November 20th
"hey are Cat and Tori here, I was told they were" asks Lola
"ahh you must be Lola Martinez-Vega, no they're at your uncle David's, they haven't left that house since they were freed" says Ben
"I'm sorry freed from what" asks Zoey
"long story but basically they were in China on a date vacation and got taken by a sex trafficking ring there and shipped to the LA port, luckily they were found, anyway they don't want people to know so I didn't just tell you that, Lola could you give this bag to Cat when you see her" says Ben handing Lola the bag
"what's in it" asks Lola as Zoey's face turns white
"lingerie Tori had bought her when they started going out" says Ben
"why didn't you take it to her, you're her brother… you're exactly how Cat described you" says Lola
"I'm not allowed to travel on my own, our mom would have delivered it but due to the trauma Cat has been through she made it very clear that our parents were not to touch her clothes… wait how did Cat describe me exactly" says Ben
"she said we'd know when we met you when we talked to a person with caring eyes at her house, I guess she was hoping we'd deliver that bag for you" says Zoey still terrified
"she is known for slight of hand and getting people to do things without asking them outright, before the trauma she could have been a singing magician, she didn't do anything that magicians usually do, her magic tricks were real, I could hand her a five dollar bill and in a dress without sleeves she could duplicate it, there was no hiding of a second bill up her sleeves or between her fingers, the moment I picked a bill from her hand the other would turn to sand or melt like water, nobody in our family could explain it" says Ben
"that explains how she got Tori's attention then, Tori's a sucker for magic tricks… Zoey why do you look like you saw a ghost" says Lola
"I was there in July Lola, in China, walking the great Wall with my mom, she'd just beat cancer and wanted to walk the great Wall of China in case her cancer returned, we'd stopped above the great Wall Café when what looked like SWAT raided the café and took a bunch of people out, my mom said it was probably a drug raid and to just keep walking" says Zoey
"you couldn't have done anything Zoey, they were in that group of people taken out of that café, to be sold as slaves, sex slaves actually, the girls are teens, you shouldn't feel bad Zoey, there is nothing you could do" says Ben
"that doesn't mean I can't feel guilty, my family believes that evil doesn't exist around us, not that kind of evil, drugs sure but not Human trafficking, we should probably deliver that for you" says Zoey refusing to say more
At Tori's 20 minutes later
"I assume that's the bag Ben said was on its way, why does Zoey seem terrified" says Tori
"you know how her and I started dating right" asks Lola
"yeah you were feeling hop and you tried to kill yourself and she saved you" says Tori
"there is no love like someone loving you at your worst, that love is pure, she was there in China outside The great Wall Café when it was raided she saw everything, her mom told her it was probably a drug raid and to keep walking on the wall outside the Café, she feels guilty for not doing something to save you guys" says Lola
"Zoey not getting involved probably saved you, Cat and I weren't targets until we tried to save the girls they were taking, only then did they take us, had you tried to do anything you'd have been in that container with us, sold into slavery" says Tori
"oh, I guess that makes me feel a little less guilty, can we stay here for a few days, my mom's in the hospital again because they found an abnormality in her monthly cancer checkup and Lola's mom is super busy and never home" says Zoey
"yeah Danielle just found another container of trafficked girls" says Tori
"wait my moms on this case, her and David never get along, how could they possibly work together" asks Lola
"they don't get along that's right, that's the point, she's a port authority police, he's LAPD, he believes that her investigative talents are being wasted at the port, though Sarah West, Jade's autistic FBI aunt who is working the case for the feds put them together because they are both excellent investigators" says Tori
"let's just hope David makes it through this with his arm in one piece, my mom really can't stand him" says Lola as Cat walks downstairs wearing Tori's clothes
"why can't they work together, work is work and family is family" asks Cat
"a childhood fight that neither are willing to apologize for, they both believe they're right" says Lola
"I heard the story from my dad last Christmas, he definitely isn't right about it, his fear is that if he apologizes then Danielle will walk away, not believing his apology is genuine" says Tori
"dad is often wrong when it comes to family Tori, his heart takes front stage, not allowing his brain to get a word in" says Trina
"that sounds familiar, anyway why invite us over" asks Lola
"as you know the school has foundation issues, like literally the foundation is cracking, they transferred you guys to online school along with Cat and I to minimize the number of students in the school so they can fix it" says Tori
"so what we can stay here till it's fixed or something" asks Zoey
"my dad pays for the fastest internet in town because I write music, my hope is to become an artist known for helping people, come to our room, we were gonna watch a movie" says Tori
"you want us there, isn't that your personal space" asks Zoey
"the only one that makes Cat nervous is you Zoey, she doesn't know you that well but in order for her to work past the trauma and nearly dying out at sea in a shipping container she needs to accept people being around her, therapist ordered, so unless you plan to kill her let's go watch a movie" says Tori
"I'd never kill someone as special as Cat, the school adores her" says Zoey
"huh" asks Cat shocked
