Chapter 13
Totally overwhelmed, Calla followed Lucy, unsure exactly what she was supposed to do. The woman said she was taking her to a shelter. There was no way she would be able to sleep with other people in the same room as her. Hopefully, it wasn't that type of shelter.
"It's just temporary. In a few days, a room at one of the places around town might open up. I know this is a lot to take in, but you'll be okay."
They exited the hospital, and she paused as the bright light made her head hurt. She reached back and held onto the building as she tried to get her bearings.
“You coming?” Lucy asked.
“Um, sure. Just need a moment.”
“Sure. Sure. Take your time.” Lucy checked her watch, making Calla feel like the woman really didn’t want her to take her time.
She took an unsure step, trying to keep her balance as her head spun. The dizziness wasn’t out of control, but she felt off.
Based on how many times Lucy checked her watch and the way she frowned, Calla knew she was taking too long. But she had been through so much, and she wasn’t feeling great.
“Hey, Calla,” a man called out, and she turned a little too fast and almost fell down.
Sharp raced over to help steady her. “Hey, you okay?”
“Um, sure. I’m headed to a shelter with Lucy.”
“Oh. What kind of shelter?”
“It’s a good place for her. She’ll be fine. There will be plenty of other people there to connect with. You’ll be able to make friends. Who knows, maybe you’ll find a roommate.”
Sharp's eyes narrowed. "Is the shelter women only?"
Lucy shook her head. "Not really. There are men who stay at the shelter, but they are in another room."
“Calla, we have resources and a place for you to stay.”
Lucy frowned. “We’re social services. We’re set up for this.”
Sharp nodded. “I’m sure you’d be fine with social services, but if you would like a room to yourself and time to find a good place to go, we can help you.”
Lucy grabbed her arm. “Calla, I think it would be better if you just came with me. We have services that can help.”
She didn’t feel comfortable going with Lucy. Thario and his friends had rescued her and then kept her safe. She didn’t want to be in a shelter with loads of other people she didn’t know.
“Thank you, Lucy, for being so nice to me. But I think it would be better if I went with Sharp. I know he and his friends will help me.”
Lucy shook her head. “I think this is a bad idea.”
Calla couldn’t go with this woman. She couldn’t sleep in the same room with other people. “I would rather not be in a shelter.”
"Are you sure? I mean, the shelter I'm taking you to will fill up fast, and there won't be any more spots. You'd be on your own if things fell through."
She shook her head. She got the feeling the shelter wasn't a women's shelter, but a homeless shelter.
And while technically she was homeless, she didn't think she could endure staying at a huge shelter after everything that had happened to her.
"Thank you for your help. Hopefully, the spot will be used by someone who really needs it. "
Lucy frowned and looked like she wanted to cause trouble. “I don’t think you should go with them.”
She smiled and stepped away from Lucy, moving closer to Sharp. "I know I will be safe."
Lucy took a step toward her, and Calla took another step closer to Sharp. She didn't want this woman forcing her to go to the shelter. She would not feel safe in a room with loads of other people.
“We will keep you safe,” Sharp said.
She waved goodbye to Lucy and turned to follow Sharp. He slowed so she didn’t have to race to keep up with him.
“The doctor is keeping Thario for the night. They don’t like that he got banged up again.”
“I hope he will be okay.”
Sharp nodded. “He’ll be fine.”
She felt relief and also a lot of pain for what had happened. “In a way, I always knew Brent was doing illegal things, but I didn’t know he was capable of attempting to kill someone. I should have known. I should have tried harder to escape.”
"Don't beat yourself up." Sharp stopped and pointed to a truck. "This is mine. Do you need help getting in?"
“I think I can manage.”
Sharp nodded and waited for her to open the door and get in before heading around to the other side. The engine turned over, and they took off.
“I know Danika will be happy to help get you settled. She will fuss over you. Frog isn’t staying with us tonight, so you won’t have to put up with him.”
“Frog?”
“Thario’s dog.”
“Ah. So Thario really will be okay, right?”
Sharp glanced over and then nodded. "Yes. He'll be fine after he takes a little break. He needs to rest. But he's not really into resting."
She nodded. "He seems really nice." She wanted to ask if he was married, but she didn't think it was appropriate.
The drive to Sharp’s place didn’t take too long. When he stopped, two women were in the driveway along with a man she recognized from earlier.
"That's Danika on the left, and Elowen and Griz are together."
“Thank you for telling me their names. I always get flustered when I don’t know someone’s name.”
"You're welcome. And I get that. I have to know names around the base. I think it's a skill that either comes naturally or you just don't retain names, and you have to work on it."
