Ginger patiently awaited the arrival of Henry. She called him and told him that Juliet was missing. Henry knocked on the door and Ginger immediately opened it. "Henry!" Ginger cried. "Where did Juliet run away from?" she sobbed.
"She ran away from her home in North Miami." He retorted.
"Do you know their phone number?" Ginger asked.
"They just called me a few days ago. It's 555-7732. Extension 512." Henry said. Ginger quickly typed the number into her phone and waited for someone to pick up.
"Miami Police Department." Someone answered.
"Hi, I need to report a missing child. I think she was kidnapped and brought to North Miami." Ginger was frantic.
"Okay, do you know the exact address?" The woman asked.
"Do you know her address?" Ginger whispered.
"It's on 109th Street." He told. Ginger repeated the information to the operator and they had a police unit search the neighborhood.
"The man we are looking for is Frank O'Hara." Ginger told. They hung up and waited for a call back.
It was a day later and Juliet had a terrible stomach ache. She woke up to Frank standing over her. Juliet jumped and sat up in her bed. Her stomach growled, as she hadn't eaten in two days. "Get up. I have something for you." He smiled mischievously. Juliet felt her stomach churn. She got out of her bed and followed Frank into the living room. In the middle of the living room was a glass box. Juliet wondered how he got it and what he would do with it. He told Juliet to get into the glass box. Juliet shook and got into the box. He placed a top on the glass case and dropped five lit cigarettes in the box.
"You don't deserve fresh air." He screamed.
Juliet was choked by the fumes of smoke and tried to hold her breath, but each time she would gasp for air, her lungs became weaker. The air choked her and made her eyes water. "HELP!" Juliet screamed with the last ounce of strength that she had left. Her head spun around her and she fell into unconsciousness.
Juliet woke up in her bed. Her eyes were bloodshot and hurt to blink. Her lungs aches each time she breathed. She stood up and walked into the living room where Frank was sitting. Juliet had come to a decision. "I want you to just kill me." Juliet cried. Frank turned his head.
"I never told you to get out of bed." He acted like he hadn't heard Juliet's last remark.
'I don't care. I hate you. I want you to kill me." Juliet sobbed and shook.
"Get back in your bed." He commanded.
"If you don't kill me, I'll kill myself." Juliet explained. "I'll be like mom." Juliet cried. Frank stood up and looked outside through his curtain.
"Get in your room now!" he grabbed her neck and steered her into her room. "Get under the bed and don't come out or I will torture you even more." He threatened. Juliet obligated and hid under the bed. There was a knock at the door and Frank answered it.
"Miami PD. We need to search your house. We have a warrant." The police officer recited. There was two of them from what Juliet could hear.
"What are you here for?" Frank asked innocently.
"Ginger Clark reported her newly adopted daughter missing. She suspects you." The officer explained. Frank let the officer in and their footsteps walked around the house. Juliet shook and hid herself behind a few large stuffed animals.
The police walked into Juliet's room. "Who is using her bed?" the officer asked.
"Sometimes I decide to sleep there at night because of my back." Frank lied.
The police officer crouched down and looked under the bed. Juliet could see him but her couldn't see her. She moved the stuffed animal and looked him in the eye. She mouthed the words "Help Me." The officer grabbed her hand and pulled her out from under the bed and held her. The other officer came in and cuffed Frank.
Juliet cried on the man's shoulder. He shushed her telling her that everything was okay and she was going back home. He blistered body shook with relief. She had made it. She was saved.
The police drove Juliet to a hospital where her wounds were treated and she was given medicine for a stomach infection. Another policewoman stayed with Juliet until Ginger was able to fly to Miami. She comforted Juliet and brought Juliet food and gifts. Juliet felt broken. She didn't want anything. She hated her life. She hated the fact that her dad was abusive. She hated having to get adopted. She hated everything at that moment. Her once blue eyes were now a light gray. She had dark circles under her eyes, bruises on each cheek, her hair was matted and falling out from stress. Her blisters were crusted and she felt like a nuisance. Like, she was just there, like no really loved her. Her eyes watered and drained on her face.
Ginger came into the hospital a day later and gave her a hug. "Juliet," she sobbed. "I am so sorry. This is all my fault. I left the front door unlocked. I should've known." Ginger rambled, looking at Juliet's physical state. "I am so sorry." She sobbed. Juliet hugged her back.
"It's okay. I'm fine." She assured Ginger in a, now, monotone voice.
"Juliet, I am so, so, so, so, sorry." Ginger kissed her forehead.
"Ginger, can I be alone for a little bit?" Juliet asked. Ginger nodded and left the hospital room.
