- Ashlyn's POV -
I was so sleepy that I hadn't realized that we were not going to my house until we pulled up at a...... police station?
a police station!
"What the fuck is going on!?" I yelled.
"Lillian, please calm down. we're going to get you help." Miss Lovato said.
"No! I don't need your help!" I yelled, trying to open my door to attempt to run since my leg felt better.
but the door wouldn't open.
I pulled the handle and hit it with all my strength but it would budge.
"Please! let me go!" I yelled.
Dallas ..... was that her name? she turned in her seat to look back at me. she gave me a sympathetic look before she spoke.
"Here's the deal. you can either walk in there without any problems orrrrrr I can go get a police officer and have him or her come out to get you but either way, you are going in there. whether you like it or not." she said.
I just began to cry and kick the back of her seat.
I know what you're thinking. I am so immature. I'm acting like a child but I honestly don't know how else to act in this situation. I mean, how would you act?
Dallas sighed. "I guess I'm going to get a police officer."
"No! i'll go." I said. I had a plan but I don't know if it'll work; I mean, Dallas looks pretty fit if you ask me and I don't work out nor do I eat plus I'm fat.
so I doubt it will work.
I looked at Miss Lovato for the last time I ever, I hoped. its not that I don't like her, I do, well I did. well, technically, I didn't when I first met her but then I did and now I don't in a way. I don't know; confusing.
Dallas opened my door and I stood calmly.
right when I had the chance, I ran.
I ran as fast as I could, not making the mistake of looking back, it would just slow me down.
I jumped over a median in the road, just missing a car.
I ran to the other side and looked back quickly.
Dallas was chasing me and she was fast!
and instead of getting slower, she got faster.
I kept running through a field and then a parking lot.
that was a mistake because a police car pulled into it and Dallas was still behind me.
I was stuck.
I just dropped to my knees and my whole body shook with horrible sobs.
I was stuck.
stupid! you cant even run away right! pathetic as usual.
the voices in my head began.
I couldn't hold it in.
I screamed.
"Shut up!" I screamed, smacking my fist hard against my head.
I felt myself being pulled up and...
into a hug?
I recognized the smell.
Miss Lovato.
I wanted to pull away but instead, I just started to cry into her shoulder, being that we were the same height.
"I'm so sorry." I cried.
she rubbed my back as if we had all the time in the world to hug in a parking lot.
I felt wetness in my hair. and not because my hair was stuck to my wet face but because Miss Lovato was crying too.
"I'm sorry too." she said, letting me go.
she looked me in the eyes, her hands on my shoulders. "Will you please walk back with me, without any problems?" she asked me.
I sighed and nodded.
she gave me a weak smile. "Okay, lets go." she said, walking with me with her hand on my back.
Dallas was close behind us and the police officer said that he would meet us there.
I walked with Miss Lovato and Dallas, not talking at all.
it was a beautiful silence.
we stopped at the door of the police station.
she went to open it and tried to guide me in but I didn't move.
she gave me a worried look.
"I'm scared." I managed out, not even sure how.
"I know. but it'll be okay, even if I have to adopt you myself." she said, smiling a little.
I didn't quite believe her so I looked back at Dallas who smiled at me reassuringly.
it took everything in me, which wasn't a lot, but I finally took the final step into the building, letting the door close behind me.
I held back my tears and watched as Dallas signed us in.
"Miss Lovato?" I said.
she shifted her attention to me. "Call me Demi." she said.
I gave her a weird look, like she had grown two heads. and to me she did, one was named Miss Lovato and the other named Demi.
its a nice name but im so used to calling her Miss Lovato.
"Demi, would you really adopt me?" I asked. I regretted asking her because I was terrified of her answer but she smiled at me.
"Yes, I would. and I will if they cant find a home close by so I can still be your teacher." she rubbed my back.
"But you have Mackenzie. I would just be a burden on you." I said, looking straight into her eyes, looking for a hint of lie. there was none. she was serious about adopting me.
"Trust me, Mackenzie would loooooooove to have a sister. plus, I'm sure you could help me with her. and you wouldn't be burden at all. in fact, you would help me a lot." she said. I crinkled my eye brows.
how would I help her?
was there something I didn't know?
of course there is, I don't know anything about her really.
she smiled that 'don't worry about it' smile. I looked down at my fingernails, all of a suddenly interesting in them.
