Chapter Two
Evangeline
I WALKED INTO the office at seven a.m. the next morning, and immediately headed to the children’s wing. I was surprised to find Emory in her office and knocked on her open door, walking inside as I did. “What are you doing here so early?”
She dragged her hands down her face. “I never left.”
I frowned. “Bad night?”
“Understatement of the century.”
I sat in the chair across from her desk. “What happened?”
“We got a brother and sister in, Hobie and Nori, and the brother refuses to leave his sister’s side, which is fine, I get that, but the little girl keeps crawling under the bed and no one, not even her brother can get her to come out.”
“Oh wow,” I breathed out.
“We handed Nori a pillow and blankets, and Hobie promised to watch her, but I just couldn’t leave knowing she was on a cold floor.”
“I get that.”
“I checked in throughout the night, but I’m pretty sure neither of them slept a wink.”
I smiled gently. “I bet they’re scared out of their wits. I’ll go and check on them.”
“Don’t you have a meeting?”
“Kids are always more important,” I said as I stood. “Always. You head home and take tomorrow off.”
I texted my assistant to postpone my meeting as I walked down the hall, waving my security card over the panel on the wall, gaining access to the dorms in the back, and making my way to the dayroom.
“Miss Evangeline!” one of the kids called and I turned to find Zoey rushing toward me.
I held my arm out to her and welcomed her hug as the twelve-year-old wrapped her arms around me. “How are you, Zoey?”
“I got an A on my math test.”
I cupped her face and grinned. “I’m so proud of you! I told you you could do it.”
She bobbed her head. “I studied so hard.”
“Good job.”
“She gets extra screen time for that,” McKenna, one of our den mother’s said proudly, making her way to us.
Zoey clapped. “I get to choose the movie on Friday too, right?”
McKenna nodded. “You sure do.”
“Awesome.” She turned and ran off to join her friends.
“She’s so excited,” McKenna said. “She worked so hard on that test.”
“I know. Thank you for helping her with all of that.”
“It was nothing. She’s a pleasure.”
I nodded. “She really is.”
“Are you here to check on the new kids?”
“I am.” I looked around. “Are they here?”
McKenna sighed. “They won’t come out of the room.”
We had a boys and girls dorm, however, when families come in, we tried to keep them together and since these two were particularly young, we wouldn’t separate them unless they wanted to be. We had a couple of rooms that were set up nicely for siblings. They had two bedrooms separated by jack and jill bathrooms, perfect for privacy and for kids to feel safe.
“Have they eaten?”
McKenna nodded. “I took them a tray. I was just about to go and check on them.”
“I’ll do that. Where did you put them?”
“In seven.”
I squeezed her arm. “Perfect. I’ll head there now.”
I made my way down the hall, stopping to chat with a few of the kids on the way. Once I reached Hobie and Nori’s room, I knocked on the door and then pushed it open to find a boy about eight on the bed and a little girl about six scurrying off the bed to hide under it. The food tray rattled as she kicked it in her haste to escape.
“Oh, sweetie, you don’t have to hide,” I said as I did my best to keep my distance. I sat in the chair closest to the door and smiled. “My name’s Evangeline. You’re Hobie, right?” I said to the boy.
He nodded. “Nori’s afraid, but I’m not.”
“That’s so great, honey. You’re such a good protector.” I nodded to the tray with the half-eaten food. “Did you get enough to eat? We have a room with all sorts of snacks if you want more. Or if you want something different. I can show you if you like.”
“I like bacon,” Hobie said. “Nori likes Fruit Loops.”
“Oh my gosh, I love Fruit Loops!” I exclaimed. “Fruit Loops are my favorite. We have some in the kitchen. I can bring you some, just say the word. And every morning we have a hot breakfast, and there’s always bacon.”
Hobie’s eyes got big. “There is?”
“Yep. Eggs, sausage, bacon, toast, cereal, including Fruit Loops.”
Nori peeked out from under the bed, the teddy bear we would have given her at intake clutched in her arms. “Can I have Fruit Loops now?” she whispered.
