Survival

Chapter 43

Jasmine has been working extremely difficult trying to find the best foster home for Elsa Arrenson. 

The whole reason she wanted to become a social worker was to help children like Elsa. That doesn't mean it's any easy. It's not as if she can force anybody to take in a child they don't want. Especially someone like Elsa.

That poor girl has been through unspeakable tragedy. Anybody who's willing to take her in will not only be responsible for her, but it's going to be hard work. They'll need to have the patience, understanding, and time to spare to take care of her. 

But so far, no one close enough has been willing to do that. The only house who would accept her is hours away. It will be a strange and new environment, which is not what Elsa needs.

So, Jasmine was surprised when she got a call from a family––the Coronas––stating they are open to taking Elsa in.

That conversation went on for almost an hour. There are some issues that need to be addressed before even establishing anything. Starting with the paperwork that needs to be filled that will determine if the family is qualified. But based on how the conversation went, it's clear to Jasmine that the couple cares and is willing to do whatever is necessary.

Of course, she also needs to run this with her superior. There are a lot of steps that need to take place before anything happens. 

So much needs to happen. So much is going to change.

Jasmine hasn't even met Elsa personally yet! She was supposed to meet her yesterday, but when she called, there was an accident and it was later decided that Elsa's visitations would be revoked for the day.

But as of now, things are...lifting up. Hopefully, all things work out and Elsa can find the best home.

Elsa deserves good news. Especially since the police still has no news of her father and her other abusers. Nothing. It's as if they fell from the face of the Earth. No one knows that the hell happened to them. The police has no leads.

Aladdin cannot talk to her about any of this because it is classified information. But Jasmine knows that it's driving him insane not being to able to solve this case.

For all their sakes, she hopes that there is an end to this nightmare.

***

Elsa was laying on the floor, surrounded in a pool of her own blood, nearly dead. Her entire body has been stripped bare. But there she lays, in nothing but skin as the men around her gather and start to scrape knives all over her body until she is covered in scratches.

One of the men––Luke––drops to the floor, his body hovering over Elsa as she blinks up at him in horror. Her mouth trembles as he stares down at her.

He doesn't say anything. No. All Luke does is smile at her. A cruel and wicked smile as he begins to prop his jeans opens and unzip them.

Elsa starts crying as Luke starts to move over her and bury himself inside her. Everyone else laughs at watching her cry and beg for them to help.

Elsa then looks at Jack. 

She looks at him, standing in the shadows, unable to move.

"JACK! PLEASE, HELP ME!"

He doesn't move. He can't.

Luke and the rest don't bother stopping. They only continue laughing.

"HELP ME!" Elsa begs him.

He wants to. He desperately wants to. But he cannot move. It's as if he's not even physically there, but rather present in another form.

As she cries for Jack to help her, reaching for him, Luke takes out a gun. He points it at her head and pulls the trigger as Jack's invisible form yells––

Jack wakes up in a cold sweat. He jolts up, panting through his mouth.

He places a shaky hand to his chest where his heart hammers away, recovering from the same nightmare that has been taking a hold of his dreams for the past few days.

Glancing at the clock, it's past midnight.

Letting out a long breath, he pulls away the covers and gets out of bed. He fumbles his way to his bathroom and turns on the light. As his vision adjusts to the harsh and sudden light, Jack takes a look at himself in the mirror.

Yup. He's seen better days.

His skin is clammy and sticky with sweat. His eyes have begun to form dark circles underneath.

"Shit," he mutters and then proceeds to turn on the cold water and splashes the water over his face.

These dreams are only getting worse. And each one ends the same way; Elsa's death.

But she's not gone. She's here. Alive.

The nightmares serve as a reminder on how close she was to dying. And if he wasn't so self-absorbed, if he wasn't so stupid he would have seen the signs that Elsa needed help and saving.

Thinking about all the signs that were shoved in his face and Jack ignoring them, makes him feel  like trash. They were so obvious. So loud and clear and no one paid attention to them; the bruises, the isolation, the anxiety, the crying, and flinching.

He still hasn't seen Elsa. How can he when he's failed her?

But that's all Jack can think about. And with every passing day, his emotions are eating him alive, slowly.

He needs to see her, but he won't know what to say to her.

A coward. He's such a shameful coward.

With another look in the mirror, he turns off the light and gets back into bed with a heavy heart.