I hold a sleeping baby in my arms as it drinks the milk the police officer let me have.
"Tell us what happened." A cop said threatening like to me
"Back off man, this is my fiancé." Ash said holding his hand up to him. I grab Ash's hand and the officer backs up a bit.
We sit in the area that we were in near a board that has a lot of words and photos of people and Mason and just everyone.
Ash sits next to me and an FBI agent replaces the officer.
"I'm agent Zack Miller." He starts "you will be here for pretty long time." He says giving me a sympathetic look
"I know." I hold Ash's hand intertwining them.
"Emma," he softly says and I turn my head
"My names Elena." I look at the baby
"Elena, you have to tell me everything that happened when you were with Mr. James." I furrow my eyebrows
"Who?" I ask
"Mason." He reassures me
"Why?" I ask
"Because we need to put him away." He said and I sigh
"Please don't make me." Tears threaten to leave my eyes and Ash holds my hand tighter.
"You have to." The officer said "it's for your safety and others." He sincerely replies.
"Where'd you put Trisha?" I asked
"We are interrogating her." I furrow my eyebrows
"Why would you do that?" I ask
"She's been held there for so long as a prisoner she might join with them in there violent acts." He replies and I shake my head
"No, she wouldn't do that." Someone came behind me and grabbed the baby from me.
"Mrs. Vanderwall, please come with us." He pleads and I sigh
"It's Mrs. Steel now." I say and ash smiles at me knowing it's his last name.
"Let's go." He said, I hesitantly get up and Ash walks with me putting his arm around me and my arm around his waist. "Would you like coffee or tea?" He asked
"Tea please." I sit down in a room.
"Baby, I got to go. It's already six." Ash says when I sit "do you want me to stay?" He asks
"No, I will be fine." I grab his hand and he bends down to give me a quick kiss.
"Just call." He says and leaves. When I give him the keys to my car.
"What does he work as?" The agent asks setting my tea down in front of me
"He's a new police officer." I mess with the tea bag.
"Let's start from the beginning." He says recording and I look into the camera, I take a deep breath in.
"Me and Trisha were at a party." I start and take a sip of the tea "I was in the basement and she was in the living room, I think. I went to go get a drink when a guy said his name was Mason." I lift my leg up, putting it close to my chest "we went upstairs,"
"Where was Trisha?" He asked
"She was with another guy. We made out and he grabbed something out of his pocket and put it over my mouth and nose."
"Chloroform?" He asked and I nodded
"He took us to his house." I rub my temple "he put me in his room. One day Trisha and Lance were fighting and Lance said he kills the girls after..." I couldn't say it "he would kill girls after having sex." A tear slipped my eye but I quickly wiped it away so he wouldn't see
"What happened after?" He asked writing things down
"My mom, she didn't care for me. My dad died. What else was there to live for?" I shrug my shoulders. "So, we..." I suck in a breath "I..."
"Take a breath." He says touching my hand with slightest touch, like I was easy to brake.
"I forced myself to just get it over with and have it done with." I whispered looking down "Trisha she had Lance and he loved her! But I got Mason."
"Why do you say Trisha and Lance were in love?" He asks
"Because, they got married the exact same day I gave up. When I couldn't handle anything and just laid on Masons couch, in his room, and didn't eat, sleep, move, or talk." Another tear slipped my eye "for two months I stayed like that. Two! I got kidnapped again after a month when Mason kidnapped me, i think." I stood up "he hurt me." I say and lift my shirt up partially so he can see
"What was the mans name?" He asked
"I can't remember." I sit back down and took a drink "for almost a year, I was captive to Mason. He hit me, choked me, slapped me!"
"Calm down Mrs. Steel." He says "how did you escape?" He asked
"Trisha and Lance." I looked at him "they lent me a car, fake ID's, phone to not be traced, and a college. Stanford."
"Why didn't you come to the police about what happened?" He wondered and wrote more
"Trisha was pregnant and married." I whispered
"Do you know if it was consensual or rape?" He asked I looked at him
"Consensual." I reply looking down and taking a sip of tea
"The jury is not going to say it was consensual." He remarked
"I know." I reply
"After a month, did you and Mason have any more intercourse?" He asked and words got stuck in my throat, I couldn't speak and I sure as hell couldn't move. "Mrs. Steel?" He ponders
"Yes." I lowly whisper with croaks
"Was it consensual or not?" He asked, a tear slips my eye again and again. But this time it wouldn't stop.
"Yes!" I cry out sadly and cover my face
"Mrs. Steel, it's alright." The agent calmly says
"No it's not." I shake my head "I'm a monster!" I sob loudly "I'm a monster." I whisper hiding my face again, this time both my legs were to my chest
"Just take deep breaths." He calmly tells me to do. "We are going to call your mom-" be fire he could finish I looked up
"No!" I warn "please no." I say grabbing his hand tightly "I don't want to see her." I say
"Okay." He sighs
"He had hit me so hard that my eye was bruised. One time we got into a fist fight and I busted my lip. And that's when Trisha knew and Lance knew they had to get me out of there." I tell the agent.
~
Agent miller stood up and opened the door for me to leave the interrogation room. I hesitantly, with wobbly legs, got up and went for the door.
