Broken Mirror

Chapter Seven: Unwanted Attention

I woke up in the morning with my whole body aching from laying in the same curled up position all night and I was still in last night's dress. I sat up and wondered how I even managed to fall asleep at all as I had laid awake for hours with guilt chewing away at my mind.

I put my feet on the floor and sat on the edge of my bed.

"I still can't believe what I did," I thought, "I wish this was all just a dream and I will wake back up and be at home where I belong."

I then rang for Macy as I needed to take a bath.

She came in a hurry up to my room and after entering stated in a concerned voice,

"My dear child what's the matter? You look terrible."

"Nothing," I dully replied, "I just have a headache is all." This was at least true as it felt like my head was about to split in two.

"I'll get you some aspirin, then get your bath ready," Macy replied in a soothing voice.

"How's Charlie?" I asked her as she was heading out the door.

"Still sleeping," she replied.

I smiled and Macy smiled back then she softly closed the door behind her.

After I had taken my medicine and Macy had drawn the bath water, I climbed in to relax and attempt to take my mind off of things.

As I lay soaking, I knew the water would wash away all of the dirt on the outside of my body, but it couldn't scrub away the filth on my soul.

I now didn't know what to do. I still couldn't tell Momma or father what had happened; they would be furious I had lied to them. I wished there was someone to talk to who wasn't Maggie as she wouldn't understand and who wasn't a cut-throat gangster as they were the ones who had gotten me into this mess in the first place.

I would have had Agnes and Ronan to talk to if I hadn't thrown their lives away in my own foolishness.

I leaned back and closed my eyes.

"If I can just get through the day then this might all blow over. Polly said someone would be back for Charlie and maybe after that they will just leave me and my family alone," I hopefully thought, but the prospect seemed bleak as I remembered Thomas had plans for me.

I stayed in the bath for a good hour even though the water was beginning to get cold near the end.

Maggie had been pestering me by constantly knocking on the bathroom door, wanting to know when I would be done as Macy and Cynthia were going to make us all breakfast.

I groaned as I got out of the tub and dried off. I threw on my dress and not doing anything to fix my damp hair that was still dripping with water, I went downstairs.

Charlie and Maggie were playing with the horse Maggie had received from father on the sitting room floor and I sat down in a chair to observe.

I still hadn't told Maggie about last night which was the real reason Charlie was here; as far as she was concerned at the moment, he was just someone to play with.

"Where's mommy at?" I asked Charlie on a whim, still curious as to why she wasn't around.

"Up there," he stated happily as he looked up at and pointed to the ceiling.

His answer made my heart sink as one suspicion I had in my mind came true and I felt sorry for him; his father was a gang leader and his mother was dead. I couldn't help but think Thomas might be part of the reason why the child who sat before me was motherless.

Maggie didn't ask any questions about why I wanted to know. She did understand Charlie's reply and she too seemed sad.

It wasn't long and Macy and Cynthia announced it was time for breakfast.