Outer Space

Chapter 24 - What She Knows

    "How do you want to handle this Jemma?" Charlie had given the girl time. There wasn't much time left before social services would be called back and while neither of them wanted that, Charlie was starting to think that Jemma may prefer the social services option.

    Jemma was hiding something. She was hiding something from Charlie, she was hiding something from everybody. It was about her father. Charlie knew part of the story. She knew when Jemma's dad came back, she knew that he abused Jemma, but she also knew that Jemma was abused in a lot of her foster homes also. And at one point in time she was able to understand why Jemma would choose her father using her as a punching bag rather than complete strangers.

    Charlie knew that Jemma was stuck in an unhealthy and overwhelmingly toxic environment and she had begged Jemma to get herself out; she had begged Jemma to let her help her get out. One more thing that Charlie knew was that Jemma didn't want help. She didn't always understand the girl, but she didn't know what she could do.

    Charlie, however, did subtly help Jemma. She would text her whenever she could. She made sure that Jemma could trust her. She let Jemma crash at her place whenever she wanted. And, she encouraged Jemma to get closer to Emmie. Most of that kept Jemma out of her house and away from her father.

    It was the best Charlie could do. If she called the police she knew that Jemma would deny anything ever happened. If she made Jemma talk, Jemma would altogether stop talking to her. Plus, Jemma always told her it was better than it was. One thing that Jemma was insanely good at was hiding things that she didn't want other people to know.

    So all in all Charlie knows what Jemma wants Charlie to know, what she had previously told her. And Jemma knows the truth, she knows what she doesn't want anybody else to know.

..........

    What does Jemma know that she's so afraid of? Why is she completely refusing to call her father? It's simple, she knows things about him that know one else does. She knows things about him that more than terrify her.

    It happened one night when it seemed like he was too drunk to even move. Usually on those nights Jemma would make herself scarce in the first opportunity she found to get away. When he drank too much to even hit her though, she automatically knew that he had a bad day. She never asked him about his day, but when he was drunk he was an over sharer, just like her It seems.

    But even though she didn't ask him anything he had started talking anyway. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He repeated more times than Jemma could count but it was definitely enough to get her attention. Her father was on the couch, staring at who knows what, mumbling the same two words over and over again. She, for some reason, couldn't help but be intrigued.

    So she sat down and looked at him. She watched to see what he would do next, but he just kept apologizing. He clearly wasn't aiming his apology at her seeing as she was sitting right next to him and he hadn't even seemed to notice her. That just left Jemma with more questions. Who was he apologizing to? She had never seen him so weak before and she kind of enjoyed it.

    "Dad! Dad!" Jemma called out to get his attention. He slightly turned around to face her but his head seemed to keep nodding off in different directions. It was like he was seeing three of her. Jemma assumed he probably was seeing three of her, she did know a thing or two about being drunk.

    "Jemma? What are you doing here?" Yeah, Jemma thought. He really was losing it, but she was kind of interested now.

    "What do you mean?" She responded also a little confused, "I live here. With you. This is our apartment. For over a year." The guy had no idea where he was and Jemma didn't even know what she was doing actually talking to him at this point.

    "No." He flat out denied. "You live with that women, Veronica. You don't live with me." Veronica was Jemma's mother. Veronica had been dead for years. At this point Jemma didn't even feel like bothering anymore so she stood up and was prepared to leave. But, right as she was about to leave he grabbed her wrist and held it tight. Tighter than she expected with his current state of overwhelmingly intoxicated.

    "What the hell." Jemma whispered hoping her dad couldn't hear her. He couldn't.

    "Now that Kelly and Ruby are gone I'm gonna come get you. I'll save you from Veronica and it will be like a second chance for both of us. Won't it Jemma?" Her dad said with the utmost seriousness that he was able to convey.

    Jemma was beyond confused at this point. Not only because her mother, Veronica, had been dead for years but also because she had no idea who Kelly and Ruby were. She shook herself out of her mind to listen to the rest of her father's mumblings. She heard him say, "Well I guess for me it would be a third chance but you know what they say third time's the charm."

    "Third chance?" Jemma questioned

    "Yeah, Veronica and you were my first chance. Then there was Kelly and Ruby. But now it's going to be just you and me. I promise just you and me." He looked like he was telling the truth but to Jemma her father made no sense whatsoever.

    "What happened to Kelly and Ruby?" Jemma asked still having no clue as to who either one of them were.

    "Well Ruby wouldn't stop crying. She just wouldn't shut up and I just couldn't help myself. Then Kelly walked in and she started crying too. I don't like crying so I made her stop like I made Ruby stop. But that doesn't matter anymore because now it's just you and me Jemma." What did he do to them? Jemma could only guess and every possible scenario terrified her.