Isla

Chapter 1

"You're a piece of work, you know that?" Jane's lip curled as she slammed down her plate, making Isla jump at the sudden noise.

"You're always in such a pissy mood," Hank retorted, pushing his chair back harshly against the floor.

"This is the last time I will try to cook for you, either of you. Ungrateful piece of shit," She directed her fiery gaze mostly to Isla, who sat quietly at the end of the table. She hadn't spoken one word to her mother today.

Her parents left the table in a storm, leaving her alone. She picked up her empty plate, taking it to the dishwasher. She would just get some breakfast from work tomorrow. There were normally bananas and yogurt in the break room.

Isla was thankful that it wasn't any worse. Her parents were always going at it; sometimes the words would be replaced by fists, and most of the time it was directed at her, not each other.

Isla was almost twenty-two. She should have moved out right at eighteen, but the unknown scared her more than her parents did. At eighteen, she had no skills and no money. Now, four years later, she had been a manager of a retail store and a secretary for an office. Both were decent paying jobs, and she saved every dollar she could. 

She had bought herself a car. That was her biggest expense, but she needed a way to leave. She left it at the office every day. She knew if she brought it home, her parents would try to use it, or take it from her.

One thing was for sure, she was going to get as far away as possible. She just didn't know when or how yet.

---

"Woah, Isla. Are those fresh bruises? Are you okay?"

Her coworker, Sierra, the billing specialist of the dental office, rolled her chair over to Isla's table.

Sierra hesitantly brushed her fingertips against the finger-like grip that had turned Isla's wrist a sickish color. Isla jerked away from her touch, pulling down the sleeve of her sweater.

"I'm okay," she confirmed honestly. Her voice was soft, just a flutter above the noise of the office.

Her dad had grabbed her in passing this morning, but nothing that wasn't typical. Still, she added, "It was just an accident."

Sierra nodded, not looking convinced. Isla felt like she could never convince her, but she was thankful for her.

"Anyway, listen, I accidentally made myself a turkey sandwich even though I purposely meal prepped chicken and rice for the week. Any chance you're up for the sandwich?"

Isla nodded. "Sure. If you don't want it, that would be great. Thank you."

Sierra smiled.

Isla was used to this by now. Sierra tended to feed her a few times a week. At first, she had resisted, of course, but Sierra had simply brought the food over to her, without saying a word. She always had some silly excuse for having extra, but they both knew better.

On their lunch break, the two girls sat quietly. Isla finished inputting some new patients into the system while Sierra scrolled on her phone.

"You know, you could always crash with me if you needed to," Sierra said absentmindedly.

"Huh?" Isla looked over at her.

Sierra was quite tall, with rusty red hair and flawless light skin. She always looked so put-together. She was only a few years older than Isla and very sweet.

"We've worked together for months, Isla. You can't pretend that I haven't noticed what goes on. I wanted to wait until we knew each other before I offered, but I can help you out."

"Sierra," she whispered, shaking her head. She felt a rise of emotions, torn between spilling everything or running away immediately. "I wouldn't put you out. You're married. You have a baby."

Sierra put her phone down. She moved closer to Isla. "Caleb got offered a new job down south. We can't pass it up."

Isla felt panic from her head to her toes. She could feel tears forming, which was silly, but Sierra was the only person who had ever been nice to her. "You're leaving?"

Sierra gave a sad smile. "One week from tomorrow. It's been crazy, trying to find a house. He's been traveling back and forth, and I had to figure out how to get out of our lease."

She sighed. "I know this is a long shot, but the new house has a mother-in-law suite. It's all decked out: bedroom, bathroom, mini kitchen. Perfect for one person."

Isla smeared her tears with her palm. She felt her heart stop in her chest. "What are you saying?"

"Come with us. Let me help you get out of this mess you're in. I've talked to Caleb about it, and we both agreed."

"But-" she whimpered a bit, unable to control the tears that had shifted from dread to disbelief.

"This suite has its own entrance, separate from the house. I know you'll be able to find a job. Just think about it, okay?"

She handed Isla a tissue, and that was all the time they had to spare before it was time for patients to come in.

She couldn't believe the generosity that Sierra had just shown. She had never really had friends before, and she wished she had made an effort with her coworker sooner. Maybe, she could have helped her all along.

But, was she willing to trust another person like that, enough to move across the country with them? Isla wasn't sure. She was certain it would lead to more pain and trouble.