Part 4

Fifteen Years Prior

The night had faded into dawn and the nightmare was finally over. Gwendolyn had been to the hospital and her cuts and bruises had been treated. The police had let her know that no charges would be filed. She had been absolved of any responsibility. She was clearly an innocent in the matter. There was no reason for anyone to think otherwise.

Anna had been taken to a foster home for the time being. No one was about to find Jena a fit parent. When questioned about the continued abuse of her daughters she had admitted to knowing about it. Charges might be filed against her.

Gwendolyn was lying in her hospital bed alone. Her mother had run away at the first sign of trouble and Gwen had expected that of her. She knew her mother would run the first chance she got. Now all she had to worry about was getting Anna out of foster care. She may have only been sixteen but it could be possible for her to get custody of her sister. She'd fight the entire system if she had to in order to get to her baby sister. She had promised Anna that she'd take care of her and she would, but first she had to get out of the hospital.

Slowly she removed the covers from her body and got off of the bed. She moved over to the cabinets where her clothes had been stored and pulled them out. The kind officer who had been questioning her had provided her with the address and telephone number of where her sister had been taken. All she had to do was get there and get Anna then they could go away.

It was true that she never wanted to run away. She knew how dangerous it could be being on her own with a child to care for, but this time she would take the risk She always knew that it was a possibility, and she was prepared. Ever since she was old enough to make any kind of money she'd been working and every penny she ever earned went to a bank account that was in her dead father's name set up specifically for her. He'd started it when he found out her mother was pregnant. It was supposed to have been a college fund, but plans change and the fund now served as an escape plan. It was a way now, for her and Anna to get away and get started on a new life, because there was no way Gwendolyn was going to sit around for years waiting for the woefully inadequate system to give her back her sister.

Once she had her clothes on it was surprisingly easy for her to get out of the hospital unnoticed. No one in particular was watching over her. She was just the unfortunate girl in room 216 who had been beaten to the point where she couldn't take it anymore and ended up killing her abuser. In a few eyes Gwendolyn was even looked at as a hero, but she didn't care about that. She had done what she had in order to make things better for her sister and herself. That's all she ever wanted. She wanted Anna to be safe and okay and she would do anything within her power to make that happen.

When she exited the hospital Gwendolyn looked up at the quickly brightening sky. "I'm on my way Babygirl." She told the crisp morning air then started jogging in the direction of where her baby sister was staying temporarily.

Present Day

When I walk into Anna's hospital room she's still sleeping soundly. Some people look like angels when they sleep-so I hear-but Anna isn't an angel. She looks tormented and she should look that way. After her life, I'd be disappointed if she wasn't just a little bit tormented. She shouldn't have one single moment of peace. She doesn't deserve peace.

She doesn't deserve anything from me, at least not anymore. How dare she ask me for my help again! How dare she think she could ask me! How dare me for actually considering it.

In my hands I'm holding Anna's walking papers. I've paid for everything that needs to be paid. The hospital and the doctors have their money for providing their unique services. I'm out over a grand. Luckily, I can afford anything Anna throws at me. I can handle anything.

Slowly Anna fights to open her eyes and I make sure the thoughtful look on my face disappears to be replaced with absolute disgust. "You're finally up."

She doesn't seem to be surprised to find me standing over her at all. "And I have you here to greet me. I think I would have rather just died in my sleep."

I smile back but know it lacks a certain amount of sincerity-like all of them do. "Well that's one of the very few things we have in common."

All I want to do is run out of this room. Someone needs to tell me why I even bothered to get her and help her out of another of her messes. "I brought you some clothes," I point to a package I came in with and put on the nearest counter. I didn't bring her anything fancy, just the necessities. We can all pretend that the five hundred dollars I stuffed in the jeans' pocket came with the pants and that I know nothing about it. "I figured that whatever you were wearing when you came in here is probably nothing but rags now. Although," I snort, "I bet they were that way before you came in."

"You're so very kind," she tells me sarcastically but deep down I know she's thankful for the clothes. I saved her from asking for something else from me. She doesn't have any money to buy any clothes now nor will she have the money later.

"Just hurry up and get dressed," I harshly order. "The quicker you're presentable the quicker we can walk out of this hospital and part ways." She might need a ride somewhere after this. It beats me to where she would go though. She doesn't have a home.

"You don't need to stay around," she tells me as she pulls the hospital gown off of her body. "You can leave me now."

I can. She has nowhere to go and I'm under no obligation to stay. "You're right. I don't need to stay here." I put the papers I have in my hand on her bed. "Take care of the rest of the paperwork and I guess I'll see you when the next disaster strikes." Without much of a backward glance I walk out of her room and close the door softly behind me.

