Trying To Heal

Chapter Thirty

i feel like this song screams tanner. 

i am so happy to see readers crushing on tanner, Derek, and luke equally. the amount of 'thirsty' messages I get is so relatable.

🌺

Derek

The past is a phantom desiring to unconceal what Princess Isla has done. The children are now pitching into my nightmares. Sometimes, the screams of pain, the groans of violation and her demonic grunts leaves a ripple in the caves.

The power and authority over others satisfy them, Lin said.

It startles me how quickly I reflect on Harlow, Tareq and Parker. This is too intolerable, that it makes me panic. Attacks. Difficulty of breathing. Each morning, I see April and haul her in for a hug. She was gobsmacked at first. The more I executed it, the more she sensed that something was treacherously wrong. It is soothing to see her, the subtlest ray of hope in my Tartarus. She makes me feel sane. Stable. The darkness cannot shine without his light.

The rooftop establishes the necessary peace of mind. I would often go outside into the fatal chilliness, breathing in the needles and even mounting the side steps to the tip of the tower. At times, April is curled up in a corner of the glass walls, sleeping in thick blankets or reading a book. It sends a pang to my chest. I hope to whatever god out there that she will keep doing this, and there will never come a day when she does not.

I would catch her gaping at me and hastily looking away in a blush. Our skins would touch. Our routes collided. I move to the right, assuming she would move left. No, she did the same. I moved to the left, and so did she. We both pause in the vacant hallway, breaking into soft laughter. It occurred ten times in the past two weeks, almost as if the universe is fed up with this constant waiting and forcefully pushing us closer. At least, I like to view it that way.

Later that week, gossip bombards Edgewater Independent. The boys are back. It is more rational and respectable if the bastards were not advised to attend school. Officers escorted them to classes and lunch halls, a probation anklet on to alert their whereabouts.

Judge Vella is a Latina woman. Her hair is cropped short, ringlets falling beside her ears, her dark eyes firm and assertive. She is appointed for the trial of Bodie Banks and April's rape case. Soon she will be hired to be the judge for Bodie Banks again — when the sex trafficking dilemma is solved and ready to be taken to the courts.

A jury trial was appointed for April's rape case. The rapists were interrogated a week after they woke up, as persisted by their attorneys. The court decided that the rape was calculated and triggered by their fear of being corrupted, young boys with poor socialisation. The fact that their parents tried to assist them to avoid consequences was even worse. The boys and their parents are both prosecuted and charged with sentences.

Rhett Wallace's parents were the only ones that Tanner allowed to live. They have shown remorse. When Rhett woke up, his father shouted at him and hit him so hard till bruises formed the second he returned home for his scandalous behaviour.

"We let you off twice!" scolded his mother. "This is the last time. Don't expect us to do anything. You're not our son anymore. Get out."

They packed his belongings and threw them outside, onto their porch, and slammed their door on the only child.

Parental upbringing is crucial to a child's development. However, it is not entirely imperative. Sometimes, the child socialises itself. We can raise them in the correct way, and they can still be devils. If my son or daughter done something like this continuously, I will give up. I will not care about our relation and encourage the court to send them to prison, or whatever worse punishment is available.