“Say please, Nor,” Hobie bossed.
“Pwease?”
I moved to sit on the floor and smiled. “You bet. I can show you where they are. Would you like to see?”
She shook her head and slid back under the bed.
“There’s too many people,” Hobie said.
“Oh, I totally get that,” I said. “I remember when I went to a home for the first time, it was scary.”
Hobie’s eyes got big. “You were in a home?”
I nodded. “Much bigger than this one. Just like you and Nori, I had been hurt and was brought to a big house and it was very scary.”
“Do you live here?” Hobie asked.
“No, but I come here every day. I started this home because I wanted kids just like you and Nori to feel safe. So if you ever don’t feel safe, you can tell me, okay? And if there’s anything you need, you can tell me that, too.”
“Wow,” Hobie said.
“Would you like me to bring you some Fruit Loops, Nori?” I asked.
She peeked out from under the bed, her eyes wide as she nodded. “Yes, pwease.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back.”
I pushed myself up off the floor and made my way down to the kitchen where I grabbed a box of cereal, some milk and a bowl and spoon. I also grabbed a few snacks I thought they might like and some chocolate milk and then walked back to their room.
This time, Nori stayed on the bed when I stepped back inside.
“Is that chocolate milk?” Hobie asked, his voice breaking in excitement.
“It sure is.” I set everything on the tray on the bed. “Do you like chocolate milk?”
“It’s my favorite.”
I smiled. “Well, it’s a good thing we have plenty of it in the kitchen, then, huh?”
“Can I have more of it?”
“You sure can. It’s all in the kitchen.”
“Wow,” Nori whispered.
“I’ll show you when you feel up to it, okay?”
“Are we allowed to eat this?” Hobie asked.
“Yeah, buddy. You can eat all of this.” I smiled. “And there’s plenty more where that came from, so you don’t have to worry about food, okay? You’ll get lunch and dinner, too.”
He met my eyes. “If it costs too much, Nori can have mine.”
I bit back tears. “Oh, sweetheart, it doesn’t cost too much. You can both have as much food as you need.”
“Wow,” Hobie said.
I smiled. “Would you like me to help you with the cereal, Nori?”
She nodded, clutching her teddy bear and I poured the cereal into the bowl, then the milk, handing everything to her, sitting back in the chair by the door while they ate.
“Have you named your teddy bears yet?” I asked the kids.
“Mine’s Super Bear,” Hobie said.
“Oh, that’s great,” I said. “Do you like superheroes?”
“Yeah,” Hobie said.
“We have comic books. I’ll show you where those are when you feel up to it.”
Hobie glanced at Nori, then said, “Okay.”
“What about you, Nori, what did you name your bear?”
Nori just shrugged.
“Well, you have plenty of time, sweetie.”
She nodded and went back to her Fruit Loops. After her second bite, she said, “I’m going to name her Fruit Loop.”
I chuckled. “That’s the perfect name for your bear.”
She grinned wide and hugged the multi-colored bear close, taking another bite of cereal while Hobie seemed to relax a little more with each passing minute.
I waited with them for the next hour and once they were done eating, Nori slid off the bed and came over and patted my knee. “Miss Evangeline?”
“Yes, baby?”
“May I have some more Fruit Loops, pwease?”
“You bet. Would you like to come and see where they’re kept?”
She glanced at her brother, who gave her an encouraging nod, with a smile accentuating his chocolate milk mustache, and then she took a deep breath. “Okay.”
I rose to my feet and held my hand out to her. Hobie scrambled off the bed as Nori put her tiny hand in mine and the three of us headed down the hall into the kitchen where I was able to show them where they could eat until their stomach’s burst.
With the children in the capable hands of McKenna, I made a mad dash back to the offices and into the conference room. “I’m so sorry I’m late.”
Skip James, my head of PR, smiled up from his seat at the head of the table. “The kids come first. Always.”
I returned his smile and took my seat at the opposite head. I felt exceedingly lucky to have the team I had. Although, Emory was sitting at the table, and she should have been gone.
“Em? You were supposed to take the day off,” I said.
