Chapter Three:
Charlotte and Becky stayed pretty much in Charlotte's room, still uneasy with the idea of separating. They were never not together. At their house, they shared the attic with Bayley and Sasha and they weren't allowed anywhere else in the house unless they were doing chores.
Sasha was awake and alert, but not talking, and not responding to Charlotte or Becky in any way, shape, or form. Charlotte held her sister in her lap, Sasha's head resting on her chest. Bayley was still asleep. Poor girl must have been exhausted.
"What do you think?" asked Becky, Charlotte shrugging. She knew what her sister was asking, but she wasn't really sure how to respond.
"It doesn't really feel real," muttered Charlotte, stroking Sasha's hair, placing a kiss to her sister's head.
"I don't know what to do," muttered Becky, still gazing around at the unfamiliar surroundings. She could feel the anxiety in the pit of her stomach, the uneasiness of not knowing who these strangers were that they had just been dropped off and left with.
"The hallway reminds me of home," whispered Becky, staring out at the elegant layout of the second floor. The attic was on the third floor, and so they only saw the second floor when they were cleaning. The second floor of their house was also where the punishment room had been. Becky flinched at the thought of the punishment room, the pain and fear still residing deep within her.
But she was safe now. They were safe now. She had to believe that they were safe and that nothing more could happen to them.
"You okay, Becca?" asked Charlotte, the brown haired preteen snapping out of her thoughts as she gazed at her sister. "Yeah. I'm not so sure about this, Char. I'm still kind of scared. We don't even know these people…" muttered Becky, trying to take a steady breath, not wanting to wake Bayley up. Charlotte scooted herself over on the floor so she was sitting directly in front of her twin, reaching out to place her hand on Becca's cheek.
"I know. Me too, Bex. But we have to brave and strong because Sasha and Bayley are gonna need us and Randy and Alexa seem like their nice so I think it's gonna be okay….eventually," said Charlotte, taking a deep, steadying breath as her own anxiety started to get to her.
Charlotte looked down once more at Sasha, placing another kiss to her head. "What do you think, kiddo? You think you might like it here?" whispered Charlotte, praying for a response, any kind of response.
She sighed when she got none, continuing to stroke her unruly brown hair as she talked to Becca, both girls just trying to figure out where to go from here.
Alexa smiled as both Charlotte and Becky made their way into the kitchen, the youngest child apparently awake now, her arms wrapped around Becky's neck, her eyes peering curiously at Alexa.
"Hey there, you must be Bayley."
Her voice was soft and gentle as she spoke the young child, Bayley returning the smile as she nodded shyly.
"My name's Alexa," the younger woman wiped her hands on her jeans, offering Bayley her hand to shake. Bayley looked back at Becky, waiting for her sister's nod of approval, before reaching out to shake Alexa's hand.
"What are you doing?" asked Bayley, watching as Alexa returned her attention to the stove.
"I am making some soup and sandwiches for lunch. Are you hungry?"
Bayley nodded slowly, squirming to get out of Becky's grasp. Becky gently placed her on the floor, walking towards Alexa.
"Can I watch? I like watching. Charlotte lets me watch when she makes dinner….if mommy says she can eat with us," said Bayley, Alexa cringing at the insinuation that their mother would deny the girls food as a punishment.
The cringe did not go unnoticed by either Becky nor Charlotte.
"Of course you can, sweetheart. Do….do you want me to pick you up so you can see?" asked Alexa, Bayley hesitantly reaching her arms out for Alexa to hold her.
Alexa gently eased the brown haired child into her arms, handing her the ladle that she was using to stir. "Watch, you just move it in circles," said Alexa, showing Bayley how to do it before handing the ladle over.
"Be careful Bayley, don't get your arm too close to the burner," said Charlotte, interjecting as she watched this woman she barely knew hold her sister near an open flame.
Charlotte swallowed as Alexa looked up at her, afraid that she had suddenly overstepped her boundaries. "I…. I'm sorry. I- I didn't…. I was just um-
Charlotte could feel the anxiety racing through her, fear coursing through her trained body. She had questioned the adult in the room. How could she? She was smarter than that to break such a simple rule. You don't talk back to adults.
She wondered how these people punished kids. She wondered if it would be worse or better than her mom and dad. When she back talked at home or questioned something she got soap in her mouth. The last time she had done it her mother had forced a gag in her mouth for the weekend. Her jaw had been so sore and bruised it had taken her nearly a week before she could talk or eat normally again.
"Sweetie, it's okay," said Alexa, offering Charlotte a reassuring smile. "You're her sister. You're just trying to look out for her."
"Now, I think, this soup is almost done. I have some plates and spoons in the cupboard that I'll grab and we can grab some lunch and sit at the table."
"I-I can help," said Charlotte, clearly still very shaken up over her inability to follow the rules her parents had beaten into her.
