Chapter 17
Chapter 17
Mia was in the cell her back pressed against the cold unforgiving wall. The metallic sound of the cell door echoed in her ears as the officer locked them all in.
Her sisters, Ann and Lily, were already at each other’s throats, their voices rising in heated argument. Their mother, angry and ashamed, stood between them, attempting to make them shut up.
“If the two of you don’t shut up, I swear to God….”
Lily and Ann decide to glare at each other instead.
Mia just sat at her corner watching them. Her heart ached with a familiar resentment. This family, her family, seemed to be a magnet for chaos and disgrace.
All her life she had longed for an escape, a life away from all these.
Is this how her family has always been? The answer is yes. Mia has had to live with different step dads to another new dad in Willowcrest.
Even the ones that stared at her waiting for her to grow up.
FLI
She and her siblings don’t have the same father and they don’t even know their father.
Her mother had told her once that one Mr Williams was her father. According to her, that’s the only man she remembers that got her
pregnant.
Mr Williams was rich, not the richest in Willowcrest but up there. Mia had stupidly approached him but met his wife and children too. The wife had threatened to kill her if she showed up at her doorstep again.
“A Turner my child, I don’t think so. You mother sleeps with 10 to 20 men a day girl”
Those words shaped a lot about her, she was only thirteen.
A sudden rattle on the cell bars drew her attention. An officer stood there, her expression indifferent.
“Your bail has been set at twenty thousand.”
The announcement was met with a chorus of disbelief.
“What?” Ann’s voice was sharp with shocked.
“Where do you expect us to get that kind of money from?” Lily says sounding frustrated
The officer shrugged, her face impassive. “That’s none of my business. If you have someone to call, let me know.” With that, she turned on her heel and walked away, leaving them to understand the level of their predicament.
Ann rounded on Lily, her eyes blazing. “This is all your fault!”
Their mother intervened, her voice stern. “Keep that fight and blame for later. Do you have anyone you can call that will get us out of this?” Her gaze shifted between her daughters, desperation all over her features.
Mia’s mind raced. Her brother was out of the question. Lucas was lucky to not have been at home when all this happened.
Then another name surfaced in her thoughts. She shook her head, dismissing it. No, she couldn’t involve him. She didn’t want him to know about this whole thing.
But then again, a place like Willowcrest, secrets had a short lifespan.
1/2
Her mother turned to Ann, a glimmer of hope in her eyes. “What about that foreign boyfriend of yours, Anna?”
Mia glances at Ann. She didn’t know Ann was seeing someone. Her sisters never do serious relationships.
Ann remained silent, her expression conflicted.
“I’ll call Derek, too,” Lily offered, though her voice lacked conviction.
The officer returned, unlocking the cell door to allow Ann and Lily to make their calls. Mia remained seated, her thoughts filled with fear and shame.
Her mother approached her “Are you okay?”
Mia met her mother’s gaze, her eyes brimming with unshed tears. She shook her head slowly. No, she was not okay. She was far from okay.
In the back of her mind, she wondered if Alex was trying to reach her. Should she call him? Could she bear to let him see her like this, entangled in her family’s disgrace? The thought of him seeing her here… No she can’t do that
As the minutes ticked by, Mia felt the seriousness of the situation more.
The walls of the cell seemed to close in, suffocating her with the reality of their predicament. She wants to scream for help, scream that she had no part in this….
She can’t do that, all she can’t do is wait.
Wait and hope that someone, anyone, would come to their rescue. And in the silence of the cell, she prayed that this nightmare will come to an end.
