I practically ran up the stairs. From upstairs, I could hear Mary and Kevin arguing with Karen about how unfair what was going on was.
One I reached my room, I wondered what I was going to take with me and leave at that house. I took down and folded up my posters of my favorite bands that had been hanging on the walls.
I took all of my T shirts, leggings, jeans, socks, hoodies, sweatshirts, and everything else that was in my dresser and shoved it into a large suitcase. Thankfully, it all fit.
My eyes scanned the room, that now looked destroyed and empty. I barely even recognized it. I picked up my backpack for school, and swung it around my shoulder.
My hands wrapped up all of my phone chargers up, and shoved that into the suitcase. All of my pictures and polaroids of Zane and I made their way into my purse.
The makeup bag that was essential to my everyday life was also packed into the overstuffed suitcase.
That was everything. Everything I needed was now in my hands.
I turned my head to take one last look at the room. That was the room that I had spent the last seven years of my life in. I slowly shut off the light and closed the door.
In the back of my mind, I knew I would never see that room again. Maybe it was a blessing in disguise. It felt weird to know that I would never walk back up the same steps again to walk to that room that I had once called mine.
As I walked out of the room, my fingers traced the marks on the hallway walls. I knew I would never walk down those corridors again.
My feet, covered in socks, slid along the polished hardwood floors. The walls were covered in family photos, and school pictures. None including me.
I knew I was never welcomed there, or ever even wanted. And I had accepted that. I never even wanted to be there, which was the reason why I was leaving.
As I skipped down the steps, I tried to clear my mind. It wasn't even that big of a deal, I was overthinking it. Right?
"Oh darling, hop in the car. We don't have much more time to spare!" Karen told me, as I stood in the doorway of the front door.
"Alright," I replied walking to her car.
I pulled all of my belongings with me, and shoved them all into the backseat of the vehicle.
"Rae, come back here. We can straighten this out." Kevin pleaded.
I looked at him.
"Kevin, she is no longer your daughter." Karen informed him, taking loud steps in her high heels to her car.
I sat down in the right back seat, leaning my head against the headrest. I was so tired.
Tired of Mary. Tired of Kevin, even though he was semi- innocent. Tired of Kyle, and Connor. Tired of Victoria, even though I hadn't interacted with her in about two months.
I was tired of not being around Zane.
Mary knocked on the car window that was right next to me. She was signaling for me to roll down my window.
So I did.
I stared at her.
"Rae, you don't know what your doing." Mary told me.
"Mary, I don't think you realize why your doing. In fact, your making a fool of yourself." I rolled my eyes.
"Rae Carnaby. Get out of this car, right now." She sneered.
"No." I sighed, "It's not Carnaby anymore. You have no power over me. Now, you are basically a stranger to me."
"SHES RIGHT." Karen chimed in.
Kevin slowly walked back into the house. He had given up.
"I AM MOST CERTAINLY NOT A STRANGER TO YOU." Mary yelled.
I looked away from her, "Goodbye Mary."
Before she could respond, I rolled my window up. Karen started driving away.
I could see Mary standing in the middle of the road. I turned around. I didn't want to look at her anymore.
The rear view mirror showed the house, and Mary. I never turned back. The mirror showed Mary slowly turning into a small dot in the distance.
I had been free from their clutches.
"That was interesting." Karen muttered.
"Tell me about it." I laughed.
"Don't worry about it darling, it's all over now." Karen insisted.
"Yeah, I hope."
_______________________
Karen parked her car in a free space in the parking lot a large building. It had a big sign in the front that read, "Child Services, Come On In!"
Oh how welcoming.
I got out of the car, and yanked all of my bags out with me.
"Don't be scared, darling. Keep in mind that you don't have to say anything, that's my job." Karen looked at herself in her portable mirror.
I didn't respond. All I wanted to do was get in and out of this place.
As we walked in, a little bell rang above the door, telling everyone that someone had walked in.
Karen led me to the front desk. A thin woman with extremely straight brown hair and glasses stared up at us from behind her computer.
"Hello. Yeah, I have a meeting I need to get to for a Rae Carnaby. Well, that isn't her last name anymore, but that's what we'll call her for now." Karen fake smiled.
"Alright, just go through that hallway, and it's gonna be the first door on your left." The receptionist told us.
"Thank you. Let's go, Rae!" Karen exclaimed, taking my arm.
We made our way down the hallway, and to the first door on our left, like the woman had explained to us.
Karen pushed the door open, and the second she did, the scent of a little too much cologne filled the air.
I looked around and saw three different men gathered at a long table, all shuffling through a bunch of paper work.
That's when I saw him. The boy I hadn't seen in months. I could recognize that afro and those black, thick framed glasses anywhere.
Our eyes met.
"Ah, Karen, there you are." One of the men said in a deep voice, sounding relieved.
The boy in the glasses spoke up, "Can you guys give us a sec?"
Karen and the men stared at him.
"Oh, uh, yeah sure." The smaller man started walking out of the door.
All of the other adults followed him. The second the door closed, I looked over at him again.
"Asher?" I murmured.
"Rae?" He asked me looked surprised.
My mouth fell open, and I dropped all of my bags. He stood up and walked towards me with open arms.
I smiled, and hugged him.
"I didn't think I'de ever see you again." Asher told me.
"Same here." I backed away from him.
That's when I got confused.
"Wait ... how did you get here?" I asked him.
"It's actually a long story. Kind of like your in a way." He explained.
"Alright, tell me." I insisted.
"Okay. So, it all started when you left. Or as I call it, escaped. All of the workers there at the asylum realized that they should release the people that had proof that they were innocent of what people had accused them of." He started.
I listened carefully, trying to remember every single detail.
"Basically, I was in the asylum because someone had told the police that I murdered and did some stuff to a little four year old girl. Which makes me sick." As her admitted, looking embarrassed.
"Dear lord," I practically whispered in shock.
"But I had video proof and evidence that I didn't do it." He reasoned, "So after three years of being in that asylum, the manager finally looked over all the evidence, and realized that I was innocent. So ... they let me go."
I smiled at him again, "Asher! That's great! At least the part of you getting released is great."
"Heh, yeah it is. I mean ... it was. Until I got home. I thought things would be awesome. My mom and dad would be happy, and my sibling would be too. Yeah, that's what I thought would happen."
I got nervous.
"Instead ... they disowned me." Asher looked really sad.
My lips parted slightly, "God, Asher. I'm so sorry."
"It's alright. None of this is your fault. I'm over it now, I've accepted the fact that I gotta completely change my life."
"I can completely relate." I tried to make him feel just a little bit better.
His eyes stared down at the floor. I copied him.
"Wait ... why are we in the same meeting?" He wondered.
I thought about it, "I don't know ..."
After a few seconds of silence, Asher looked shocked, "You don't think ..."
My eyes slowly widened.
"That's right!" Karen burst through the door, "You guys are gonna be brother and sister!"