On Tour

Chapter 62

"Hey," my best friend Katie says, walking into the room. "How ya holding up?" She says, sitting down next to me, perking the curls in my hair up with her hands. "Not well, but that doesn't matter, I have to be fine." I state, fixing my navy blazer. "Besides, whatever happens it's not like he can do much better." I say, straightening out my pants. "Right." Katie says, wrapping an opal necklace around my neck and clipping it on in the back. "Let's go get this over with," I say, standing up, walking out of the room while Katie follows.
"Ready?" I ask Josh, grabbing his hang firmly. "Nope," he sighs, grabbing my hand back. We walk into the hearing, our family's behind us. We walk into the main room, and my eyes can't find a place to focus on. Everything's so new, well of course it's new, it's not like I've had a reason to be here before. The judge is speaking some sort of crap over her speaker and there's a jury full of all sorts of people. Josh and I split from our family and take a seat at the front. 'He' isn't here yet, there's not even anyone in his stands. "Josh," I say, catching his attention. I look at the stands then back at him, he seems confused so I look back at the stands, then right back at him. He finally gets it and looks over my shoulder, "Good," he says, taking a seat next to me, I sit down as well. "Although the other parent is not here, we must start." The Judge announces, slamming her wooden hammer down on the desk, catching everyone's attention. 'Parent' my ass. "This is a custody battle between two parents Lillian Sophia Gilchorn-Dun, and Gabriel Mercy Mills. The child, Amara Pure Gilcorn-Dun is one year and two months old. She was conceived without consent and the father is under inspection for abducting two adults, the mother has no criminal record. Let's begin..." The judge starts off, then suddenly the doors to the room burst open, everyone's head turns. "Sorry I'm late judge, and jury, I was held up at a job interview." That's it, that's him. "Take your seat Mr. Mills." The same piercing blue eyes Amara have send chills up my spine. Unlike everyone else, I look forward. He looks normal, better that, put together. He wears expensive clothes, his hair is fresh and fine, he's manscaped and is physically fit. He's looking for me and I know it. My stomach turns, and I feel physically sick and empty.
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I wake up in a dark and cold room. I go to sit up but realize I am paralyzed by chains. "Ahhhh, your awake, jolly." I hear an unsettlingly calming voice, my head whips to the corner of the room where I see a large man emerge from the darkness and into the light. "Who are you? Where am I?" I hiss at him, he sits down on the bed and he traces my stomach, looking at me like I'm a new toy. "Who I am doesn't matter, it's who you are is what matters. You are my slave, new piece of meat, your mine sweetheart." He says smiling at me, I struggle to try to get out of the chains. "Sorry, go find yourself a better girl to help you fulfill your sick ass 50 shades fantasy." I yell at him. He looks down at me and gets inches from my face. "Your funny honey, hopeless, but funny. You can't lie to me, you want this, you NEED this." He says, lowering his lips down to mine. I lean in so I'm closer to his face, then I wrap my teeth around part of his cheek and pull. Blood flies down into my face and he wails, jumping back. He falls down and I reach towards my head and viciously grab a Bobby pin, I start unlocking my hands quickly and then my feet. I stand up and start to run, then he grabs me and pins me against the wall, lifting me up by my neck. "Bad girl, you'll have to pay." He says, blood still pouring from his face. I can't breath, and I pass out.
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I know I can't let him get to me. Think of Amara, think of her future. She can't end up with him Lily so you need to keep your shit together. I feel his eyes burning into the side of my head but I keep looking forward. "Mrs. Gilchorn-Dun, please take the stan." The judge says, all eyes shoot to me. He wants me to break, to run out of here, but I can't, every part of me does, but I can't. I stand up and weakly smile, I walk up to the stand and sit behind it, I can't look at anyone, because I know they'll all look concerned, and I can't afford to see another pitiful face. I look out at the jury instead. "What is your yearly income and hobby?" "Pediatric surgeon and about $460,000." I say confident, happy I can show him that I can be successful. "What Type Of Custody Arrangement Are You Seeking and Why?" "I would like full custody, because, uh, because that-that-t m-man abused me both physically and mentally and I don't want that to happen to my baby Amara." My breathing intensifies and I can hear him chuckle a bit, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. You'll be fine, you'll be fine, calm down. "What Is Your Communication With the Other Parent Like?" "Non existent." I hear him chuckle again, annoyed I look him dead in the eyes and smile. I don't know what it is, but I can't break it with him, maybe it's because I'm pissed or for the main fact that I don't want to loose my daughter. "And why do you think you should have full custody of Amara?" I look away and look back to the jury. "Because I can't imagine life without her, she's my everything. I never want to stop hearing her little breaths, her little laughs, seeing her beautiful smile. At night,  when I brush her blond curls she laughs and it makes me melt inside. When she calls me mom and my husband dad in her tiny voice it makes me think of how me and her will soon be able to have real conversations. I'm going to make sure she has a great future, I want her to grow up and be strong, even if I'm gone. I want her to grow up to be strong so if anything happens to her like what that man did to me," I look at him right in the eyes once more. "She can get through it, and not have herself be hurt. I love her, she's a part of me now, and I can't picture life without her." I say, the judge thanks me and I walk back to Josh and our seats. "Now Mr. Mills, please take the Stan." The judge says, and he struts his way up to the  podium, cocky. When he gets up there, he greets the judge and looks out to the crowd. "What is your yearly income and hobby?" "No hobby yet but I just interviewed to be a lawyer and my yearly income will soon be about $200,000." He says, smiling confidently at the crowd, it disgusts me. "What type of custody arrangement are you seeking and why?" "Weekly, so therefore I can get closer to the mother so that one day we may be a family." I laugh really loud and then mutter under my breath, "In your dreams shit head." "What is your communication with the other parent?" "Non- existent but hoping to change that." I laugh again and mutter, "Delusional." "Why do you think you should gain custody of Amara?" "Because I'm her father, and every child needs a strong father figure. I don't know much about Amara and that hurts, I want to know my daughter, I want to see her, see what she looks like. Her mother has her imprisoned from me," I stand up and gradually raise my voice and say, "Ok, bud, you want to talk about imprisonment-" "Silence." The judge says, slamming her wooden hammer on the desk. Frustrated I sit down and glare. "I just, I really, REALLY would like to get to know my daughter. Thank you your honor." He says, acting like he's the victim. He walks down and back to his side alone. The judge walks over to he jury and they talk for a long time, I can't hear anything, but there is a lot of mixed face emotions. The judge walks back and sits back down on her podium, "Ok, after some consideration, and help from the jur. We are giving FULL custody of Amara Pure Gilcorn-Dun too..."