away; b.e.

Chapter 3

"Are you sure you want to go through with this, because if this goes through, you will be on your own and have the responsibility as a regular adult," Maggie asked me as we sat in the lawyer's office. It was the next day, Finn and Billie are at sound check and I told Maggie that I want to be emancipated so my foster parents won't be getting checks in the mail because of me.

"I'm sure, I mean I have a full on job protecting Billie as well as you, Mr. O'Connell, and Finneas but my main priority is Billie, after all, I am her personal body guard. I'm getting paid, I'll always be on tour with you guys, so I don't really need a place to stay. Before the Dorian's took me in, I bounced from foster home to foster home, even lived on the street, so it's nothing I'm not used to," I reply.

Ashley and Drake Dorian, they needed money for their drugs and alcohol addictions, I needed a place to live, so they fostered me. Drake is an alcoholic and constantly does cocaine, Ashley does heroine, they made sure that all the alcohol and drugs were out of the house as well as their systems before people came to the house to check up on me.

Maggie nodded at my answer, and the lawyer came back in with the papers, "Miss Stone, in my hand I have the emancipation papers. All you need to do is sign it," he said.

"Easy," I say, getting a pen.

"As well as your foster parents," he finished.

"Not that easy," I combat. I mean how the hell am I supposed to get Ashley and Drake to sign the papers? It's not going to be easy, but I have an idea.

"Ok, I'll get it done, thank you for everything Mr. Campbell," I say getting up front the chair.

"Anytime, and please, call me James," he says, coming around his desk, handing me the papers and giving me a hug before whispering "good luck" into my ear. I thanked him once more and then he and Maggie continued to talk, I just headed out of the building and ordered myself an Uber to Ashley and Drake's house.

***

I knock on the door, no one is answering. I've been standing here for about 4 minutes now knocking, "Emilie, is everything alright?" Mrs. Vanderwall asked, she's my neighbor, well, was my neighbor, I don't live here anymore. Anyways, she lives next door and is from London, her husband passed away about 3 years ago and it hurt everyone in the neighborhood, he was the nicest person you would ever meet, as well as Mrs. Vanderwall.

"Yeah, everything is fine Mrs. Vanderwall, I just need Ashley and Drake to sign these emancipation papers," I reply.

"Well I have a spare key, Mr. Dorian gave it to me just in case. It's that hag, Ashley that hated it when he spoke to me. She always thought that he was flirting, I'm 82 for Christ's sake, the man is 29," she says.

Straight people, I'll never fully understand them.

"Can I get that key?" I ask. Mrs. Vanderwall rushes inside and comes back giving me the keys to the door. I unlock the door and walk in, suddenly them stench of weed and alcohol hit my nostrils.

Then I heard muffled yelling.

What the fuck?

"Ashley, Drake, it's Emilie, I need you to sign these papers, where the hell are you guys?" I yell, walking around the house. The muffled yelling startd getting louder until I could make sense out of it all.

"Emilie, thank Christ, help us, we're upstairs, we're tied to the chairs," I hear Drake yell. I rush upstairs and try to open the master bedroom door, to my luck, it's locked.