AN: Hey guys, so this is a story I've been wanting to write for a while now. I had the idea after reading Emma Donoghue's book, Room and when I saw the movie, it just made me want to write this even more. I've been writing on fanfiction for a while now and one of my biggest weakness, other than spelling, grammar and all of that since english isn't my first language, is writing romance. I really want to work on that with this story so if you guys have any advises for me, it would be cool :)
Anyway, I really hope you like this first chapter, let me know in the review :)
You know that thing every parents say to their children when they're young…If someone ask you to help them find their dog, say no. Sometimes Hanna just wish she would've remembered it six years ago instead of being just another naive girl that fell for the act. If only she had told him no, if only she had told him anything but yes, then maybe Hanna wouldn't have spent the last six years in a hell hole.
If only Hanna had said no, she would probably be married with Caleb by now. Who knows? Maybe they would even be expecting their first or second child together. If only she had said no, she would be living a happy life at home with her friends and family. If only she had said no, maybe she would have her own fashion empire by now. But if Hanna had said no, she wouldn't have Livia.
''Mama?'' Hanna heard her little girl whisper from Wardrobe ''can I come in Bed with you?''
''Yes Livi'' the blonde answered soon feeling her daughter's warm little body cuddle up to her much colder one. She turned around to face the toddler and pushed a strand of her long blonde hair behind her tiny ear to see her beautiful face.
''Guess what mama'' Livia smiled as her little button nose wrinkled.
''What?'' Hanna smirked knowing exactly what her daughter was thinking about.
''No you have to guess'' the toddler laughed pulling the covers off of her and sitting down on the bed.
''Hum… you had another funny dream about Lucky?'' the now twenty-five year old answered referring to her daughter's imaginary dog.
''No mama, it's my birthday!'' Livia exclaimed thinking that her mother had forgotten ''I'm four now!''
''I know baby, happy birthday'' Hanna pulled her in her arms and kissed her forehead ''you're so old now.''
The blonde found out that she was pregnant a little over a year after he kidnapped her. At first, she was in denial hoping that she was only late because of the stress…not because of something else. When Hanna started getting bigger though, she knew she had to be expecting. I mean, it wasn't like he used any protection when he raped her and with the little quantity of calories she was eating a day, there was no way Hanna was gaining weight from anything other than a pregnancy.
She didn't tell him until she started showing and when he found out he was not happy. Oh did he try to convince Hanna to get rid of it, he tried everything. Beat her until she miscarried, forced her to drink, to take drugs, to smoke…he tried so hard, but Livia was strong, even when she was just a little fetus. He had no choice to deal with the fact that Hanna was going to have a baby. The blonde remembers him telling her fine you can keep it, but it better not distract you from your real purpose or else I'll kill it.
Hanna has to admit that she was terrified at the idea of raising a child in a single room, isolated from the rest of the world, but she was even more scared at the idea that he could take her baby away from her in the blink of an eye if he wanted to.
The labour had been the hardest thing the fashionista ever went through in her entire life. Even if it was four years ago, she still remembers everything clearly, the pain, the fear and most of all the jealousy. The jealousy of her friends, who had their loved ones and doctors by their sides when they went through this.
She remembers when Aria and Ezra found out they were expecting before they all went off to college. Aria had been so scared to tell him, but of course he was more than happy when he found out…lucky her. All of the girls had been by her side to support her through the long eight months and they were all super excited since she was the first one to live the experience.
The last time Hanna saw her twins Jack and Hazel, they were eight months old. They were such beautiful babies. Both of them had Ezra's dark curly hair, but Hazel had her mom's hazel eyes while Jack had his father's blue eyes. It's hard to imagine that they were almost seven now.
Spencer had been blessed with the same luck as Aria. She was probably comfortable in her hospital bed surrounded by doctors, Toby and the girls when she gave birth. If Hanna remembers correctly, Spencer and Toby were almost nine months pregnant with a little girl when she was kidnapped. The blonde guesses she would be about six years old now. Sometimes she wonders what she looks like… Does she have Spencer's dark brown eyes or Toby's bright blue's? Are her hair curly or straight? Was she as smart as her parents? What was even her name?
When she gave birth to Livia, Hanna was alone in this small little room. He had staid with her for the first few hours, but left when her screams and cries gave him a headache. She remembers clearly wishing with all of her heart to just have Caleb sitting next to her and holding her hand as she went through that unbearable pain. Hanna misses him so much… She just hopes that she'll get to see him again some day. They were supposed to get married, but then…She stupidly decided to go buy herself an ice-cream at the park and next thing she knew, this guy asked her if she could help him find his dog.
The worst thing is that Hanna doesn't regret saying yes. She knows it probably sounds stupid, but if she had said no, then she wouldn't have Livia and her daughter the best thing that ever happened to her in this world.
''Mama what are you thinking of?'' Livia smiled revealing her adorable little dimples.
''Just about how lucky I am to have you'' the young mother told her daughter before getting up to make them a breakfast. As soon as she stood up, she felt a sharp pain in her rib…probably from when he came last night.
''Did Archer give you another boo-boo?'' The little blonde immediately asked probably noticing the way her mom was limping. Hanna hates calling him by his name. Like he deserved one? Archer was everything but human.
''Just a little one princess, it's okay'' Hanna said not wanting to worry her daughter.
''M'kay'' Livia mumbled before sitting down on chair number two.
The place Archer keeps them in, Room as they call it, is nothing but a squalid shed with a bed, a wardrobe, a small couch, a very old television, a bath, a toilet, a rudimentary kitchen, a table with two plastic chairs and a dirty rug. To Hanna Room meant absolutely nothing, but to Livia, it was her whole world. The little girl didn't know anything other than what was inside of Room's wall, she never stepped a foot outside in her entire life. The only thing she saw of the world was what she saw on their crappy television, in other words, Dora the Explorer and what they could see through their little skylight, which was covered in leafs, dirt and snow most of the time.
''Mama, can you tell me the story of when I was born?'' Livia asked with hopeful eyes.
''Yes I can, but how about a different one this time?'' Hanna suggested getting a little sick of telling her daughter the same story over and over again.
''What kind of different story?'' the little girl smiled interested .
''It's a story about the world'' Hanna answered her.
''You mean Room before I came?'' Livia wondered raising her eyebrows a little bit.
