<><><>
“Quill, you need to pack what you want to take with you,” Seri had to coax again.
“I don’t know what I should take. I’m kind of used to just running away and leaving everything behind. I don’t need much. I’m only staying there until I turn 18, and then I am leaving.”
Seri shook her head. “Give it a chance, Quill. Don’t go into this with a negative attitude. Your family loves you very much. Give them a chance.”
“How can they love someone they don’t know?” Aquilla asked, retrieving a big blue duffle bag from her closet. The first thing she placed in it was the purple laptop.
“Why don’t you leave that here? I will buy you one that actually works.”
“I don’t need another one. This one works just fine. My father downloaded stuff on it for me that I want to keep,” Aquilla replied, placing items from her dresser into the bag. She looked up when she heard the noise coming from the room next door. She was in the hall before Seri could stop her.
“What are you doing!?!” she screamed at the two guys, flipping Julius’s room.
“Get her out of here,” Malone demanded.
“Look here, I bet we can find all sorts of evidence on here.” One of the men said as he took the purple laptop from the closet.
“Check this out, Malone,” another guy said as he tried to take the ocean painting from the wall, searching for a safe or anything that might help them locate Julius.
Aquilla watched from the door. She hated them rummaging through Julius’s room and destroying everything that they touched. They didn’t care. They were just tossing all of his belongings, flipping the mattress, and throwing his clothes from the closet to the floor.
“It looks like your little Julius was a bit of a pervert. Did you know he watched you?” Agent Dick Face asked, turning to Aquilla.
“Can I see?” she asked. Was Julius really spying on her?
Agent Malone waved his hand in a cocky manner, giving her permission for him to rub it in.
Aquilla slid the tiny lever on the frame, and sure enough, she had a perfect view of her room. It actually explained a lot, mostly how he would know about things she had talked to her friends about. He had been watching her for four years.
“Come on, Quill,” Seri coaxed her out of the room.
Aquilla went right to the painting in her room. You couldn’t see the little window at all in the waves. She couldn’t believe she had never noticed it before. Hila had to know about it, she was the one who cleaned the two rooms. That’s why the one time she wanted to move her bed to the other side of the room, Hila was so adamant about her not doing it. She had talked her out of it.
“Quill, I have to call your mom. She may ask to talk to you.”
“No,” she shook her head. “I don’t want to talk to her.”
“Okay, I’m just going to step out into the hall.”
Aquilla nodded. She continued to pack her belongings alone in her room. She didn’t cry. She was a Chavez. Chavez’s didn’t cry. Why the hell did she want to curl up into a fetal position and do just that?
“Hello,” Elizabeth Rimmer cautiously answered the unknown, 819 number.
“Hello, is this Elizabeth Rimmer?”
“Go to your room, Reese,” Liz demanded holding her hand over the mouthpiece.
“Mom! I want to hear too!” she whined.
“Yes, this is her,” Liz answered, pointing upstairs with a stern look and a straight finger.
Reese stomped off, it wasn’t fair. It may be her daughter, but it was HER sister, she had a right to know what was going on.
“I’m Agent Strokes, I’ve been with your daughter for the past couple of days,” she began.
“How is she?”
“I’m not going to lie to you. She’s somewhat of a mess right now. She was never aware that she was taken from her family until this morning. She’s confused, hurt, and sad that her fath__, the man that took her was killed. There are some things that I think you need to know before we arrive.”
“Okay,” Liz beckoned for her to continue.
“Well, for one, she doesn’t want to be called Shelby.”
“There’s no way I am calling her whatever that bastard named her.”
“Ms. Rimmer, you need to understand that she loved that bastard. She grew up thinking that he was her father. I don’t think it would be a good idea for you to hate on him around her.”
Wheeze…cough…inhale. This may not be the happy homecoming that she had dreamed of for years. “What did he call her?”
“Aquilla.”
“A what a? What kind of name is that?”
“To her, it is her name. It’s the only one she’s known, Ms. Rimmer.”
“Go on,” she urged. What else did she need to know about the little girl that was raised by a monster?
“I’m not sure of all of the details, but I am pretty sure her and the man’s son were pretty intimate.”
“Wait, wasn’t she raised to believe that he was her brother? How old is he?”
“Yes, he got away. He’s 25. I think she is pretty wounded that he left her. She is planning on finding him when she turns 18.”
“Like hell she is. Is she messed up? Why would she want to find him? He took advantage of her.”
“She doesn’t see it that way.”
“So she has like Stockholm Syndrome?”
“No, Stockholm syndrome is when you fall in love with your abuser. She was never abused, Ms. Rimmer, she was treated like a princess.”
“Did he have sex with her?”
“Yes, I’m sure of it.” Of course she was sure of it. She was there. She practically had sex with her daughter.
“I’ve got one of our best psychologists coming to work with her.”
“She needs a shrink?” Liz asked, concerned, very concerned.
“Ms. Rimmer, this is going to be a major adjustment for her. Yes, she is going to need someone to talk to. Monica is one of the best. If anyone can get her talking, it will be her. She’s scheduled to come first thing Tuesday morning. I’m not sure if you were told, but I will also be staying with her for a while.”
