Broken

prologue.

The phone buzzes and I check the caller ID to see it was an unknown number. "Dad are you going to answer it?" I yell to the other side of the house where my father is in his office. No one is allowed in his office, not even Mom. He claims it's because there's confidential information in that room but I think that's a load of shit. One time I got caught snooping in there trying to figure out what he's really hiding. It earned me a night without dinner and a clash with the dark worn leather belt three times. My mother wasn't home that night. If she was she never would let that happen to me. I shudder, remembering that night.

"No! Get off your lazy ass and get the damn phone for once in your life Zoella!" The monster inside my house harshly replies to me.

I answer the incoming call on the last ring, "Hello?"

"Yes, is this Zoella?" A woman's voice asks me.

"Uh yeah, why? Who is this?" I'm starting to get nervous now. It's not unusual for people I don't know to call but it's always a call for my dad or my mom.

"My name is Emily. I am an officer at the Springview police department. Is your dad with you?"

"Umm yeah... I'll go get him," I cover up the speaker of the phone with my palm. "Michael! Someone wants to talk to you on the phone!" I often call him by his first name because I don't feel that he deserves the title dad. He gets mad at me for it but you shouldn't be called something you aren't. Being a dad is a job and let's just say Michael kinda quit that job the moment my poor mother got pregnant. I glance at the time thinking about how she should be home by now. But I brush it off thinking that she might just be working late like she often does.

"Tell them I'm not home. You should now that by now! I've told you a thousand times!" Awesome, now he's even more pissed at me.

"He told me to tell you he's not home," I really don't care if he finds out I told Emily what he said. It's not like things could get any worse, he already beats me and bans me from eating.

"Okay Zoella, I'll just talk to you then if that's alright with you."

"Please just call me Zoey," I really hate when people call me Zoella because that just reminds me of what Michael calls me. He's never used my nickname. It's always been Zoella.

"Oh yes, sorry. Now lets get to why I called you. I have some really bad news." This is great. As if my life couldn't get any worse. "Are you ready for it?"

"No but I never will be so just go for it."

"Its about your mother." My heart drops to the floor at the mention of my mom. What happened? She's not a bad person, she's never even swore in front of me. Why the hell would she be there? Maybe Emily made a mistake. "She's been admitted to the intensive care unit, she's in critical condition." Am I hearing her right? This can't be right. She must have the wrong Zoey.

"Are you sure you have the right Zoey?" I can't help but ask.

"You are Zoella Jones, daughter of Tracy Jones correct?"

"Yes, but I think you have made a mistake. My mom would never get into a situation that would have a possibility of killing her. She cares too much," I start to talk really fast, a side effect of my nerves.