Chapter 2
I couldn’t breathe; I felt like everything was falling apart around me. There was so much blood. I can still hear their screams as I stayed quiet and hidden.
As I walked out with the officer, they put a white sheet over my parent’s bodies. They just kept asking me if I knew what happened or what I saw. Could I give them a description? No, because I didn’t see their faces.
Not once did they ask me if I was okay. It”s not like I would have answered any of their questions anyway. I just kept screaming as tears fell down my cheeks while I watched everything they did to them.
Now I’m sitting in the back of this car, headed for Cherryville Detention Center. They mentioned that’s where I’d be staying until they could find me a home. I move around, trying to unstick my legs from the seats. It”s hot outside, even at this time of night.
“Can you roll down the window, please?”
“Of course,” Ms. Stanley says, pushing a button, causing the window to roll down.
I feel the soft, warm air hitting me in the face. It feels good against my skin, especially chilling the areas that have streams of tears. I can’t believe this. This isn’t how life is supposed to be.
I never imagined spending my life without my parents. What will I do now? How will my life be? My mind just keeps spinning, full of unanswered questions.
“I know you”re scared. I can only imagine what is going through your mind.” She turns the rearview mirror to face me. “This place is great and offers a few exciting things to do. It’s only temporary until we can find a relative or home.”
Can I leave whenever I want?”
“I’m sorry, but no. You”re still a minor and currently a ward of the state.” She gives me a sympathetic look.
I roll my eyes and gaze out the window. I’m just hoping that they will find me a place soon. As far as I know, I have no other relatives. What did my dad get himself and our family mixed up in?
We pulled down a dark, dirt road. The car”s bumping and shaking made it obvious. I see a huge brown brick house on top of the hill on the right. The road continues straight ahead, with another road on the left. We drive up to the house, and when I step out of the car, I notice that the property is surrounded by woods. Just great. There’s nowhere to run or hide.
The door swings open, and a woman walks out, holding some papers. She tells us to please come in. I follow behind the worker and walk inside. Stepping inside, I look around while they exchange paperwork between them. I see the new woman is about five feet tall and has curly black hair that is shoulder-length. She’s wearing a black shirt, black army pants, and black army boots. Looking around the area we are standing in, it reminds me of a living room. It has an enormous bay window that looks out into the driveway, and three couches are sitting in a circular shape.
“Aluxis.” I turn my head towards them. “I’m leaving, but you”re in good hands. ”I will see you in a few weeks.” Ms. Stanley smiles.
She walks toward the door, leaving me standing here. Sure, like she will be back. I can see her getting into the car, starting it up, and backing out of the driveway.
“Aluxis. My name is Ms. Gina. I am here to welcome you in and get you settled. First, let me give you a tour and go over the rules and expectations with you,” she says.
We spent the next two hours going over everything.
“I’ll see you tomorrow morning at five am sharp. Let the night staff know if you need anything. Have a good night.” She says this, leaving me standing in my new room. It has four beds and locker-sized closets.
I”ll be sharing the room with three other girls. Thankfully, I was able to bring some of my own clothes and bed set from home. I made sure to grab my dad’s blanket and my mom’s necklace, so I had something from them both. Missing them is hard. I wipe the tears streaming down my face as I climb into bed and cry myself to sleep.
Something shakes my bed, causing me to wake up. What the fuck! I roll over and see four girls surrounding one of my roommate’s beds. Each of them holds a white tube sock with something inside.
“Let’s get this over with.” The one with a scar down her left cheek says.
“Yeah, before the staff returns. I’m not trying to lose my level again.” The tallest girl responds.
I watched them lift their hands, causing me to suck in a breath as they all looked up at me. The blonde puts a finger to her lips in a hush. Laying back down, I wished I could say anything or warn her. I don”t know what she did or said for this to happen. I also don’t want to get involved. I’m so caught up in my thoughts that I didn’t hear anyone speak.
“Stop! I’m sorry! It won’t happen again!” The girl is screaming as they land blow after blow on her body. She curls up in her bed.
“Last warning, bitch! I won’t tell you again. Stay away from him! He isn’t yours!” the leader, I”m assuming, who gave the hush movement says. They hit her a few more times until a staff member shouted up the stairs.
“What’s going on up there? You better not be fighting and in your own beds!” the squeaky voice says.
