Her Secret

00 | PROLOGUE

A small black dress was laid on my bed. Today was the funeral of my only loving foster parents. Anne and John Black passed away on January 5th, 2015 in a car crash, only twenty-two days after my daughter Emma Bailey Black was born. Anne and John adopted me on my thirteenth birthday after my last foster family went to jail for abusing me. I loved living with Anne and John and by my fourteenth birthday I was calling them 'mum' and 'dad'. Every day after I walked home from school I would go with John to the gym and he would teach me how to street fight. Afterwards when John and I got home Anne would drag me to the kitchen and we would spend hour's baking until I had to go and do homework.

Anne and John always supported me and vowed they would never leave. I remember the night I was raped clearly. I went to the town's library to do research on my chemistry project. I had finally found all the information I needed to finish the project so I quickly borrowed the books and went outside. As soon as I step out of the library I knew something was wrong. It was around 8:30pm and over half the lights on the street were busted leaving the street in darkness. I grabbed my bag and moved fast down the street but I wasn't fast enough. Once I got halfway up the street a man grabbed me and pulled me into an alley. The man stript me of my clothes and raped me. Once he left I stayed there laying on the cold ground curled up in a ball. I remember shivering and crying until the police arrived. Anne and John were terrified as I had forgot to tell I was going to the library. The weeks after I was raped Anne and John had never left my side and they became even more worried when they found out their fifteen year old daughter was pregnant.

I hear a cry and quickly shook my head trying to get rid of the memory as I walk over to where my daughter is in her crib. Emma Bailey Black was born at 10:24pm on Christmas Eve, she has blonde hair and blue eyes that are turning into the same colour as my green eyes. I pick Emma up and cradle her until she calms down.

"Isn't that better," I say in a baby voice to Emma. I lay Emma on her changing table and put on her black onesie and bow before placing her in her play area to get changed myself. I change into my tight black dress that ended just above my knee and I paired it with my black stockings and heals. I put on light foundation, a nude pink lipstick and mascara while leaving my hair down. I walk out of the bathroom and sit on floor with Emma when I hear a knock at the door. I open the door to see my Aunt Josephine and Uncle Anthony. My Uncle Anthony and Aunt Josephine were like grandparents to me as they babied Anne and John.

"Oh dear, how have you been?" Aunt Josephine says in a rush as she stepped into my room and pulled me into a hug.

"I am doing the best I can," I say and hug her back with just as much strength.

"What about me?" I here Uncle Anthony joke from behind me. I let out a giggle and turned around and hugged him.

"Look at you big girl," Aunt Josephine says as she picks up Emma. Uncle Anthony and I watch as Aunt Jo tickles Emma and laugh when Emma giggles.

"You ready to go?" asks Uncle Anthony as I walk over to Aunt Jo and take my daughter from her and into my arms. I nod not trusting my voice to speak. Uncle Anthony, Aunt Jo and I walk downstairs and out of my home for the past two years and climb into their car.

***

It takes forty-five minutes to drive to the cemetery were we are having the funeral. We arrive at ten o'clock and walk over to where the celebrant is standing. We slowly walk over and I froze as soon as I saw the coffins. I drop while holding Emma and cradle her too my chest and cry as I look at the coffins holding the only loving family I have ever had. The rest of the funeral went by in a blur. I watch people come and sit down in the chairs; I watch the celebrate talk about my parents; I watch Aunt Jo cry into Uncle Anthony's shoulder and I watch them lower my parent get lowered into the ground. I stood up, when my parents reached the ground, with tears staining my cheeks and grab a handful of dirt and throw it onto the coffins while Uncle Anthony and Aunt Jo follow my actions. Uncle Anthony drives us back to my house to collect the rest of my stuff.

It was a few days after my parents died when I found out that I had to live with Uncle Anthony and Aunt Jo or I would have had to go back into the foster system and give Emma up for adoption. I just finished packing the last of mine and Emma's stuff when I heard Aunt Jo call me done.

"What do you need?" I asked Uncle Anthony and Aunt Jo once I got downstairs.

"We would like to ask you something dear," said Aunt Jo, "your Uncle Anthony and I were wondering if you wanted to have your own house closer to your new high school instead of living us-"

"Yes. Of course." I said excitedly. I was so excited to have my own place with just Emma and I because I didn't want to bother them and distract them from their work.

"Oh lovely. Of course we will still help you out with Emma and babysit, we just thought you needed your own space." Replied Aunt Jo and with that we were all in the car and driving to our new house.

***

I finally got the house set up and ready to properly live there around mid-February. The house was a small cottage with a white kitchen/dining room, a lounge room with a brick fireplace and navy blue accents, a master bedroom with an ensuite and a smaller bedroom for Emma. I set up the master bedroom with a crib and decorated the smaller bedroom for when Emma is older. Emma and I's new house was officially home.