Seeking Asylum

Meet the Pendletons

Our buggy pulled into the circle drive to my parent's estate. The entire house was blocked off from the world by a dense forest all around. I saw my mother peek out of the window to see what the sound of hooves on the cobblestone was. My father opened the door and made his way down the steps as we began to unload our luggage from the buggy.

"Can I help y- Caroline?" He said flabbergasted.

"Hello, father. Didn't think I'd be back?"

"Not so soon. I didn't receive any word that you were released or that you were coming home," he looked incipient ended by this. My mother came running out behind him.

"You mean similar to how no one ever write to see how I was doing?" I raised my eyebrows.

"Caroline!" My mother grabbed me tightly. "Oh, I missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, mother," I tried not to cry as I smelled her perfume that only reminded me of her. "Mother, father, this is Charlotte and George," they all greeted one another. "They both worked at the asylum. They're friends of mine and they're going to be staying with us."

My father looked pained to have strangers stay in his house. This made me happy. My mother, on the other hand, carried delighted to have guests. She could tell there was something between George and I already. My parents ushered us all in. We left the luggage in the foyer and went to the dining room for supper.

My mother and father sat at the heads of the table, as usual. My two older brothers, Harrison and Richard, entered the room cackling to each other.

"Oh, dear sister, when did you arrive?" Harrison teased.

"Just now. Don't worry, you two idiots didn't miss anything. In fact, you're just in time," I smiled deviously.

"Who are our guests here," Richard asked, taking a seat.

"They are George and Charlotte. They're my friends," I said. "My family."

The kitchen staff poured out into the dining room and began setting our plates out in front of us, laden with food. My parents talked amongst themselves, along with my brothers. George and Charlotte looked like they felt out of place. The kitchen staff returned to the kitchen.

"I have somethings to discuss," I say. The room falls silent.

"Do you hear that, brother? Caroline is going to entertain us tonight!" Richard laughs along with Harrison.

"Go on, humor is," Harrison laughs.

I stand, with the knife in hand. I stab it into the table. My brothers quit laughing and Charlotte goes pale.

"You're going to ruin my table, Caroline," my mother sighed.

"I want Aunt Elizabeth's estate," I say.

"Whatever for? You're not married yet." My father speaks.

"Not yet, but I want to live there with George and Charlotte. I want to live as far away from this family as possible."

"Caroline!" My mother shrieks.

"There is no way you can legally with hold it from me. I have a letter that Aunt Elizabeth wrote me after she gave me the estate in her will that says it's mine and I can do whatever I like with it, whenever I want."

"Why on Earth would you want to distance yourself from your family?" My father asks.

"Instead of dealing with things when they got tough, you sent me away. You didn't want to deal with me!"

"It helped didn't it?!" Father roared.

"Let's see, during my stay at the hospital I suffered horrible, painful treatments, treatments to illnesses I did not have, I have been isolated, beaten, sterilized, and raped!" I could feel myself begin to shake with anger.

My father stayed silent. He glared at me with eyes of hate. My mother looked at him frantically.

"I made a promise to myself that if I ever came back here, that I would finally tell the truth. Those two imbeciles," I pointed to my two brothers as I stared straight into my father's eyes, "Your two 'precious baby boys' that you loved so much more than me-"

Harrison spoke up timidly, "Um, Charlotte-"

"Don't d-" Richard spoke.

"SHUT! UP!" I roared at them. I looked back at our father who looked nervous now that his sons were a concern, "They forced me to have sex with them from the age of five until I was sixteen."

My mother gasped and began to cry. My father put a hand over his mouth and looked away.

"That's why I had these sexual compulsions. I never got to deal with the abuse I suffered. All because you never had time to deal with it," I said non-chalantly as I sat back down.

"Boys, go upstairs," mother whispered.

"But-" Harrison said.

"Upstairs! Now!" She yelled and then sobbed.

My two brothers slowly left the room. Harrison stopped next to me, "I'm so, so sorry, Caroline." He looked as if he was going to cry.

"So am I," Richard added, but he didn't have the guts to look me in the eyes.

"Don't you both think it's a little late for that," I sipped my wine. They shamefully went upstairs.

"Go get the deed and the keys, Robert," my mother whispered to my father. He slowly got up and came back with the deed to my Aunt Elizabeth's estate in an envelope as well as the keys.

"Your mother and I will have a discussion about what will be done with your brothers. I offer my sincere apologies for everything and I beg you to reconsider," he spoke quietly, as to not diminish his pride by others hearing him apologize.

"I would never reconsider on an opportunity for my well-being," I took the envelope and keys. "Charlotte, George, come with me.