I still had my long sleeve shirt on. of course.
I always wore them to cover cuts and scars.
and I never wore shorts.
after a few minutes, Dallas sat beside me.
I was now between them.
I looked back and forth from Dallas to Miss Lo- Demi.
they looked alike... a lot.
I thought Dallas and Demi were friends but maybe they are related.
"Dallas?" I said.
Dallas shifted her attention from the tv to me.
"Yes?" she said simply. way more simply than Demi would have.
"Are you related to Miss Lovato?" I said, forgetting, again, that I could call her Demi now.
she chuckled "You mean Demi? Yeah, she's my little sister."
I looked shocked. though im not sure why because they looked exactly alike.
they could never pass as twins but you would guess sisters before friends.
I guess im just slow.
I looked back down at my sleeves, tugging at them, pulling at the loose threads.
"Mathews?" a lady yelled from a door. I looked up at Dallas and she nodded, standing.
Demi also stood. we all three walked into a small room, much like an office.
"Okay, my name is Ms. Greene and I will be y'alls worker. so here it says, you're getting abused. can you tell me about that?" the lady said.
I didn't speak, I just looked at Demi and Dallas who were on either side of me.
Demi put her hand on my back, giving me a reassuring look.
I nodded at her and took a deep breath.
"Well, I-he, i mean, ugh this is so hard!" i yelled in frustration, slamming my hands to me face.
"You don't have to tell me everything but i need as much information as possible. the more i can get against him, the more time he'll have in prison." the lady, Ms. Greene said.
i took a deep breath and removed my hands from my face.
i was about to give up everything to these people. they were going to know everything, almost everything anyways. they were going to know my flaws. my horrible life story. they were going to throw a pity party and tell me how wrong it is and how no one deserves to be treated like that.
bullshit of course. i sighed. again.
"When i was little, my life was great. i had both parents but one day, my mother died of a heart attack. my father blamed me because he said that i was stressing her out. he seemed more angry than sad that she was gone. he started to drink, and this is where the story gets hard." i said, Demi rubbed my back. i noticed that she did that a lot and i liked it. it felt like a warm gesture, kind of like a hug i guess.
i continued. "One night, he was so drunk. he couldn't walk straight. i was about 10 years old. i didn't quite understand what was going on so i asked him if something was wrong. he took offensively of course and that's when he took his belt off. i don't remember much more of what happened but i woke up in my bed with my legs and arms and back stinging. i asked myself continuously if it were like a normal spanking, because I'd never had one before. i examined my legs and decided it was pretty bad but i didn't say anything. i just forgot about it. i forgave him. but a few weeks later he came back home drunk. this time it was worse, he beat me with his fists. i told me that if i told someone, he would do it again and again and again everyday. i didn't tell for a long time. until i was almost twelve and i couldn't take it anymore. i told my school counselor but nothing happened to him or me. i still had to live with him and he knew i told. and if you thought it couldn't get worse, you're wrong. it did. i started to get bullied because i always wore long sleeved shirts and baggy pants. you know, so it would rub against my legs and butt. it continued daily for a year till they finally eased up. i mean, people still made fun of my choice of clothing, they said that i wore baggy clothes because i was 'secretly fat' and because i was emo. you know, typical things kids would say. i was only 13 then. then they started to say that i was poor and i couldn't afford new 'hip' clothes. i started some bad habits and they only got worse. i promised myself that i would 'get perfect' so no one would have an excuse to make fun of me but they just got more harsh. my life was at its worse then. i didn't speak at all. like, if the teacher said something to me, i would just stare at them, and i wouldn't dare open my mouth. people started to say that i was a freak and that i was too stupid to talk or to read aloud in class. i finally turned 14 but nothing changed. i couldn't talk to anyone at school, even the counselors and teachers and i didn't have any friends at all. i couldn't talk to my dad about it. i mean, it was all his fault. i attempted to get help again but it failed. my dad continued to beat me for no reason. people continued to make fun of me. i continued my bad habits. and my life? well, it continued to crumble. and now I'm 15, nothing has gotten better, its gotten worse actually. i blame myself for everything, though im not sure why. i mean, what did i even do wrong, you know? but the little voices in my head, that i swear will be the death of me, they keep telling me that im not worthy. not beautiful. not worth living. not good enough. not smart. im just stupid. pathetic. which i am pathetic. i mean, i cant even get in trouble right." i said.
i finally looked up and saw that i had everyone crying.
