A/N: Well, since it's Saturday and I'm just lounging around in bed all day today with the cat rewatching the 4 horsewomen collection on the WWE network, I'm just gonna keep writing. Enjoy!
Everything was a blur.
Sasha had burst into tears as soon as she finally told the counselor the truth. Just like that, everything was spinning around her.
The counselor had set up Sasha and Bayley with some toys to play with, immediately getting on the phone, after reassuring both girls that it wasn't their parents that they were calling.
Through whispered phone calls and people in and out of the office, neither Sasha nor Bayley really understood what was going on. Person after person, most of whom neither child recognized, would come in and talk to them. They all asked to see Sasha's stomach. Then they turned to Bayley.
"Did mom and dad hurt you the way that they hurt Sasha?" asked one person. He had introduced himself to the girls as John.
Bayley glanced at Sasha, who nodded at her to tell the truth. "It's okay, Bayls, I think. We can tell the people here, okay?" said Sasha, trying to be brave for her sister, when deep down she wasn't so sure any of this would help. Nobody was telling them anything anymore.
Bayley nodded at John, who immediately wrote something down in a notebook. "Can you show me where they hurt you?" he asked, and Bayley shrugged, tugging at her pants.
"They spanked me for having an accident at school. They made me go back to wearing diapers," whispered Bayley, shame and humiliation coursing through the young child as she admitted it to the adults in the room. John helped her undo her pants, pulling them down to reveal the diaper the child was currently wearing.
John wrote something else down in his notebook. "What about your sisters? Mrs. Smith says you have two older sisters named Charlotte and Becky. Did they hurt them too?" he asked, Sasha nodding.
"Yeah. They hurt all of us," said Sasha, helping Bayley back into her pants, pulling her sister onto her lap. She was tired. Tired of the questions. Tired of not knowing was was happening. Just tired of everything.
"We're gonna need to speak to the sisters," stated John, standing up. Mrs. Smith nodded. "What about the girls? We can't send them home today," said Mrs. Smith, John nodding in agreement.
"What! What do you mean? Where are you gonna send us!" cried Sasha, immediately jumping into action.
Mrs. Smith sighed, kneeling down so she was eye level with Sasha. "Sasha, honey, you don't have to go home anymore. You don't ever have to go back to your mom and dad. We're gonna make sure that they never, ever, hurt you again," said Mrs. Smith, brushing back the young girls hair.
"Where are we going to go instead? What about Becky and Charlotte? I don't want to go anywhere without them!" cried Sasha, breaking down once more. Mrs. Smith gently held Sasha while she cried, rubbing circles on her back to calm her down.
"It's okay, honey. They're going to be safe too. Someone is gonna go to their school and talk to them, just like they talked to you, okay?" assured Mrs. Smith, Sasha shaking her head.
"No! I want my sisters! I want Becca! I want Charlotte! I want my sisters!" she cried, Sasha drawing into herself once more. What had she done? What did she do? Charlotte and Becca were going to be so mad at her for telling! They were going to hate her! They had told her never to tell and now she had!
Bayley watched as Sasha continued to cry, the young girl falling onto the couch, sobbing endlessly. She wasn't sure what was going on. She didn't know why Sasha was crying again. All these people were asking them all these questions, and Bayley had no idea what was going on. Why weren't they gonna go home? Where were they going to go instead? What about Charlotte and Becca? Were they going to go back home without Sasha and Bayley?
Mrs. Smith knelt down next to Bayley, offering the youngest girl a smile. "I know it's sad watching your sister cry, but you and Sasha did the right thing today. You were so brave today," said Mrs. Smith, Bayley shrugging.
"What about Becca and Charlotte? Do they still have to go home?" asked Bayley, Mrs. Smith shaking her head.
"No. They won't go home, either. You girls are going to be safe from here on out, okay? We're gonna find you a new home, with adults that don't hurt you. And you and Sasha and Becky and Charlotte….you guys are all going to be safe. Nobody is ever going to hurt you again," stated Mrs. Smith, Bayley not quite sure what any of that meant. How could they just get new parents? How come they couldn't go home again?
"I want Becca and Charlotte," muttered Bayley, letting out a deep sigh. She didn't know what was going on anymore. She wanted her older sisters to explain it to her.
"I know, honey. You and Sasha both want them. We're gonna call their school and see if we can get the four of you together again, okay?" said Mrs. Smith, Bayley nodding.
Becca and Charlotte would know what to do. They would know what was going on. They would help Sasha and Bayley understand.
"Rebeccah and Charlotte McMahon to the front office. Rebeccah and Charlotte McMahon to the front office."
The announcement came from over the speaker system in the school. Both girls looked up from their respective classrooms, confused as to what was going on. Becky ignored the whispered voices, the girls who had been making fun of her all day for her currently round stomach.
"Maybe she's pregnant and just starting to show," whispered one as she walked by, Becky keeping her head down as they spoke.
