“Of course,” I offered, my eyes focused on her expression and I could feel the authenticity coming off her. I wondered if all reporters were like this? I had a feeling they weren’t because the others in the room didn’t have the same energy as her.
“As you know, you have been in the headlines a lot lately. Unfortunately for a tragic event; your mother and her boyfriend’s death,” she started. “Now, you are still considered one of the main suspects in this situation, do you know why? Was there some animosity between you and your mother?”
“Yes, actually there was,” I stated as her eyes widened slightly.
“Do you care to expand? Is that why the FBI and police are looking at you as a suspect?”
“It’s possible that’s the reason,” I answered softly and then sighed, “the truth was, that there were moments where I wanted nothing more than to have my mother leave me alone. For her to go away...but I could never kill her. I barely had the courage to stand up to her.”
“Why?” she asked, her head tilting.
“I grew up in Louisiana and my mother and father kept me locked in a basement most of my life.” I said candidly, as if I was writing it down so I didn’t get too caught up in the pain. “When my father died, my mother moved us to her boyfriend’s place here in Seattle. Of course, I was completely out of my element. I’d spent most of my life in a basement being treated in a way that I now realized wasn’t normal—”
“Are you saying you were abused?” she questioned, as her eyes filled with pain.
“Yes,” I answered honestly. “When I came here it was clear that my upbringing had been unusual. In fact, my m...boyfriends helped me realize how different my life should have been. They made me realize what it felt like to actually be cared about.” I found I had to make an effort not to say mates.
“Wow.” The room was silent as she blinked, “I can’t imagine how scared you must have been.”
“It’s been an adjustment,” I smiled a bit sadly.
“Have you explained any of this to the police?”
“Local yes, not FBI,” I eased out. “Unfortunately, I don’t have much to tell them. I was barely around the trailer once I met my boys, I spent all my time here. It wasn’t until we were coming back from our trip in Los Angeles that I even knew they were dead.” I lied far too easily but the urge to protect my mates was like a fluttering in my chest.
“Your story is so compelling...” And she continued talking and asking me questions for a near hour. Much the same and my story stayed consistent, leaving out most of the important details and keeping it vague. My honesty seemed to make her very emotional and I found myself feeling guilty for making her look so upset.
When she asked about my father's death I kept with what my mother had stated because as far as I knew he was still dead. At least, that was what I told her. I didn’t like that I was lying but it would feel far worse to see my mates in trouble.
After a series of other questions, more photos were taken and Kelsey pulled me aside personally to thank me for being so honest. I didn’t know why she was thanking me, but maybe people weren’t usually as open. We had called this interview though, so I told them what I could.
Bella was happily in my arms as the shuttles and vans left, some being taken to the airport to get on the jet while others were leaving to go back to local offices. When the door closed I let out a tired sigh and kicked off my shoes.
“How did I do, you think?” I asked openly.
“I was surprised you told so much of the truth,” Sai admitted honestly.
“My mother and Jed don’t deserve to be protected,” I stated softly, as Ledger began taking out stuff to cook with. Bella swatted at my hair as I focused back down on her, smiling.
“How long?” Henry asked, walking back in as Marco turned on the TV. Most of us gathered between there and the kitchen.
Atlas was sitting on the couch, so I put Bella down and crawled forward, his eyes burning as he pulled me against him. I nuzzled against his chest as he grew hard underneath me, his large fingers massaging my hair.
“I give it until they get on the jet,” Marco stated, turning on a local news channel.
“You know the bigger channels are going to pick it up,” Croy stated. “They were practically fucking salivating over her story.”
“Here we go!” Henry shook his head looking frustrated at his phone.
“What?” Ledger frowned.
“Abused Daughter Ran From Mother, Days Before Her Death,” Anani stated softly as I tilted my head. Well, that wasn’t exactly wrong. Still, talk about cutting it short. Instead of listening to any of that, I played on my phone until my email started to ping. Not as much as Marco’s but everything began to light up right as the news station began to play an excerpt of the video. Wow, they did work fast.
“We received this from the LA Times who had an exclusive interview...what a harrowing awful story...” I zoned out after a few comments from the newscaster as I began to play this new game Candy Crush that Jordan had suggested. I wasn’t positive I really wanted to know what they were saying about me. Especially if it was cruel. I’d dealt with enough of that in my life.
I wasn’t exactly positive when, but my eyes closed as I was surrounded by Atlas’s warmth and the way his arms wrapped around me. Sleep invaded my entire mind as I dipped into the darkness of it.
***