Solitude

Anastasia Steele

Anastasia
I get a visit from the FBI regarding my family's murders. I barely recall their names just that they had a witness that came forward and testified about who killed my family. I burst out crying and I kneel on the floor and then sit against the wall by the door. The shooter was given life without parole in a maximum security facility. I can breathe again, knowing my family has justice after all these years. I became an emancipated minor at sixteen just after their deaths. Carrick Grey helped me with that. He helps me a lot, but this he can't help me with. The jury came back with a guilty verdict for all the deaths involved in the shootings. My family wasn't the only ones. I need to drive and the first place is to see Carrick Grey in person. I can feel safe now that my family's murderer is in prison. My therapist and I realized I was waiting for them to put the murderer in prison. The murderer killed ten people that day. Witnesses were afraid to come forward, one finally did and is now living a new life, with a new face, new name, new home and a new job.
FBI agent Moorehouse
I sit by her and tell her the rest of it and she finally stops crying. Her staff hands her water and Kleenexes and a trash bin to throw them in. After ten minutes she gets up and she wants to drive somewhere and her security joins her in her car and I get in my car and leave knowing she is no longer a prisoner in her own home. We have always had to come to talk to her if we wanted to see her in person. Sadly she was barely 16 when we arrived to inform her of her family's deaths. She had been ill and was still unwell when we arrived to tell her it was a gang related murder and we were brought in because they ran across state lines. Unfortunately we let it slip they had ran to the Seattle area. Finding both parties was a big issue. We got the murderer, but we only could find one living witness left alive. I didn't tell her that. That would scare her.
Carrick Grey
A young woman is sitting in my waiting room as I get into work and she looks very familiar to me. Sarah my receptionist is excited to tell me who it is. There is a man sitting beside her that reminds me of one of Christian's security team, but in casual clothing. He might be wearing casual clothing but he is on high alert and has an ex GI look about him.
Sarah
Mr Grey that is Starlight Evans or Anastasia Steele I say quietly so only he can hear me.
Carrick
I approach miss Steele and have her come into my office and bring her security.
Anastasia
I introduce David Rollins my security to mr Grey and we follow him into his office. I am here for more than one reason. I wanted to thank mr Grey for everything he has done for me and I want to sell my parents home and buy a place where I can call my own. Too many sad memories of my family and I need to move on now. I realize I am not dressed properly at this point, but no one noticed I was in jeans, a  T-shirt with Marvin the Martian on it and my favorite sketchers. I apologize to mr Grey for my attire and he laughs and says it is okay. He tells me Elliott at his age dresses casually when he comes to his office as well.
Carrick
I am glad to see you and I am surprised to see you as well. What changed to get you out of your home and to come to see me other than thank me and tell me you wanted to sell your family home? We can get you a reputable realtor and they can handle the sale and the purchase. Would you like to meet your publisher Jerry Roach? I don't think she would want to meet with Christian at this point because Jerry is the one name she has known from SIP. Hyde is thankfully no longer working there and after what the news said it is a good thing I handled her publishing contracts otherwise she would have been one of his victims. She said that was her next stop and she heard about Jack Hyde from the news. She recalled how my office let her know not to talk to him if he called her. She asked how he would be able to get her information and I explained about the break in at our offices and they tried to get information from the Starlight Evans files. I explain to her that the only place I have reference to her is in my safe at my home and a safe deposit box. She wants to get her college degree as well. So she is going to go enroll in courses today.
Anastasia
I see David grimace when I mention attending college and getting my degree. I tell him that he can assign someone else when that happens. Plus we will be looking for a house with housing for all the staff and assure it has his approval for our safety. I get SIP's address and take the realtor's name and number. We shake hands and he asks me if the public appearances are still off the table? I tell him after David interjects and says he can't advise me to do public appearances or book signing in public either.
Carrick
I see how that would cause some issues security and safety wise. We have books here we were going to have sent by courier, but you can take them with you today to sign. There are six hundred total. Two hundred per book.
David
I made sure she wasn't going to be doing any public appearances at all. It is bad enough she wants to get her college degree. Luckily mr Grey has some flunky bring the books out and load them into the car. I know who is going to carry those out if the car and put them back into the car as well. Jeremy Stone my shadow security.