"Who would ever sleep with her?" another asked, laughter accompanying the comment.
"Did you notice how big her ass got over the last few days? Somebody's been binging too much," commented another. Becky could feel the tears starting to form in her eyes. The bulge in her backside was from the diaper her parents refused to let her remove.
This was what her father had wanted. Pain and humiliation all rolled into one.
Becky moaned as another wave of stomach cramps rolled through, pushing through them as she headed to the office. You were only ever called down there if a parent was there to pick you up. Given that she and her sister were called, that was what Becky was going with. But why? There were still hours left in the school day.
"Girls, can you please come into my office?"
Both girls met in the office, nodding when their principal asked them to meet him in his office. Were they in trouble for something?
Mr. Wyatt sighed as the girls entered the office, shutting the door. At the round table in his office were several other guys; 2 men and 2 women. Neither Charlotte nor Becca had any idea who they were.
"Girls, my name is John. I'm a social worker here in town," stated John, standing up to shake the girls hands. They both looked wearily at him.
"A social worker? Why? What do you want?" asked Charlotte, confused as to what was going on.
John sighed. "I got a call from the elementary school this morning….about your sisters," he stated, Charlotte's eyes widening at the thought of something being wrong with Bayley and Sasha.
"What happened? What's wrong? Are they okay?" asked Becca, John offering the girls a seat. Neither one took it.
"Girls, your sisters told their school counselor what's been going on at home. The told us about your mom and dad hitting you girls," said John, sighing. He loved his job. But it was not easy. Especially with cases like this. Cases that made him sick when he looked at the abuse that some parents put their kids through.
Becca and Charlotte's eyes widened, their mind racing. What on earth would possess them to tell someone about what was going on at home?
"I...I don't understand…." whispered Charlotte, her mind racing with what was really happening. What were these people trying to do?
"Charlotte, has you mom or dad ever hurt you?"
Both Becky and Charlotte stared at each other, not sure how to answer. What was going to happen if they told them the truth? Where were Sasha and Bayley? What did these people really want? What were they trying to do?
"Charlotte?"
John brought her back to reality, Charlotte looking once more at Becky. There was no way out of this now. Sasha and Bayley had already told them the truth. They already knew. Lying wouldn't do anybody any good now….
"Yeah. It's true," whispered Charlotte, her stomach dropping as she said the words. She had never uttered those words to anybody. She had never told another adult what went on at home. She could have. She should have. But she never did. Nobody would believe them, she had thought. Stephanie and Hunter were two of the most powerful adults in their community. Who would possibly believe that behind closed doors in the most photographed mansion of all time lied a house of horrors for their four girls? Nobody. That's who. Until, maybe, now….
And it hadn't even been Charlotte who told. It was Sasha.
The thought broke her heart. Her nine-year-old sister had more guts in her than Charlotte did.
"Becky? Is it true?" asked John, the girl nodding numbly. "Yes, sir," she whispered, tears filling her eyes. What was going to happen? Would they still have to go home? Would their parents find out they told? How much trouble were they going to be in when this was all said and done….
"I want to be with Sasha and Bayley. I...we need to see them. I….they're seven and nine and they're probably scared. They get scared easily and I just….I really need to see my sisters," whispered Charlotte, starting to break down again. John nodded, rubbing the blonde haired girl's shoulder.
"It's okay. You'll see them. Don't worry. We're gonna bring you to them. I just need you and Becky to do one more thing for me, okay?" asked John, both girls nodding.
"Can you show me where your parents hurt you?" asked John, Charlotte blinking back tears. She had never shown off the marks to anybody. She had never let anybody in to that part of her life…
Becky nodded numbly, confused by all that was going on. She lifted her shirt, revealing to John and the other adults her swollen stomach. She turned around, revealing the bruises that lined her back.
"What happened to your stomach?" asked John, Becky shrugging.
"I called a girl fat, at school on Thursday," she whispered, lowering her gaze to the floor. Maybe they would decide her punishment was fair and send her back to her parents. "My dad makes these special bottles. I don't know what's in them. But they make your stomach hurt really bad. And they make it bigger," she whispered, John scribbling notes and turning around, muttering something about taking them to the hospital. Neither girl caught the comment though.
"Charlotte?" asked John, the preteen closing her eyes, tears streaming freely down her face as she too lifted her shirt, revealing everything. John felt like he was going to be sick as soon as he saw the cigarette burns that lined her torso.
"Do you have any other marks?" he asked, focusing on his job at hand. Charlotte nodded, lifting her shirt up higher to reveal the welt marks that covered her chest. She turned around and showed him her back, exposing the marks on her back as well.
"There are more on my arms and legs too," she whispered, John nodding as he continued to take notes.
"You girls are being really great telling us what's been happening," whispered John, offering them a smile. "Do you wanna go see your sisters now?" he asked, both Becky and Charlotte eagerly nodding.