Brothers I Never Knew ✔

Chapter Eighteen - Questions and Answers

Unedited

Room 4 was a simple room. Small, with dark grey walls, squeaky marble floors and a tiled ceiling. It only held one single table and two chairs, with a camera in the corner of the room, with a red light blinking every few seconds. On a single wall was a mirror, much like an interview room. Cameron suspected her brothers were behind it watching her and the woman sat in one of the chairs.

This woman, that was meant to be her mother, looked nothing like herself. Frizzy, chestnut brown locks were tied up into a rough ponytail. Dark blue eyes held bags underneath them. Pasty pale skin made her look like a ghost. This was not how Cameron thought her mother would look like, though she never really had any expectations to begin with. 

However, the way this woman sat, back ramrod straight, lips in a line with her blue eyes analyzing each of Cameron's moves, she knew this woman was not how she seemed. Even though she seemed frail and tired, dressed on a blue prisoner outfit, there was a spark in her eye that said otherwise.

The handcuffs keeping this woman, her birth mother, attached to the table, rattled as she crossed her wrists. Cameron glanced from her mother, to the mirror, before she moved to take the only empty seat by the table. 

They sat in silence for a few moments, each taking their time to analyze the other. Their eyes connected for a single second, and that was all it took for a hint of recognition to enter her birth mother's eyes.

"Cameron," She whispered, the slight widening of her eyes showing her astonishment. 

"You know my name then," Cameron responded, still unsure what to make of this person.

"Of course I do, I am your mother." 

"My birth mother." She replied bitterly. "I don't even know your name."

"Your brothers did not tell you?" The woman side-eyed the mirror, a sneer growing on her face. She directed the next sentence towards the mirror, but continued looking at Cameron. "I thought I taught them better than that." 

"Maybe you shouldn't have been teaching them anything, with how you ended up." Cameron gestured to the room around them, feeling slightly protective since her brothers weren't in the room to defend themselves.

"I suppose not." She spoke with an air of suspicion. She crossed her leg over the other, leaning onto the table. "My name is Penny."

"Just Penny?" Cameron questioned, eyebrow raised. 

"That is what I said."

"Okay," Cameron nodded, only for a piece of hair to fall into her face. She grabbed it and tucked it behind her ear. "I've come here for answers."

"No."

"Why not?" Cameron quickly replied, not wanting it to be a waste of time coming to the prison. 

"You do not deserve answers." Penny spoke clearly, staring down her nose at Cameron. 

"I don't deserve answers? Are you serious?" Cameron scoffed, frowning. With what she had been through, she felt she deserved at least some answers.

"Don't frown too much dear, you will end up with wrinkles." 

Cameron rolled her eyes at the scathing comment. Who did this woman think she was?

"Why don't I deserve answers?"

Penny smirked, chapped lips cracking. "What's done is done, you can't change the past."

"No," Cameron agreed, "But when the past is coming to bite me in the arse, I can sure as hell try my best to change the future."

Cameron was the one smirking now, Penny obviously disliking her use of 'vulgar' language by the changed in her expression. Her scrunched up nose and agitated glint in her eyes gave her annoyance away.