Ginny and Georgia: The Younger Shadow

Chapter 46- Trapped
"So, you can't go at all? Just because we skipped one class?" Aria yelled from outside my window. After mom's violent outburst at me and Austin, she had gotten a call from school explaining some people saw my friends and me leave the school premises. And that had been enough to rip any shred of remorse from my mom. I had gotten a whole hours lecture talking about how 'I never would've done this stuff if we hadn't gone to Wellsbury' and how I was 'led away so easily'. Georgia had screamed at me, till all I wanted was to drown out her voice. She had of course grounded me, and taken away my phone. All I had done over the next week was walk home from school with Leon or my friends in a gloomy mood, and gone back home to my dungeon. And there mom would be waiting like the devil greeting you at the gates of hell. She watched me with her unusually dark and hypnotic eyes, and I came home and just drew. Drew all my crappy feelings. My thoughts, emotions, everything I could just draw into the most creepy illusions or uplifting doodles. It helped me to relax but I felt the hours of not being allowed to leave my room (except for the bare necessities like the bathroom), and what made it even worse was that this weekend Jon had called Beth to tell her who I was and that I would be coming to meet them. And now Aria had come to speak to me outside my window after her family's meal.
"Yeah. How can I, Red? Mom will just know for sure if I leave. She has eyes at the back of her head, I swear!" Aria paused for a moment and then eyes the window, lost in thought. What was she thinking? That vivacious look on her face had to mean something. Then she tied her flaming hair up and called out to me,
"Just climb down! Bring your purse and I'll walk with you to the Lion's Den. Ok? It's closing in an hour but I reckon we have enough time to get there. I know you said that you didn't want me, Mads or Kara to come but can't I at least walk with you?" My throat tightened as I watched my best friend out of the corner of my eye.
"Thank you. God, how can I climb out of here? I think I would rather die, Red. I hate climbing." And just looking to where Aria, who looked like a red ant on the ground below, made my stomach churn with worry.
"Don't be scared! Just climb down the drainpipe and throw your purse down to me, alright? Come on, you can do this, Charlie!" I reluctantly threw my purse down to Aria who caught it in a swift movement.
"If I die or crack my skull doing this, it's your fault, Aria!" My hands were pooling with sweat but I couldn't even describe the pure terror that washed over me. I hated that feeling of uncertainty, of being helpless, of your feet dangling in the air, not being able to touch the ground. Just skimming over air.
"Come on, it's not that far from the ground! Our sisters must've done this too, Char!"
"Easier said than done, Aria Littman. I feel like I'm gonna sli-" My hands let go of the pipe, and I was paralysed with shock and that sudden rush of adrenaline as I let myself fall until I reached the ground, and I felt as though my life flashed before my eyes. Had I landed on the other side of the yard I would've hit the smooth stone floor and surely bashed my head, but I instead landed on something soft that cushioned my fall. I soon realised it was a pile of Austin's teddies he had been playing with. A sharp cry of pain escaped my lips and at once Aria rushed to my side, turning me over and yelling my name repeatedly.
"Charlie! Charlie! Oh my God, say something!" I opened my eyes with a start, and everything felt blurry and like I wasn't looking through my eyes, but someone else's. Aria pulled me up and I managed to say,
"I'm ok, Red. It's ok. Come on. We need to go. It's fine." Although I felt far from fine, I couldn't give up. I'd come this far already. But Aria didn't look so certain. She brushed my honey hair out of my face and kissed my cheek.
"Are you sure? Maybe you can go to Beth and the others another time?" No. No, I couldn't. Jonathan had told them to expect me, and I didn't want to not turn up. Would they think it was some kind of joke?
"Ok. Can you walk fine?" I gingerly got up and tried to stand on my own, but the pain from my ankle made me feel, and Aria had to catch me before I threatened to faint or possibly throw up. I was so grateful to have her by my side, but we hadn't even made it across my garden before we noticed a rough, upturned figure lying on the grass. Hurriedly, I hobbled over to it, and the sight made me clutch my sides with horror. A dead rabbit, with gashes on its sides, all decomposed and deader than dead.
"What the fuck? It's Jerel and Jessica Gibbs' rabbit. I think it's called Snowy. What the hell is it doing here?" I dared myself to look at the rabbit again, and bent down closer to examine it. At first I had been disgusted at the scene, but curiosity spiked me and I wondered how it had been in our yard. Had it just run away and been mauled to death by animal animal, or...? Just then was when I saw the bullet wounds on its sides. Two large, gaping holes. Flies were buzzing and picking at the poor rabbit, and together we dug a hole and placed its body in there. After wiping my hands down my front I asked Aria,
"What do you think happened to it?"
"I'll tell you just what I think. Someone shot it. You and I both saw those gunshot wounds. That can't have been a fox. Jess and Jerel are gonna be heartbroken. We have to tell them after, Charlie. Did you ever hear any gunshots round here?"
"I don't know. I don't think so. But-but who could've done such a thing? If the rabbit somehow escaped from home why did them shoot the poor thing?"
"God, all these questions yet no answered. You're making my head spin. We should get the hell out of here before anyone sees us, Charlie. I feel bad but we have other things to focus on." Aria wrapped her arms around my shoulder and together we somehow managed to get to the Lion's Den. I thought about that rabbit the whole entire time. And a sickening thought came into my head: There was only one person in Wellsbury that I knew owned a gun. My mom, Georgia Miller.