Dnaleri

Ch-13

It was a month before Rebecca was out of the hospital, and once she was free, Penny and Jacob could barely keep her in her wheelchair. She was bouncing with energy that had been locked up inside for weeks, which made her foster mother and boyfriend's lives Hell in trying to keep her from overworking herself. Twice she nearly worsened her broken leg from using the crutches and it wasn’t until Jacob had taken them and put them up high on top of the cupboards in the kitchen that she conceded defeat. Although she had to laugh at the angry glare Jacob kept throwing at her because he could never hold back his smile when she started giggling.

After about another month of recovery, Jacob decided to take Rebecca on a stroll down Park Point and explore Canal Park in Duluth. Rebecca sighed at the beautiful but chilly day. Seagulls, or rats with wings as Jacob liked to call them, squawked and swooped down to pick up crumbs and garbage left behind. Children giggled and ran around after eating their fill of ice cream even in this weather. Other couples strolled hand in hand up and down the walkways, carefully sidestepping the girl in the wheelchair. Rebecca tried not to notice, but people kept looking away from her and shuffling away as if she had the plague. The news of her near murder had spread throughout the state, her face was plastered on every newspaper. Seeing her discomfort, Jacob quickly turned her towards the peer and the lighthouse where few people were mingling about because of the powerful wind coming from the lake.

Jacob stopped pushing then knelt down in front of her, taking her hands in his. “Are you alright?” he asked. Rebecca bowed her head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize…”

“No, this is wonderful.” Rebecca replied happily, though he could still see the sadness in her eyes. “I just…” He cupped her cheek then kissed her. He felt her pulse jump and couldn’t help but smile, loving that he could make her happy with simple touches and gestures.

Jacob found a rock to sit on and they stared off at the lake for a good while. Rebecca’s eyes kept going towards the lighthouse, specifically to two young girls who were feeding the gulls. Her heart twisted as a memory of a long lost friend flooded back to her. The one friend that she’d cherished like a sister, Heather.

Heather was a strong minded girl who loved to read just as much as Rebecca, maybe a little bit more. She was kind, beautiful, and made friends with nearly anyone. Rebecca still didn’t know what her friend had seen in the terrified, skinny little girl she used to be.

A deep, long past buried memory rose up and nearly choked her. Rebecca was just a little girl of eleven. She had been held captive in her room for days, but this time her father had forgotten to lock her door, and now she was finally able to escape. She didn’t know where, she just packed her back-pack with a picture of her already dead mother and sister, clothes, her favorite book, and the little money she had saved up. When she was sure her father was finally asleep, she grabbed her old, hole covered coat and ran outside into the cold, dark snowy world.

She had walked for what seemed forever when her little legs gave out and she collapsed under a streetlight. Her body was shivering and her world was fading in and out of focus. She blinked and suddenly there were three sets of boots around her and her heart panicked. She’d been caught! Rebecca had tried to crawl away but exhaustion and hunger won and she passed out. Consciousness

The next thing she knew, she’d been tucked into a warm bed with a clean night gown and socks on her chilled feet. At her side was a skinny, black girl with wide forest-green eyes filled with curiosity. “Hi!” she’d said gleefully. Rebecca had flinched, hiding under the blankets.

“Heather, you’re scaring her.” A gentle woman had come rushing in with a cup of hot chocolate and crackers. Very similar to the little girl, the woman’s gentle and kind face made Rebecca relax. She remembered being amazed at the hundreds of tiny, neat rows of braids that covered her head. The woman wore simple clothing, but that didn’t hide the beauty of her cocoa brown skin or her fit body shape.

“Honey,” she’d turned to Rebecca who’d started shaking in fear. “It’s alright, you’re safe. You collapsed outside our house last night.” Rebecca blushed. “You have nothing to fear, we won’t hurt you.”