The Loved and Lost

Chapter 7 - The Marojas

“Mom? Dad? What are you doing here?” I asked as my adopted parents rushed over to wrap their arms around me. I tried to break free, but they were too strong.

“Calia! Where’ve you been!? We thought you were dead!” Mrs. Maroja sobbed uncontrollably. “You were gone for six months!”

“I was safe, Mom.” I reassured her, trying to break free.

“Was!? What happened?” Mr. Maroja ordered.

“No, no, I am! I am safe!” I reassured them. Mrs. Maroja grabbed my wrist, ready to take me back to that horrible place I still hate.

“We’re going home, and I swear to God you’re never going back out.” Mrs. Maroja stated as they started forcing me to the door.

“No!" I screamed, able to jerk my arm away. Finally! “I am staying with Drake. He’s my boyfriend! He’s my love!” I cried to them, but they weren’t sympathetic.

“We’ll let you stay if you tell us where you were all this time.” Mrs. Maroja demanded, blocking the door. Damn it.

“I was with Drake.” I answered honestly. The adults gasped.

“What did you do with him?” Mr. Maroja demanded.

I expressed a disgusted expression. “Dad! Ew! I‘m still a virgin! Oh, you are sick!” I screamed at him, realizing what he meant.

“What do you expect? You’re with him for half a year. Something must’ve happened between you two.” Mrs. Maroja explained, also disgusted.

“Nothing happened!” I told them angrily. “Why don’t you believe me!?”

“Because we don’t trust you!” They both said at the same time.

I began to sob again. Again with the trust thing? “Why don’t you trust me!?” I demanded.

“Because you keep running away for no freaking reason!” Mr. Maroja replied angrily.

I didn’t want to lie. I was forced to Tanyela. They didn’t know. They couldn’t. I had to lie. “Because you don’t give me the freedom I need to be me!” I replied furiously, ready to dig my nails into their necks.

The Marojas stood there with shocked expressions on their faces. Mrs. Maroja had tears running down her face, and Mr. Maroja had tears in his eyes.“You don’t think we give you enough freedom?” Mr. Maroja asked sympathetically.

“Yes! Exactly!” I replied.

“Why? What kind of freedom do you need to be yourself?” Mrs. Maroja asked, and I started listing off the reasons in my head. I could finally tell them how I feel .

“I want to go back to Ridgeland, for a start. Then I want to go out with my friends, doing fun things and not you stalking me everywhere! And when one of my friends comes over that you don’t know, you let me handle them. You can’t get suspicious every time a new friend comes. And you especially can’t grab my arm and make it sore with bruises and scratches and make it bleed. I want what a used to have!” I screamed at them, and that’s when Drake’s parents walked in. They stood and glared at each other, confused with what was happening.

“Who are you?” Mrs. Thorne asked the Marojas.

“We’re her parents.” Mrs. Maroja replied, grabbing my arm, jerking me next to her. So much for that.

“What are you doing here?” Mr. Thorne demanded them.

“We came for our daughter.” Mr. Maroja replied. “We were just leaving.”

“No!” I screamed as I fought back the arm-jerking. The Thornes blacked the doorway.

“See, that is child abuse.” Mrs. Thorne pointed at my arm, which was now bleeding.

“It’s protection.” Mrs. Maroja retorted. I scoffed, trying to jerk away from them. Protection was so the opposite of the word I'm looking for.

“Why don’t you just let her stay?” Mr. Thorne asked them.

“Because we haven’t seen her in six months.” Mr. Maroja replied. Oh, bull!

“Liar! You shot my best friend!” I screamed angrily as I jerked away, Mrs. Maroja leaving scratch marks.

“Oh please, I missed.” Mr. Maroja replied. The Thornes stood shocked.

“You shot someone!?” They demanded shockingly.

“And he didn’t miss. I had to get her help!” I replied, now back to sobbing.

“Oh, you’re so going to prison.” Mrs. Thorne said as she ran out of the room, probably getting security. Mr. Thorne blocked the door.

“You don’t care about anyone but Calia, don’t you?” Mr. Thorne asked like it was a stupid question.

“Calia’s the only one we are responsible of.” Mrs. Maroja replied with a stupid answer.

“Where is CPS when we need them!?” I cried out so they could hear my sufferings. I'm not going back, I don't care what I have to do.

“We don’t need CPS involved.” Mr. Maroja said as he headed towards the door, ready to force Mr. Thorne out of the way. He didn’t budge, not even to force. Mrs. Thorne hurried back with three security guards, who quickly entered and grabbed the insane Marojas, her nails leaving trails of blood down my arm. Mrs. Maroja screamed as they were being taken away.

I let out a sigh of relief as a nurse entered the room with a wrap, bandages, and medical tape. She approached me cautiously, but I acknowledged she was there so she could start talking.

“Do you want me to fix up your arm?” She asked. I nodded as the nurse sat me down on a chair, and began to work.

“Thanks for that, Mr. and Mrs. Thorne.” I thanked them sincerely.

“No problem. They really are insane.” Mr. Thorne said.

“Yes, they are.” Mrs. Thorne agreed. “And if you need to stay with us longer, please be happy to.”

“Thanks.” I smiled as the nurse finished my arm and left. We gathered around Drake, watching his slow breathing and almost lifeless. Tears started to run down my face just at the sight of him, just the thought of him made me want to cry.

“Drake…” I trailed to myself. “Please don’t let me lose you like I lost Cylak.”