“I have no idea what type of person I am. I’ve been his prisoner for years.”
Sharp parked the car and glanced over at her. “I’m so sorry no one knew where you were. I hope we can help you start some kind of life.”
“Thank you.”
They got out of the car, and she wasn't sure what to do. The two women came over, their smiles wide. "Hello, Calla. Sharp sent a quick text telling us you were coming here. I'm Danika, and this is Elowen. It's nice to meet you."
“Um, thank you. I appreciate this. I was afraid to stay at the shelter.”
“I totally understand,” Danika said.
“Why don’t you come inside. I’m Elowen. I brought over some bread I made, and we can have tea or coffee.”
“Oh, I’ve never had coffee. I think it smells great, but he wouldn’t let me have it.”
“It’s an acquired taste,” Elowen said.
"Totally. I like my coffee with a little milk. Like a flat white, but I can appreciate a good caramel macchiato," Danika said.
Calla shook her head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Both women laughed. “We’re sorry. We don’t mean to be talking in coffee code,” Elowen said. “It’s almost like coffee drinkers develop their own language.
“We can start you off easy with coffee. If you’re not used to caffeine, it may give you a bit of a buzz.”
"Oh. I'm totally not used to caffeine. It's weird how not used to things I am. I mean, before my parents died, I had a mostly normal life, but I was in high school. Then Brent killed our parents and put them in the ground. I was at his mercy."
Danika shook her head. "Oh, that's awful. I'm so sorry that happened to you."
They entered the house and headed to the kitchen. She felt guilty sitting while the women sliced bread and made drinks. Worry hit hard. Would they think she was lazy?
She was about to jump up to help when Danika brought over a mug of coffee for her. “It has some sugar and milk in it. I didn’t make it too sweet, but you can make it sweeter if you like.”
She nodded, watching them grab more drinks and the plates with bread. The men walked in, and she jumped up, knocking into the table. The coffee in her mug almost splashed out.
Danika took her hand and squeezed. “It’s okay. It’s just Sharp and Griz. You can sit.”
“Do you need to fix them coffee or dinner or something else?”
Danika shook her head. "No, it's okay. Sharp knows how to get his own coffee. You can relax. He knows we're in here talking, and he just wants to make sure you're okay."
She settled back in the chair, still a little nervous to be sitting while the men grabbed mugs of coffee. Elowen took a sip from her mug, then set the mug down and leaned in.
“So your brother became your…guardian isn’t the right word. Were you able to finish high school?”
She shook her head. "No. I came close. I just had one year left. And not even a full year. He never let me go back. He locked me up and that was it."
Danika’s eyes narrowed. “So no one came looking for you?”
She shrugged. “No. We had land. There weren’t as many houses around as there are now.
My brother still won’t sell the back acres.
I think it’s because that’s where he buried Mom and Dad.
He sold other stuff, but not that.” She picked at the napkin she’d been given. “Do you think I’ll ever be normal?”
“Yes.” Danika didn’t hesitate. “It will take a while for you to feel better, but you’ll eventually get used to not being held captive. You’ll be able to live and even thrive.”
The words didn't really sink in. Instead, it was like they bounced off the surface of the only reality she'd ever known. She couldn't trust in the possibility of happiness.
She still had her head down, but looked up just enough to see Danika’s face. “Do you think I could get a job, eventually?”
They both nodded. “Yes. While you’re here, we’ll see what you need to do to get your GED. After that, we can help you figure out what you want to do with your life.”
She shook her head. "That feels like too much. This morning I woke up wondering if I'd ever be free, and now I am. I don't know what to do."
Danika’s squeezed her hand. “You don’t have to do anything. Just breathe and get some rest. You have time to make decisions.”
She nodded, wondering if it really was going to be this easy. How had she found such wonderful people?
“We’re glad you’re here,” Elowen said.
“Yes, very glad,” Danika nodded.
Calla took a sip of the coffee and let it roll over her tongue. She swallowed, then cocked her head to the side. “I don’t think I’d like this if it wasn’t sweet. This is good, but there’s an edge of bitterness to it.”
“Totally understand that. Both Griz and Sharp drink it black.”
Elowen chuckled. “Though Griz will drink a sweet drink every once in a while.”
Griz smiled as he moved to stand behind Elowen, then bent to kiss her cheek. "I do like the dessert drinks every once in a while. Still, I like my coffee black in the morning."
Calla took another sip of the coffee, studying the couples.
She remembered watching people like this before Brent started locking her up.
Going from where she was to where these women were in life seemed impossible.
Maybe they were right, and she would recover and live a normal life, but she didn’t know how she would get there.
Brent had taken too much for her to ever hope for normal.