“Let’s get out of here! the brown-haired girl laughs.
“Oh, Maci. You have to learn your place. In here, we are in charge.” The blonde smirks. They head towards the door, looking out to their left and right, and walk back to their rooms.
I just lay there, too afraid to move or speak up.
“Don’t worry, they will get theirs soon. They think they can say and do what they want.” Maci says. She gets up and heads towards the bathroom.
The next morning, we were woken up by the staff. I still can’t believe this; it”s Saturday, and we don’t even get to sleep in. I walk into the room, looking around the room and noticing that Maci’s face and body are bruised and swollen. She looks up at me and smiles. She gets up, walks to her closet, pulls out a bottle, and heads towards the bathroom.
“Aghhhhhhh! What the fuck!” comes from the bathroom. Everyone rushes to see what”s happening. I walked in, noticing a smug look on Maci’s face. I see a girl from last night; she”s in a towel and crying.
“What happened?” Ms. Carol, one of the female staff members, says.
“She threw her piss on me while I was in the shower!” she screams, pointing at Maci.
“I want to press charges! I want her out of this house and put in a cage like all the other animals.” She screeches.
“I didn’t do anything. I was just standing here brushing my teeth when she screamed.” Maci says.
“Barb here was walking out of the showers when she saw me and screamed.”
“She’s lying!” Barb says this while glaring over at Maci.
“Alright, that’s enough! You two get downstairs and into my office now.” Ms.Carol says it with venom laced in her tone. What is wrong with these girls?
Walking downstairs, I take a seat by the bay window with some of the other girls. Once everyone files in, Ms. Carol walks out of the office.
“Okay, girls. Ms Gina will be here in a few minutes.” She states that as more girls take seats in the area,.
Looking out the window, a tear falls as I think about how I’ll never see my parents again. I’m so lost in thought that I didn’t notice the blue sedan pull in. Watching as Ms Gina steps out of her car and makes her way inside.
“Ladies, so I hear we had trouble last night as well as this morning.” She stands with her hands in her pockets.
“So let”s do this. Who wants to talk about what they saw last night?” She looks around the room, and not one person says anything.
“Okay. So nothing to say?” She looks around the room again. “Then everyone loses a level.”
Girls start yelling, screaming, and snitching on each other for different things. Ms. Gina whistles, causing everything to go silent. I just sit here, not saying a word, as she locks eyes with me.
“Someone explain levels to Aluxis.” She smiles.
“I will.” I turn my head and lock girls with this beautiful brown-eyed girl. It feels like we could be sisters or something.
“Each girl starts at level zero when they first arrive. We earn levels by completing chores, taking part in groups, and staying out of trouble. Every thirty days we get an evaluation, letting us know if we achieved a level or not. Once you complete your levels, you are eligible for early release if you”re here for court-ordered detention.”
I listen in as the group continues over the next two hours.
Once lunch and chores are done, we”re free to do as we please, as long as we avoid the upstairs rooms. I’m sitting at the table when Jojo, the girl who spoke in the group earlier this morning, comes over and takes a seat by me.
“Hey,” she says while looking over towards the kitchen.
“I noticed you don’t talk much. I heard what you said in group earlier, and I just wanted to say that I’m sorry about your parents. That’s got to be rough.” She places her hand over mine, giving it a little squeeze.
Looking at her, I nod my head, unable to speak the words as tears form in my eyes.
“Hey, it”s going to be okay. I know that”s easier said than done.” She reaches over to hold my hand.
“Listen, I lost my family too, just not in the same way as you. We were all separated when they raided our place. My parents only cared about getting their next fix.” Wiping her tears away, she gave me a small smile.
“Anyway, like I was saying, I could use a friend, and it looks like you could, too. What do you say?” She smiles at me.
“Sure, I’d like that,” I say, smiling back at her.
We spend the rest of the day talking and getting to know one another. It’s crazy because, as we talk, I can’t help but feel like I’ve known her my whole life. We are so similar, yet so different. For the first time since yesterday, I have a glimmer of hope for this place.
After dinner and cleanup, I’m so relieved to know I have a friend here. Now my time here won’t be as hard as I thought. I was worried that I’d be alone, which always made my anxiety worse. When I climb into bed, I fall asleep easier knowing that things are starting to look up.