She's on her own again, as it should be. We can pretend, though, that I didn't leave her Cameron's number on those papers I handed her. Part of me really hopes she doesn't call the woman, but I know who Ms. Mendoza is. I know more about her than she probably thought anyone could know. I research my clients and I research the people I hand my sister off to.

Cameron, not too long ago, had a nasty addiction to Cocaine-nasty stuff that Cocaine is. She successfully finished rehab after her third try and is well on her way to abstaining from this particular weakness. I was told that only her closest friends, band, and family knew that when she went off for a 'vacation' that she was trying to kick the old habit.

She's apparently going to celebrate her recovery by doing a national tour raising money for some thing or another. She wants to help other people like her.

Her manager called my office and made an appointment a while ago. Ms. Mendoza, in an ironic twist of fate, wants me to be the photographer for her tour. She wants the best, and the best would be me. She probably hasn't even figured out who I am yet.

I'm not doing the tour. I've decided that. She's not offering me enough money and I'm not big into charity work.

But if she really wants to help people out, let's see how she does with Anna. Babygirl might take all the good right out of the famous musician.

Good luck to her. I'm done with it all. I'm falling out of the picture. They're both big girls. They can handle themselves.

Fifteen Years Prior

Gwendolyn knew she couldn't march up to the house where her sister had been taken and demand that they give her back. No person was crazy or kind enough to want to do that for either one of them. Gwendolyn didn't have a job that paid her enough money to support a child, and she had her own emotional problems. It would be a risk to place one so young as Anna with one who just killed her own stepfather, even if Gwendolyn did it in pure self defense.

So when she reached the place her sister was staying the teenager took a chance. She went up to a window, picked purely at random, and knocked softly. Her heart only continued beating when her sister's face appeared in the window. Maybe someone was actually on her side after all.

Anna quickly opened the window and threw her unpacked bag out. "I knew you'd come for me Gwenie," her childlike voice whispered in excitement to her personal hero. "I told everyone that you'd come but they didn't believe me."

Gwendolyn gave her sister a bright smile, her teeth shining brilliantly in the moonlit night. "Of course I came, Babygirl. Nothing was going to stop me."

Anna jumped into her sister's arms letting go of all the worry that had built up since all the police had shown up and took Gwendolyn to the hospital. She hadn't been too scared though as they took Gwenie, because when Gwenie looked back at her she smiled. It was kind of a sad smile, sure, but it was a smile that let Anna know that everything was going to be okay. There wasn't going to be any more pain. Gwendolyn would take care of everything.

"What are we going to do now Gwenie? Do we get to go back home now?"

Gwendolyn gently pulled away from her sister. "No," she shook her head. "We can't go home Babygirl. We can't go home for a very long time. So tonight we're going to go away. We're taking a very long trip. You've always wanted to travel haven't you?" She smiled weakly.

"Is Mommy coming with us?"

"She can't sweetie. She ran away from us."

Anna's face dropped. "Doesn't she want us anymore?"

"No, I don't think so. But hey," Gwendolyn's voice brightened with false excitement, "we're gonna be fine. We just need to go now and everything will be fine."

"Will you hold my hand?"

Gwendolyn smiled brightly again. "I'll do better," she reached down picked up her sister's bag then picked up Anna. "I'll carry you all the way to the bus station and hold you all through the night. There will never be a time when I won't hold you and be there for you whenever you need me. Never."

Present Day

I need to go into work. I'm sure I have more appointments than are healthy for me to have today. It'll be a good day if I don't end up seriously maiming anyone. I'm in a bad mood. I should have left this place the minute Anna told me I could get lost, and I shouldn't have thought twice about it. She hates me. I hate her. We have a good relationship going on.

Maybe I just want to see if she's going to put to work all the information I was up all night gathering. Perhaps I want to see if my effort was for nothing and that's my only interest. There's no part of me that can be interested in what happens to my sister next.

It's been exactly fifteen minutes since I left that hospital room. I didn't look back then, but couldn't bring myself to drive away either. I know why I stayed. I wanted to see if I'd see what I'm seeing now. I wanted to see if Ms. Cameron Mendoza would be willing to pick up my sister. She can't be completely clueless as to what kind of life Anna leads. Addicts have a unique ability to pick out a kindred spirit. Well that, and Anna has all the blatant signs of a person who has an unhealthy dependence.

So I guess that means that Cameron accepts the challenge, because not long after she walked in there she's walking out with Anna right by her side. Before they get into Cameron's fancy car, Cameron looks around and I could swear that she looks directly at me. Maybe Cameron did her research last night too. She probably wanted to know exactly who I was or why I looked familiar to her or why I acted the way I did. I'm not a mind reader so there's no way I can really know if she saw me or even cares about me at all.

