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My temporary guardian, the lovely Ms. Sunshine — who actually knows what the fuck her real name might be, found me in my bunk today around noon. I hate calling her that, but it’s what the other girls facetiously called her during the brief introductions, on account of her “sunny disposition.” Really, she’s proven herself to be a raging bitch monster. I forgot her real name exactly four seconds after she told it to me though, so I’ve just rolled with Ms. Sunshine…
“Mrs. Ward’s here. Grab your shit. It’s time to go.” She sneers at me.
Wait, what?
“Go where? I thought I was just gonna stay here until I age out. Why would I need to go anywhere?” She glares at me,
“Just pack your shit. Apparently you’re too good for this place, Princess.”
Chapter Three
Quinn
“Look, I’m sorry I haven’t been very forthcoming with you, but I had to wait to confirm a few things before I could share any news. This isn’t the easiest thing to tell someone, but it’s surprisingly good news. At least, I personally think it’s good news. As it turns out, Lauren Davis was not, in fact, your real mother. Photographic and DNA evidence proves that you are actually a missing person from thirteen years ago.”
Mrs. Ward waits several breaths before continuing. Probably gauging my nonexistent reaction. She hands me a paper showing me one of those progression pictures that people create of missing kids over the course of however much time it’s been since they were last seen.
“Your name is actually Alessandra Evelyn Quinn Salvatore. You were abducted when you were three years old. Your mother, Cecelia Salvatore, has been looking for you for several long years and is eagerly anticipating your arrival back home. I’m sure you have questions and we’ll get you answers for them in due time. Right now, I need you to prepare yourself for a plane ride across the country… and probably a little bit of culture shock. You’re going to be released to your mother’s care and then fly to your new home in California.” Mrs. Ward states, calm as ever, like she’s not dropping bombs on me right now.
I don’t respond for several minutes as the clock on the wall ticks loudly. Finally, I have to laugh, shaking my head in disbelief.
“Is this some kind of sick joke?! Look lady, I’ve had a lot of shit thrown my way lately and I’m damn near my breaking point. You can’t honestly be sitting here, trying to tell me that I was stolen as a baby, only to be neglected and abused for almost fourteen years? You’re wrong. You’ve got the wrong girl. Why wouldanyonedo that? There’s literally no purpose. Tell me, what’s the freaking point in that?”
Shooting out of my chair, I slam my fists down on the table in front of me, then stand to my full height and square up like this bitch is actually trying to pick a fight with me. I’m starting to feel the heat shooting through my body, adrenaline hitting hard. Ineedto fight. I need to burn off this energy. None of this makes any sense.
“Alessandra-” she starts as she holds her hands up like she’s trying to calm a wild animal.
“Quinn; my name is Quinn.” I growl, throwing as much venom as I can into my words, my face expressing that this is not something I’m caving on.
She looks at me and her eyes soften, with the first genuine emotion I’ve seen from the woman. Compassion. Huh, maybe this job hasn’t entirely killed her soul, then.
“Ok, fine. Quinn. I need you to hear me. You’ll never know how sorry I truly am that those things happened to you. I’m so, so sorry you’ve had to endure the life you’ve lived. I hate it. Kids like you are everything I set out to help in this world. I can only imagine the kind of things you’ve been through, but I don’t have a logical explanation for why crazy people do the things that they do. There is never going to be a good enough reason for any person doing such a horrible thing. You, though? You’re a survivor. You’ve made it to the other side and now you get to golive.” She reaches out and gently nudges me back into my chair.
“I’ve been in this job long enough that I can say, sometimes bad things just happen to good people. It’s not often that I can say I get to see the result of a situation like this be a good one. Trust me when I say that this is a very good outcome. You get a chance to escape it. A chance to live and be anything other than the hand you’ve been dealt. From the few brief conversations I’ve had with Cecelia, I can sense that you’ve been terribly missed all these years and this will give you a truly amazing opportunity, A new chance at life. Embrace the good.”
* * *
Click.Open. Click. Shut.
Click. Open. Click. Shut.
“One day at a time.Embrace the good. One day at a time. Embrace the good.” I whisper it to myself over and over again as I sit in the same room where Mrs. Ward gave me the craziest news of my life, waiting for my real mom.
I smooth my fingers over the cold steel of my pocketknife as I flick it open and closed, keeping my new mantra running through my head. I learned the hard way. Growing up the way I did meant that I needed to always have my eyes and ears open. No room for error, and no time to question my judgement. The streets are dangerous at the best of times, and my house was never going to be a safe place to rest my head. I’ve always understood that anything could happen. Whether it was watching out for an errant needle or pill found around the house, I stayed on my toes, ready for fight or flight from the constant stream of men defiling whatever they could in ma’s house. Sometimes, it meant risking staying out all night and evading getting picked up by the cops. Or worse.
You don’t come out of a life like that without a little grit.
I stopped being scared forever ago. Or maybe I didn’t exactly stop being afraid but instead used that fear to fuel the fire, that not only kept me alive but made me push harder to escape. For the first time in a long time, though, I don’t have a plan and I don’t know what to look for to keep me safe. I’ll have to rely on pure intuition and instinct. Luckily, I usually catch on quickly. I just wish I had all the facts, or at least a little more information.
For the first time in years, I feel like the lost little girl from so many years ago who’s all alone. I feel like running and never looking back, yet something is stopping me. My intuition is telling me to stay put and see this through, and it’s never steered me wrong before. It’s actually kept me alive more times than I can count.
I mean, don’t I deserve the chance to meet the mother I was supposed to have all along? Pushing all of the helplessness and fear out of my mind, helps. I don’t have to be ignorant to it but I also refuse to let it take control. For now, it’s time to toughen up and keep the emotions threatening to swallow me whole out of it. I’ve never had anyone before and I don’t need anyone now. I can do this. I can meet her and let things happen slowly. If I don’t like it then I can run. I’ve basically lived on and off the streets my whole life - it won’t take much to disappear. The only thing I’ll have to do is figure out my education because that’s the only dream I’m not willing to give up. I’ve worked too damn hard to let it all go to the wayside. I gotta stop psyching myself out. It’s good to have a plan, but who knows, this could be really awesome. Then again, this woman couldn’t even keep me safe as a baby. Fat chance I’ll be able to trust or respect anyone like that, let alone like her.
Chapter Four
Quinn
“Where is she? Take me to her!Please,just let me see her!” I hear a woman’s cries and pleas and they hit me right in the heart.