Alexa stopped, walking over to the young girl now standing in front of her, going to place her hand on Charlotte's shoulder, stopping when Charlotte flinched.
"Hey, it's okay. You're okay. You're safe in this house, alright? I promise."
Charlotte nodded slightly, trying to offer a small smile to Alexa. "Thank you...for letting her do that. She loves helping with stuff like that."
Alexa smiled. "Well I'll remember that. Now, you must be hungry. Is Sasha upstairs still? Do you want to go get her or…."
Alexa's voice drifted off, Charlotte nodding. "Yeah, she's um...I just lied her down in my bed. I'll go get her," said Charlotte, her fingers still nervously fidgeting as she turned and headed back upstairs to get Sasha.
"Hey kiddo, are you not hungry tonight?"
Sasha looked up from her dinner plate, shrinking back as Randy spoke to her. She didn't respond back, instead staring once more at the plate of food in front of her.
"Come on Sasha….you didn't eat lunch earlier either," said Charlotte, stabbing a piece of chicken with Sasha's fork, holding it out for her to take a bite, sighing when she turned her head away.
"Does she always have a hard time eating? Is she just picky?" asked Randy, Charlotte shaking her head.
"No. I...I don't know what's going on with her right now," whispered Charlotte, trying once more to get Sasha to eat something from her plate. Charlotte ran her hand tiredly through her hair, staring back at her own plate.
"The girls must look to you like the mom in their life. I can tell you try and take really good care of them," said Alexa, Charlotte shrugging slightly.
"I'm not their mom," she muttered, Alexa nodding in understanding.
"She's probably just scared. It's okay if you just give her some time…." said Alexa, Charlotte nodding, trying not to get frustrated with her little sister.
"Right," she whispered, her frustration turning to concern the second she looked back at Sasha. She had thought being out of that house would bring her little sister back to her. Apparently it just made it worse.
"What time do the girls usually go to bed?"
Alexa's voice was quiet as she stood in the doorways of Charlotte's room, Charlotte struggling to answer the question. Was this woman looking for her to be the mom? Was she too afraid to try it herself? Charlotte didn't care either way. She loved Sasha and Bayley like they were her own. She had spent most of her childhood treating them as if they were her children.
Becky saw that her sister was struggling and decided to help, even though she didn't want to think about anything relating back to her old home. ""Our chores had to be done by 6 every night. She glanced down at the floor, not sure how to finish the statement. "7 if we...weren't allowed to have dinner that night.
"Oh that's early," Randy's eyebrows shot up, unsure of what to say to that really and Becky just shrugged.
Alexa and Randy shared a glance, but Alexa kept her attention on the skittish children in front of them, "I know this is...all so sudden and so new, but you girls need to know that you're safe here. And we understand that this is going to take time to get used to. If you all need to share a room...we don't mind. Share a room for as long as you like, okay?"
Becky frowned at Alexa, not fully grasping what was being said, "You're taking back your rooms?"
Alexa made a face, a face full of sorrow and heartbreak, "No sweetheart, those are still your rooms...and they'll be there when you're ready to use them."
Charlotte looked down at Sasha, and hugged the girl closer. Relieved that they wouldn't be forced to sleep in different rooms tonight and any other night. Charlotte knew that Sasha wasn't coping very well, and neither was she. She didn't know how she'd handle being apart from any of her sisters for the time being.
"I'm just worried about her….and Bayley," whispered Charlotte, looking back up at Alexa, who could see the fear in the young girl's eyes.
"Honey, we're gonna be here for you, okay? Always. If you ever feel afraid about anything, you can always come to Randy or I, okay?" whispered Alexa, wanting so badly to reach out and offer her some form of physical comfort, but remembering how she reacted earlier in the kitchen when she tried.
Charlotte nodded, letting out a shaky breath...but holding in the tears. She couldn't cry. Not now. Not yet anyways. "Thank you," she whispered, shifting Sasha in her arms, glancing over at Becky, who once more had Bayley already asleep in her arms. Bayley was always attached to Becky. And Sasha was always attached to Charlotte. The four always had each others back, but when it came to bonds...that's where the dice rolled.
Charlotte turned to the bed in the room, placing Sasha down and pulling the covers over her sister. Sasha reached out, blinking her eyes as she found herself suddenly not in her sister's arms. Charlotte smiled at the first sign of life she had seen in Sasha in twenty four hours, reaching out to brush a strand of her unruly hair from her eyes.
"Go to sleep, Sash," whispered Charlotte, offering her a gentle smile. "I'm right here, my love. Just close your eyes and try to sleep, okay?"
Sasha let out a loud, and heavy breath and Charlotte continued to watch her sister until eventually, Sasha's eyes slid closed and she finally fell asleep before allowing herself to follow suit.