I'm not the one she's supposed to 'save'. That's Anna's position and I'm sure she'll fill it nicely. It's time for me to drive off and forget that I ever made a trip to the hospital today. Anna and Cameron are on their own now. I'm done. I don't care how it turns out now. I'm done. I'm finished with it all. I did my last good deed for a sister who has plagued my existence for longer than I care to admit.

I put my car in gear and get ready to leave the parking lot, but my phone rings before I get my foot on the gas. It's work and they're probably calling to figure out where I am. There's no need for me to answer, because I'm on my way. I'm finished here. This time I won't stop to look back. It's not worth my time.


Fifteen Years Prior

It had been easier than she thought it would be to fake like she was two years older than she was. Getting a new identity didn't seem that difficult either. It cost more money than she was prepared to spend, but it was worth it even if she didn't care for her new name all that much. At least now Gwendolyn knew that her sister would have a chance at a life that didn't involve constant abuse. If there's anything at all Gwendolyn believed in, it was that her sister deserved a life.

Gwendolyn would get Anna enrolled in school and they could start life like it was actually meant to be. It would be difficult at first, there were bound to be a lot of questions, but Gwendolyn would get them through it all. She would make sure that Anna got all the things in life a child is entitled to. Anna would have a good, safe, and loving home. Anna would have everything she needed, and possibly everything she had ever wanted.

Gwendolyn stood just outside the doorway to their new room. It had taken more than one lie to get the old woman who owned the studio apartment to agree to rent it out to a girl who looked too young. It had taken an effort that Gwendolyn was more than willing to make. The lies weren't going to bother her. She wouldn't allow them to. She was set on them surviving.

She watched Anna as she slept. The sun was slowly creeping over the lonely mattress in the middle of the room. They didn't have any other furniture, and probably wouldn't for a while. Gwendolyn was more concerned with saving the money for food than spending it on frivolous amenities. She had told Anna that life would be hard for a while, but they'd make it through. No matter any difficulties that might arise, they would survive it and Anna would be protected.

Slowly Gwendolyn entered the room and sat on the edge of the mattress. She brushed Anna's blonde hair out of her face and called the girl's name softly.

"Babygirl" she said, "it's time for you to get up now. We've got to get you into school today."

Anna mumbled something unintelligible under her breath and rolled further into her sister's touch.

"Babygirl," Gwendolyn tried again, "you really need to get up now."

"Don't wanna," Anna whined.

"Don't make me drag you out of bed," Gwendolyn cheerfully warned.

Anna snuggled deeper under the covers.
Gwendolyn grinned and slowly reached for Anna's legs. Before she grabbed hold Anna opened her eyes and let out a loud shriek that was followed by a happy giggle. Anna pulled her legs up from her sister's reach and crawled to the other side of the mattress.

Laughing Gwendolyn quickly reached out for Anna and scooped her up off of the mattress and twirled around with Anna safely cradled in her arms.

Anna let out another shriek and laughed happily cradled in the safety of her sister's arms. She didn't so much mind waking up like this. It had been a really long time since she had woken up happy.


Present Day

I'm sitting in some stupid meeting with an imbecile who is trying to get me to follow some stupid band around for three months. I don't know who scheduled my appointment with this person, but they need to be fired immediately, although it's slightly possible that I scheduled this myself. I don't usually let the minions make my schedule. I'm selective for who I decide to grant an audience.

So why did I put Cameron Mendoza on my schedule? It's possible I only wanted the opportunity to say no. I could have wanted to build up their hopes and watch them be shot down. Good entertainment is hard to come by these days.

This man's talking about raising money for… what now? If I really wanted to do some good, I'd just donate a couple of million to the people and be done with it. He obviously has no clue who he's talking to. Ms. Mendoza should hire herself a new representative who's better at the job.

"I'm sorry, but if you choose to miss out on this opportunity Ms. Averson then the job is going to go to M. M. Mathis."

Did he just try to threaten me with going to my public rival? That took guts. It was stupid nonetheless, but it still took guts.

"Who's this band you're talking about again?" I ask even though we both know I'm well aware of who he's speaking for.

"It's for Cam Mendoza," before the man can finish what he's saying I hold up my hand and stop him from continuing.

"When did you set this appointment for Cam Mendoza?" My guess is it's been on the books for months and Ms. Mendoza forgot to cancel it yesterday, or maybe she didn't and the imbecile decided not to listen to his employer. He probably couldn't understand why she would pass up such an opportunity.

Despite being obviously confused at the pertinence of my question he dutifully answers me, "Four months."

