Leaving Arcadia Bay | A Rachel Amber Story

Chapter 22: Detained

Rachel sat in the interrogation room by herself. Thankfully, she wasn't cuffed anymore. But the claustrophobic room was silent. The light shined above her, and she saw her own reflection in the one-way mirror where several authorities were probably watching her from the other side.

This wasn't supposed to happen. I should be with Sera right now. Catching up, making up for all the lost time.

Instead, I'm here. In this fucking cop station. I can't believe it's all come to this.

As Rachel was deep in her own thoughts, the door opened and the detective stepped in. "Thirsty?" Jack said as he put down a cup of water on the table. Rachel glared at him, but grabbed the cup and drank. The detective sat down across from Rachel. He laid his arms on the table and leaned forward.

"What goes on inside that head of yours, Rachel? Do you hear voices?" He said. Rachel quirked her eyebrow up. "No?" She said. "Then what made you do this? Rachel, you traveled from Arcadia Bay, to California. You detoured to Las Vegas and stayed with your friend Sam. And then, you somehow survived that gruelling desert and made it all the way here."

Yes. Rachel was well aware of how batshit crazy her journey has been. And just how much she's been through up until this point. However, it seemed like the detective wasn't aware of Brody or Emmett. And Rachel was going to keep it that way to avoid getting them under any heat from the authorities.

"I get where you're coming from, I really do. You were angry with your father. You felt betrayed. Lied to. Hurt. For the longest time, you trusted James. Like any of us do with our fathers. My old man, he was a mean son of a bitch. But he taught me respect. He showed me how to be the man I am today. Understandably, under any circumstances, if you found out your father has been keeping secrets from you, of course it would hurt."

"And Rachel, you have every right to be mad at him. But this? It didn't have to go this far. It didn't have to come to any of this. Do you realize that?"

Eyes narrowed and jaw clenched, hands balled into fists, Rachel stared intensely into the detectives eyes as he spoke. The more Jack spoke, the more it was threatening to piss her off. He had no idea what she was going through. And he damn sure had no right to try to get through to her, to see the world from her view. Because he never would. No one would.

Jack ran a hand through his gelled back hair. He pressed his back against the seat. "Just know, Rachel, that there are much better ways to deal with any kind of grief. How about your friend Chloe? I'm sure she could help you."

Friend. If only he knew what kind of history Rachel had with Chloe.

"Or no matter how hard it would be, just face your dad. Talk to him. Come to an understanding. I've heard the way he talked about you back in Oregon. Rachel, you are his world. He loves you very much. And I'm sure that it was in his best interests to protect you and keep you safe. Even if it meant lying to you."

The detective saw that he wasn't getting through to her. He saw the way she looked at him. She was pissed. Furious. Her chest heaved up and down as she breathed. Eyes narrow, shooting daggers at him. She was a fighter. There was no doubting that.

Jack sighed. "Sera wants to speak with you. Do you want me to bring her in here?" He asked. Rachel's expression softened at mention of Sera's name. She looked at him and nodded. "Alright. Stay put." He said as he got up. He left through the door and close it behind him.

Dickhead. That guy reminds me of Principle Wells. Both of them are pretentious as fuck.

Fuck both of them.

God. I wanna burn this whole fucking place down to a crisp.

Rachel sat in silence for a few moments. She looked down at her bracelet on her wrist. Perhaps, it was the bracelet that got her this far. She always believed it brought her good luck. She gently fiddled with it.

She looked up when she heard the door open, and Jack was standing in the doorway. He moved out of the way and Sera stepped in. Detective Grey pulled the door closed behind her and the room was filled with silence.

Sera looked at Rachel and approached the table. She pulled the seat out and sat down. Rachel looked at her with a soft expression. They both sat in silence for a few seconds before Sera spoke.

"They didn't hurt you, did they?" She said. Rachel shook her head. Sera responded with a nod. "Good." She said. It was silent for another few seconds before Sera spoke again.

"Rachel, I spent my whole life living with regrets. And one of those regrets was not being the mother you deserved. I see the way Rose looks at you. She loves you so much. And part of me is jealous. Jealous, that she had the opportunity to be your mother."

Tears welled up in Sera's eyes. She wiped them away and continued talking.

"I always wished I could have been better. I always think about the day I had to give you up, just to protect you from myself."

There was a lump in Rachel's throat as Sera spoke. Tears ran down her face.

Sera shook her head, looking deeply into her daughters eyes.

"I know how much you've probably been through to get here. How much you suffered. And it pains me to think about the things you had to experience just to get here. To me."

Sera reached for Rachel's hands. Rachel grabbed her hands, squeezing them tightly.

"My beautiful Rachel. You are so strong. So brave. And you inspire me to better myself for the future. So that one day, I can be the mother you once deserved."

"Sera, you're already doing so well. I can see it." Rachel told her. "You even told my dad that you've been sober for three years. That's, incredible. You have the capability of changing. And I'm so happy for you." Rachel said. "You deserve to be happy and not to be held back by your demons. You don't need to be afraid anymore. Because I see a good person in you. And you could never hurt me."

Sera shook her head, tears spilling from her eyes. "Can I hug you?" Sera whispered.

Rachel nodded and the two stood up.

Sera wrapped her arms around her daughter and the two began crying. Rachel's arms squeezed around Sera's torso. She rested her head in Sera's neck as her mother buried her fingers in Rachel's golden hair.

"I love you." Rachel muttered.

That broke Sera. She cried even harder. "I love you too, little one." Sera said.

"Listen," Sera spoke as they looked at each other. "I heard them talking, and they're gonna let you go. But you have to go back to Arcadia Bay." She said. "You have to go with your parents. They both love you so much, Rachel. They deserve you."

And deep down, Rachel knew that she was right. Even though she didn't want to admit it.

"However, I spoke with the detective and your parents. And they did say that we can have a day. Together." Sera said. "R-Really?" Rachel said as a smile beamed across her face. Sera nodded, smiling wildly at her daughter.

Rachel laughed tearfully and hugged her again.

And finally, the trip to the police station came to an end. Rachel was set free and she went with Sera back to her house. She would be staying the night at Sera's and would spend the whole day with her the next day.

This is what Rachel wanted. This is what she fought so hard for.

And finally, she no longer had to run.