Chapter 5 Jade
The ride to the station wasn’t too long, but still enough for the girls to get anxious.
Somehow, I managed to keep everyone calm, with the exception of Charlotte, who had been crying on my lap since I came back.
We park, and we’re led to a room to wait together.
Thankfully, it isn’t a cell, but the other girls still seem on edge, like caged animals, as we sit and wait.
Not that I blame them; I’m sure this feels too good to be true after everything they’ve been through.
Officer Gray, according to his name tag, is the one who had been outside waiting after those guys found me. He’s been in a few times—leaving us water, snacks, and even a few blankets and pillows. I thank him for everyone as nobody trusts him enough to speak with him.
Some of the girls aren't even talking to me anymore as their anxieties get the best of them. After being trapped, used, and abused, this has them spiraling.
Charlotte finally fell asleep in my lap, but only after crying for so long that she left me questioning how she had any tears left in her tiny body.
We’ve all taken some snacks and water at this point, though I made the other girls wait until I tasted them first. If it means keeping them safe, I have no problem being their test dummy.
Unfortunately, being in the pit left my mouth dry and my throat feeling like sandpaper, and I chugged my water instead of sipping it like I knew I should have.
I’ve had to pee for at least the last fifteen minutes, but I wanted to make sure Charlotte was out before I moved her and left the room.
I don’t want to cause her any more panic.
She’s been through enough; they all have.
Lifting Charlotte's head, I slide a pillow under it as gently as possible. I sit for another minute to ensure she’s still out before I head for the door.
To my surprise, it’s unlocked. I pull it open, pop my head out, and look up and down the hallway.
To the right, it looks like the hall continues for a while before turning off, doors scattered at random intervals all the way to the end.
To the left is where we came in, meaning it leads out to the station's main room, where other halls branch off. Officer Gray stands just to the left of the door, his back angled towards me and his posture stiff, as if he’s waiting for someone to walk down the hall at any moment.
I step out into the hallway and let the door fall closed behind me. The subtle click of the door falling back into place is enough to get his attention, and he turns around, coming face-to-face with me.
“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t hear you open the door.” His hand goes to the back of his neck in what seems like a nervous gesture, though I have no idea what he has to be worried about.
“The chief should be here any minute now. I’m sorry we don’t have a better waiting area for you guys. We haven’t really dealt with this much around here.” A timid smile curves his lips at his admission.
I smile back at him because clearly, he’s out of his element, and while the girls tell me I was almost left behind, I’m still grateful they would have rescued them, if nothing else.
“It’s okay, I assure you. Waiting here is much better than the alternative,” I say in hopes of making him feel better. But my words seem to do the opposite as his timid smile falls from his face, and he’s all serious once again.
“Um, I was hoping you could point me in the direction of the bathroom, actually,” I say since it’s clear he won’t be continuing our conversation.
He nods and turns toward the lobby without a word. I assume I’m meant to follow him, so I do.
We return to the main lobby and turn to the left, heading down another hall that looks a lot like the one we just came from.
It’s not until we pass a window that I realize these are holding areas.
Each room has a window that lets you see in from the hall, the first three are empty.
Officer Gray’s a few paces in front of me due to his long strides, but I don’t hurry to catch up, instead taking everything in around me.
He stops after a few more doors, in front of what I assume to be the bathroom. As if reminded I have to pee, my bladder suddenly feels as though it’s about to burst, and I hurry forward, no longer caring what’s around me.
But just before I reach him, movement through the last window catches my eye.
I stop dead–my need to pee forgotten–as I see him sitting cuffed to the table through the window.
Corey, the motherfucker who's responsible for so much pain. My feet carry me forward, and before I know it, my hands are pressed against the glass, my breath fogging it with how close I am. He doesn’t see me, too busy trying to wiggle out of the cuffs to notice anything else around him.
What I wouldn't give to get my hands on him.
The thought brings a smile to my face.
I’m pulled from my thoughts as a hand rests gently on my shoulder. I think it’s meant to be a comforting gesture, but it startles me nonetheless. I was so focused I forgot where I was and that anyone else was around.
“He can’t hurt you anymore. You and the other girls are safe now,” Officer Gray tells me. It’s probably best not to let him know he never scared me, I can’t imagine he would understand. Instead, I nod and force a smile.
“I know.” I look back into the room one final time.
This time, Corey’s looking right at me.
I’m not sure what pulled his attention, but I’m glad. The smile on my face grows from the one I forced for Officer Gray’s benefit into something more sinister, and I have the pleasure of a front-row seat as his face pales.
Without a word I wipe the smile off my face and make my way down the hall to where Officer Gray was a moment ago, finding the bathroom.
I go in and handle my business before we head back to the room where the girls are waiting. Officer Gray shoots me a few concerned looks on the way back, but doesn’t say anything, and I don’t either.
Right now, my only concern is the girls; I’ll deal with everything and everyone else later.
Going through everything takes hours, and not like, it feels like hours but isn’t bullshit, but actual hours.
The chief came in and took statements, starting with me.
I didn’t tell him everything, and nobody really asked me to, just enough to point the finger at Corey.
After that, they pretty much just asked the other girls to confirm what I said.
Most of them didn't want to talk at all, but at least backed my story. They’ll be questioned further later if it’s needed, once they’ve had time to settle.
After the chief left to talk with the douchebag, a lady came in.
She was older, probably around the chief's age, but her age didn’t make her any less beautiful.
It wasn’t her looks that concerned me. No, it was the emotion in her eyes.
Most people who had been in and out of here all night either looked upset by the situation or gave us looks of pity.
Her eyes held neither of those emotions.
Instead, when she entered the room, she scanned over each of us with nothing but concern. I don’t remember my mother, but I feel like this is how a mother would look at children.
As it turned out, she’s a lawyer. Which struck me as odd because I always thought anyone in law was strict and uncaring by nature. She seems to be the opposite, though. From the moment she stepped foot in the room, it was clear we were her number one concern.
Instead of having us stand or talking to us while towering over us, she simply sat on the ground with us without a second thought. She spoke calmly, and when she offered comfort, she asked if it was okay and respected the girls who declined.
Her job was apparently to help us find places to go and be safe until more information was available. I’m sure some of these girls have families who miss them or homes to return to, but that isn’t something you can do overnight, especially when the girls are hardly speaking.
She had access to the foster and group homes in the area and was able to convince most of the girls they would be safe and looked after there.
Even though it took hours, she never gave up.
One by one, the girls were cleared out, and I have to actively remind myself this is a good thing.
Them leaving meant they didn’t need me anymore, but as each girl left, I felt empty and anxious.
Charlotte was the hardest to convince, insisting she wanted to stay with me. Clair, the lawyer, looked at me as if to ask what I thought about it.
I shrugged, “I’m not sure I’m able to be in the foster system.” A frown tugs at her lips for the first time after everything she dealt with tonight, and I decided to elaborate for her.
“I’m not entirely sure how old I am. I think I’m around nineteen, but I could even be in my early twenties.
I’ve been held by one owner or another since I was very young, maybe five?
So I’m not sure of my birthdate or even my real name, if I’m being honest.” I laid it all out without emotion because, at the end of the day, it was just facts to me.
Something I had learned to live with a long time ago.
“Oh dear,” Clair puts her hand over her mouth for a moment before she takes a breath and seems to steady herself once again.
“Well, I imagine it would, in fact, be hard to place you without all of your information.” She nods as if to herself before a small smile pulls at her lips.
Dropping her hand from her face, she pushes up off the floor in a rush.
“Just give me a moment, and I’ll be right back. Okay?”
She doesn’t give me time to answer, but honestly, where else would I go?