~Zoey's POV~
I was in my room, writing in my journal. Tasha had suggested that I did journalism to write down how I felt everyday.
"Hey sweetie, cops are here." Tasha said.
"Okay." I said.
I got my shoes on, walking with her.
"Are you gonna be with me the whole time?" I asked.
"Yes honey." She said.
I nodded as we got to them. Not the first time I saw a cop.
"Hey Zoey. How are you doing today?" One of the officers said.
"I'm doing great." I said.
"Good. I'm officer Chad this is my partner officer Todd. We're gonna get the full story from you about your mother alright?" He said.
"Of course." I said.
"Let's start with what happened." He said.
"Well, ever since I was 2 when my parents got divorced my mom had been going out and hanging out at bars. It would turn in her being gone months at a time and my sister Delaney taking care of me. She started going for drugs, leaving them at the house. She would call me and my sister names, threaten to send us to a foster care, and then she would just leave for another few months." I said.
"And the drugs you took belong to your mother?" He asked.
"Yes." I said.
"Do you know what other drugs she had in the home?" He asked.
"I think it was just Xanax and her daily medication, and a block of cocaine." I said.
"Is it all still in the house?" He asked.
"No. My sister Delaney took everything out the day before my birthday. But I had a stash just in case which I used on my birthday." I said.
"So as of now, after what happened, there's nothing there?" He asked.
"No." I said.
"Is it okay if we have someone search it? Can we get some type of permission from someone?" He asked.
"I have Delaney's number if you'd like." I said.
"How old is she?" He asked.
"18 years old." I said.
"Okay. Todd, ask her some more questions while I go call Delaney." He said.
Todd nodded as Chad left.
"Alright. Is there anyone still paying bills in the house?" Todd asked.
"Yes. My mom does as of now." I said.
"And is your sister wanting to go to college?" He asked.
"Yes, she is." I said.
"Well, Zoey. If your sister leaves you cannot be alone at 16." He said.
"I know." I said.
"Do you have someone in mind that can take care of you while she's gone?" He asked.
I looked at Tasha. She smiled and nodded.
"I do." I said.
"Can you give me their name please?" He asked.
"Tasha. Tasha Williams." I said.
Tasha held my hand, smiling at me.
"Alright, Tasha. Do you agree with this?" He asked.
"Of course I do." Tasha said.
"Alright. Right now until Delaney leaves, Delaney is your legal guardian but any time she's gone, you go to Tasha." Todd said.
"Of course." I said.
"Do you know where your mother is now?" He asked.
"I'm not sure." I said.
"We have a tracker we can find her and arrest for child abuse, not taking care of children, and usage of drugs and leaving them unsupervised. What's her name?" He asked.
"Linda Rivera." I said.
"Okay. And what happened with your dad?" He asked.
"He's part of the reason why I'm here. He held a gun to my sisters head when I was 2 and he used to hit us, yell at us, until he left with his girlfriend Lana and their son." I said.
"That's attempted murder Zoey. He's gonna have to go away for that. Does he live in the state?" He asked.
"I think so. His name is either Mason Rivera or Mason Jackson. I think he changed his last name to either one of those." I said.
"We'll find him. Thank you." He said.
"Of course." I said.
"Okay. I got permission from Delaney to have someone search. She's not gonna be in trouble, just your mom. Thank you for telling us everything Zoey. It takes a lot of courage." Chad said.
"Just make sure she's safe, please. Make sure she's okay." I said.
"Your sister will be fine." He said.
I smiled at him as they left.
"Do you feel better now?" Tasha asked.
"I do. Thank you." I said.
"I have your back." She said.
"Maybe we need to talk more of this legal guardian stuff. I have questions." I said.
"Of course. Talk after dinner tonight?" She asked.
"Yes ma'am." I said.
I gave Tasha a hug as I went back to my room. We had been pretty much on lockdown since someone made a homemade knife and killed themselves successfully. Thankfully I didn't see any of it.