''No, I mean what's outside of Room'' the older blonde said, but her daughter kept looking at her with a really confused look. ''What's on the other side of the walls'' Hanna tried to explain to her.
''But mama, that's space'' Livia said clearly having no idea what her mom was talking about.
''You know sweetheart, I think you're old enough to know the truth now'' Hanna told her daughter before sitting on the chair next to her.
''The truth?'' Livia confusedly repeated.
''Yes, did you know that like Alice who wasn't always in wonderland, I wasn't always in Room, before I lived on the other side with my friends and my family-''
''And Caleb?'' she interrupted her mom who had told her millions of stories about her fiancé. Hanna even had a picture of him hiding in Wardrobe that she kept there since the day she was taken. He was kind of a fictional hero to Livia.
''Yes, Caleb was there too'' Hanna smiled ''you know how we are on the inside of room's walls?'' she asked Livia, but the toddler shook her head in confusion. ''Okay'' Hanna put her hand out ''this is a wall and we are on this side the wall, it's called inside'' she pointed to the palm of her hand ''but on that side there's a whole other world you don't know about.''
''Like in TV?'' the tiny blonde asked her big blue eyes growing as big as golf balls.
''A little'' Hanna answered her ''it's so big Livi, I wish you could see it. There are trees that are like twenty times bigger than Room, and do you remember when Dora went to the beach in an episode?'' the young mother asked receiving a nod ''well we have lots of beaches in the world too and even oceans and rivers and lacs, it's so beautiful''
''But where do they all fit?'' Livia questioned having trouble to believe her mother.
''They all fit on Earth.''
''Earth?''
''Yes, our planet is called Earth, you know it's so big that Room is just a little grain of sand compared to the rest of it.''
''No way!'' Livia yelled. It was hard to understand what you knew close to nothing about.
''I know this is hard to believe right now, but I promise that one day, we'll walk out that door and I'll show you the real world'' Hanna told her daughter.
''Why can't we go out now?'' the little girl asked her mama in a soft voice.
''Because he won't let us'' she answered her as the microwave beeped ''breakfast is ready.''
A week later...
''Stay stiff'' Hanna told Livia rolling the carpet with her stuck inside of it.
The other day, the mother was thinking and she had another escape idea. It was risky, but it was perfect. After she stopped him from touching Livia two days ago, Archer decided to cut the power as a punishment. Last night, Hanna tried to make it as if Livi was sick thinking that maybe he would take her to the hospital, but of course he didn't and said that he would grab some medicine at the pharmacy instead. That's when she got the idea…
''Okay, Archer is going to pick you up like this'' Hanna lifted the carpet with all of the strength she had. ''You have to be stiff like a robot, not wobbly and shaky'' the older blonde warned her daughter ''and it's gonna shake like that when your in his truck'' she began to shake the carpet. ''When you feel this, you'll know he's driving so that means he's busy and it's time for you to roll'' Hanna instructed the little girl.
''I don't want to!'' Livia yelled from the inside. Forcing her to do this was breaking the young mother's heart, but she tried everything already. She tried to beat him, to hit him over the head with the toilet seat, to put some chemical products in his food, she tried to put the shed on fire, to kill him in his sleep, to figure out the code of the door, to break the skylight and scream until someone heard her… She did everything, but nothing worked. This was her last option. Hanna was aware that her and Livia couldn't spend the rest of their lives stuck in there. Her daughter had just turned four years old and she didn't have any friends…She never even talked to someone other than Hanna for God's sake. The little girl was suppose to start school next year and while Hanna had done an extremely good job at educating Livia, there were only so many things she could teach her. Most of all though, Hanna wanted her daughter to step outside, to look at the beautiful world she missed so much and to breath the fresh air of the nature.
''Roll, Livi, roll'' Hanna said helping her daughter to figure out how to get out of the carpet when he was wrapped around her. It slowly started to move, but it was Livia's first try and she was struggling so Hanna had no other choice than to help her out a little bit. ''Okay now, wiggle'' the young woman said when the little blonde was almost out of the rug.
''I can't!'' Livia started to yell hysterically ''I can't mama! I can't! Let me out!''
''Okay, okay'' Hanna whispered taking her out of the rug. Livia immediately threw herself in her arms sobbing.
''I don't wanna'' the little girl whimpered.
''I know baby, I know, mama's sorry'' Hanna cried while rocking her baby back and forth on the floor. Just thinking about everything that could go wrong in this plan was enough to give her a panic attack. It was breaking her heart that she was forcing her daughter to do this, but at this point, she had no other choice. They needed to escape until it was too late.
Sure, Archer was letting Hanna keep Livia for now, but Hanna knew that this wasn't a long time thing. As much as Hanna hated to admit it, she was fully aware that he would never let Livia live to become strong enough to help her mom escape. As soon as she was big enough for the situation to be considered as a two against one, Hanna knew that either her or Livia would have to go. There comes a point in situations like these when you only have too options left and Hanna was at that point. She could either give up and hope that someone would find them before it was too late or she could put this plan into action and hope with all of her heart that it worked. ''Let's go over everything one more time okay sweetie'' Hanna told her daughter after she calmed down a little bit.
''Okay'' the little girl reluctantly nodded.
''So you remember how he pulls his friend out of the bag and hides him and then…he gets in the bag and lays in there very still until the guards come?'' Hanna asked referring to a book they had read. ''So that's what you're going to do'' she told her daughter. ''What's even trickier is that yesterday we were pretending that you were sick and now well, you're going to play…dead'' Hanna hesitated at the last word.
''But I don't wanna be dead'' Livia said understandably scared and anxious about the situation her mom was forcing her in.
''You're just pretending to be dead'' Hanna responded like it was suppose to make her feel better. ''We're gonna roll you up in Rug so that way Archer won't see you and he won't know that you're alive inside. Then, he's going to pick you up a-and… put you in the back of his truck, he'll start driving to find a place to lay you down-''
''No'' the four year old interrupted her mother.
''Hey, don't worry, it'll be okay because I'll be talking to you in your head to whole time'' Hanna tried to reassure her. ''When the car is moving, you're going to wiggle out and when it stops, you're gonna jump out and find somebody, then you'll give them this note'' she handed the little blonde a note that she had written with her name and the name of their kidnapper ''and you'll yell help, my mama is Hanna Marin! Can you tell me what your going to do now?'' Hanna tested her daughter to see if she understood what she had to do.
