ANIMA

14. Support

TW: certain parts in the chapter allude to self h*rm/unaliving, it is not descriptive and the type is not mentioned.

_____________________________

Kenzie

ANIMA’s reach seems to have grown with the latest text. The rumors managed to reach Quinn’s parents who then called her home.

Missing even a day of school here has the potential to derail your entire semester if you are not careful. Luckily Quinn is always on top of her schoolwork and she will probably be back by Monday.

Quinn and her mom have always been close, which is one of the reasons she chose to stay with her mom when her parents got divorced. I thought her mother would give her all the support she needs right now. I was wrong.

When I called Quinn earlier she told me her step-dad is siding with his friend and her mom is siding with her husband.

She said as the 2nd wife of a wealthy man she can’t afford to rock the boat. She also reminded Quinn that it is because of her step-dad that she is able to attend Wellington, so she advised her to apologize and hold out until graduation. Quinn told me she would talk to her father and ask to move in with him instead.

In the King household weekends are usually reserved for family. This can mean eating out or attending galas and fundraisers. Cassie and I are both required to go home every weekend unless told otherwise.

After the last family meeting I have decided I will be spending all my time on campus. So unless they specifically summon me, I will be going nowhere near the King household. I need a break from the Kings.

After Ava and I talked, we decided a way to repair our friendship is to set aside some bonding time. So now every evening we either grab a bite, catch up on school work together or enjoy a few hours of pampering. The only rule is there are no phones allowed. It’s been good to just unplug for a few hours every day.

After having dinner in the cafeteria we head back to our room.

“Have you heard from Quinn?” Ava asks tidying up her side of the room.

“She promised to let me know what her dad says.” I say grabbing my phone where I had left it on my desk. I have two voicemails from Quinn.

“I don’t know what to do Kenzie. I spoke to my dad…he doesn’t believe me. He said living with mom has made me just like her, a homewrecker. He was the one who encouraged me to live with mom because of the opportunity to go to Wellington!”

I play the last one.

“I know now it was stupid but…I ended up coming out to him. He thinks I am using that as some type of excuse, a way to avoid blame for my actions. I really thought he would believe me…be on my side. Anyways, thanks Kenzie for listening to my side of what happened, for believing me. You are the only one who did. Goodbye.”

What? Her parents are such trash!

I try calling her back but she is not picking up.

“What’s wrong?” Ava asks.

“Quinn is not picking up. Do you know where she leaves?”

“Yes. Are you going there now, isn’t a bit late?”

“Her last message is giving me a bad feeling. I just want to check if she’s okay. Can you send me her address?” I ask.

“I will drive.” Ava says grabbing her car keys.

With Ava driving barely within the speed limit we get there under 10 minutes.

I ring the doorbell and am surprised when an older version of Quinn opens the door. I guess this is her mom but she could also pass for her older sister.

“How can I help you?” she asks.

“Good evening, ma’am. My name is Mackenzie King, I go to school with Quinn. Can we see her?” I say emphasizing the last name. I hate to do it but if it will get her to let me see Quinn so be it.

“You go to Wellington?” she says eyeing me from head to toe.

Seriously?

“Yes we do. Can we see her?” Ava says.

“Quinn is grounded, no visitors allowed.” she replies slamming the door in our faces.

We hear her inside calling Quinn, but no reply comes. The next thing we hear is a bloodcurdling scream from upstairs. We go to open the door but it’s locked.

Ava calls emergency services as I stand there feeling helpless.Waiting not knowing what is happening inside is nerve-wrecking.

As soon as the paramedics arrive, a man I assume is the step-dad opens the door for them. Moments later they carry out Quinn on a stretcher between them. She is unconscious. No one answers our questions about what happened.

We follow behind the ambulance and step-dad’s car to the hospital. We sit near Quinn’s mom in the waiting room in hopes of hearing something about her condition.It haven’t even been there 15 minutes when we get a notification.

“I guess the fair Miss Quinn couldn’t handle her dirty laundry being publicly aired. This just in; she tried to end it all in a fit of despair. Alas she couldn’t even do that right. Hugs and prayers I guess 🤷🏻‍♀️ …-ANIMA”

They used a shrugging emoji. A fucking shrugging emoji!It’s time to unmask this bastard!

💮💮💮💮💮💮💮💮💮💮💮

A/N

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- Oli 💌