I lean back in my chair and smile at the agent sitting across from me. "I won't ever do any shoots without first meeting who I'm working for. You should have come in here knowing that."

"I do know that," the man quickly offered. "It's just that Ms. Mendoza's son was in an unfortunate accident yesterday and she needs to be with him today instead of here. I'm sure you can be sympathetic to familial obligations," he says as he points to the picture I have of Melody on my desk. I guess he doesn't know about 'Cam's' trip to the hospital this morning. Her son wasn't with her.

"Then you should have rescheduled for a time when Ms. Mendoza could have accompanied you," I respond easily.

"But it took us months just to get an appointment with you in the first place. The tour starts in a month, we couldn't have afforded to wait another three months to see you," the man replies weakly and it amuses me.

"You could have called me and explained the situation so that I could reschedule you for another time. I could have actually met with you at a place and time convenient to you."

The man's face drops and he looks almost like he's going to start crying. "But… no one ever told us we could do that."

Amazing. "I don't want to do this tour, I'm going to be up front about that," I begin to tell him but am interrupted by the phone on my desk and its annoying ring. I quickly pick it up and bark out a hello. I was never good at phone etiquette.

"I'm going into a clinic," Anna's voice answers.

"Do you want me to throw you a party?" I manage to sound mildly amused. "Should it be a 'get well soon' type or a 'bon voyage' type thing?"

"I should have never let Cameron talk me into doing this," Anna's frustrated voice says not to me but mostly to herself.

"So you did end up calling her?" She doesn't need to know that I was outside watching to make sure Cameron did come.

"You put her number in my file," Anna replies shortly. "You didn't do that by mistake."

"We can pretend that I did," I don't want her to feel like I'm trying to help her out here. She's got to do everything on her own. I can't make this easy for her. I won't make this easy for her.

Anna ignores my comment and has the audacity to request something of me. "Do you think I could see Melody again before I admit myself?"

I think a lot of things, but that never crossed my mind. "When?"

"I think I'm going to check in tomorrow."

"We'll come over for dinner," this will probably be another decision I'll regret. I'll put it in my collector's box. "Give me the address."

She does so quickly and I hang up the phone. I look across my desk to the man who has patiently sat there for the last ten minutes. "Get out of my office."

"What?" he stammers.

"I said get out of my office," I repeat slowly. "I don't want to talk to you. Ms. Mendoza will be in touch with you about our arrangements." I still have no intention of going on the tour, but the least I can do is talk to Cameron about it. Refusing her to her face seems the more professional thing to do.

Fifteen Years Prior

Gwendolyn never thought that this could be that hard. She had views of being able to walk into the world and everything work out. She was supposed to be able to get a good paying job, one that she could fully support Anna with. She was supposed to be able to do everything that needed done. She promised Babygirl that everything would be fine. She said she would take care of everything.

Well, working at Holiday Inn in housekeeping wasn't enough. Her hours were terrible and her pay even worse. She couldn't continue on like that. She couldn't keep her promises with that job and more than anything in the world Gwendolyn wanted to keep her promises to Anna. Anna was the only person in the world that Gwendolyn gave a damn about.

That's why she got a new job. She got a job that paid her more money and that freed up some of her time. She would keep her promises no matter what.

"Darling," the director called to the teenager. "Move a little closer to Candy, will you? Let's try and remember that you're supposed to fuck her and not look like you're about to kill someone, and try not to freak either when Mark comes up behind you."

Candy, Gwendolyn's fake breasted fake blonde, partner put an arm around Gwendolyn's waist. "I know you're nervous, but we'll take it easy on you. I promise."

It wasn't the camera that made her uneasy and it wasn't even the fact that she was going to participate in what was about to happen. It wasn't like she hadn't been used for sex before. This was easy for her. She knew what to do. She knew to shut off the part of herself that had the anxieties and the fears. She knew she needed to become someone else.

What was bothering Gwendolyn, was that she knew she could make this video so much better than the director could. He was an imbecile. He thought he knew a lot more than he did. That's why Gwendolyn also knew, that within the month she'd be in charge of this place. The director would be working for her and then she could see how much he liked being fucked in the ass.

But for now she would listen to him. She would do what he wanted. They had to wrap this thing up, because she had to pick Anna up from school in an hour. It was supposed to be a surprise for the young girl. Gwendolyn hadn't had a chance to pick Anna up from school since the girl's first day.

Gwendolyn had their entire afternoon planned. She would take Anna out to the park and they would play together. She hadn't played with Anna in a while. She would take Anna to an ice cream store and buy her the biggest ice cream sundae that was available. They would eat it and Anna would talk about her day. Anna would smile and they'd be together and happy.

That's all Gwendolyn ever wanted.



Continued...