''Hum…wait for the truck to shake, wiggle out, jump-''
''Jump when you hit the first stop sign'' Hanna reminded the little girl, not wanting her to get hurt, which would most likely happen if she jumped while the truck was moving.
''then I run?'' Livia nervously asked.
''Yes, you run as fast as you can to somebody'' Hanna answered her daughter's question.
''Who's somebody?'' Livia wondered. Hanna was a little worried at how Livia would react to seeing someone that wasn't her…Would she even be able to talk to them? Hanna wasn't really a shy person, but she used to be when she was younger and Livia pretty much got everything from her. Hanna knew that spending the first four years of her life isolated in a room with no one but her mom would for sure have a big impact on her daughter's future development…Perhaps the little girl would develop a form of social anxiety, selective mutism or something like that.
''Somebody is anyone you see other than Archer'' Hanna answered her while laying her down on Rug once again. They didn't have much time until he came back and tonight was the only night they could do it. ''Okay they were too many turns last time, so we'll shorten the rug a little bit'' Hanna said before rolling her up inside the carpet. ''Are you ready?'' she questioned her receiving a quiet yes as an answer. Livia started to roll around while Hanna cheered for her. Because she had folded the rug in a way that her daughter didn't have to roll as much to get out, it took the little girl a lot less effort and she did it way quicker too. ''Now wiggle, wiggle, wiggle'' Hanna gasped proudly when Livia managed to get out all by herself. ''You did it!'' Hanna smiled weakly lifting her daughter in her arms and giving her a few kisses on the forehead.
She couldn't believe that in a matter of minutes, she was going to be alone for the first time in four years…well technically four years and seven months.
Hanna decided to lay down on Bed with Livia to admire the little angel she had created one last before their, hopefully, last escape plan began. She's so beautiful, Hanna thought. It had been a very long time since she had seen her reflection in a mirror, but she knew that Livia looked a lot like her. The little girl had her mother's big blue eyes and wavy blonde hair, which were getting extremely long since Hanna didn't have scissors or anything sharp to cut them. She used to have some the first two years she was stuck in there, but he took them away after she tried to stab him with them. The only things she got from Archer were the shape of his face and his snow-white skin, apart from that she had everything from Hanna. Sometimes, the young mother even wondered if perhaps her daughter had inherited of those things from her own parents. Hanna was completely aware at how dangerously skinny and small Livia was for her age. While the young mother always does everything in her power to give her daughter as much healthy food as she can, it wasn't easy to eat well when you were in their condition.
''Do you have bad tooth?'' Hanna asked Livia. The mini blonde was a little scared to leave Room alone so Hanna had given her a tooth she had lost after he punched her pretty hard. That way, Livia could always have a bit of her mom, even if she wasn't with her.
Livia giggled, opened her mouth and pulled her mother's tooth out of it ''here mama, I won't lose it'' she smiled before putting it back into her mouth.
''You're so silly'' Hanna smirked at her ''you're going to love it.''
''What?'' the little girl whispered.
''The world…the park with the swings, grandma, your aunties, Caleb…'' she trailed off.
''And you?'' Livia asked in a quiet voice.
''Yeah…and me'' Hanna answered her although she wasn't convinced. She was getting pretty weak and if he learns about the plan before the cops find him or Hanna, well she knew she was going to get it. Stop thinking about that Hanna, she mentally scolded herself, the important thing is that Livia makes it out okay and that she gets to live a normal life…whether I'm apart of it… or not.
Suddenly, Hanna heard his loud and heavy footsteps approaching the door. She immediately took her daughter in her arms, gave her one last kiss and rolled her up in Rug. This is my chance to use the theatre class I took for fun in my first year at NYU, Hanna thought. She had always regretted that she didn't get the chance to finish her studies in fashion. She had been kidnapped during her second year while her and Caleb were visiting their friends and family for Christmas and her birthday.
''I got some meds'' Archer mumbled dropping some grocery bags on the floor. The older man stopped dead in his track when he noticed how Hanna was holding the rug with tears streaming down her face. Hanna would like to say that they were fake tears, but the realization of what was about to happen was enough to give her a complete emotional breakdown. ''What's going on, what are you doing?'' he asked.
''S-she got sicker last night'' the mother sobbed hoping that he would believe her ''she didn't wake up.''
''Huh…'' Archer breathed looking a little shaken. He was without a doubt the person she hated the most on this planet, hell she didn't even consider him as a person, but she knew he wasn't a psychopath or a sociopath…Deep, deep, deep down, he had some kind of little feelings and as much as Hanna hated to admit it, he was Livia's father…If anyone was able to make him feel something other than the urge to ruin Hanna's life, than it was Livia. ''I got some aspirin…'' he mumbled after a while in shock.
Hanna couldn't believe him. ''You killed my baby!'' she yelled with tears streaming down her face.
''L-let me just have a-a look'' he nervously stuttered reaching for the carpet.
''Don't you dare touch her!'' Hanna screamed pushing him away. In other circumstances he would've pushed her back or did some other form of torture he always does to her, but not this time.
''Are you s-sure she's-''
''Am I sure?!'' Hanna interrupted him knowing what he was about to say.
''Well she can't stay here'' he mumbled under his breath beginning to pass around the plastic table that had been in the middle of Room since she arrived. ''I-I hum… I can t-take her somewhere?'' he said although it came out more like a question.
''Somewhere nice'' Hanna cried ''somewhere with trees.''
''With trees, yeah sure'' he agreed brushing his hand through his dark brown hair.
''Swear to me you won't even lay your filthy eyes on him!'' Hanna sobbed looking at her abductor right in the eyes. Usually she tries to avoid to look at him, but she needed to really get to him this time. To make sure he wouldn't look because if he did…I don't even want to think about what could happen Hanna thought.
''I-I swear'' he promised shakily bending down to pick the rug up.
''No!'' Hanna yelled letting all of her emotions out. She wasn't even acting at this point. This could be the last time she saw her little girl.
