STARGIRL

35. Trilogy

    Arabella was no longer angry. She was in truth, no longer anything.

She felt nothing but a disconnection with the world around her.

It all seemed surreal.

"Arabella, we're speaking to you." Anthony's distinguishable voice had made its way into her thoughts.

She raised her head off the table and wearily smiled at her father.

"It's hopeless, I'm calling the police back here." Laure murmured, "They can haul her back to whatever orphanage she came from."

Anthony took in a deep breath and glared daggers over at his wife, "Go to bed, Laura."

"Sure," Laura sarcastically drawled out, "Yeah, let me go to bed especially when my living room window is letting in the snow."

Anthony cupped his face in his hands before he let out a groan from his growing irritation.

"I'll take care of it, just leave us." He calmly told his wife once he had removed his hands from his face.

Once Laura disappeared, Arabella let out a small and smug snicker.

"Short temper." She said to her father who narrowed his eyes at her in disbelief.

"You have no respect." He spat out to his daughter who leaned back in the wooden kitchen chair. Arabella sat still with a neutral look taking over her face.

"I made a mistake." She knowingly admitted with no hesitation, "I acted irrationally."

Anthony stared at his firstborn through kaleidoscope vision. Difficult to make out but beautiful nonetheless. He knew shouting at her and expressing disappointment wouldn't work. Arabella may have been his biologically but in no way was he an actual father to her and he would never be.

Arabella smiled at him again. He could sense the faux warmth in her demeanor.

"You're paying for that window." He firmly stated to her, Arabella shrugged her shoulders carelessly.

"Fine, just give me my money." The teenager got straight to the point, "I want to get out of here as soon as I can."

Anthony shook his head, "I can't do that." He admitted beneath his breath.

In disbelief, she scoffed, "Excuse me?" She rose up from the chair, "That's my money."

Anthony looked up at her and shook his head, "You're at a crossroads. Sit down."

Arabella had felt as if she were hit in the face with a brick.

"You're going to sit down because you're getting an ultimatum."

Arabella snapped her eyebrows together, she lightly placed her right hand on her chest and cocked her head to the side.

Was he trying to play her mind games?

That was a game he wasn't going to win.

"Ultimatum?" She repeated to him through gritted teeth, "Ultimatum?" She asked once more to which Anthony nodded his head.

She shook her head slightly before taking her seat again. She slowly sat back down in her chair in an attempt to figure out what he was going to say next.

"I want to know what your favor is," He took a small pause, "And if you don't ask me your favor. This time, I will call social services."

She raised an eyebrow up at him, she let a grin paint itself onto her lips. Last time he tried it, Laura had come to her rescue with her duffel-bag which allowed her to leave, only for her to have taken her money in an attempt to coax her back to there home.