Adopted by Scarlett Johansson

Chapter 2: Worse than hell

⚠️ TW: MENTIONS OF ABUSE AND RAPE!!

Andi's POV:

We arrived at Scarlett's apartment within around 10 minutes and the ride was comfortable. We sat in silence but even after everything that happened today, it wasn't a tense atmosphere or uncomfortable in any way. I was staring out the window and must've gotten lost in my thoughts because soon I feel someone shaking me and hear my name being called. When i finally snap back into reality, I look at Scarlett and she motions for us to go inside. I was mesmerized by the size of it. When I think of an apartment, I normally think of a small cramped space with a tiny kitchen and a tv in the corner of the small living room and a bathroom with the worlds smallest shower, a broken sink with a dirty mirror, and a toilet with a broken toilet seat. Yeah, that's where I lived. It was dirty and gross.

Inside was even better. It was clean, and huge. It was amazing. I looked around and Scarlett let me wander the apartment, looking at everything. For once I actually felt a sense of happiness. Scarlett seemed to have what I needed and what I have needed for a while, comfort. Safeness. Love. Compassion. Understanding. So many things I wish I could've gotten. But no. I was stuck with the life I was given. Now that Im finally out of that place, maybe things will change. Or maybe I'll just get sent back, who knows.

As I stand in the living room looking at the few pictures hanging on the wall and placed on the mantle, I hear footsteps start to approach. I brace myself because I know exactly what's coming. "Andi...," Scarlett trails off. She sees me looking at the pictures and stops next to me. She puts an arm around me and I look up at her. "That," she points to her daughter in one of the family pictures, "is my daughter Rose," she finishes. I remember her saying that when we were sat on the bench. "And that," she points to the man standing next to her in the picture, "is my husband Colin," she says. I remember her saying that also. I stare at the picture for a little bit, Scarlett still having her arm around me. "You guys are a beautiful family," I say. She gives me a sad smile and nods, "Thank you."

She turns to look at me fully and I brace myself once again, knowing that this time she is actually gonna say what I think she's gonna say. "Would you prefer to sit on the couch or in the kitchen?" she asks. "Uh, the couch please," I reply to her question. This is quite the story, we're gonna need to be comfortable. We sit down and I take a deep breath before I start.

"What do you want to know?"

Scarlett's POV:

I mentally prepare myself for how this is going to go. I am not ready to hear all this poor girl has endured but I know I have to. I need to know the full story in order to help. I know she's nervous, i've picked up on a few of her nervous habits. Cracking her knuckles, bouncing her leg up and down, rubbing the back of her neck and scratching the side of it, she rubs her fingers together, and she picks at the skin on the side of her thumb. I finally respond, "Everything. I want to know what they did, the full story." She looks at me and I can already see the tears forming in her eyes but she blinks a few times, takes a big breath, and begins speaking.

"When I was first brought there, I was 2. I had no idea the type of life I would grow up to have. I was a baby, just learning to walk and talk. When I was a little older, maybe 5, I started to realize how bad my life was. I was forced to grow up really quickly. I didn't get to do anything that a child was supposed to do. Go outside and play, wasn't allowed. Make friends, wasn't allowed. Go to school, wasn't allowed. I knew every time I was denied one of those privileges that I wasn't a normal kid," Andi spoke. Each word she spoke breaking my heart more and more. Poor baby. Tears were threatening to fall out of my eyes but I held it together for as long as I could.

"Then things got worse at the age of 10. The owner of the home, Mr...," Andi choked. I rubbed her arm as a signal to let her know she can keep going without having to say his name. She got the signal and continued, "he started to hurt me. Bad. He would say now that I'm double digits, I would learn how to be a real woman and suck it up. So he would hit me as a "lesson" so that if I ever got hurt I wouldn't cry or even make a face." Tears were now streaming down my face and she looked at me with tears coming down her face as well and wiped my tears. That did it for me and I let out a sob. I didn't want to make her feel worse but I couldn't hold it in any longer. She scooted closer to me and hugged me and I instantly wrapped my arms around the fragile, young girl sitting next to me.