Juliet pulled her hospital blanket over her face and cried harder than she ever had before. She fell into a panic attack and began hyperventilating. She had survived things that she shouldn't have. She should've died. Things would be better if she were gone. Juliet hated herself. She hated everything. Juliet cried harder and harder, letting out all of her pain. Nothing could repair her forever broken soul.
Ginger watched through the window. She couldn't stand to see Juliet like this. Ginger burst through the door. She sat in a chair next to the bed. "Juliet, you can tell me anything." Ginger explained. Juliet continued to lie under her blanket and cry. "Juliet, can we please talk?" Ginger asked.
Juliet pulled the covers off of her face. "What?" Juliet asked. She wiped a few tears from her face and wiped her nose on her sleeve.
"Juliet, I know this will be hard to talk about, but I need to know what happened. I want to help you." Ginger begged.
"Ginger, I can't." Juliet sobbed. "I don't want to talk about it." Juliet sniffled.
"Can you just tell me how he took you?" Ginger pushed.
"He came into my room and put a wire around my neck. Then he put a rag over my face and I don't remember anything after that." Juliet was short with her answer. Ginger covered her face and sobbed. "When will I go home?" Juliet changed the subject.
"The doctor said that you can go home once your blisters are gone. So about a week." Ginger informed. Juliet groaned. She turned over and looked out of the window in her hospital room.
"Do you need anything?" Ginger asked.
"My blisters to heal quickly." Juliet retorted. Ginger smiled.
"Are you hungry?" Ginger asked.
"I'm too sick to eat anything." Juliet replied.
The room went silent as they both stared out of the window. Ginger stood up and shuffled out of the room.
About a week later, Juliet was released from the hospital. Ginger booked a flight for a day from then. They stayed at a hotel in Miami. Juliet was still locked gate and wouldn't talk a single syllable about the incident. Ginger had pried at her a few times with no luck. They seemed to have grown apart and the longer that Juliet kept her secret inside, the farther apart they became. Juliet spent a lot of time in their hotel room. The next day, before they left for the airport, Juliet broke down and cried. It was the second time that this had happened and Ginger was terribly worried. She held Juliet in her arms until her sobs turned into soft sniffles.
"First, he smashed a beer bottle over my head." Juliet blurted out. Ginger said nothing. "He choked me and threw me on my bed. Then a little bit later, he gave me a boiling hot bath. That's how I got my blisters." Juliet shook. "He hit me so many times, he starved me. He spit beer on me." Juliet cried. "He made me eat cigarette butts and drink ashes. He gave me another hot bath, but I fought back. He grabbed my hair and slammed me into the sink." Juliet sobbed harder. Ginger wiped Juliet's eyes.
"Juliet, no one deserves that." Ginger began.
"He put me in a glass box with smoke in it and kept me in there until I passed out. I told his to kill me or I would kill myself." Juliet felt like screaming.
"Juliet, I am so sorry. I wish I could take all of the pain away." Ginger ran her fingers through Juliet's matted hair. "C'mon, let's go." Ginger said, picking Juliet up in her arms. They walked over to Ginger's rental car and drove to the airport.
They landed in Santa Barbara late that night and drove back home. "Ginger?" Juliet asked.
"Yes, Juliet?" she replied.
"Can I sleep with you tonight?" Juliet asked.
"Of course you can." Ginger replied with a smile.
Although Juliet felt safer in Ginger's arms, she didn't sleep at all that. Her mind wandered around wondering if her dad would be arrested, wondering what day it was, wondering where Ewan was, wondering if school started soon. Too many thoughts crammed into her head, leaving her wide awake and uncomfortable.
Juliet sat up in Ginger's bed and shook her adoptive mother awake. Ginger's eyes popped open and looked up at the ceiling. "Ginger?" Juliet whispered.
"Yes?" she replied wearily.
"What day is today?" she asked.
"August 27th." Ginger replied.
"When does school start?" Juliet asked.
"In two weeks."
"Will I go?"
"You'll have to go." Ginger replied seriously.
"Can I be home schooled?" Juliet questioned.
"I have to work." Ginger sighed. "Listen, Jules," Ginger sat up. "I know this is really hard for you right now, and I wish I could help in some way, but you have to go to school." She explained.
Juliet said 'okay' and flopped back onto her back. "Did they arrest my dad?" Juliet asked after a long silence.
"Yes, of course they did. He won't be able to hurt you again." Ginger assured. Juliet sighed, feeling closure, and tried to fall asleep with no luck. More questions replaced her old ones. Her head ached and throbbed as if her thoughts were banging on her skull.
Ginger held Juliet's hand, transferring her gentle warmth through Juliet's body. At that moment, Juliet felt safe. Everything that happened before seemed to brush off her shoulders. She closed her eyes and let sleep take over her body.
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