Ms. Greene, Demi, and Dallas. they were all in tears.
was i that pathetic that they had to cry?
"Lillian, that was very strong of you to share all of that with me. i promise, your..... forced... cry for help wont fail this time. i promise with everything i own, everything i am. i will get you out of there. um, two questions though. one, how did you get here?" Ms. Greene asked me.
"Well, i was staying the night at my teachers, Demi's house and she told me that she was a mandatory reporter... after i told her about the abuse." i said.
"Okay. and question two, what 'bad habits' are you talking about?" she asked me.
my heart dropped in my chest. i couldn't do it. i couldn't. i have told them everything, why do they need to know that? i just sat there. i didn't say anything.
i looked at Ms. Greene and she looked at me, expectant. "Please?" she said.
"Um, i starve myself." i said. i didn't lie but i didn't tell the whole truth either.
"Bad habits. plural." she said.
i sighed. i didn't feel like saying it so i rolled up my sleeves. hearing a slight gasp from Demi and Dallas looked away quickly, clearly trying to pull herself together.
i didn't think they were all that bad. i mean, they looked pathetic to me. they weren't deep enough and there wasn't enough of them either.
I'd fix that later, of course.
we all sat in silence for a few minutes as Ms. Greene exited the room for a minute.
"That was very strong of you, Lillian. i am so proud. i don't know how many people have ever been proud of you for something but i am." Demi said.
"Me too." i heard Dallas say, she still didn't look at me.
"She's not good with emotions or physical pain of any sort, even if its on someone else." Demi said to me.
i nodded and looked at Dallas who still wouldn't look away from a random picture on the wall.
"I'm sorry." i mumbled to her.
she nodded, still not looking at me. she stood up, looking at Demi, still not at me. "I'm going to remove my contacts and get my glasses." she said.
Demi nodded. "Get mine too?" she said. Dallas nodded, rubbing extra tears from her eyes.
she closed the door behind her.
"She doesn't dislike you, i promise. she has always been like that. she doesn't even handle happiness or excitement well. and she gets scared easily so don't try to scare her at all. she hasn't had a great past either, neither have i to be completely honest, but we made it okay, and so will you. and i tell you that form experience and love from everything in my heart." Demi said after a moment of silence.
i nodded, not sure what to say. i wanted to ask her about her past but maybe that would take it too far. how about a change of subject.
"What's going to happen to me?" i asked her.
"I'm not sure. they're probably going to remove you from the home. I'm pretty sure you'll have to testify but we'll work on that when we get there-" i cut her off.
"We?" i asked.
"Yes, of course. I'm not going to leave you. I'm staying. not going anywhere, Lillian. i am here forever. to help you, no matter what." she said.
i looked deep in her eyes and saw something i had never seen before, truth. i believe her.
Ms. Greene walked back in and sat before us. "So here's the news...."
To Be Continued...
************************************************************************************************************
SOOOOOOOOOO WHAT YOU GUYS THINK??????? YOU LIKE? I HOPE SO. I WANT TO ASK A FEW QUESTIONS:
1. SHOULD WILMER COME BACK INTO HER LIFE? (BTW THEY ARE NOT ENEMIES. THEY ARE FRIENDS WHO MADE A MISTAKE.... I WILL TALK ABOUT THAT IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!)
2. I DONT SHIP NEMI, DIALL, JEMI, DARRY, OR ZEMI SO WHO SHOULD BE DEMI'S LOVE INTEREST? WILMER MAYBE?
3. *MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION OF ALL* SHOULD LILLIAN MOVE IN WITH DEMI OR DALLAS?
I WILL UPDATE WHEN AT LEAST 3 PEOPLE ANSWER MY QUESTIONS IN ALL HONESTY. NO SPAM PLEASE!!!
IF YOU GUYS DONT ANSWER MY QUESTIONS THEN YOU'LL HAVE TO WAIT TILL FRIDAY FOR AN UPDATE!!!