Sylvia- An American Crime

The Realization

Later that night, I was woken up by Paula calling my name.
"We've gotta get away from here c'mon!" She whispered loudly whilst helping me up. That entire walk up the stairs really made me realize how much pain I was really in, to the point of not keeping quiet because I could feel all the bruises, cuts, and burns all over my body. Not only that, but my toenails were bent backwards. After getting upstairs, Paula shushed me and my shoe fell out of her hand causing us to be way more careful with our steps. Once making it outside, I was panicking and shaking so badly I couldn't move so she just dragged me along.
"You gotta get out of here!" Paula shouts.
"I don't know where to go." I said.
"You go find your parents." We made it down the back steps.
"And Jenny?" My voice quivered.
"I'll take care of Jenny." She said that twice while fidgeting to give me my shoes and clothes.
"Paula?" Gertrude got out of the house and found us.
"No!" Paula shouts and tries to grab hold of Gerdy while yelling at me to just go.
I heard loads of commotion going on behind me, most likely involving a neighbor. But I took all the little strength I had within me to run, even though I was hunched over and in lots of pain, I made it into this yard when I opened the gate. After opening the gate, I ran but fell and found myself rolling on the grass crying as I was frustrated for not being able to get back up. 
"Sylvia!" I heard Ricky's voice yell behind me, and I panicked.
"Please don't hurt me!" I cried.
"No! No! Look I'm sorry, I didn't know what the hell I was doing alright? You gotta believe me please!" He exclaimed.
"You wanna get out of here? Wanna go?" Then he picked up what I dropped.
"Let's go, c'mon, you'll be alright." He said as he helped me to his car.
"Where are we going?" He asked after we were both in the car.
"I don't know." I moaned.
"You wanna go to the Police we can tell them everything?" He asks.
"I just wanna go to my mom." I said honestly the only place on my mind that I'd rather be.
"Where's your mom at?" He asked.
"I think she's in Portage." I continued to cry, praying to God we just got out of here already.
"We're going to Portage!" He shouts, then tries to start the car but it's failing to do so. I felt like we had no hope, before it finally started. Ricky chuckled and turned on the headlights, and as he did, Gerdy was standing right there.
"Ricky!?" I said with pure panic in my eyes.
"We're going! We're going!" He screamed.

I have no concept of how long we've been driving until we made to a fair that I was hoping would be the one that Mama was at. We pulled into the field, and the natural light gleamed into my eyelids as I opened them.
"I'll come with you." Ricky says as he stops the car.
"No, you gotta get back." I looked over at him.
"You gotta get back to Jenny and make sure nothing happens to her." I said with concern.
"I won't let her out of my site." He sighed.
"Thank you, Ricky." I grinned.

As I slowly stepped out of the car, I slowly walked up to the carnival that was packing up for the day. Everyone looked at me with shock, and I tried smiling at them so they didn't get suspicious. Then, I peeked through a curtain and saw my dad talking to someone by an apple stand.
"Daddy?" I cried.
"Cookie?" He says very confused while glaring at me.
"What are you doing here!?" He excitedly ran over to me, and when he tried to hug me I whined due to my pain.
"Oh my.. What happened to you?" He says in a scared way. So I asked where Mama was, and we went to where she was staying in this RV. I layed down to show them the branding message.
"Oh my God! Oh my God!" My mom began to cry, and ran over to lay down next to me and cuddle me.
"They did this to you!?" My dad says in a terrified voice, and I nodded slowly.
"I'm just so sorry I left you there." Mama continues to cry.
"We spoke to Jenny on the phone last week she said everything was fine!" Daddy said.
"She's scared of her, and we gotta go back." My main intentions were to get Jenny and go home.
"Let's just talk in the car." Daddy told Mama.
"Everything's gonna be taken care of Cookie, you're with your family now." And then he started to cry, which really made me cry.

Probably hours later, we made it back to the dreaded 3850 East New York Street and Mama woke me up.
"Hey honey, were here." She says.
"You stay here, Cookie." Daddy added.
"No, I gotta do this." I said with my bravest face on, I felt so obligated yet overwhelmed to go in myself.
"I'm just gonna go in." I whispered to my mom, and she nodded slowly.
As I walked out of the car and slowly back up the stairs, I looked back at my parents in the car waiting for me. I was somewhat confused when they didn't even second guess why they would let me in? That was until I heard Stephanie scream on the other side of the door.
"She's not breathing Mama!" She shouts, and that was when I walked in to see Gerdy sitting on the couch. 
"Please wake up! Please.." Stephanie's clearly crying and struggling with something. 
"Stephanie? She's faking it." I heard Gerdy whisper.
"Please somebody do something she's not breathing she's not breathing!" I tried to turn the corner to see what was happening.
"Please somebody she's not breathing!" I got close enough to see my own lifeless body on the cold kitchen floor. Turns out, Ricky and Paula never saved me from the Baniszewski's basement. I knew it was time to move on now, be free. 
"Liar, liar, liar, liar.." I heard Gertrude whisper, and Stephanie screams before I closed my eyes and went to the light where I belonged.