"It hurt you know." I turn back to the agent "having to leave Trisha alone, please don't separate her and Lance." I beg and an officer lightly take my forearm and leads me out to his car.
"You're Vanderwall's daughter, aren't you?" He asks and I nod "I knew him," he starts and opens up the door for me and looks down at me "I told you if you needed anything to just tell me." He closed my door and went to his side
"You're that officer?" I ask with excitement laced in my voice
"Yes." He says "I knew how it felt to have a father die at your age." He said "it doesn't get easier, but it does get better." He smiles at me
"I'm sorry." I say and he starts to drive to my house.
"It doesn't bother me no more." He says "I hear you got yourself a fiancé." He smiles and I smile back at him
"Yes. Do you have a fiancée?" I ask and he nods yes
"And two kids." I smile after I hear him say that "twins, a boy and girl."
"I never really thought of having kids." I say "I didn't even consider myself as a mother figure." I whisper
"I know you would be a great mother! The way you handled Trisha's child." He stops the car and we are in front of my house.
"Thank you." I say getting out and giving him a smile. I sniff in the fresh beach air and the sun that is peeking above the shore, saying 'look at me!'
I walk upstairs and take off my shoes and feed Aniease. I lay on the bed with my knees bent and my hands under my cheek. Pathetically I start to cry, the tears start to run down my cheek and onto the pillow. They never stop, but they always continued. I had my back towards the door so when I heard Ash I could wipe the tears away and greet him with a smile.
I wiped my now swollen eyes from the tears and did it over and over. My phone starts to ring but I don't budge, I don't move to grab it. I sob a big cry again when I feel the bed indent, I turn to see Ash and I sit up and he hugs me tightly as if something was going to tear him away from me. I cried on his shoulder as he rubbed my back.
"Please, don't cry." Ash begged letting go of me and wiping my tears as I held his wrists. "I got a paper." He said and I he gave it to me
"What is it?" My voice was raspy
"You'll see." He sadly says and I take a paper out and read it.
"Court!?" I yell getting up
"And I have to attend as an officer." He says
"I don't want to see him." I say holding myself
"You have to testify against him." Ash puts his hands on my hips "or you can choose." I feel him lift his index fingers on my sides and put them back down
"Then that means we have to stay here longer." I whine and look down at him sitting on the bed, I pull my hands through his hair on the side
"At least he'll be locked up!" Ash enthusiastically said
"What if he gets out." I say "and that job in Colorado? I want to go to Colorado." I say wrapping my hand behind his neck, I start to sit on him
"It's all up to you. It's your fight, but I'll support you in whatever." He says and I smile "there's my fiancée!" He yells and pecks my lips holding onto my waist
"I don't know where I would be without you." I softly say and lean my forehead on his.
"As long as you aren't with that monster." He hugs me tightly.
~
I call back Zander since he's the person I missed the call
"Hey Elena! Is everything okay?" Zander asks me through the phone sounding worried
"I'm fine." I say "I'm moving to Colorado in four days." I come out with it
"I can help you with your art career there." He says immediately
"That would be nice." I whisper
"Elena, are you sure everything's fine?" He asks again
"Yes Zander. What did the lady say?" I ask changing he subject
"She loved it and I got the money. Let's meet tomorrow." He says
"Not tomorrow. After tomorrow." I say "I'm busy."
"Okay, that's fine with me." He cheerfully says "anyways, bye Elena."
"Bye, Zander." I hang up.
"Hey, babe! I'm going to invite Nate and Amber for dinner and tell them what's happening." Ash says from the kitchen "about us moving." He confirms me
"Okay." I answer back.
~
We all sit at the table. Me and Amber wear skinny jeans and loose sweaters while Ash and Nate wear jeans and a shirt.
"I got a promotion." Ash says to Nate and Amber
"That's cool what is it?" Amber asks
"We have to move to Colorado." I smile and take a sip of wine
"Move?" Amber asks sadly and Nate asks angrily
"Yes." Ash says taking my hand
"We both decided it is good for the both of us." I say smiling again
"But, we'll miss the wedding!?" Amber says with bulging eyes
"Not if it's in four days." I look up at her to see her face was glowing with excitement.
"Ahhh..." she starts to squeal "tomorrow we'll go shopping for dresses and Nate will take Ash for tuxes."
"We will be a bit busy tomorrow." I look at Ash then at my lap.
"With what?" She asks like we couldn't possibly have anything to do
"Nothing important." Ash butts in and gives her a quick smile.
~
"Bye Amber." I give her a hug, she looks around and whispers
"El, are heard someone crying a couple hours ago?" She said questionably
"Just a loud movie." I tell her
"Okay." She says sincerely "I'm here El, okay?" I nod "bye." She says and Nate puts his arm around her shoulder. I close the door and look back at Ash washing the dishes.
"She's getting suspicious." I say plainly taking off my shirt and going into our room taking off my pants too. He comes in and hugs me.
"We'll tell them after his is all over." He whispers
"Okay." I say and go into the closet taking off my bra and putting on a big shirt. "Why do you have to be an officer there?" I ask sitting on the bed while he takes off his clothes
"I don't know baby." He said putting on joggers.
We lay on the bed and I face away from the door, Ash's body against my back. He intertwines both of our right hands on top of each other's.
"I love you." He whispers
"I love you too." I reply pushing myself into him more.