Winter's POV.
I woke up the next morning to see Meena peacefully sleeping while rolled up in the big blue blanket I gave her. Smiled and got off the blowup mattress and walked downstairs, in my shorts and t-shirt.
"Morning dear. How was the sleep over?" Mum asked as she stirred the sugar in her coffee.
"Fine mother, can you give Meena a ride to the theatre later? I need to head to the prison." I asked. She nodded, knowing about the letter and that my parents were in jail now.
"Bye sweetie, and don't let them get to you or mess up what you think is right."
"I won't Mum. I love you, and I will always love you." She smiled and I went to change into jeans, a black tank top and my black heeled boots. I grabbed my car keys and house key and left with a kiss on Mum's forehead. I drove to the prison after talking to Officer Talook. He said that they prepared for my visit and were ready, but that only my mother was gonna talk to me. They told me that she would explain why.
"Ms. Larona. Come right this way." Said a rhino is the police uniform. I nodded and walked behind him. I saw were others usually visit the prisoners and saw a gorilla boy talking to an older gorilla. Probably his father...
"Winter! My baby girl! You've grown so big!" I heard my mother cheerfully comment.
"Mother. So why is father not here as well?"
"The guards think your father would try to convince you to break us out or to be a criminal like us! But they don't know that in the one who'd do that." She giggled as she saw the officers leave us alone.
"Why? Why did you leave me 11 and a half years ago?!" I yelled at her, feeling tears prick my eyes.
"Sweetie, we didn't want to! We were only robbing the bank so we could have more money, and it was suppose to be a sing job and we'd be home before you woke up in the morning! But your father was stupid and set off and alarm." Mother explained.
"You didn't need to steal money mother! We didn't need money! We had what we needed! And if we didn't then Nana would have helped us!" I yelled as tears flowed from my eyes.
"Do not speak her name! She is nothing to our family! You hear me?! She did not offer to help us at all! When you were a cub, Nana didn't help me and your father get off the streets! So don't ever speak her name again!"
"She is the closest thing I have to family than you or father will EVER be! She took me in after you went missing! After a couple months Ms. Crawly took me in and I've been treated like a daughter more than you have ever treated me! So don't you DARE say those things about ANY of my family! You and father are DEAD to me! You have been since you wen missing! I was too naive to see that..." I sobbed out. Mother put one of her golden furred hands on the glass. I simply backed away and turned to leave.
"You've always been a disappointment to me... Just like your brother." Mother whispered.
"Leave him out of this! He left to except your cruel idea of family! I know he made the right choice now!" I yelled at her and walked out.
"Ms. Larona, is everything alright?" Asked the same rhino that escorted me to see my mother.
"They are no longer my parents..." I whispered. I knew that Larona wasn't my real last name, it was a cover up since my parents we criminals before I was born. "Please. Don't ever contact me about my parents unless it is if they somehow escape..."
"Understood ma'am. Would you like me to escort you out?"
"No. I'm fine, thank you." He nodded and went to go help some other guards with prisoners. I walked to the entrance with blurry eyes an bumped into a dark figure. I landed on the cold ground.
"I'm so sorry- wait, aren't you Winter Larona?" Asked the gorilla boy that I recognized from the visiting booths and the auditions. I nodded. "You haven gone to rehearsals, Mr. Moon has been worried about you and Ms. Crawly has tried to assure him that your fine."
"Well, I'm not. I found out my parents have been in jail for the last 11 and a half years. And I just visited my mother and ha an argument with her..." I said quietly and silently cried.
"I didn't hurt you, did I?" He asked me as he kneeled at my side.
"Not really, but I can't get up..." I whispered. He nodded and picked me up and held me on his hip. I dug my head into his neck.
"You didn't by any chance drive here, did you?" He asked me once we exited the building.
"My cars the red sports car parked on the right." I pointed. He nodded and walked over to it. "Here's the keys... Can you drive me to the Theatre? I need to teach Rosita to dance..." I mumbled into his neck. He nodded, took the keys and put me in the passenger seat and got in the drivers seat while I buckled myself in.
"Pretty nice car. Your boyfriend must love driving it." He complimented, trying to make conversation.
"I don't have a boyfriend. No guys date me for me. They are only after the fame I come with..." I grumbled as I search through the chanels.
"Oh... So... Um..." He said awkwardly trying to start a new conversation.
"Why were you at the prison?" I asked him. He shrugged.
"My Dad got arrested. It was partially my fault, or so he says. I was suppose to be the getaway driver but I got stuck in traffic since I was at rehearsal... Although I think it's stupid that I have to be in my dad's gang." He said annoyedly in his accent.
"Sorry. Did your dad get mad?" I asked as we stopped at a red light.
"Yeah... Practically disowned me he did..." He muttered. I rested my hand on his.
"My mother said I was a disappointment, just like my brother. My father wasn't there but I know that if he was, he'd probably agree. My brother left home when I was 3... He had said 'I don't want to be in mother's cruel idea of a family! If I could, I'd take you away with me but I can't, I'm sorry Win...' That's the last time I saw him. The next morning my parents found out and said he was a disappointment and that they disowned him." I explained.
"Well... We're here, do you want me to carry you inside?" He offered. I shook my head.
