The Fountain Girl

Chapter 4

I closed my eyes as my mom unleashed a load of questions and curiosities against me. She was shouting at me but I knew that that was because she was immensely at a state of shock and not because she was angry at me. Anna turned her head towards my mother. My dad just stared at me, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and disbelief.

"I'll explain slowly, mom-"

"-AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN TELL ME-"

"Mom..."

"-DID SHE EVEN COME FROM-"

"MOM!" I had emptied the air in my lungs into that one shout that finally put my mother's incessant nagging to a stop. It was quite a volume but it was necessary.

I eyed the rest of my family to check if they were about to start another outburst and if they were paying attention. They were.

"This is Anna. Anna, say 'hi'."

"Hi." She waved to the rest of my family.

"I rescued her from a kidnapping incident today. And she doesn't know where she came from. So I brought her home to take care of her while I planned to calmly discuss the situation with you guys." I stared hard at my mother.

"Everyone, please give me your opinions."

"Well, I think we should keep her until we call the police to report a missing girl." My dad was the first to reply.

"Are you kidding?! No! We will take her straight to the police department! Right now! Won't we, Harold?" My mother asked my father with a demanding tone.

"Of... Of course dear. Right this instant." My poor father stammered.

There was a pause.

"That seems like a viable option. James?" I asked my elder brother.

"Yeah. The police department. Then we can get rid of her." He looked at Anna like she was scum.

"Then let's go."

Ten minutes later I was in the back seat of my dad's Mercedes, with Anna lying on my lap and James sitting as far as he could from me, my mother staring straight ahead onto the road and my dad occasionally glancing behind to see how sound of a nap Anna was having on my lap.

"For a mere three hours she's grown pretty attached to you, eh, lad?" He asked me after a full minute of silence.

"I guess."

"She's an adorable young lass."

"I know."