It all seemed to happen in slow-motion. She stood there yelling and sobbing at the top of her lungs as he pressed the five digit code to unlock the door. Hanna can't even recount how many times she tried to find that damn code, but every single time she tried, he somehow knew and he was not happy about it. Hanna watched in horror as the door finally closed and collapsed on the floor when she felt it for the first time in four years and seven months. Complete loneliness.
Livia heard her mama cry and yell some stuff at Archer. She started to get scared…was that part of the plan? She didn't cry though, her mama told her to stay stiff like a robot and everything would be okay. She felt him pick her up from the ground which made her mama yell even more. She heard the little beeps that he always does to magically open the door, she heard a little bang and then… She couldn't hear her mama cry anymore. Livia wasn't sure if she was happy or even more scared about that.
Just like her mama told her it was moving, so she knew he was walking. She could feel something cold on her head and heard weird stuff that she hears on TV sometimes. She looked up being careful not to move too much. At first, she couldn't see anything. It was all blurry, but then she saw some weird little brown things and a lot of green on the floor…She didn't know what anything was…It was scary so the little girl looked down again. She liked it better in the dark.
She felt him lay her down in his truck just like her mama said he would. She heard two loud bangs, then another weird sound started, but it was different than the bangs and it didn't stop, it even made the truck shake. She waited a little bit and then it started to move a lot, just like mama said it would.
When you feel this, you'll know he's driving so that means he's busy and it's time for you to roll. She remembered what her mama told her earlier.
Livia started to roll around on her side, but it was harder than the last time she did it because the truck was moving. She had to push really hard with her hands to roll around so she could get out of Rug. When she felt like she was almost out, she started to wiggle out just like she and her mama practiced earlier.
Truck, wiggle out, jump, somebody. She could hear her mama's voice in her head.
Livia could see something blue on the ceiling of the world through the holes in Rug. She was trying to wiggle, but it wasn't working. She started kicking Rug really hard, so hard that her feet finally got out. She closed her eyes to focus and pushed the rest of Rug off of her with her hands.
Wow Livia gasped letting out the deep breath she had been holding, Mama was right about the world being so big. In Room, her mama could touch the ceiling if she jumped high enough. I don't think we could touch the ceiling of the world, even if we were up on a chair! The little girl thought. The ceiling was blue…just like her mama's eyes and sometimes there were also some big white things that looked like mashed-potatoes. Livia touched her cheek to make sure her mama's bad tooth was still with her and felt a little more safe when she saw that it was.
There were only three things Livia had to do before the plan was over. Jump. Run. Somebody.
She slowly sat down in the truck. It was hard because it kept moving and bumping. She saw a big red sign just like her mama said she would see before the truck stopped. It started slowing down, it stopped and then it started moving again. Oh no, I missed the first one. Livia started looking around to find another red sign, she had to be faster this time and be ready to jump.
While the car was moving, she could see some big boxes on the side of the road. They all looked different. Some were small, brown and had things that looked like the truck she was in in-front of them and some were big, grey and had a lot of skylights in their walls. Livia remembers her mama once said another word for skylight, but she couldn't remember it.
The floors of the world were all kind of different colours. It's weird, in room it was grey, but in the world, it's more green and grey, sometimes black and there are some yellow lines on the grey parts, the little girl observed.
Suddenly, Livia saw a big red sign passing her. I missed it again, she thought. She had to stop looking at the world and only look for the red signs. She already missed two, what if the next one is the last forever…The truck rolled passed a lot of green signs, a few yellow ones, but they didn't make the truck stop like the red ones did. Maybe the red ones are the only one who works because the truck is red too? Livia thought. Then, out of nowhere, she saw another red sign coming her way. She got up and lifted her leg over the side of the truck to get ready to jump, but before she had the chance to, everything went sideways making her fall back on Rug. The car immediately stopped and she heard the same noise she heard when Archer went inside the truck to make it move earlier.
''What the hell?'' someone said from behind her. Livia looked and saw that he was out of the truck looking at her. Her eyes grew wide and she started to get even more scared than she already was. I just want to go back in Room with mama, it's safe there. She knew she had to jump before he caught her. She lifted her leg up on the side of the truck, just like she had done a few seconds ago, but this time, she jumped. Her knees and her hands hit the green floor of the world. It felt really different than the floor in Room. Livia got up and started running as fast as her little leg could carry her.
There was only one step left and then, the plan was over. Somebody.
''Hey! Where do you think you're going!'' Archer yelled running after the little girl.
She started screaming, but didn't stop running. He was just behind her, he could practically touch her. She looked back, still running, and saw his hand reaching out for her shirt. She looked back in-front of her, but she ran into something and fell on the floor.
''I'm really sorry, I didn't see her…wait Elliot?'' Livia heard somebody say as Archer picked her up with his big arms. Somebody. She looked to where the voice was coming from and saw that it was from another human that wasn't Archer, she had to ask him for help, but for some reason she couldn't find her voice. ''Elliot, what the heck are you doing?'' Somebody questioned when Livia started crying and screaming even louder, just like her mama told her to do, but a little part of her was also doing it because she was terrified. She reached out in the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out the note her mama had given her.
''She's fine'' Livia heard Archer say. His arms were wrapped so tightly around her tummy that she had trouble to breath. She just had to give Somebody the note and then the plan was over.
''Elliot stop! I think she has something for me'' Somebody said reaching out for the note Livia was handing him, but Archer just started walking faster and holding her even tighter. ''I'm calling the cops!'' was all Somebody had to say for Archer to drop her on the green floor. Livia fell right on her shoulder and ignored the pain as she quickly wrapped her arms around her legs, closing her eyes in the process. The world was too big for her, she didn't want to look at it. It made her feel so little. She just wanted to go back in Room and be with her mama.
''Cavanaugh, Calderon!'' Detective Tanner called over Toby and his partner, Lorenzo. ''We just received a call from a young man saying that a guy had abandoned a little girl close to The Brew, just passed Bridgewater Terrace. We don't know if it's a child abandon case or kidnapping, would you guys mind checking it out?''
''We'll be right there'' Toby said starting to panic. He lives on Bridgewater Terrace and while him and his wife, Spencer, only have a girl and a boy, most of their neighbours had little girls. He really hoped nothing happened to them.
Before they left, Toby asked one of the receptionist for a blanket since it was raining outside. He assumed the little girl would be cold and he wanted to make sure she was comfortable until she was somewhere safe.
