation would start and it could end in my Father being able to locate me if it turned out it wasn't him. I needed to be certain that it was him before reporting anything.

This was a little bit of a rough area, a lot of people here struggling financially, so breaks in weren't something too out of the ordinary. There was a chance I had just been unlucky and had been randomly selected by a burglar.

"We'll be interviewing your neighbours to see if they saw anything suspicious."

I nodded, glancing up at the other apartments, all of the lights out, knowing that the majority of them probably just wanted to keep to themselves. I wasn't friendly with any of them besides Mrs Compton, and she often fell asleep extremely early and would take her hearing aid out. I doubted that they would get much information from her.

"You are welcome to stay in your apartment tonight," the police man told me, and my eyes watered as I gulped.

There was no way I would feel comfortable sleeping there.

"Or it might be a good idea to check into a hotel for the night," the other cop told me, and I nodded, not wanting to tell them that there was no way I was going to be able to afford that.

Maybe there were some cheap motels around here. I could skip out on a few days of food shopping to afford it. If it was going to keep me safe, it was worth it.

I scowled at the thought of the pay check I would be receiving at the end of the month. The school I worked at was a prestigious one, and it frustrated me that they paid me so little, knowing I was desperate for a job. They had taken advantage of me, but, I wanted to work with children.

This was a way to gain experience, and the school knew that. They probably thought they were doing me a favour by giving me a chance and allowing me to work there with the little experience I had.

It would look great on a CV.

The police escorted me inside of my apartment as I grabbed a few necessities and packed myself some clothing. I wasn't sure how long I was going to be away for, and I ensured that I had enough different outfits to last me.

"We'll be in touch," one of the police offers told me as they hopped into her patrol car, leaving me on the side of the road.

They had offered to give me a ride somewhere, but, I didn't know where I was going to go and I didn't want them driving me around in search of a cheap motel.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I began to walk, trying to search for places to stay around me, but, the price lists were sky high.

This was ridiculous.

Walking would be good for me. It would allow me to clear my head, but, I also knew it was risky being out this late on my own, so I began to trudge down the road towards the school, knowing there was a much nicer area.