Sorry that it has taken me so long with this. I've struggled with writing this and, well, anything to be honest, as of late. Life sometimes gets in the way. Working constant night shift can be a strain on you and I don't get very much free time(time when I'm not tired) to spend with my family on any given week. So, squeezing writing in, is difficult as well. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this update and I will try to add it this more often. Thanks!
Carter reached over and fiddled with one of the numerous knobs on the centre console of the car, spinning it one way and then the other, trying to find a happy medium temperature in the car. She huffed as a puff of cold air blew in her face, reaching over to swivel the control again and jumped slightly when Stephanie covered her hand with her own. Her long pale fingers curled around Carter's, the pale pink tips of her fingernails biting softly into the flesh of Carter's fingers.
"You're fidgeting, Carter," Stephanie said, briefly glancing at her step daughter before turning her eyes back to the road. "Are you nervous?"
"Nervous?" Carter questioned, raising her eyebrows. She chewed slightly on the edge of one of her nails, shaking her hand. "Nope."
They pulled up at a red light and Stephanie pulled the break on. The roads were deserted at this time of night as they headed out of the city, making their way towards Greenwich.
The thought of being in Greenwich alone filled Carter with a sense of dread, never mind in the very house where her father lived with his new family. He had built a life for himself there - one that didn't include her - and she did not want to intrude on that.
"Are you going to tell me what happened earlier?" Stephanie tried, shifting the car into gear and driving on as the light turned green. She glanced in the rearview mirror, checking on the the light traffic behind her and on her three girls sleeping in the back.
"What about earlier? There's nothing to tell," Carter shrugged, bracing her arm against the window, threading her fingers through the side of her hair, her palm pressed against her scalp.
"You were arrested, Carter!" Stephanie almost hissed, keeping her voice low so as not to wake the girls. "How can you act so nonchalant?"
"It's happened before," Carter replied, very matter-of-fact. "It's not a big deal."
Stephanie could hardly believe what she was hearing. She was finding it so difficult to resonate the changes in her step daughter. Her brain could not seem to catch up with the fact that this was the innocent 14 year old that she once knew; the young girl who wanted nothing more than to walk in her Daddy's footsteps. Carter had idolised Paul when she was younger, he could do nothing wrong in her eyes. Stephanie wanted to know where that little girl had disappeared to. Where had that little ray of light gone?
Opening her mouth to speak, Stephanie was stopped by the sound of the phone ringing. She quickly reached over and hit the answer button on the dash, switching on the hands free.
Carter had clocked her father's name appearing on the screen and she held her breath, waiting to hear his voice on the other end of the line.
"Hey, baby," Stephanie greeted him, a sacchrine smile on her lips as she glanced towards Carter in the passenger seat.
"Uh, hi," Paul shot back. "Where are you? It's past 4 am, Steph!"
"I-I had to pop out, I've got the girls," Stephanie responded, flicking on her blinker as she switched lanes and then made a right turn across a junction. "I'm not far away. Probably won't be much longer than 20 minutes."
"Well, I'd should think you've got the kids. What the hell would you popping out for a 4 am?" Paul asked and Carter could sense the worry, tension and confusion in the tone of his voice. She felt sympathy for him in that moment and for the first time, she realised that she had caused trouble.
"Please, keep your voice down, Paul. You're on speaker and the girls are sleeping in the back," Stephanie responded. She looked to Carter who was staring out of the window, trying to seem disinterested in the conversation that Stephanie was having. "I didn't know you were getting in this early and I didn't want to worry you."
"Shit!" he swore. "Sorry, but can you blame me? You've gone AWOL in the middle of the night with the kids in tow and you won't tell me why. Surely, you understand that it's a bit strange?"
"I can see why you'd think that," Stephanie smirked a little. "But, you'll understand when I'm home. I'll see you soon."
"Okay," he drew the word out. "I'll see you when you get home."
Stephanie ended the call, focusing her eyes back on the road. Silence filled the car, the only sounds present were the breathing of 5 occupants of the car and the sound of the car itself.
They had passed through several tolls and were well into Greenwich, and Carter felt bile begin to rise in her throat. Panic was settling into her stomach and she felt an overwhelming urge to hurl all over the car.
"Can we go back, please? Please, Stephanie, just take me back to New York," Carter pleaded. "You can pretend that you didn't even see me, we don't need to tell anyone about this."
She could hear the agitation in her own voice and she cursed herself internally for being so weak. Here she was, a grown ass woman, and she was begging for something.
"Woah, Carter calm down, you're being irrational," Stephanie tried to calm the younger girl down. "There's no need to get so upset, pull yourself together!"
"But, I don't want to be here. I do not want to-"
"It might not be what you want but it's what's best for you," Stephanie told her, looking back to check on her girls, who were now beginning to stir in the back due to the noise in the car.
