Where I Belong BOOK 1

Chapter 15 The meeting

Dave's POV

The car ride was long, like extremely long but it gave me a chance to really get to know anissa. Once we started talking she opened up a lot to me. She told me about the guys her mom dated, some she liked(Jacob)and some she didn't(Steve) She told me about her friends that she lost once she started hanging with the group known as the brood. Anissa was very popular with the children in her neighborhood, Emily used to host play dates so Anissa always had children to play with, when Emily met Steve those dates stopped and Anissa wouldn't see her friends as much, when she got with the brood, the parents of the neighborhood children refused to let her hang with their kids anymore because they didn't like the change in her behavior.

The brood is very important to her, she sees them as some form of hero's. They met her at a time in her life when she was feeling neglected and gave her the attention she needed. She felt abandoned by her mother and replaced by Steve. These feelings led to Anissa being vulnerable and feeling broken. The girls that happened to be there to pick up the pieces were the brood. Anissa doesn't see that anything the brood does is wrong. She has amazing loyalty to those girls.

I discovered how much Anissa loves art and singing. She told me her favorite color, what she likes to eat, her favorite animals and even told me about her favorite television show. As the ride continued she even opened up more about Steve. This guy gives me a bad feeling, I'm sure it's not easy walking into a relationship with someone who has a child, but it seems to me he treats anissa as she is in the way, of course I have only been hearing one side. I am looking forward to see what Emily has to say on this matter.

We discussed Anissa getting caught by the cops on many occasions, as well as her getting a warning from a judge that she will be sent to juvie, if things don't change. She proudly let me know a few times that she follows her own rules and doesn't listen to any adult. Each time she reminded me of that, I couldn't help but smirk. I myself was a troublemaker as a child. I was stealing cars before I entered my teen years. There are a lot of things that I did that was wrong and dangerous, but I had to learn the hard way, my behavior had to change and I don't want anissa to have to go through what I did. She is very adamant that she can take care of herself and no one will ever be her boss. She didn't like my comment when I told her I would also have rules that would need to be obeyed and she wouldn't like the consequences. I informed her that I knew all the tricks and nothing was going to get passed me.

We finally made it to the hotel that I booked for a couple nights. I didn't know how long the meeting would be for and I didn't know what the outcome was going to be. My goal is to reunite Anissa with her mom and try to figure out away they can all get along, while also working on Anissa behavior. I am not an option right now for Anissa, my life is to hectic and doesn't have the structure a little girl needs. I have commitments that I can't get out of and I already have to much on my plate. I do want to be apart of her life now that I know she exists. I know I can't have weekend visits like normal dads but I would love to take her a few weeks during the summer and fly in to see her at times during the year. I didn't discuss any of this with anissa because she is adamant about not staying with her mom. I hope with Emily's help, the two of us can convince Anissa that staying with her mother is her best option at this point.

After the long drive we were both relieved to check into the room. As soon as we entered Anissa went and laid on the bed, within seconds she was out cold. I wrapped a blanket around her and took a much needed shower. I relaxed for a bit then called Emily.

Hello

Emily, it's Dave we just got to town and I figured I would give you a call to see when we can meet up.

We can meet this afternoon if you would like, I think we should meet at an arcade or play area so Anissa and Sally have something to do while we talk and then, they can join us later.