"No, but just in case, can you be my 'crutch'?" I asked him as I unbuckled and he opened my door.
"Sure. Here..." He said, helping me stand up. He held an arm behind me and one in front that I held onto. He opened the door and Mr. Moon ran up to us.
"Winter! Thank goodness your alright! Ms. Crawly kept trying to assure me your fine, but obviously something's wrong! Here, come sit." He said, clearing off a chair in his office for me. Johnny stayed with us and helped me sit. "So what happened?"
"Well... It started the night of the auditions. I went to visit Meena to encourage her to-"
"To be a part of the stage crew, yes she talked to me today!" Mr. Moon cut me off.
"What?" I whispered. I then realized Mr. Moon must not have been paying attention to her when she talked to him. "Well... I went home that night and when I entered my room I found a letter from Officer Talook. He had told me that my parents were in jail for the last 11 and a half years. Yesterday I stayed home until Meena called me to hang out, so we did for the whole day. This morning I asked Mum to drive her home while I go to the prison... I argued with my mother and we said a lot of things.... In a way she disowned me, and I have a feeling that Father has too..." I whispered the end in tears.
"I'm so sorry Winter... Do you want another day off?" Mr. Moon asks. I look to the door and see everyone there. I see Rosita in tears at the story.
"No. I have to teach Rosita to dance..." I explained. He smile and nodded. I stood up and Johnny immediately did to keep me balanced. "I'm fine now Johnny... Thank you." I told him and kissed his cheek. I could see a faint pink on his cheeks and I probably had pink on mine too.
"Thank you so much For offering to teach me, Ms. Lorona!" Rosita said, rubbing to me and shaking my hand. I pulled her in for a hug. When I pulled away I wiped her extra tears from te story.
"It's Winter. Consider me a new friend. To all of you. Except you Mike." I said, glaring at the mouse.
"What's it I done?!" He said defensively.
"I heard what you said to Meena, and I know what kind of mouse you are." I said, referring to the fact he likes to cheat and is an egotist. "You, Mike, better tread lightly around me."
"Duly noted." He nodded and I walked out with the rest. I walked into a room with Rosita and Gunter.
"So what's first Winter?" Rosita asked.
"Well, you just have to feel the music coarse through your veins. Relax and listen to the beat and let it sweep you away..." I said, closing my eyes as Gunter turns on some music for me. I allowed the music to take me away and I simply let every worry I ever had go.
"Your a great dancer!" Gunter complimented. I giggled at his accent and he laughed. "I knew I could make you laugh!"
"Was that your goal today?" I asked him laughing.
"No! My goal was to have fun!" Gunter cheered as he started dancing to the music. He twirled Rosita a bit and then a little piglet ran into the room.
"I'm so sorry! He had a fever so I brand him with me, I'm sorry!" Rosita kept apologizing. She didn't stop until I interupted.
"Rosita! It's fine, I live kids!" I giggled at her flustered face and the little piglet squirmed from her arms to get to me. I bent down to pick him up but he ran behind me to mess with my tail. "A-ahhh!" I yelped.
"I'm sorry!" Rosita said, taking the piglet off my tail. "Did he hurt you?"
"N-no... My tail is just r-really sensitive." I blushed as I smoothed down the fur from my tail. I cradled my tail until the feeling went away. "I'm okay now... Hand me him please?"
"Sure." She handed me the boy, thinking I'd hurt him since he messed with my tail.
"Now little boy-"
"My name is Erik!" He cheered as he cut me off.
"Now Erik, don't go messing with people's tails. They are really sensitive, especially cat's." I informed him. His smile turned to a frown and he nodded. "Wanna learn how to dance with you mom?"
"Yes!" He herred, his smile 10 times as bright as his first. I put him down and grabbed his hands. We danced a lot and he mostly either giggled or stepped on my feet. Every time he stepped on my feet, Rosita would apologize.
"Rosita, it's fine. It's only natural for beginners and he's simply a child, he doesn't know better." I smiled at her. She nodded but then something happened and she said that she couldn't do the competition, she was meant to be at home, being a house wife.
"She was a good dancer, no?" Gunter asked me when we cleaned up the papers from our little dance class.
"She has potential to do great, you all do in different ways. I'm sure she will realize that..." I said hopeful. I walked over to Mum's office and listened to Johnny play, he would wince when he missed a note or got it wrong.
"Yes, that was... Pretty bad." Mum said, stirring her coffee. Johnny soghed, not noticing me behind him. He was leave over the piano.
"Don't give up, it takes practice to be good. Rosita kept apologizing to me every time her son stepped on my foot when I taught him to dance." I giggled, he chuckled and turned to me with a somewhat doubtful look.
"I don't think I'll be any good. Maybe dad's right..." Johnny muttered. He stared at the ground and I saw Mum leave, so I walked to him and gave him a hug. "What are you doing?"
"You were there for me, so let me be here for you... Your father isn't right, you can do this. And if your father is right, then what about my parents? Are they right about me being a disapointment?" I asked him as he rested his chin in my shoulders and his arms were wrapped loosely around my waist.
"No... They aren't right, none of them. Only you're right." He chuckled and I simply giggled and pulled away from the hug.
"When am I not?"