“Yes, I was made aware of that. I have an extra room downstairs that you are welcome to use while you are here.”
“Is that close to Aquilla’s room?”
Her name is not Aquilla!!!! “It’s downstairs from where her room will be.”
“Maybe I can have a cot brought in or something. I need to stay with her.”
“Are you afraid she’ll run away?”
“I am afraid of that.”
Liz didn’t want her to share a room with Shelby. She wanted to bunk with her. She wanted to talk for hours into the night about mother daughter things. Her happy reunion was turning into something frightening.
<>
Seri sat in a corner chair, staring out to the ocean. Aquilla sat on her bed, staring blankly at nothing. Where was Julius? How could he just leave her to deal with this on her own?
“Seri?” she spoke.
“Hmm?” she responded, turning to her.
“I need to go into my father’s office.”
“They kind of have it as a crime scene, Quill. We can’t disturb anything in there.”
“Who’s here?”
“Just Agent Dick Face now, everyone else left for the night.”
Aquilla smiled as much as she could.
“They won’t know. There’s something that I really would like to have from there.”
Seri took a deep breath. “Come on, but no funny business.”
“I promise.”
The two girls quietly made their way down the stairs, careful not to let Malone hear them. Aquilla opened the door and Seri closed it behind them. Seri watched as she moved the filing cabinet, shushing her as it screeched across the hardwood floor.
She lifted the vent and pushed a hidden button. Seri shook her head. Not one of the guys would have been able to locate that. Aquilla moved to the cor
ner of the room where a small door on the floor had just been revealed.
“What’s in there, Quill?” Seri whispered.
“Mostly pictures of me growing up. I always had them taken, but my father would never put them out. He didn’t want them to get messed up,” she smiled a crooked grin, knowing her father was afraid of someone recognizing her.
Aquilla picked up the thick book of portraits, a manila folder and the envelope full of cash.
“I need to see that, Quill,” Seri couldn’t help it. She didn’t trust her.
Aquilla handed her the book, but held the folder in her hand. It only took her a second when Seri placed the book on the desk to stuff the money in the back of her shorts.
Seri flipped through the album with a smile. He did take many pictures of her. “Your mother would love to see these.”
“She can have them,” Aquilla assured her. It wasn’t the pictures she was after.
“What’s that?” she asked, nodding toward the folder.
“My milestone record.”
“UH?”
“You know, a record of everything I have ever done in my life. First lost tooth, first day with no training wheels, first report card, first skinned knee, just stuff like that.”
“Are you done in here? We need to get out of here.”
Aquilla sadly looked at the brown leather desk chair. She would never see her father sitting there again, ever. He was dead. They killed him. “Yeah,” she offered with a deep breath.
<>
“I have a king sized bed. You don’t have to sleep in the chair,” Aquilla offered, pulling down her covers for the very last time.
“Promise me you’ll keep your hands to yourself?” she teased.
“Yeah, I promise,” she chuckled. “Do you want something more comfortable to sleep in?”
“No, it wouldn’t matter anyway. I haven’t had a shower in two days.”
“Yuck, go take a shower. I’ll get you some clothes.”
“I’m not about to go in that bathroom and shower while you escape into the night.”
“Where would I escape to, Seri? We’re on a 32 mile island. How far do you think I am going to go?”
“A shower does sound awesome.”
Aquilla got up and opened her drawer. She tossed her a pair of neon green thongs that her and her friends had ordered from Victoria Secret, unbeknownst to her father, of course.
“Really Quill?”
She laughed a little. “I figured that was what you were used to,” she teased, tossing her a pair that would cover her ass. “Do you want pajama pants or a sexy nighty?”
“You’re asking for it, pajama pants, and you’re coming with me.”
“In the shower?”
“In the bathroom.”
Aquilla sat on the toilet, flipping through the photo album while Seri showered.
“Still there?” she called for the fifth time from the running water.
“Shut the hell up you’re getting on my nerves.”
“As long as your nerves didn’t run away, I’m good with that.”
Aquilla had to close the album. She couldn’t stand the nostalgia. She missed her father and Julius. Why did the stupid FBI have to go and mess everything up? She wanted to hate Seri, but she really couldn’t. She knew that it would have happened whether she was involved or not, and she kind of felt like she needed Seri right now. It was probably stupid, but she felt like Seri understood her.
<>
“Are you married, Seri?” Aquilla asked in the dark, lying on the other side of her bed.
“No, I hate men.”
“So you are a lesbian,” she stated the fact more than asked.
“No, I am not a lesbian. I like sex with men, I just don’t like them enough to marry them.”
“I’m going to marry Julius.”
“You’re not marrying Julius, Quill. You’re going home to the states and going to find a man that loves you and gets up and goes to work like a normal human being, not one that trains women and runs drugs for a living.”
“Julius does love me. He’ll find me, you watch. I know he will.”
Seri didn’t reply. Julius was not going to find her. Julius was going to hide out like a coward.
