“Yummy!”
She declares to the table and plucks a piece out for herself and then passes the basket to Ryker.
I can’t help but smile at her antics and say, “You goose!”
Zack laughs, “Goose?”
Chloe gives him a big nod and a grin. “Yup, when I’m being good, I’m a duck. When I’m being silly, I’m a goose.”
He raises an eyebrow at her. “Huh, so what are you when you’re being bad?”
She gets a devilish grin on her face and her violet eyes sparkle when she leans in and mock whispers, “I’m a turkey!”
There’s a beat of silence and then all three of them start to laugh. The nerves in my stomach settle and I look down at my plate and feel the first stirrings of hunger for the meal I prepared. I think… I think this might be okay. I think we might have a chance at a future living here. I cut a piece of my steak and put it in my mouth, enjoying how soft and tender the meat is. It turned out well and judging by the appreciative sounds coming from the three men, they think so too.
I’ve eaten half my meal when Easton brings up the school issue again, making me slowly set my fork down as everything tightens inside.
“I have connections at a very good private school not that far from here. We could enroll Chloe there to start next week. There’s no reason why her attendance there would…come to light.”
I take a sip of water and see that my hand is shaking again so I set it back down quickly. “I would need to provide her birth certificate. I…I don’t have that with me,” I say softly while staring down at my plate.
“Not a problem,” Zack jumps in. “Just tell me what name you want on it. Any name…at all, will work.”
My head comes up and I look around the table and then back to him asking a silent question with my eyes. He gives me a soft understanding look.
“Any name you want, Avery. It can be untraceable.”
Hope sends butterflies swooping in my belly. I don’t really want to know how he can do something that would be…illegal, but technically, me taking Chloe without her father’s permission was illegal so…
“She should be around other kids her age. It would be good for her to have a normal routine, don’t you think?” Easton asks.
My eyes slide away from his to Ryker. He’s frowning but that’s his usual look so it’s his sharp nod of agreement that tells me what he thinks. I keep going and look at Chloe. Her whole face glows with hope as she clutches her hands under her chin. The look takes all resistance out of me so I turn back to Easton.
“O-okay, but, private school? I doubt I could afford that even with what you are going to be paying me.”
He waves that away and simply says, “Scholarship will cover it.”
Before I can ask any more questions, Chloe claps her hands and beams a smile around the table.
“Yay! Let’s celebrate…with cake!”
Avery
Iwalk Chloe up the path to the school for her first day. I clutch at her hand as nausea rolls and sweat slicks down my back. I know this will be good for her. She’s beyond excited to get back to playing with friends but I’m terrified of letting her out of my sight. We’ve almost reached the glass doors when they are thrown open and the horrible woman from the grocery store steps out with a glare for me. Confusion fills me at why she would be here but it’s the man who steps out from behind her that has a choked scream falling from my lips. It’s him! He’s found us!
I try and pull Chloe away to run but her hand slips from mine as she skips ahead to them. The woman pulls Chloe close and a sharp finger comes up to jab my way.
“Someone like you doesn’t deserve to be a mother! You should be ashamed of yourself!”
She drags Chloe back through the doors as he strides toward me with clenched fists. I recognize the look on his face from many times before when he’d come at me to punish me for breaking the rules. I toss my head in every direction while screaming for help but there’s no one around but us.
“You thought you could take what’s mine? You thought you could leave ME?” He roars at me as I throw my arms up to try and protect my face and beg him not to do it, knowing it will do nothing to stop what’s coming. As the first hard fist speeds towards my face, I scream…
The scream dies into a desperate gasp for air as I throw myself to the side and fall out of bed, hitting the carpet on my damaged side. Pain-filled noises escape me as I try and push past the agony in my ribs and back. I somehow manage to get to my hands and knees and bite back the sobs that want to spill out. I know very well that crying never helped anything.
I use the bed to pull myself to my feet and sway in place as I try and get my balance back, looking around the room that’s dimly lit by the lamp I left on in case Chloe woke in the night. I listen closely to see if my nightmare has woken her but the space between my room and hers must have muffled my cries enough for her to sleep through them.I’m glad now that I let her sleep in her own bed when she asked earlier. She’s already seen me at my lowest too many times.
I tighten the messy bun I put my long hair into when I went to sleep and brush away the sweat-dampened tendrils sticking to my face. My fingers pluck at the sweat-soaked t-shirt I’m wearing. I feel clammy and gross in it so I pull it up over my head and stagger over to the dresser to find a fresh one. I only make it part way across the room when the door to the hall is pushed open causing me to jump and squeal in fright. I almost laugh when Kanga barrels in with a whine. He comes straight to me, nudges my empty hand, and then licks my fingers. He leans into my bare legs as if to give me comfort and then turns and jumps up onto the bed.