"you were loved at that school Cat, adored, they aren't taking this almost sold as a slave situation lightly, Sikowitz has this exercise called Queen's Court, basically we have to do our best to initiate aspects of your personality and we're graded based on how close we get" says Zoey
"that seems kind of mean" says Cat
"there is a plaque beside his door that says best actress and it's a plaque of you, he believes there is more to you than the skittish girl you showed everyone while you attended the school, he'd been working with a very specific recruiter trying to get you a part in what will end up being the second best movie of all time, it doesn't come out till February but screenings say it would be the best if you were in it" says Zoey
"acting in school is different than being in a movie, I'd never be able to act in a movie, my brain isn't built for that stress" says Cat
"I never said him searching for a part in a movie for you was right Cat, he doesn't have kids, he cares about you Cat, like a father, it doesn't mean he can't make mistakes, though he clearly knew you better than most people, he said you set an example" says Zoey
"I'm nowhere near as smart as he makes me out to be, doing what makes me smile does not mean I'm smart, my IQ is eighty, not even my mom can convince me I'm smart" says Cat
"there are other ways to be smart Cat, don't focus on the number, when I was four my doctor declared me brain dead because of a seizure I had that put me in a coma for four days, now look at me" says Lola
"what should I focus on then" asks Cat
"what you love, Sikowitz showed us the dress you'd made for that one play, my dad is a fashionista and even he was blown away by the intricate design, that while the overall dress pattern was simple that the way it was executed, he said that dress is something his models would have worn ten years ago, a trend that is ready to burst at the seams again, he let me come here only on the rule that I tell you his offer, he said that if you can get five designs ready for the February fashion show he'd pay a grand a piece" says Lola
"the price of my meds almost doubled while I was gone, I don't have any money to buy fabric and my sewing machine is really heavy so it isn't here, as much as I would love to make five grand I can't afford the up front costs right now" says Cat
"it's ok, he didn't expect you to be able to, he just likes to help struggling people who have talent" says Lola
"I don't see myself ever making dresses again, not with my stupid memory problems, I'm more likely to land myself in the hospital trying than to actually make a fashion show ready dress, let alone five" says Cat
"don't you have meds for that" asks Lola
"yeah, I can't afford them, almost four hundred dollars for a month supply" says Cat
"don't you have insurance" asks Zoey
"I'm eighteen I'm not on my dads insurance anymore and nobody in my family can afford it, I'm doing ok but not great, I'm on a disability plan that covers people with PTSD but the plan doesn't give enough to cover meds, I only get a few hundred dollars a month" says Cat
"how can you live off that" asks Lola
"I can't Lola that's the point, it's a charity funded disability program because the current stance on PTSD by the Federal government is that only soldiers can get PTSD, since I'm no soldier I don't qualify for federal coverage so not only do I have to pay for my own meds they charge double for the important ones, if not more, I can't afford to live at this rate" says Cat
"I've told you my dad is more than willing to pay for it Cat" says Tori
"my monthly assortment of meds costs two grand Tor, I'd never ask him to pay that, we aren't married, I shouldn't ask him to pay anything but I can't stop him either, if he felt so inclined to pay for my meds I can't stop him from doing so, the issue is I'd feel like I'D owe him something big in return and I can't do that" says Cat
"ok you guys go upstairs and lay in the bed, dad's popping by in a minute and I need to talk to him" says Tori
"no line crossing Tor" says Cat as they head upstairs
"wouldn't dream of it" says Tori as David walks in
"what wouldn't you dream of, I'm well aware of your activity Tori, you and cat set off the sound alarms every night" says David
"her meds, she feels that if you pay for them then she owes you something, as in like sexual favors" says Tori
"as of last night she's on YOUR insurance plan, which means it is covered" says David handing Tori the bag of meds
"you pay a premium for my insurance, how could she qualify for it" asks Tori
"she's family now Tori, the bond between you two, it's stronger than ever, anyone who can survive the trauma you guys went through and still wanting to be with that person, that makes you family" says David
"you know my beliefs on relationships right" asks Tori
"yes and I told you it's your life but that people will judge you" says David
"Zoey and Lola are here" says Tori
"you can't do anything with Lola, it would be illegal and Danielle would kill me" says David
"I don't plan to dad, the plan would be Lola would share Zoey with me and Zoey would share Lola with Cat, I doubt they'd go for it anyway so you don't have to worry" says Tori
"why the sudden interest in more than just Cat though" asks David
"you try spending that much time in a shipping container and not feeling like you're going to die, it was Cat's idea, the reality that we'd have died the moment the ring here in LA got their hands on us changed her, she doesn't want regrets, she adopted my view, I have never asked her to do so and will never ask her to do anything she is uncomfortable with and she knows that" says Tori
"and if Lola and Zoey agree to do things, would they live here" asks David
"I know Lola will most likely disagree dad, Zoey is and has been in lock step with her since they started dating, Cat and I's dream is just that a dream dad, we don't expect to ever get what we want, the extras are extras, Cat and I are solid dad, dreams die every day, Cat and I are not immune to that fact, please respect that" says Tori as she heads upstairs