It barely took the young officers five minutes to arrive at the location, Rosewood was a really small town. ''Pull over'' Toby told Lorenzo when he saw a teenage boy that he immediately recognized as his pseudo nephew and his close friends, Ezra and Aria's son, Malcolm. The now fifteen year old boy was standing in the rain with only a t-shirt 's first thought was what the hell is he doing? But then, he quickly noticed the little figure laying in a tiny ball at his nephew's feet. ''Malcolm, what happened?'' Toby asked getting out of the car before Lorenzo had the chance to even stop.
''I-I don't know'' he stuttered nervously ''I was just walking and then the little girl was running she bumped into me and fell on the ground and I turned around and I saw Elliot picking her up and-''
''Elliot? As in my neighbour and your aunt Ali's husband, Elliot Rollins?'' Toby questioned him and he nodded.
After Spencer and Toby fell pregnant with their daughter, Sophia, Spencer's parents offered them their house since they wanted to live in something smaller. When they moved in, they quickly got to know their new neighbour, Elliot Rollins. He had bought Alison's old house and was a doctor at a mental institution…Charlotte's mental institution. They've always found the fact that he was living in his patient's old house a little odd, but things like that happened all the time in Rosewood.
Over the years, they got to know Elliot a little better, not only because he was their neighbour, but also because Alison married him a year ago. Toby thought he was okay, he's just never been his biggest fan, but he was nice…a little sketchy, but nice. At least, that's what Toby thought until now…
''He just picked her up and kept walking towards his truck'' Malcolm worriedly looked down to the little girl who was shaking on the ground. The young officer was really worried, she didn't have shoes on, her clothes were way too big for her, she was crying, her blonde hair were soaked from the rain…At least, Malcolm had put his coat over her so she wouldn't get too cold. ''She was screaming and crying s-so I told Elliot I'd call the cops on him, he just dropped her there and left'' he said while taking a little paper out of his pocket ''she gave me this, but the rain washed away whatever was written on it.''
''It's okay, you did the right thing, we don't know what he would've done to that little girl'' Toby squeezed his nephew's shoulder to let him know that he was proud of him. Malcolm had grown up in a great young man since he moved in with his biological father, Ezra, and Aria five years ago. He was an amazing big brother to Jack and Hazel and he always offered to babysit Sophia and Blake. ''Go call your parents on my phone and tell them to come pick you up at the station, Lorenzo will take your statement once we get there'' Toby said handing him his cellphone before bending down in-front of the little girl.
She looked so scared Toby thought. Her arms were wrapped around her knees, she was hiding her head inside her oversized green hoodie. Toby wasn't sure how old she was… In his opinion she looked about two…maybe three, but if this was a child abuse case, he wouldn't be surprised if she was older and suffered from malnutrition. ''Hi sweetie'' He whispered trying not startle the little blonde ''my name is Toby, I'm here to help you. Can you tell me what your name is?'' I asked her.
Livia slowly raised her head and looked at Toby with her big blue eyes. The officer felt his heart break. Ever since his kids, Sophia and Blake, were born, cases with children have been harder for him. He couldn't help to imagine how he would feel if it was one of his children laying terrified on the ground.
The little girl opened her mouth and mumbled something, but it was so soft that Toby didn't even hear her.
''Can you say that a little louder please?'' He asked her.
''Livia'' she finally whispered.
''Livia, that's your name?'' Toby made sure he understood and she slowly nodded ''okay, Livia, I'm just going to pick you up and sit you down in the back of my car'' he said before carefully lifting her up in his arms. He was surprised at how light the little girl was, he remembers when Sophia was around two or three, the doctor told him and Spencer that she needed to gain a little weight, but it was nothing compared to Livia.
When they were sitting comfortably in the car, Toby handed Malcolm his coat back and wrapped up the shivering tiny blonde in the blanket he had borrowed from the station. Toby wasn't sure if she was shaking because she was cold or afraid, perhaps a little bit of both? he guessed.
''Do you have another name Livia?'' the officer asked trying to get as much information as he could so they could find her parents or whoever is in charge of her. He waited for her to answer, but it never came. ''Hey, it's okay'' Toby soothed her when he saw a few tears rolling down her cheeks. ''Can you tell me how old you are sweetheart?''
''I-I'm four'' Livia whispered after a little while. The little girl was gripping so tightly on her blanket that her knuckles were turning blue and she was doing everything she could to avoid looking outside. Toby went to rub her back, but she flinched and started crying even harder. He felt a little bad… Usually kids are more comfortable with female officers, but the only one they have at the station is detective Tanner and she doesn't really bother with little cases like these so most of the time, Toby or an older officer named Barry Maple are the ones to take the lead.
''Elliot grabbed her pretty hard, maybe she's hurt?'' Malcolm suggested looking at Livia worriedly through the mirror.
''Do you think the kid is on something?'' Lorenzo added after Livia hid her head in the blanket.
''I'm not sure, Elliot is a doctor so if he really took her, than he could've easily drugged her with something'' Toby told him. ''Livia, do you know where you live sweetheart?'' he asked her, but she didn't answer ''did the man from earlier hurt you?''
''Maybe we should call child services'' Lorenzo said.
''Just give her time, she's just in shock'' the blue-eyed officer told him. His partner was a great cop, but he didn't have as much patience as Toby, specially with kids.
''Hey Livia, do you know where your mommy is?'' Toby questioned her. They don't always ask young children about their parents since sometimes they're the ones abusing them. Kids think that if they talk they'll send them back there, but in Livia's case he really thinks it would be helpful.
The little girl's head immediately shot up at the mention of her mom ''mama?'' she asked and Toby nodded.
''Yes sweetheart, do you know where your mama is?'' he wondered, but she looked back down. ''Does your mama have another name?''
Livia looked up again and wiped her cheeks ''I-I forgot'' she whispered.
''That's okay, do you know who was the man that grabbed you?'' Toby asked her and she nodded.
''Archer'' Livia told him.
''Archer?'' he repeated surprised ''are you sure his name wasn't Elliot…or maybe even Rollins?'' She shook her head and repeated Archer. ''Okay, that's a good Livia, that's really good'' he praised her before reaching for his radio. ''Hello, this is officer Cavanaugh, we need someone to look in the system for Elliot Rollins and every Archer that you can find'' he whispered not wanting to scare her. He knew it wasn't going to take long before they figured out what is going on, Archer wasn't a very common name.