“I will. I just want to make sure we’re all on the same page before you head out on your book tour. You leave in less than a week, so you know me. All the I’s dotted, etcetera.”
I chuckled. “Well, I can’t fault your dedication, can I?”
She let out a quiet snort. “If you did, you’d be a psychopath.”
“Oh my god, right ?” I teased. “Okay, let’s get started.”
* * *
O ne week later...
The red light on camera one began to flash, signaling our return from the commercial break and I took a deep, though imperceptible, breath and tried my best to paste on a sincere smile.
“Welcome back to the Daily with Cayley,” the show’s host, Cayley Richards said, reading from the teleprompter. “We’ve been talking with three-time number one New York Times Bestselling author, domestic abuse advocate, and human trafficking survivor, Evangeline Monroe.” Cayley turned to face me. “Thank you again for sharing your story and inspiring us all with your courage.”
“It’s been an honor to speak with you, everyone here, and your audience at home,” I replied.
“Can you tell us a little bit about your foundation, Papillon House in Boston, and how our audience at home can help?”
“If people would like to lend a helping hand, our website has links to places that assist with victims in your local area,” I said. “There is also a link to donate to our foundation, along with links to reputable non-profit organizations that your audience might like to donate in their area as well.”
“Before we go, I’d like to ask one final question.”
I pinched the fatty tissue between my thumb and index finger as I was wont to do when I found myself both nervous and annoyed. “Of course.”
“What would you like to say to anyone watching who may be a victim of trafficking or sexual abuse?”
“First and foremost, I want to say, don’t give up. Fight back every chance you get and don’t stop until you’re free from your abusers. Seek help from others, even if they are complete strangers. Do whatever you can to help yourself and hold on to the knowledge that things can get better.” I bit the inside of my cheek. “Your life can be better.”
“And what about you?” Cayley leaned in, uncomfortably close. “What do you do when times get dark. When the memories of your ordeal come back to haunt you?”
I smiled. “I’m happy to say that after a lot of work, most of the demons from my past are far behind me.”
Cayley tilted her head. “And the ones that aren’t?”
“I’m ready to take them on any time they want a fight,” I replied to applause from the studio audience.
Cayley held up a hardcover copy of my latest book. “The title of Evangeline’s book is, Sold in Plain Sight: The Child Trafficking Epidemic in America, One Survivor’s Story . It’s now available in ebook, hardback, and paperback and I highly recommend you all buy a copy and read it as soon as possible. You can find out more about Evangeline’s book on the show’s website. Just look for the Cayley’s recommended reads page.”
The show’s producer gave the wrap sign.
“We’ll see you all here tomorrow,” Cayley said, waving to camera one. “Until then, remember that you are beautiful, and to always be beautiful to others.”
After the sign off, Cayley took a few minutes to shake hands with some of the studio audience members before making her way back to me. I was still seated on the famous purple couch, a trademark of Cayley’s phenomenally successful afternoon talk show.
“Thank you again for being on the show,” she said, and I rose to shake her hand. “Oh, give me a hug,” she said, pulling me close before I had the chance to politely decline.
I didn’t like being touched against my will, and if this professional bobblehead had been paying attention to anything I’d said over the past hour she might have deduced that.
“And I promise I will read your book the first chance I get,” Cayley said, before finally releasing me.
Cayley’s recommended reads my ass. I doubt she’s ever read anything longer than a logo on a designer handbag.
“Great,” I said, once again forcing out what I hoped would be the last smile of the day.
I was only halfway through this leg of this press tour, and I was already feeling the early symptoms of ‘road wear.’ Two more weeks of travel and I’d be back home for eight months. The mere thought of feeling the sensation of my own bed sheets against my skin was enough to make me cry, but the overwhelming need to do my work would continue to drive me forward.
Once the Daily with Cayley taping was done, I drove my rental car back to my hotel where I quickly showered and changed before racing to the Burbank airport to catch the red eye to Nashville. I hated LA and didn’t want to stay here any longer than I had to. Besides, I had work waiting for me in Nashville. Work I was very much looking forward to.