Hey guys! I know it's been way way too long, but I've finally gotten back the inspiration to write. Which has been missing for quite some time. I hope those of you that have been kind enough to read my story and wait for an update are pleased. More to come much sooner!
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"You don't have to tell me your story," the woman behind the wheel said. "But could you at least tell me your name?" They'd been driving for hours, and the girl she had picked up on the side of the road hadn't said a word.
"Beth," the girl said quietly after a long pause.
"Nice to meet you Beth, I'm Lisa." She waited for the girl to say that it was nice to meet her too, but there was only silence.
Something caught Lisa's eye, though she was careful not to let Beth see her looking. Peeking out from under the sleeve of the young girl's t-shirt, a nasty-looking bruise could be seen. She wondered what other injuries this poor girl might have underneath her clothes.
"Are you in some kind of trouble, sweetheart?" Lisa asked carefully.
Beth shook her head. "No," she said quietly. "Not anymore."
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"That's the last of them!" Puck called as he walked through the front door, setting a box down near the staircase.
"Praise the Lord," Quinn said with a sigh. The boxes were finally all out of the moving truck and inside the house. The new house. The relief lasted only a few short seconds before Quinn realized the real work had only just begun. Getting the boxes unpacked and putting everything in its place would be no quick task. "I need a drink," she said under her breath.
"Mommy come look at my room!" Brianna appeared out of nowhere and yanked on Quinn's arm. Quinn sighed as she let the little girl lead her toward the staircase.
"I think mommy needs a break." Rachel appeared from the kitchen, taking Brianna's small hand in hers. "Show your room to Aunt Rachel, sweet girl."
Thank you, Quinn mouthed to Rachel as she followed Brianna up the stairs. Rachel just smiled. Quinn was so thankful to have her and Finn's help during this move, though she wasn't looking forward to saying goodbye to her best friends.
Quinn made her way into the kitchen, grabbing a plastic cup off the island and filling it with water. The table wasn't set up yet, so she hoisted herself up onto the counter next to the sink. Sighing, she blew the stray pieces of hair out of her face. She heard someone coming toward the kitchen.
"Babe have you seen my—" Puck's words trailed off as he entered the room and saw Quinn.
"What's wrong?" she questioned.
"Oh, nothing," he answered. "It's just weird to see you on the kitchen counter. You know, without me putting you there." He shot her a devious smile, and she just rolled her eyes.
"Just taking a little breather," Quinn said with a shrug. "You know, someone could work on getting my table set up for me…"
"Oh yeah? Well I can think of something else I'd rather work on." He reached behind her and began to gently massage her shoulders and neck.
"Oh my God," she said as he loosened the knots in her muscles.
"Am I hurting you?" he asked, quickly taking his hands off her.
"No, don't stop!" she demanded. With a chuckle he went back to work on her shoulders. After a few minutes he gave her one final squeeze, then released his grasp. Then he lowered his head and began planting a few soft kisses on her neck.
"Hey Puck, where do you want your…" Finn entered the kitchen carrying a set of golf clubs. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Puck and Quinn. "Golf clubs," he finished, clearly embarrassed. "Sorry I'll—"
"No it's okay," Quinn interrupted, smiling sheepishly. She hopped down off the counter. "Help Noah with the kitchen table?" She took the golf clubs off his hands.
"Of course," Finn nodded. Sorry bro, he mouthed to Puck as Quinn was leaving with the golf clubs. Puck just shook his head.
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"This is where you live?" Lisa asked, wide-eyed. They sat parked in front of a large, beautiful home in what appeared to be a very ritzy neighborhood.
"Well, not exactly," Beth answered. "My grandmother lives here."
"It doesn't look like anyone's home baby," Lisa pointed out, raising her eyebrows. "Is she expecting you?"
No, Beth thought. She's probably forgotten all about me. She glanced at the tattered and worn envelope in her hand. That was the last card she had received from any of her blood relatives, and that was at least six years ago.