When Lorenzo parked their police car in-front of the station, he saw that Aria and Ezra's car was already there. This is going to be a long night he couldn't help to think. ''Livia, I'm going to pick you up and then we'll go warm up inside a little bit okay?'' Toby told her. The mini blonde nodded, but didn't look up at him. Her eyes were fixated on her knees and her blanket was still wrapped around her. He carefully took her in his arms and we all walked in the station.
''What happened man?'' Ezra asked as soon as he saw them while Aria ran straight to Malcolm and began checking if her adoptive son had any injuries. Toby spotted their twins, Jack and Hazel, sitting at Mrs. Fields desk with Emily who had probably stopped by to see her mother.
''Sorry, I can't talk right now'' he told him motioning to the tiny girl shaking in his arms ''he didn't do anything wrong, just ask Lorenzo while I take care of this'' the officer said before walking towards the station's infirmary.
''What have we there?'' a nurse asked when he walked in still holding the little girl in his arms.
''This is Livia, I don't think she was hurt, but she needs some warm clothes'' Toby told her while he sat Livia on the hospital bed that was there incase anyone needed to be checked on. Her big blue eyes started scanning the room as a panicked look appeared on her face. She jumped off the bed and hid under it instead. ''Are you okay?'' he asked her worriedly sitting down on the floor.
''I-I go back in Room'' she whispered with a shaky voice.
''Room? Is that where you live?'' Toby questioned her receiving a little nod. ''Is your mama in Room?''
She lowered her head, put her hand in her mouth and took out something hesitantly showing it to him. It was a…tooth? ''Livia, what is that?'' he asked her softly.
She quickly closed her hand and pulled it away from him ''a bit of mama'' she said as the nurse came back with clean clothes for her.
''Hey princess, do you need some help to get changed?'' she wondered looking under the bed, but Livia only starred at her for a few seconds before pulling the blanket Toby had given her over her head and letting out a little whimper.
''I'll take care of it'' he told the nurse wanting her to leave them alone so he could try to get more information out of Livia. She seemed to catch the double meaning in his words and quietly went back to her desk. ''Livia, can you come out of there?'' Toby whispered trying not to frighten the little girl ''I really want to find your mama, but you're going to have to help me a little bit okay'' he told her. The officer waited a few seconds and smiled when she lifted up the blanket, however the little blonde refused to come out, but he guessed that was okay. ''Now I know this is really scary, but I promise that nothing or no-one is going to hurt you here'' he reassured her before asking her all the questions he needed her to answer. ''You said you and your mama lives in a place called Room right?'' he asked and she slowly nodded ''but you don't know where that is?''
She shook her head as an answer.
''That's okay?'' Toby smiled at her. The little girl was really doing the best she could and he understood how terrified she must be. ''Do you know what's outside of Room?''
''Hum….'' Livia mumbled thinking about it ''space…no, the world?'' she looked really uncertain of her answer.
''Okay, listen, when you step out the door-'' Livia began to shake her head before Toby even had the chance to finish asking his question. ''You don't?''
''We do not open the door'' she mumbled like it was something she heard all of her life. At this point, he was almost certain this was a kidnapping case.
''Is there daylight in Room?'' he asked to have a better idea of what Room looks like, she thought about it for a second before nodding. ''Good'' Toby smiled at how helpful she was being, even though she was barely talking. ''How many windows, do you remember?''
''Z-zero'' Livia stuttered looking at the young officer with a blank expression.
''Well then, how does the sun come in?'' he questioned her.
''Through skylight'' the little girl whispered before putting her thumb in her mouth.
''Okay'' Toby nodded at her notting everything she told him so far in his notebook. He was getting really worried about how serious this case was getting. ''You live a house with a skylight?'' he asked her.
''No'' Livia shook her confused ''not a house…'' she told him in a barely audible voice ''it's a hum…it's a s-shed.''
''A shed'' Toby gasped ''you live in a shed Livia?''
''Room'' she said making him understand that this was probably how she called the place. This got the officer seriously thinking. It was impossible that she was kidnapped or left in a shed recently, this was probably something that had been going for a few years now, or else she wouldn't have given a name to that place. ''Do you know how long it's been since you and your mama have been living in Room?'' he wondered.
''I got born there'' Livia mumbled ''mama was in Room before…''
''But you left'' Toby told her ''how did you do that?''
''Mama said it in my head'' she whispered looking down again.
''What did she say?'' he asked bending down to really hear what she was saying.
''Jump when it slows down, but I couldn't'' she admitted before she started crying again.
''Oh don't cry Livia, it's okay'' he soothed her ''you didn't do anything wrong, we just need to ask a few more questions and then I'm going to go find your mama.'' Toby waited a couple of minutes until the little girl calmed down and proceeded with his interrogation. ''Why couldn't you jump sweetie?''
''Mama said wait for t-the red sign, but I missed two times and t-then I tried to j-jump and it went sideways and I f-fell and Archer saw me and I jumped a-and'' she tried to explain to the officer with a shaky voice.
''It's okay'' Toby interrupted her ''I got it, you did very good Livia.''
''I go back to Room now?'' she whispered in tears.
''Not right now, but I'm going to go try to find your mama'' he told her ''can you let the nice nurse help you change while I go talk to my friend?'' Toby asked her, but the mini blonde shook her head before hiding back under the blanket.
As soon as he left the infirmary, detective Tanner came walking straight towards him. ''What did she tell you Cavanaugh?'' she immediately asked.
''Her mom was kidnapped a few years ago by Elliot Rollins, although she says his name is Archer, he keeps them in a shed with a skylight. She says her mom told her to jump out of the truck, but she missed the first two stop signs and fell at the third one and if she's right then I know exactly where he's keeping them'' Toby told his boss.
''Where would that be?'' she asked clearly doubting her young officer.
''29 Bridgewater Terrace'' he confidently answered.
''And why are you so sure?'' Tanner smirked.
''Because I live at 23 Bridgewater Terrace, Elliot his my neighbour, he has a shed and I'm almost certain the shed has a sky-'' before they had the chance to say anything else, one of their new officers came running towards them with a picture in his hands.