“How long are you going to stay with me?”
“I don’t know, until the psychologist tells me I am free to go, I guess.”
“That’s so stupid. I’m not talking to some stupid bitch psychologist. She will get pretty bored wasting her hour staring at my pissed off face.”
“Be open about it, Quill. You’ll love Monica, she’s a good friend of mine. Let her help you.”
“I don’t need help. There’s nothing wrong with me. Did you lick Monica’s pussy too?”
“That’s it,” Seri sat up and snapped on the lamp. “You’re not allowed to ever mention that again. Do you understand me?”
Aquilla laughed. She couldn’t help it. She needed to laugh. She laughed until she didn’t know why she was laughing and her hysteria turned to tears.
Fuck. “Okay, you can mention it one more time, but that’s it,” Seri teased, trying to calm her sobs.
She did laugh between sobs…a little.
“You’re going to be okay, Quill. I promise,” Seri assured her, rubbing her heaving back. She knew she shouldn’t be making promises she wasn’t sure were even possible. She was worried about her. She may as well be going to another planet. It wasn’t going to be any different for her.
Chapter 9
“I’m scared Seri,” Aquilla admitted as she gathered her things and looked around her room for the last time.
“I know you are, Quill. I’m scared for you. I don’t know what to say or do to make this easier for you.”
“Say you’ll stay with me. Don’t just leave me,” she begged. What the hell was wrong with her? She wasn’t some weak damsel. She was a Chavez. Where the hell was Julius? She wanted to yell at him and tell him how pissed off she was for leaving her there. She just wanted Julius. Why wasn’t he there for her? Why was he letting this happening to her?”
“I’m going to stay with you until Monica tells me that it’s okay to leave. You’ll be okay, Quill.” How the fuck did she end up being the security blanket? Getting involved in cases wasn’t her thing, then again, she had never found a kidnapped girl either.
<><><>
Aquilla never spoke one word. She stared out the small plane window and said nothing. Seri tried to offer her something to drink, something to eat, her iPad, but nothing. All she did was stare quietly.
What the hell did Seri think she was going to do? Did she really think she was going to act like they were going on vacation? She didn’t want to live in the United States. She didn’t want to go to fucking Bridgeport, Connecticut. She didn’t want to live with a family that she didn’t know. Nobody was giving her a choice in any of this fucked up mess. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream and jump off the small plane.
She wasn’t staying. As soon as Seri left her, she was out of there. With the envelope of money she stowed away, she was sure that she had plenty of money. How much she had, she wasn’t sure she hadn’t had the opportunity she needed to count it yet. It was currently stuffed in a jacket pocket buried in her suitcase, but she was sure it was enough to get her the hell out of there.
<>
“Jesus, Conner, its 6:30, Get up, Reese is going to catch you here,” Liz yelled, grabbing clothes and throwing them on. She knew she shouldn’t have let him stay. He could never get up and get out of her house. It was always the same thing, every freaking time. This man was worse than trying to wake Reese. She shouldn’t have let him stay. She should have just stayed awake, worrying the entire night. BUT NOOOO. She just had to fall for the whole distraction thing. It worked…for a while.
“I don’t know why you think we have to keep our relationship a secret from Reese,” Conner complained, getting dressed. “We don’t have a reason to hide, nobody cares, and Reese is not a child,” he assu
red her. Half the faculty knew about them anyways.
“Can we maybe talk about this later?” They were not in a relationship. They were in a sexship. She didn’t have time for this. Reese needed to be up in ten minutes. Shelby would be there in four hours, and her ex-husband was arriving sometime. Shit, she forgot to call him last night.
Conner kissed her at the door. “Call me later, and let me know how things go.”
“I will, don’t be mad at me,” she begged. She knew she was being obstinate about the whole hiding thing. There was no reason for it. It was her insecurities, not his.
Liz opened the door to her ex-husband with his finger an inch from the doorbell.
Damnit.
“Um, good morning,” Emmanuel said from the door, looking from one to the other.
“I’ll see ya later,” Liz said, rushing Conner out the door. She didn’t even introduce the two men. She didn’t feel the need to introduce her...her…whatever he was to her ex-husband.
“Well, that’s sweet. You’re kidnapped daughter is coming home after 14 years and you’re entertaining a guest,” Emmanuel started as soon as he was in the door.
“Don’t Manny,” she warned, tightening her robe. “What are you doing here already? She’s not going to be here for four more hours.”
“I thought maybe you would want talk about things. I was unaware of your other obligations.”
“You know what, Manny? You have no room to stand there and judge me for a Goddamn thing. You’re the one that___.”
“STOP!” Reese yelled from the stairs right before she turned and ran back up. She didn’t even remember her parents being married, and this is still how they acted around each other. Even when her dad came to pick her up for the weekend they couldn’t go without a screaming match. He wasn’t about to stay in the car and wait for her to come out. No, he had to use the bathroom, get a drink, or ask her mom about something. He just needed the five minutes to fight with her. She swore they both secretly had an addiction to their fighting.