SHATTERED

╣SEVEN╠

      Now that the police have found Ethel, they wanted her to go home with her parents but Ethel refused.
“Why don't you want to go home with them?” a police officer asked her. She only shook her head and her eyes moist with tears. She looked at her stepfather and then darted her gaze to her mother.
“I don't want to go home with them because they don't care about me,” she sobbed, she saw the how hurt her mother was when she told the police but she didn't care about how she felt, after all, her mother didn't care about her feelings too. “When I try to complain to my mother about the  despicable things my stepdad does to me, she wouldn't listen.”
“What does he do to you?” the police asked. Mrs Sebastian sat beside Ethel as she took Ethel's hand in hers.
Ethel looked at her dad, a frown appeared on his face, it was a deadly look telling her not to say a word but she wasn't bothered, if she didn't expose him now, she might not see any opportunity like this to expose him again.
“He rapes me.” she said with trepidation.
The police looked at Rex who was shaking his head.“Is it true sir?” the police asked him.
“For goodness sake, she is a little girl and  my daughter. How could I do such a thing to her?!” he stood up infuriated.
“Please calm down, it was just a question.” the police man told him.
“Why would I ever do that to my own daughter? Even if I am in need of humping, I have my wife!” he yelled, breathing heavily.
“I am sorry sir. Miss, are you sure of what you're saying?” the police man asked Ethel.
“Very sure. He is lieing!” Ethel was already boiling with anger. “He knows he did it!” she stood up pointing a finger at Rex.
“Sir, she can't just falsely accuse you like that.” the police asked Rex.
“I don't even know why she would in the first place…anyway, eversince I married her mother she has always despised me so I'm not surprised, she is just making this up so her mother will divorce me.” Rex said to the police officer.
“Miss, we have no evidence here. I'll advice you to go home with your parents.” the police officer stood up to leave.
“You monster, you better tell them the truth or else I'll make your life miserable!” Ethel walked towards Rex grabbing his shirt.
“Ethel that's enough!” her mother said irritably as she stood up to hold her back.
“Don't touch me!” she flinched from her mother's touch. “I hate you mom… I hate you with with my life! You are heartless!” the yelled, tears trickling down her cheeks. Thelma was shocked she couldn't just believe what was happening, Ethel has never spoke rudely to her before talkless of insulting her.
“Thelma let's go home, when she knows the way home when she is ready to come home.” Rex said as he walked out of the door.
“I am sorry Miss there is nothing I can do.” the police officer said and left.
“Ethel, please forgive us and come home.” Thelma said, lips trembling.
“You never cared about me, so leave!” Ethel hollered, tears rolling down her cheeks as she pointed to the door. She walked away and yelling, “I hate you!” over her shoulder to her mom. Miss Sebastian sat where she had been seated all along watching the horrid scene displayed before her
“Miss Sebastian, please tell her to come home,I can't leave without her. Look how I almost went crazy just because I thought she was kidnapped. Please.” Thelma sobbed. Miss Sebastian stood up and held Thelma's hand.
“Miss Wilbur, we need to talk.” she told her.
“Okay.” Thelma wiped her face dry and followed Miss Sebastian to the kitchen to talk.
“Don't blame Ethel for behaving that way, she is just a young teenager who is passing through some trauma. It's not easy to leave without your real dad, there is nothing like having a real dad.” Miss Sebastian said after she and Thelma were seated on a kitchen stool at the kitchen island.
“I know… but why does she have to cook up lies to ruin Rex? What she did was ignominious.”
“Have you ever had a second thought why she did that?” Miss Sebastian tilted her head looking at Thelma.
“ She hates him that's why and I know Rex quite well, he would never do that to her, he loves Ethel so much even though she doesn't love him.”
Miss Sebastian sighed.
“I think you need to talk to your daughter. The time you start trusting her that's when things will change. She needs you to believe her, she needs your time, she needs your advice. I guess you don't know she has started her period.”
Thelma fiddled with her fingernails before speaking “No I don't, when did she start?”
“I noticed when she arrived at my home.”
“Oh my goodness! That means the blood stain found on the windowsill was her period.” Thelma gasped.
“What?”
“When she escaped the Detective's found her blood on the windowsill, I was so scared that I thought she was  killed before the kidnapper carried her away through the window.”
“Thank God you found her.”
“Please, Miss Sebastian I need you to talk to her. I need her home.… I might not be the best mother but I am trying my best to…”
“Thelma, I've been waiting for you. Let's go home.” Rex said as he walked into the kitchen.
“Oh, I am sorry,” Thelma said as she stood up. “Miss Sebastian, I need to go now. Thanks for everything, please do talk to her and tell her I love her.”
“Thank you Miss Sebastian, we really appreciate your kindness. We are so sorry for all this unnecessary problems, she'll stay with you until she's ready to come home.” Rex said, Thelma nodded her head and they left.
     Thelma walked briskly to the passenger's seat opening the door and shutting it as soon as she entered. She rested her head on the chair, sobbing. Rex entered the car and ignited the engine.
“Why are you crying?” he asked as he pulled out of Miss Sebastian house premises.
“She said she hates me Rex and she doesn't what to come home with us.” Thelma blubbered.
“That's her business.” Rex said, his face stoic.
“She is our daughter Rex!” she said irritably.
“She was. Just look at the way she humiliated me in front of the police officer and her teacher… she's not going to get away with this, I blame myself for being nice to her.” he said angrily.
“What are you going to do to her? Huh?” she looked at him as he focused his attention on the road, driving.
“Wait and see. She will decide either I stay or she stays.” he said without looking at her.
“What are you saying, are you going to send her out of the house?!” she yelled.
“Two captains can't be on a ship, Thelma.”
“I don't understand what you are saying.” she stared at him, tears glistening in her eyes.
“You will soon understand.”
   Thelma pinched her eyes shot as she raked her nails through her hair.
“You spoilt you daughter Thelma!” Rex yelled at her.
“I didn't, she…”
“Got spoilt, Is that what you're saying?!” he tightened his grasp on the steering wheel as he drove.
“You don't understand. That girl has gone through a lot.”
“I don't need to understand.”
“Rex why are you talking this way, why have you suddenly become difficult?” Thelma said when they arrived home.
“It's you who is difficult because you don't seem to understand. Ethel is behaving that way because you have pampered her.”
“No! She misses her dad!” she tried to explain
“Oh, so that's the reason why she never called me dad?!” he yelled at her
“You love her, don't you?” she lowered her voice.
“That stops today!” he hit his fist in the sofa.“I'm never going to have anything to do with her…after what she had done? Never!” he said through clenched teeth.
“Rex?!” Thelma gaped. “Are you crazy? She is just a child for Pete's sake!” she hollered in rage.
“She is a little witch!” Rex scowled.
“How dare you?!” she moved closer to him shoving him to the couch.
“You want to hit me? Do it!” he glared at her. He stood up curtly pushing her to the ground, he punched her till she started bleeding from her nose.
“I swear, I hate you! I hate you.” Thelma yelled as she tasted blood in her mouth.
“One more word from you, I'll destroy your face. ” he threatened.
      Struggling to her feet she said, “And I'll call the cops on you, idiot!” she sat out blood from her mouth and trundled upstairs to Ethel's room locking herself up there.