''We searched for Elliot Rollins in the system'' he interrupted their conversation out of breath.
''And?'' detective Tanner and Toby both asked at the same time.
''It's a false identity, the real Elliot Rollins died eighty-two years ago, but get this, the little girl was right we checked for all of the Archer in the system and look'' he handed the duo a picture of the guy who had been Toby's neighbour for the last six years.
''Unbelievable'' Tanner gasped.
''Archer Dunhill'' Toby read what was written on the paper. Then, just like that, everything seemed to click in my mind. Why didn't I think of this before? I'm so stupid, it was obvious he thought running towards the board where were displayed pictures of every mission person in Pennsylvania.
''Officer Cavanaugh, what are you doing?!'' detective Tanner yelled at him as he grabbed one of the photos before running back in the infirmary where Livia was still hiding under the bed. ''Livia, I need you to tell me what your mama looks like'' he told her as the little girl took her head out of the blanket.
''She has hum…y-yellow hair and blue e-eyes a-and she-'' before she had the chance to say anything else Toby shoved the picture he had took in her face.
''Is that your mama?'' he asked her and she immediately nodded reaching for the picture.
''Mama'' she whispered before holding the picture to her heart.
''Cavanaugh what's going on?'' Tanner questioned walking in the room.
''She's Hanna Marin's daughter'' he answered.
Emily had no idea what was going on, this day just kept getting weirder and weirder. Her mom had called her asking if she could bring her a dinner to work because she forgot her's at home. When Emily arrived to the police station, all of the officers were running around talking about Ali's husband, Elliot. She gave her friend a call to warn her, but the blonde wasn't answering so the ex-swimmer texted her to call her when she had the chance.
Then, out of no where, Aria, Ezra and their twins walked in looking for Malcolm saying that something had happened and he was coming here with Toby and his partner. They asked Emily to watch after Jack and Hazel while they talked to some officers to find out what was going on.
A few minutes later, Lorenzo, Malcolm and Toby who was holding a crying little girl walked in. Malcolm had quickly been taken to an interrogation room, Aria and Ezra both went with him, while she staid with her mom and Hazel. Half an hour later, Toby came out of the infirmary where he had took the little girl and talked with Tanner and a young officer for a few seconds before ripping off a picture from the missing person's board and running back in the infirmary, Tanner following closely behind him.
''What's uncle Toby doing?'' Hazel asked her looking up from the drawing she was making.
''I don't know'' Emily shrugged lifting her off of her lap and sitting her down next to brother. ''Toby are you-'' she said walking in the infirmary.
''Em,'' he interrupted the ex-swimmer before she had the chance to even ask him what was going on ''I need you to call Spencer, Caleb, Alison a-and tell them to get here right now.'' Emily was seriously getting worried, her friend was stuttering and usually, he only stuttered when something was making him really nervous.
''Tobes, what the hell is happening?'' she gasped when she looked out the infirmary's door and saw at least a dozen of officers running out of the station.
''I-It's Hanna'' he finally said handing Emily the picture that had been haunting all of their dreams for the last six years. ''We think we found her'' he said.
''What?'' Emily said with a shaky voice, not believing what her friend just told her. Her and Hanna had always been the closest in the group, only a week before she went missing, Hanna had asked Emily to be her maid of honour at her wedding. The brunette was the only one out of the girls that never gave up on finding Hanna, but honestly, she never thought the day would come.
''I don't have time to go over this again so listen carefully'' Toby told the ex-swimmer ''Elliot is not who he says he is, his real name is Archer Dunhill. This afternoon, Malcolm saw him trying to force that little girl into his truck'' he pointed to a tiny blonde girl who was hiding under the infirmary's bed with a blanket wrapped around her. ''Her name is Livia, she told me that Elliot…well Archer, had been keeping her and her mama inside a shed since before she was was born. Long story short, I showed her a picture of Hanna and she said that it was her mama…'' Toby trailed off leaving Emily more confused than ever.
''Yes, but Hanna wasn't pregnant'' the twenty six year old woman argued before realizing what had most likely happened. She felt her heart break inside her chest. If what Toby was saying was right, Hanna had just spend the last six years locked up in Elliot's shed being rapped and probably abused or even tortured…It had all been happening literally right under their noses, but they never noticed.
Before she could think of anything else, tears began to roll down the swimmers cheeks.
''Hey, it's going to be okay'' Toby said embracing her in a big hug and rubbing her back ''Em, please don't cry, we're going to save her I promise, s-she'll be okay'' he stuttered having trouble to contain his own sadness. He couldn't help to feel very guilty, he was Elliot's neighbour and while he had been scanning the globe to find Hanna, he never once thought of looking there. ''Emily, I have to go over there right now, but I need to ask you something before I go'' he said taking a deep breath and letting go of his friend. ''I need you to watch after Livia, I mean for all we know, she never stepped out of that shed and this is her first time in the real world'' he explained as both of the adult realized just now how truly afraid the little girl must be.
Not only was she terrified and traumatized, Livia was alone. For the first time in her life, she was really alone. She didn't know anything or anyone, she was facing the unknown right now. Just like a baby coming out of the womb and seeing the world for the first time, she was coming out of the Room. From the room, who had, in someway, been her placenta for the last four years, to the world, who she had yet to experience.
''Of c-course'' Emily nervously stuttered as her friend left her alone in the infirmary with the terrified little girl. As she slowly walked towards her, Emily couldn't help to notice the similarities between her best-friend and the toddler. Not only did they look alike, but they seemed to have the same manners too.
Emily remembered clearly how Hanna would always hide under a blanket, a shirt or anything that could cover her when she was scared, much like Livia was doing right now. It had always been something that Emily, Spencer and Aria had found adorable about their bubbly friend.
''Hi Livia'' she whispered sitting down on the floor and looking at the toddler who was hiding under the bed. ''I'm your auntie Emily, your mommy is my best-friend.''
Livia looked up at the girl who her mama had told her so many stories about. For as long as she could remember, the toddler had always dreamed about meeting her aunties, Spencer, Aria, Emily and Alison, her uncles, Ezra and Toby, her grandma, Ashley, and the man her mama loved with all of her heart, Caleb. For some odd reason though, now that she was face to face with all of them, she couldn't seem to find her voice and the only person she wanted was the only person she knew, her mama.
