The Apprentice.

Chapter Four

Note: I would just like to add a trigger warning to this chapter, it's not graphic but there is a bit of angst in this chapter including a few signs and discussion of sexual assult. Please take care of yourselves if this chapter is not for you. 

A few days later Annie and Mia agreed to meet at the local bar, Annie sat there with a cup of coffee and Mia with her usual gin and tonic. 
"So" Annie began. "you seem to be doing well for yourself, you and Charlotte" Annie smiled "You got yourself a girlfriend finally". Mia smirked. 
"I got myself the best".
Annie nodded clutching her coffee, she was usually so easy going but she knew the conversation comming was a difficult one and her nerves were showing. Mia noticed this in the apprentice and decided to start off slow. "So how are you liking your new job?" she questioned. 
Annie smiled "I Love it, I love the baby room and working with Charlotte and Carly, though I do enjoy the change every now and again when I get to work with Winter or Sorcha" she smiled "those two take no prisoners" she laughed. Mia nodded. 
"and what do you think of- Marjorie?" Mia paused slightly Annie felt the shift in Mia but said nothing. 

"I-I really like Marjorie" Annie muttered. "She's been in a few times to check on me and I can tell she really cares about her staff"
Mia snorted slightly. "Her and Charlotte had a fight a few months ago and I'm still not fully over it I guess" Mia sighed. "But you're right she's growing on me" Annie looked at her puzzled. 
"I would have thought you and Marjorie would have gotten on like a house on fire, espechially since you're both so alike in some ways." Annie motioned, she noticed her hands were figitting and she quickly wrapped them around her coffee cup to stop it. Mia smiled gently at the younger girl. "Well when we first met I was still under, Rogers control" she said through gritted teeth "I had to be th ebad guy to keep up appearances so when Reece started to get close to Marjorie I may have gotten a little bit toxic" Mia confessed. 

Annie nodded the mention of Roger sent a shiver down Annie's spine that didn't go unnoticed by the older red head. "Annie" she started cautiously "What happened to you? I mean you were there one minute then gone the next, and me, Reece and Autumn never heard from you again"
Annie sighed looking down at her coffee she felt tears begin to prick her eyes and she sniffled slightly. "I didn't want you or the twins to know" Annie started, her voice shook slightly and Mia instinctively reached over to cover Annie's hands with hers. 

"It was the night of the halloween ball" Annie began. "I'd been living with Roger and the twins for about 6 months by this time, I was sad because you know my mum and dad used to love halloween and it was my first one without them." Mia gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
"It mustn't have been easy for you" Mia remembered the dreadful night a few years ago when Annie was having a sleep over at hers and they got word that a fire had broken out, her mum, dad and two younger brothers were unable to get out of the house, they sadly perished in that fire.  Annie was sixteen at the time and it through her into a world of turmoil, Roger and her father were best friends he took her in thinking it would only be two years as Annie's parents had left her a substantial amount of money. 

"The party was almost over and I'd gone outside to get some fresh air I'd been dancing" Annie's face dropped and she closed her eyes. "Rodger came out- he- her was drunk and he lent against me" Annie's tears began to roll down her cheeks as her breathing gone heavier. 
Mia noticed this shift and moved around the table to be right next to the young girl "Annie..."
Mia began. "What happened?" she said sternly her eyes never once leaving the girls face. 

Annie raised her head looking at the ceiling as if lifting her face would stop the tears. "He told me how nice I looked and that he'd been watching me grow for a few months and he'd always admired my figure" Annie squirmed gently next to Mia obviously uncomfortable in this situation. "He tried to kiss me" Annie whispered out. 
"What!?" Mia said almost too loud it made Annie jump and her tears pour qiocker. 
"I - I told him he was drunk and I pushed him away but he was too strong" Annie's face was a wreck and her eyes looked like she was trapped by blinding headlights. "I tried to fight him off I really did but he pressed me against the wall and he start-started to run his hand up my thigh" Annie continued, Mia saw red and she clutched the girls hand. 

"Annie did he?" she started but was cut off when the girl's tears truend into hysteria. Quickly she pulled the girl into her and just held her as she sobbed. Mia thought if this was a cartoon steam would be flowing out of her ears, she was boiling hot and fired up. Rodger did this to her, he touched this girl. Annie sobbed into Mia's chest and after a while her sobs began to soften. 
"That's why I left" Annie muttered. "I packed a bag that night and left I couldn't stay in that house, scared that any moment he'd be in my room continuing what he did. Mia I was sixteen" She finished before raising her head to look at the red head who herself had tears in her eyes.

"I knew there had to be a reason, you and the siblings were family, we all were. You just got up and left you never even said goodbye"
"I couldn't face you or the twins after what had happened. Roger said it was my fault, that I always dressed up to catch his eye" she huffed gently. "That you and the twins would hate me, think I was doing it on purpose or worse, think I did it for his money" Annie looked at Mia and this time her hand held the red heads. "I left because I couldn't face you all, I'm back now only because I'd come back to live in my parents house now it's been renovated. I bumped into Reece when out shopping and told him I was looking for a job and he offered me the apprenticeship." 

Mis couldn't help but admire this young girl. "Annie, sweetheart you have so much strength I'm so proud of you" Annie smiled back at the red head and gave her a huge hug. "What do I do now though Mia? Reece and Autumn are going to want answers and I'm not being responsible for them going to prison".
Mia nodded "Well we'll cross that bridge together lil sis".