                  ➰➿➰

    School began the following spring. Ethel was so glad to resume school because she would be going to school with Miss Sebastian and she was no longer trapped in the hell she once called a home. The new term didn't turn out the way she expected. As she walked through the huge gate of her school, she saw other students stare at her like as if she was an alien that had just arrived from another planet. They would look her way and gossip, some shouted “the run away girl!” she ignored them and continued walking without showing any sign of emotion that she was unhappy though she was. She walked to the locker room to look for a good locker she will use this new term.
“Ethel! Ethel!” Ethel spun around and saw her best friend, Sylvia running excitedly towards her.
“Sylvia!” Ethel squealed, so excited to see her.
“I've missed you.” Sylvia said as she embraced her.
“Me too.”
“How was your hols?” Sylvia said after releasing her from the embrace.
“Okay.” Ethel shrugged her shoulder as she opened the locker she had chosen arranging her books inside
“Okay? Just okay? Wasn't it interesting?”
“Not at all, ever since my dad left my holidays have always been so, so boring.” Ethel rolled her eyes.
“Is it true?” Sylvia leaned in whispering.
“What?” Ethel looked sideways at Sylvia.
“Did you actually run away from home?”
“Yes.” she closed her locker leaning her back on it.
“Why? Why did you run away Ethel? Everyone in school is gossiping about you. I was so surprised when I saw your parents at my house, they asked if you came to my house.”
“They went to your house?”
“Yes, with your baby sister too.”
      Ethel rolled her eyes.“Pretenders.” she huffed.
“Why did you run away?” Sylvia asked, hands akimbo with a concerned look on her face.
“My parents don't care about me.” she said looking away at pupils hurrying in and out of the locker room.
“Really?” Sylvia hazel eyes widened.
“Yeah.”
        As they walked out of the locker room into the hallway, Sylvia blabbered.
“I'm so happy I'm finally in form nine.…do you remember the boy I told you about, the boy in my Sunday school class?”
“Yeah. What about him?” Ethel shrugged her shoulder, not interested in what Sylvia was saying.
“He is coming to our school!” Sylvia giggled.
“So?”
     They walked into their class, looking for seat. They finally found a seat in the front row, dusted it and sat.
“You'll get to meet him, Ethel. This boy is super hot.” Sylvia fanned herself with her hand as she rolled her eyes. Ethel eyed her friend and hissed Annoyed at her friend's giddiness.
“Whatever, you can hiss all you want,” Sylvia waved her hands in the air. “Guess what Ethel? I travelled to Paris for the holiday. I would love to send some pictures to you. You have a phone right?”
“Yes I do… my mom gave it to me as a birthday present.”
“My God! I am so, so, so, so sorry for not attending your birthday day party… I travelled.”
“I understand.” Ethel smiled.
“Don't worry, I'll make it up to you.”
“It's okay, I am free at last, so I can come and visit you anytime.”
“Free?”
“Yeah. I am no longer staying with my parents.”
“Uh–oh, that means we are going to be having lot of slumber parties.” Sylvia singsonged.
“Yeah,” Ethel laughed “I am living with Miss Sebastian now.”
“Your parents let you stay with her?”
“Yes and I am happy staying with her, she is a nice woman.”
“I am happy for you.” Sylvia smiled as she gave her a side hug.

Phew! Longest chapter I've ever written. So readers, what do you think? I guess you now know where the bloodstain on the window sill came from. None of you were able to get it…uh–oh and I wanted to give whoever got it free airtime. Haha!

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