''I know you're probably wondering where your mommy is right now but-''
''Mama'' Livia corrected Emily in such a soft little voice that anyone who wouldn't have been paying attention to her probably wouldn't have heard her.
''Yes your mama'' Emily sadly smiled at the little girl ''the nice police officers are going to go help your mama so I'm going to take care of you until she's okay'' the ex-swimmer informed the toddler. ''I know how scared you are right now, but I promise that I'm not going to hurt you and if you have any questions or if you want anything you can ask me okay?'' she concluded.
Livia hesitantly looked up at the woman who she knew so much, but so little about. After that little talk, she really felt like she could trust her. Just the way her aunty Emily spoke in a calm and reassuring voice reminded her of her mother. ''Okay'' Livia quietly answered before hesitantly getting out from under the bed and slowly taking her auntie's hand.
Emily had not expected the little girl to take her hand, but as soon as she did, she knew that she would be ready to do anything for the toddler. Even if she had only known about her existence for a few minutes, she loved and cared about her just as much as she loved and cared about Malcolm, Jack, Hazel, Sophia and Blake.
She carefully took the little girl in her arms and sat down on the bed while rubbing small circles on her back. Apart from Alison, Emily was the only one out her friends who didn't have children yet, but she was still pretty good with kids. Not only did the brunette have a natural protective and maternal side, she was a swimming teacher to kids from four to ten years old, she was the swimming team's coach at Rosewood Day and she had her license to foster children in need of homes.
''Your clothes are all wet sweetie, would you like to change in something warmer? I can help you if you want'' Emily told Livia noticing that the nurse had laid out a shirt and a pair of sweatpants specially for her on the bed.
The little girl slowly inspected the outfit while sucking on her thumb, which Emily found adorable. She knew that Livia was mostly dry now since Toby had wrapped her up in a blanket, but she was as cold as ice and the brunette didn't want the little girl to catch a cold.
After thinking about it for a minute, the tiny blonde nodded so Emily carefully helped her out of her baggy and dirty clothes. The ex-swimmer had to hold her breath when she saw the toddler's naked body. Livia had a few bruises and cuts just like every kids her age, but what really caught Emily's eyes was how small the little girl really was. She didn't look more than twenty or twenty-five pounds and she was about thirty-five inches tall. Emily wasn't sure how much a four year old girl is suppose to measure in weight and height, but she remembers clearly that all of her three nieces were a lot bigger than that when they were four.
''So, I have a few calls to make sweetheart, would you like to take a little nap until I'm done?'' Emily asked, but Livia quickly responded by shaking her head and wrapping her little arms around her new aunty. ''Okay, I guess you can stay with me'' Emily smiled taking the toddler in her arms and walking out of the infirmary.
She found Aria, Malcolm, Ezra and the twins sitting at her mother's desk. They have no idea what's about to hit them Emily thought approaching her friends and family while Livia nervously hid her little head in the ex-swimmer's.
''Em, what's going on?'' Aria immediately asked her friend with a confused expression ''Spencer just texted me that she was on her way and not to worry and she also asked if you called Ali and Caleb already.''
Emily took a deep breath and sat down not knowing how to explain the situation. Her vision became blurry as her eyes filled up with tears and soon she felt some roll down her cheeks.
''Sweetie, is everything okay?'' Mrs. Fields worriedly questioned her daughter. She went to rub Emily's knee, but as soon as she touched her, Livia let out a little whimper before tightening her grip on the ex-swimmer's neck.
''It's Hanna'' Emily cried rubbing little circles on Livia's back. Everyone around her, other than the twins who were staring at the toddler, let out a loud gasp waiting for her to continue ''the…the cops think they know where she is.''
It took a few minutes for everyone to process the news, but as soon as they did, all of their eyes settled on the terrified little blonde who was hiding her head in Emily's hair. ''Is that…?'' Aria trailed off as the brunette nodded.
''Yeah, that's our niece, Livia'' the brunette answered knowing exactly what her friend was asking.
''Mommy, why is everyone crying?'' Jack softly asked looking in-between her dad, Mrs. Fields, her aunt and her mom.
''Malcolm, can you take your sister and brother for a walk please?'' Ezra asked his fifteen year old who immediately nodded when he realized how serious the conversation was about to get.
''I'm going to go at Ashley's…I don't want to tell her this over the phone'' Pam said grabbing her keys ''text me if anything comes up'' she added before kissing her daughter's head and leaving.
''I'm gonna try Ali again'' Aria announced taking her phone out. Emily had no idea how Alison was going to react. Her and Hanna had never been the closest in the group and they had a tense past, but after high school they had really grown closer and they loved each other. The thing that was really worrying her was the fact that the blonde's husband was the one behind all of this.
Sure, Ali had done a lot of bad things in her life, but couldn't she just be happy? First her mom buries her alive, then she learns she has a sister she never knew about, that sister turns out to be -A, her mom died, her dad isn't really nice, Jason is gone most of the time and now her husband is a… Emily couldn't think of a word to describe Elliot…or Archer or however the hell that man called himself. The only thing she could think of right now was Hanna.
''Hum…should I maybe call Caleb?'' Ezra said taking her out of her thoughts.
AN: I really hope you liked this chapter! I know you probably saw that I changed a few things from the book and movie (if you read\watched them) for example, Hanna doesn't have a five year old son named Jack, she has a four year old daughter named Livia XD
In the next chapter, we will find out if Elliot did something to Hanna after he saw that Livia was alive, we will see Caleb's reaction when he sees Livia for the first time and when he gets the call from Ezra...The whole chapter will probably be about Caleb...
Just a few things that I wanted to mention;
Spencer and Toby are married, they have two kids. Sophia who is six years old and Blake who is four years old.
Ezra and Aria are married, they have three kids. Malcolm (Ezra's biological son, adopted at ten years old because his mom lost the guard) he is now fifteen and they have six years old twins, Jack and Hazel.
Emily is single, she doesn't have any kids, but she loves spending time with her nieces and nephews and she has her license to foster.
Alison has been married with Elliot for a year now, she had no idea he was keeping Hanna and Livia locked up in a shed in their backyard.
Anyway, I really hope you liked this story, please leave a review and if you have any ideas or anything you would like to see, well let me know :)
