Surface Pressures {Fingers Crossed Series} [Isabella's Story] |1|

|PART THREE: NEW GIRL IN TOWN|

August 28
Lifting my head off the pillow, I forced myself to glance out the window at the rising sun. It definitely didn't look like the city that I was used to. The buildings were a lot smaller and not as packed together. Since getting here I refused to leave the room that Aunt Penelope had given to the three of us. Unlike my sisters this wasn't going to be easy for me. I wouldn't be able to just accept that this was my life now.

"She's awake." Andrea shouted as she walked into the room.

Collapsing down onto the bed, I pulled the blankets up. Curling into a ball it seemed like a complete waste of time to even wake up. It wasn't like there was anything for me to do here and it wasn't like Aunt Penny was around enough to take us places.

"Good morning." Aunt Penelope sang as she entered the room, "Get up and get dressed. You girls are going to be coming with me to work today. The team is excited to meet you and I'm sure you'll have fun in the big bad BAU building."

"I'll pass."

She went silent for a few seconds before she pulled the blanket off of me. Staring up at her there was a dark feeling in the pit of my stomach. I wanted to punch her in the face and rip at her hair. Anything to make her leave me alone and let me sulk in my own emotions. But she wouldn't do that. In the few weeks that we've been here she hasn't given up once on trying to get me out of the bed.

"Not today." She dragged me out of the bed, "I'm not letting you stay in bed any longer. You will be getting up and coming to work with me because I said you were." Her voice was firm, "Do you understand me? I was given direct orders to get you off of your butt and out of this sour mood."

As I kicked and screamed she pulled me into the bathroom and tossed me into the shower. As the cold water hit my body, I couldn't help but scream even louder. Flailing my limbs I tried my hardest to get out but she kept me down.

"Are you going to be in a better mood?" She questioned warming the water slightly, "I won't be having you in a horrible mood while at my place of work. That isn't fair to your sisters or to my family at work." Aunt Penelope asked, angling the water away from me.

"Fine." I shouted, "I give up. Now let me up so I can dry off."

With a proud grin, Aunt Penelope turned off the water and held her hand out to me. Taking it I made her do most of the lifting to get me to my feet. Wrapping a towel tightly around my body, I waddled my way back to the room to get into new clothes. Taking my time, it was hard for me to not think about what we'd be doing if Mom wasn't such a screw up. If we were home now I'd be hanging out with my friends and doing things that I wanted to do. Henley and Andrea wouldn't be as scared as they are. We wouldn't be processing parental abandonment.

"Are you ready yet?" Aunt Penelope knocked on the door, "Your sisters are waiting in the car for us."

Grabbing a sweatshirt I swung the door open, "Can I just have a moment to myself? It's not like your job is just going to disappear if we aren't there right when you need to be." I walked past her, "Can we just go already? The sooner we leave the quicker we'll be back here."

Walking out to the car, I got into the front passenger seat. Buckling up I put on my headphones and turned my music all the way up. As the car began moving my eyes strayed out the window at the changing scenery. Though Virginia wasn't like New York, everywhere was basically the same at the core of it. Everywhere was just as meaningless as the next and there wasn't anything to keep my attachment to. Virginia held no memories to me and all the memories that I had in New York were tainted by Mom. Nothing was truly mine or happy when I thought back on them.

~~~
As the elevator doors opened, I looked through the glass doors at all the desks. People in suits were moving around with files in their hands. Following Aunt Penelope towards her private office I looked for ways to escape. But all the windows were bulletproof and were unable to be opened. It was clear that we were stuck here until she said it was time to go home.