The Mafia's Stolen Daughter

08

Aubrey Valentina

I wake up the next morning somewhere that isn't my floor. I'm on a bed. Where the hell am I?

I open my eyes and see that I'm in Barbara and Anderson's room. I'm just glad they never came home or I'd be in deep trouble. Tyler must've thought this was my room.

I get up quickly and make up the bed. I wasn't in the basement so I didn't set up my alarm. I look at the time and it's 10:35. There's no point in going to school because by the time I walk all the way there I'll only have one class left.

In the meantime, I clean the rest of the house and catch up on homework. I decided to play my favorite songs from the computer. I never get to have fun like this. I drew portraits for awhile.

Then, I day-dream of all the possibilities of the future. Maybe, I could get a scholarship and go to school. Pursue business or psychology. Make enough money to own my own house. I could have kids, and treat them the way I always wanted my parents to treat me. I could find my biological family, if they exist. I could go to family gatherings, travel the world and get a tattoo.

However, nothing good comes when I am around. I will become my worse nightmare. I will probably just end up in the streets or stuck with Barbara and Anderson, traveling to random states in the U.S. Probably die from an injury. End up addicted to alcohol.

By one o'clock, I decide to go to City Hall and attempt to get any answers.

• • •

"Hello, Miss. I wanted to send a letter to an address of a family. The thing is, I don't know their address. It should be under a name like Stefano Romano."

"I'm sorry but I can't give out private records like that," the lady behind the glass tells me.

"I need to know. They might be my family," I whisper-yell.

"Kid, I can't tell you anything without proof," she looks at me up and down, "the only thing I can help you with is maybe making a police report."

But if I tell them the truth I'll be put into some foster home and I might never find them.

"Um okay thank you, I guess."

I'm gonna have to find a different way.

• • •

"Oh hi Tyler, what are you doing here?" I ask. For some reason he is standing at my front door with a pile of papers in his hand.

"I brought you the homework," he says.

"Um... thank you," I reply, taking the papers.

"See you later," I say about to close the door.

"Wait. Can I come in?"

What the hell? "Uh no, my parents are gonna be home any time now."

Right as I say that their car pulls up messily into the driveway. I didn't think they'd be home so soon. Especially, when Tyler was here.

"Yo bitch. Finally got yourself a friend?" Anderson laughs, acknowledging Tyler.

"This is your dad?!" Tyler practically shouts.

"What did you say?" Barbara slurs.

Dammit Tyler! "Nothing Ma'am. He said nothing."

"You should go, Ty," I whisper.

"I can't leave you with them," he whispers back.

"Aubrey did you finish the list?" Anderson asks.

What list?

"The list on the counter! Did you get it all done?" He raises his voice. I must've said that out loud.

"N-no sir." I say, putting my head down.

He snatches my arm and lifts up my chin forcefully with his other hand. He smells like vodka and beer. "You are going to do it all now before I get even more angrier than I am now," he scolds sinisterly.

"Aubrey! You are just gonna let him do this to you?!" Tyler says with fear. What is he still doing here? He is just making this worse!

"Go home Ty," I grit through my teeth.

"Don't question how we take care of our daughter little boy. Listen and leave," Barbara says jabbing her fingers into his chest.

He looks at me one last time and decides to leave. How am I supposed to explain this to him now?

Tyler Sanders

I've got to call the police about this. I can't let her live on like this. Maybe I should talk to someone else first. I need a second opinion.

"Can we talk Isabella?" I say over the phone.

She may be my best friend's sister but that doesn't mean we can't be friends too.

"Ya what's up?" She replies.

"I have this friend. Her name is Aubrey," I start.

"The girl that everyone tells me about?" She interrupts.

"Yeah, I think she's in trouble. She comes to school bruises and burns and I just met her parents... They are scary people, Isa."

She pauses. "What were they like?"

"They were completely drunk. They seemed very abusive, physically and emotionally. She didn't even call them Mom and Dad, she called them Ma'am and Sir for crying out loud! They also are so cruel to her, and I only saw them for a few minutes. I think they are Russian or something because they have a faint accent when they slurred," I continue.

"Okay... Do they look like her?"

"No. She just looks a lot like you and your sisters, but that's beside the point. They both have dirty blonde hair and brown eyes. She has these bright blue-gray eyes and beautiful brown hair... well before she dyed it black," I explain.

"Who knows, Tyler? They might not even be her parents, maybe she is adopted or she is their niece? I feel like if she wanted to get rid of them maybe she would have by now," Isabella reasons.

"Do I go to the police?"

"She might even have already done something and the court did nothing about it. You should just talk to her. Be honest."

"Okay. Thanks Isabella," I say.

"No problem, Tyler."

I just need to talk to Aubrey.

I need to know her side of the story.