Find me

Chapter 11

Aria POV

I was sitting at the police station, trying to stop myself from throwing up.

Why were we here? Did the neighbors hear us fighting? Will they arrest my mom and dad? What will happen to me? Where will I go?

“Listen to me, you little slut.” my dad said quietly as he leaned toward me. “I will fucking kill you if you tell them anything. You will never be free of me. Do you understand?”

I nodded, gulping down the lump that formed in my throat.

He was still drunk, but he mastered pretending that he wasn’t. He had to learn to act sober. If he didn’t, we would have to move around even more.

“You will look up at the cops, but you won’t say a word.” my mom added quietly. “If they suspect anything, you will be punished like never before.”

My heart raced, and my stomach turned. Fear hit me like a truck. What will they do to me?

“Act appropriately, or I will make good on my promise and turn you into my fucktoy tonight.” my dad said, making the fear in me grow double.

My heart was going to give out. I knew it. I won’t survive that. I won’t survive tonight.

My dad placed his hand on my thigh, making me wince.

“Easy, slut.” my dad said. “It’s just the beginning, don’t worry.”

The tears that formed in my eyes were hard to stop, but somehow I managed to not let them fall.

The door to the interrogation room opened, and I looked up immediately.

A middle-aged man walked into the room, holding a file in his hands. His eyes were on me, and he gave me a small smile.

“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Evans.” the police officer said as he sat down opposite us. “My name is Owen Rivers, and I am the sheriff.”

“Hello, sheriff.” my dad said, tightening his grip on my thigh. “Can you please explain to us why we are here? We’ve done nothing wrong.”

The sheriff kept his eyes on me, making me nervous. Did I do something wrong?

The door to the interrogation room opened again, and another police officer came inside.

“This is my deputy, Brad Harris.” the sheriff said. “He will take your daughter outside so that we can talk in private.”

“No.” my dad said immediately. “I’m not letting you take her from us. She is our child.”

“We are not talking her from you.” the sheriff said. “She will be next door. Don’t worry. I just have to talk to you about something that she shouldn’t worry about.”

My heart raced. What was going on?

My mom and dad exchanged glances before they both looked down at me.

“Okay, honey.” my dad said, kissing my temple. “Go with deputy Harris.”

He dug his nails into my thigh before he let me go. It was a warning.

I stood up and walked over to the deputy, who was smiling at me.

“Come on, Aria.” he said softly, opening the door and letting me walk through.

I stepped out into the hallway, and the deputy closed the door behind us. But before the door closed, I caught my dad’s warning glare. It made me shiver, and I immediately looked down.

“Are you hungry or thirsty, Aria?” the deputy asked me as he started walking.

I shook my head, following behind him.

He led me to the room next door. He opened the door and let me in first.

“Sit down, please.” the deputy said softly.

I walked over to the table and sat down. I glanced up, looking around the room. It was the same as the room I was just in with my parents. There was a steel table in the middle of the room. There was another chair opposite me.

My eyes fell on my reflection in the big mirror opposite me. I looked tired and worried. Thankfully, my bruises and cuts were covered. My dad never hit my face tonight.

I was worried about my mom, though. He did hit her in the face and I knew that there would be a bruise there soon. The bruise still wasn’t visible. I hoped that they would let us go before it showed. I didn’t want to lose my parents.

The deputy sat opposite me, and I immediately looked down at the table.

“How are you, Aria?” he asked me softly.

“I’m okay.” I said quietly, looking down at the table.

“You are probably wondering why you and your parents are here tonight.” the deputy said.

I glanced up at him and nodded.

“I will tell you soon, okay?” he said. “I need to ask you a few questions before that. Is that okay?”

I nodded, intertwining my fingers under the table. I was very nervous.

Did I do something wrong?

“Did you always live with your parents, Aria?” the deputy asked, making me furrow my eyebrows.

Who else would I live with?

“I did.” I said quietly, keeping my eyes firmly on the table.

The deputy was silent for a moment.

“Can you look up at me?” he asked, and I obeyed.

He was smiling at me. I tried to smile back, but I couldn’t. I was too nervous to smile.

“Do you remember ever living with someone else?” he asked. “Did you ever live in a group home?”

I furrowed my eyebrows again. Why was he asking me that? Did he think that I was adopted?

“No.” I said, shaking my head. “I’ve always lived with my mom and dad.”

The deputy nodded, looking up and down my body.

I fidgeted in my seat nervously. Could he see any of my injuries?

“Were your parents nice to you?” he asked, making my heart stop beating.

“Yes.” I answered immediately.

An image of me screaming while my dad was gripping my thighs flashed through my mind, and I almost threw up. I couldn’t let that happen.

I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself a little.

I couldn’t let him know anything.

“Is there something that you would like to tell me, Aria?” the deputy asked. “Is there something that I should know about your parents?”

My heart was going to jump out of my body. He knew something, didn’t he?

“No.” I said quietly, trying to stop my voice from trembling.

The deputy nodded and crossed his arms over his chest.

I felt like he could see through my hoodie. I felt like he could see the cuts and bruises on my body.

“There is something I have to tell you, Aria.” the deputy said. “There is no easy way to do it, so I’m just going to say it, okay? You can ask me anything you want after I’m done explaining the situation the best I can.”

My body froze, and I couldn’t feel my legs or my arms.

The deputy studied my face for a moment. I couldn’t even give him a nod. I couldn’t move my head.

“We have a reason to believe that you are Aria Sanders, a child that went missing 17 years ago from the hospital where she was born.” he said, making my heart stop beating completely.

What?

“We believe that your parents kidnapped you from your real family.” he added after a few moments.

I couldn’t understand a word he was saying.

What?

Was he talking about me? Did I hear him right?

No.

No way.

“I know that this is a huge shock, Aria.” the deputy continued. “I know that you have a lot of questions right now. Do you want to ask me something?”

I couldn’t. I couldn’t speak.

“Aria?” the deputy called me worriedly.

I heard something break somewhere outside the room. I heard shouting. I couldn’t focus on what they were saying, though. I couldn’t focus on anything.

The deputy looked at the door worriedly.

I needed to speak. I needed to say something.

“That’s impossible.” I forced myself to speak, making the deputy look back at me. “I’m not that girl.”

“We need to do a DNA test to see if we are right.” the deputy said. “Your parents will remain in custody until then.”

My brain was going to shut down.

What?

Where will I go? What will happen to me?

My dad is going to be furious.

“The social worker will be here soon.” the deputy said as if he could read the question inside my head. “She will tell you what will happen while we wait for the DNA results.”

The deputy eyed me up and down worriedly. I tried to say something, but I couldn’t.

“There is someone here who would like to meet you.” the deputy said after a few moments. “Is it okay if I bring them in?”

I didn’t know how to answer that question.

Someone wanted to meet me? Why?

I was scared. I was so scared.

I didn’t know what to do.