"Hello?"
"Ali? It's me. Sorry to bother you but there's an envelope at my office for you. What do I do with it?"
"Who's it from?"
"I don't know, he didn't say his name. He only asked for mine and told me to give it to you. What's going on Ali? You realize you can't use me for this shit anymore right? What are you up to this time?"
"Em." I heard her sigh in the phone. Back to the old times I thought. "No not Em me. Tell me."
"I hired a private investigator. I couldn't meet him in person so I asked him to deliver it to you. At home is too risky with my dad around."
"A private investigator?" Now it was my time to sigh. Yeah this was definitely a new one. "Who do you want to track?"
"Her." It took me a while to comprehend who she was referring too. Until it clicked. Her stepsister of course. Well this could be a step in the right direction. "So?"
"I don't know. The answer is in your hands right now. Open it Em, I trust you. Just don't tell anyone. Especially not our fathers. Okay?"
"Yeah okay." I was overcome with nerves. I got used to the way Ali spoke about people she doesn't like, if she doesn't like you she will let it seem like you killed someone. I never heard much about this Paige person, but when I did it was =with the ugliest word choices possible. I have always wondered what she's like for real.
I opened the envelop very fast, scanned the words with my eyes and slowed down at the end. "She's here."
"What do you mean Emily? Where is she?"
"Rosewood. She's in Rosewood. The detective saw her here late last night. He took a picture." I tried to make something from that face but it was impossible to do so. It was too dark on the streets when it was taken and her hoodie covered her face pretty well. I was left with just a glimpse of this infamous Paige girl.
"So the only family you have left is those two and that aunt?" I nodded. I stood with my back against the wall, my aunt was a pathetic lonely poor woman with more than one screw loose. She needed the money, so of course she accepted Kenneth's request to take care of me. A few months became one year, one year became fifteen years. After the first couple of months he stopped visiting me. I never heard of him again. He abandoned me.
And left me with that awful woman. She was mean, lazy and drunk all the time. I barely got time to go to school. I cleaned, I cooked, I had no friends, no life. I mostly got beaten up, every single day she found a brand new excuse to hit me. That woman was very innovative let me tell you that.
"I was trapped there. It was horrible. She had a lot of bad things on her name so it was just a matter of time before the cops would appear and arrest her. I ran. I stole money out of her bedroom which she first stole from me. I took it, and I ran. I saw it as the perfect getaway moment. I'm almost 23 she held me captive for way too long."
"And so you ran towards your mother's old house?"
I shrugged again. My mind didn't recognize the area but my heart apparently did.
"I kind of just ended up here after I got extremely upset and I was so hungry." I felt so ashamed.
"You can trust us Paige." I looked up at Caleb next I looked to Spencer, I felt they were genuine.
"I was so hungry. I I wanted to eat but I had no money and I-" I started to cry again.
"You stole food didn't you?" Caleb asked surprisingly not in a judging way.
I shook my head. "I ran into a kid and the things I wanted to steal from the shop fell and I was so scared that I ran out of the store, the woman who worked there ran out after me and she screamed something. I'm not sure what but I scared myself so bad I just kept running and next thing I know I arrived here."
I kept my face down. I couldn't handle looking in their eyes right now. I just confessed stealing money and confessed to almost steal again.
"Look Paige. When I saw you I felt that you weren't just a homeless girl or a runaway from home kind. Well it seems you are a bit of both but I felt there was more to you. So I won't kick you out. Caleb works for me, I'm a lawyer my office is in my home. I like it here more than I do in a boring building. We are almost always here, you can stay here. You won't be alone this way."
My mouth fell agape. Wait what? Did she really invite me to stay in her house?
"But I can't pay you. I have no money."
"Paige, you can stay here until you get back on your feet. I'm a lawyer I can help you if you would need help. Paige, I believe what you told me. I think you're a good kid."
I felt like crying again. I couldn't believe what was happening. I didn't manage to get a word out so I nodded instead.
Once again I was speechless. I walked in my old bedroom, I touched the walls with my hand. "You can stay here as long as you want okay?" I felt a hand on my shoulder making me turn around.
"You are not a burden to me or to Caleb okay?" She looked me straight in the eye. I swear I crushed her bones in the hug. How could this happen? How can this fit in my hell life?
"I'm going to leave you alone for a while okay?"
I nodded. "Spencer, have you read the paper maybe?"
"Yes why?"
"No nothing."
"Is there something else? Paige?"
"No just. I'm scared"
"You will be okay Paige."
