For next weeks she could read from the newspapers or watch news all about her getting found. McGregor’s situation came up and there was gossip and analyzing did they actually had planned to kidnap some baby after theirs died and there was all facts about this new biological family. She had been told that she had two years older big brother Rick who studied psychology in Harvard and she had 1,5 years younger little sister Lucy who studies at home with governess. She had been told that Lucy’s hobbies were figure skating and riding. Her grandmother was editor in chief in Vogue and grandfather was teacher in Harvard.
She was full of information about her so called parents who seemed to get in her face in every corner. Everyone tried to get her talk and take contact on her family. But there was no getting forward with her.
Chad was sitting in nearby cafe drinking tea, cursing Brits and their stupid tea culture. Man who passed him dropped newspaper on his table and he saw familiar face in front page. He looked at the picture long enough to really let it sink in. Newspaper seemed to be few months old. Scarlett was standing in the middle with two adults with same old empty look in her face. Story revealed that those adults were her biological parents.
“Hey Mark! What’s up? Do you know where the Porter’s family lives whose daughter was found?” Chad asked calling to his old buddy in America.
“Hello old buddy! They live in Florida, bloody elitists”, Mark replied.
“Oh, do you know how has their daughter settled in?” Chad asked curiously. Mark laughed.
“Really sad case. She is in mental hospital because she won’t talk to anyone. Totally empty paper they say”, Mark said.
“She is in Tampa. It seems that she have had really hard childhood in there if she is so fucked up case. Parents must wish now that they wouldn’t even found her or at least put her down from her misery”, Mark laughed. Chad quit the call. Mark was just one fucked up case, he talked about humans like animals sometimes, so like him.
Chad took next flight to Tampa smiling pleased at himself. If he could rub this on Lisa’s face he would. When he arrived to Tampa he contacted his old contacts and got himself cleaning job from same department where Scarlett was. He went and took room in hotel and smiled. Three months separated from her had been such tormenting experience and he hoped that it would have been the same to her.
Scarlett walked to dining room to eat her morning porridge and watch under her messy hair outside. It was hot and unpleasantly sweaty as always. She glanced around her sitting patients whom seemed to get better every day. She ate fast and went then to library room to read Jane Austen’s Pride and prejudice. She had decided to use her time her to literature as there was small amount of choices what here in mental hospital could do. Other patients left usually outside after breakfast but she didn’t want to so she just stayed reading her romance books. She listened music same time so she didn’t hear when someone entered the room. She jumped in horror when someone touched her elbow and let scream come out of her mouth. She was staring directly at Chad from the floor.She threw her book in his face and ran straight away to nearest bathroom which was only place that could be locked.
In little while doctor was knocking the door and asking her to come out or they would break in. She opened door and ran to her room without any conversation with anyone why she was so shocked.
In the night she was lying wide awake in her bed of course she was heavily medicated but she resisted falling into sleep as long as she could. Reason why sneaked in the room after midnight.
“Haven’t you missed me at all?” Chad asked purring and sat in her bed touching her face softly.
“No”, she replied disgusted. That was first time in her time in hospital she spoke.
“You want to stay here rest of your life playing mute little girl then?” he asked smirking.
“Maybe. I was safe here this long from you and from disappointments”, she said. Chad chuckled.
“New family full of expectations. They must pity you like rest of the world does. Little filthy childwhore. Your reputation has been ruined already in the media and social networks so how could nobody love you like I would?” Chad talked quietly to her.
“Well I feel loved nevertheless”, she claimed.
“I think my family must love me if they are trying to get me help”, she continued.
“Oh, you want to think it that way. I think this is just good place to lock you up away from their sight and from everyone else so they don’t have to live in shame if you would be out there. Everyone would gossip about you just like they do now”, Chad talked cunningly.
“I think that they wish that they wouldn’t ever find you”, he added.
“So I am only one who can understand and love you as you are”, he said.
“I rather rot here than be with you”, she hissed.
“I think you will change your mind eventually. I have all the time in the world”, Chad promised before leaving.
After week she started to greet nurses and doctors. It was her little start to build connection to them but if she tried to go further she would get panic attack. Chad’s words actually haunted her in every conversation she started. Every night Chad came to her and put those nasty thought in her head how now one here cared about her and everyone thought she was just nuisance. In couple weeks she wrote letter to her family and told that she couldn’t be nuisance to them and weight on their shoulders. She told that she would be fine and maybe someday she could contact them if fate would be good to them. After that she left with Chad. Of course she would have been saved if she would have given chance to her family and hospital’s stuff and built up her trust on them. She would have been saved from Chad if she would have just told everyone who he really was. But he had power over her and she believed his lies.
They got to his motel and tried to figure out their next move. She would be in news again and police would start searching as soon as her disappearance would be notified.
“We can’t stay in America, they would find you”, Chad said.
“Why? If they do not want me why they would bother to find me?” she demanded to know.
“Well they have to for public appearances”, Chad said.
“But I know where we can go to wait this situation to settle down”, he said dragging her along to his car and they drove many days.
“My family lives in Amish society. We can stay there for while I think until we can fly away”, Chad told her while they were having breakfast in some hostel. Scarlett almost choked in her morning tea. Chad looked nervous, kind of shamed and afraid which was unfamiliar states of mind to her. Chad was afraid to return his home for some reason.
“You are part of Amish society or more likely you were part of it? You told that you don’t have family”, she said.
“I don’t tell truth always do I? Who wants to reveal to be part of that society if you have left it behind?” he asked.Scarlett admitted that she wouldn’t promote to be Amish in his case. They stayed out of technology and all that, weird people.
“Why on Earth would I want to go there?” she asked then looking really reluctant to accept it.
“Just for a while, sweetheart. I don’t want to go there any longer than must. There is no porn God’s sake”, Chad said. She snorted.