"Thanks so much for the ride," Beth said with a smile, ignoring the woman's question. "I probably wouldn't have made it here without you."
"Any time, baby doll."
Beth opened the door, and gracefully slid out of the car.
"You need anything, you call me okay?" Lisa called through the open window. The woman had been kind enough to give Beth her phone number.
"Thanks again," Beth said with a nod. She watched the woman drive away. One of the few nice people she had known in her short life.
Once Lisa was out of sight, Beth turned toward the house. It was after dark, yet not a light was on in the house. Beth was almost relieved that she wouldn't have to face her grandmother right away.
Slowly, backpack slung over her shoulder, Beth walked toward the front door. Reaching the stoop, she decided to ring the doorbell just in case. No answer. She tried the door, but it was locked. Duh Beth. The stuff in that house is worth more than gold probably. She stepped off the porch and walked to the side of the house. Spotting the small basement window, she figured that was her best bet at getting in.
She took a deep breath, feet planted firmly on the ground. Was she really about to break into her grandmother's house? She struggled with the idea, but then finally decided it was better than sleeping on a park bench. Her family must be decent people, right? Surely they wouldn't want her sleeping on the streets. Then again, they had given her away… Beth sighed in frustration, trying to push away all of her conflicting thoughts.
Before she could stop herself, Beth bounded toward the window, and pushed it open. Unlocked. How lucky am I? Another piece of luck was her slight figure. She always hated being small for her age, but in this case it came in handy. She slid easily through the open window and closed it behind her.
Fumbling through the darkness, Beth finally found the stairs and took them to the main floor. She ended up in a hallway, and gravitated instantly to the kitchen. Beth opened the fridge and began pulling out food before she could stop herself. She hadn't had a decent meal in weeks, after all. After stuffing her face and getting her fill, Beth suddenly realized how sleepy she was. It had been a while since she'd gotten a good night's sleep. It had been a while since she had gotten anything good, really.
Beth easily found the staircase that led to the second floor and took it up. She opened the first door she came upon, and quickly realized that the bedroom belonged to her grandmother. She closed the door, not wanting to disrupt anything there. There were four more doors along the hallway, but for some reason Beth felt drawn to the furthest door from the stairs. The door was open a crack. Was that pink carpeting?
She inched slowly toward the bedroom, opened the door and flicked on the light switch. Beth knew immediately that it was her mother's childhood bedroom. The bed was made up with a light pink comforter complete with stuffed animals, as if the room was still inhabited by a teenaged girl. Beth moved to the center of the room and spun around slowly, taking it all in. She imagined her mother studying at the large oak desk in the corner, or laying on her bed talking on the phone.
For a moment Beth felt a lump swell in her throat as she thought about the life she could have had if she had lived here. With her real family. And then the anger started building, as it had many times before. Every time something terrible happened, Beth blamed her parents. Anger was only thing that could quell the tears.
Exhausted from a day of travel, Beth decided the best thing she could do was to sleep off the anger and emotions that were building inside of her. She found the bathroom that was attached to the bedroom, and discovered that the shower was fully stocked with soap and shampoo. Not wanting to dirty such a nice bed, Beth decided it was best to wash all of the grime and grease off of her. The hot water at her house had been cut off for months, so a warm shower would feel just like heaven.
Beth pulled her shirt over her head, wincing as she did so. Looking in the mirror, she surveyed the bruises on her arms, and an even larger one on her ribcage, courtesy of a size 10 men's shoe. She sighed, then stepped into the shower.
After she was all clean and dried, Beth wandered over to the dresser along the wall opposite the bed. If she had to bet money, she'd say that there were clothes in those drawers. Opening the top drawer, she discovered that she was right. She pulled out a light pink nightgown and pulled it over her head. She pulled the neckline up to her nose and breathed in deep. Was that what her mother smelled like? She didn't know of a better smell in the world.
Pulling back the covers, Beth climbed into bed and turned off the lamp on the nightstand. She didn't know what was going to happen next, but for now she was safe and warm. It wasn't long before Beth drifted off to a deep sleep.