"How the hell would you know what's best for me?! You don't know me! You don't know anything about me!" Carter snapped, glaring at Stephanie.
Stephanie sighed. "Well, that's not exactly my fault and I don't appreciate you laying the blame on me."
Silence enveloped the car once again. Stephanie crossed another junction as they made their way through a residential area. The houses on either side of them thinned out and then there was nothing but open land and trees.
Carter was trying to group her thoughts together, to rationally work out what was happening to her and how to process it.
"Look, Stephanie, I'm-"
"This is it," Stephanie cut her off, not allowing Carter to issue the apology that she wanted to.
They approached a large set of what Carter presumed was wrought iron gates. Stephanie put her window down and stuck her hand out, waving it over a sensor. The sensor beeped and after a few short moments, the gates swung open. Stephanie moved the car forward, entering the property at a slow speed. Carter gulped as they gates swung shut reminding her of the cell slamming closed behind her earlier that night.
As the car moved up the driveway, Carter spotted a figure waiting for them on the doorstep. Stephanie swung the car around so that Carter's side faced onto the house. She watched as her step mom pulled the break on and prepared to open the door.
"I'll talk to him," Stephanie told her, reaching over to pat Carter's knee.
"I-I-" Carter tried to talk but Stephanie had already pulled the door open and closed it behind her. Carter watched from her seat at Stephanie approached Paul and the two began to have a conversation. She could see the confusion on her father's face and how Stephanie was trying to reason with him.
"Who are you?" a voice came from behind Carter and she whipped around to see three sets of bright eyes looking at her. It was the oldest girl who had spoken to her, Carter believed her name was Aurora. She had wavy brown hair that curled around her elfin chin and a pair of shining green eyes.
"I'm a friend of your Mommy and Daddy," Carter found her voice. She swallowed thickly, turning back to look out of the window. Paul's anger was getting the better of him and it now appeared that he was shouting at Stephanie - who was giving just as good as she got. Carter glanced back at the three girls. "Mommy will be back in a minute to get you," she explained.
Taking a deep breath, Carter pulled on the handle and opened it.
The sound of the door opening drew Paul and Stephanie's attention away from each other. They both looked around as Carter stepped out of the car, her heels making contact with the paved driveway.
Carter made eye contact with her father. Her breath caught in her throat. The last time that she had laid eyes on him was when he'd dropped her home after her weekend visit with him. Back then, he had long hair which was always secured in a ponytail, except when he allowed Carter to brush it for him. It was something she had always done before he put her to bed at night.
Now, his long locks were gone and his hair was now cropped close to his scalp, his facial hair trimmed neatly against his cheeks, upper lip and chin. He looked much bigger than she remembered, his muscle mass having grown in the years since she saw him.
Taking a couple of steps towards the couple who had been arguing, Carter folded her arms across her chest.
"This isn't Stephanie's fault so I would appreciate it if you didn't shout at her," Carter spoke, finding the her voice was cracking slightly with emotion. She cleared her throat, forcing back what she was feeling.
Paul opened his mouth to speak but found that he didn't have any words. He looked to his wife who had a small smile on her face and a few tears brimming in her eyes when she saw the look of sheer adoration on his face. Stephanie nudged him forward and he found his feet moving towards Carter of their own volition.
"Can we just talk abou-"
The breath was knocked out of Carter as her father surrounded her with his arms, pulling her against his chest. One of his hands landed upon the back of her head and the other cupped her shoulder, his arm around her back.
Stunned at his response, Carter tried slightly to free herself from his bruising grip. She reached up, patting him on the back slightly but this only served to make him hold her tighter.
"I-I can't breathe," Carter managed to wheeze out, patting her father's back profusely. He stepped back, his big hands coming up to frame her face. She caught her breath, looking up at him. He had tears rolling down his face and he quickly brushed them away with the back of his sleeve. His hands came forwards to frame her face once more, one thumb smoothing across Carter's cheek.
"Oh my God, you're so beautiful, you're so grown up," he reached out to touch her hair with one hand, looping a section of her ombre hair around his forefinger. "How? Where? When? I've got so many questions. I'm not sure I can even explain how happy I am to see you."
Taking a step back, Carter moved out of his reach. She reached up to run her hands over her face, trying to fight the emotions that she was feeling. Forcing herself to speak, the young woman aimed to steady her voice.
"I'm sure you do," she agreed with him, breaking eye contact. "But, I'm tired."
Paul swallowed, the lack of emotion in his daughter's voice. He looked back to Stephanie, who seemed to have an equally shocked expression on her face. She recovered quicker, however, and took a step forward.
"Of course you are. I'll show you somewhere you can sleep. Paul, can you get the girls out of the car?" Stephanie reached an arm out towards Carter, ushering her into the house.