connecting.
Clutching the towel to my body, I cleared my mind. Pushing the feelings of coldness and loneliness away. I slipped the towel from my body and dried off before using it to wrap my hair in a twist so it could dry.
Stepping into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt given to me by the FBI caused a desire to form within me. Oh, how I longed for something that was my own. Something that said Isabella and was just mine. Growing up in Russia, and being considered a low-income family, I never had that. My clothes were my mother’s hand me downs being passed from generation to generation. Sometimes, if Mother had a few extra coins after taking care of the important things we needed, then she would take me to a thrift store and let me get one or two pieces of clothing. But they were never mine, they were still someone else’s and eventually, they would become one of my siblings.
“Isabella…” I heard my name being called and found myself scrambling from the bedroom. I wasn’t ready to meet anyone else. Friends weren’t a luxury I had in the trades. Getting close to the other girls was a grave mistake. For when the time came for them to be taken away, you were left feeling more alone than you had been before.
“Here.” My voice was meek. I looked down at myself, running my palms over the material of my shirt before entering the living room knowing that I wasn’t really dressed for company.
“Goodness.” A woman with dark hair gasped, her reaction making me even more uneasy.
Standing beside her was a little girl who had wrapped her little arms around the woman’s leg as soon as they stopped. She smiled up at me with excitement in her eyes, and I couldn’t help but smile at her. She was so innocent and a part of me longed to be that young and carefree again.
“Tegan, you need to get in here stat,” the woman yelled out the front door that had been left wide open. I wondered what was going on when the girl she had referred to as Tegan walked through the door with a baby stuck to her hip and carrying a bunch of bags, with logos I didn’t recognize on them, in her free hand. Her hair was bright red like fire and when she smiled, it reached her eyes, telling me that she was sincere, happy.
“Isabella.” The dark haired woman finally greeted me. “This is Tegan, my best friend and our two daughters, Gia and Taylor. Oh, I’m Bree, Jared’s sister. He sent us over to hang out with you for a little bit while he does some work.” Her face was heartfelt, and as she looked at me, I could see she felt empathy for me but not pity. More so as if she was sorry I had been through what I had. I wanted to tell her she had no reason to feel that way but kept my lips sealed, knowing that maybe she had her own reasons for feeling the way she did.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” I spoke softly, showing my manners as Bree bent down and whispered something in her daughter’s ear. I watched as Gia nodded her head and then sat on the carpet in the center of the living room while Bree handed her a cup. She took small sips as Bree turned around and grabbed the bags out of Tegan’s hand. I hadn’t asked for anything since I was delivered here, so I stayed rooted in the same spot, hesitant as to what they had brought with them.
“Jared said you needed some clothes and girl stuff, so we brought you different things,” Bree stated as she talked with her hands, seeming far too happy to be helping me. Tegan closed the front door and then placed her daughter on the floor next to Bree’s daughter. My gaze drifted to the girls and then finally to the bags that were in Bree’s hand.
“We got you some clothes, the common stuff like jeans and different style tops. I even snuck a couple of summer dresses and shorts in there for you,” she stated as she pulled items out of the bags, placing them on the couch before me. They were an array of vibrant colors, all the material appearing to be soft. Tears were forming behind my eyes
Clutching the towel to my body, I cleared my mind. Pushing the feelings of coldness and loneliness away. I slipped the towel from my body and dried off before using it to wrap my hair in a twist so it could dry.
Stepping into a pair of sweats and a t-shirt given to me by the FBI caused a desire to form within me. Oh, how I longed for something that was my own. Something that said Isabella and was just mine. Growing up in Russia, and being considered a low-income family, I never had that. My clothes were my mother’s hand me downs being passed from generation to generation. Sometimes, if Mother had a few extra coins after taking care of the important things we needed, then she would take me to a thrift store and let me get one or two pieces of clothing. But they were never mine, they were still someone else’s and eventually, they would become one of my siblings.
“Isabella…” I heard my name being called and found myself scrambling from the bedroom. I wasn’t ready to meet anyone else. Friends weren’t a luxury I had in the trades. Getting close to the other girls was a grave mistake. For when the time came for them to be taken away, you were left feeling more alone than you had been before.
“Here.” My voice was meek. I looked down at myself, running my palms over the material of my shirt before entering the living room knowing that I wasn’t really dressed for company.
“Goodness.” A woman with dark hair gasped, her reaction making me even more uneasy.
Standing beside her was a little girl who had wrapped her little arms around the woman’s leg as soon as they stopped. She smiled up at me with excitement in her eyes, and I couldn’t help but smile at her. She was so innocent and a part of me longed to be that young and carefree again.
“Tegan, you need to get in here stat,” the woman yelled out the front door that had been left wide open. I wondered what was going on when the girl she had referred to as Tegan walked through the door with a baby stuck to her hip and carrying a bunch of bags, with logos I didn’t recognize on them, in her free hand. Her hair was bright red like fire and when she smiled, it reached her eyes, telling me that she was sincere, happy.
“Isabella.” The dark haired woman finally greeted me. “This is Tegan, my best friend and our two daughters, Gia and Taylor. Oh, I’m Bree, Jared’s sister. He sent us over to hang out with you for a little bit while he does some work.” Her face was heartfelt, and as she looked at me, I could see she felt empathy for me but not pity. More so as if she was sorry I had been through what I had. I wanted to tell her she had no reason to feel that way but kept my lips sealed, knowing that maybe she had her own reasons for feeling the way she did.
“It’s nice to meet you both,” I spoke softly, showing my manners as Bree bent down and whispered something in her daughter’s ear. I watched as Gia nodded her head and then sat on the carpet in the center of the living room while Bree handed her a cup. She took small sips as Bree turned around and grabbed the bags out of Tegan’s hand. I hadn’t asked for anything since I was delivered here, so I stayed rooted in the same spot, hesitant as to what they had brought with them.
“Jared said you needed some clothes and girl stuff, so we brought you different things,” Bree stated as she talked with her hands, seeming far too happy to be helping me. Tegan closed the front door and then placed her daughter on the floor next to Bree’s daughter. My gaze drifted to the girls and then finally to the bags that were in Bree’s hand.
“We got you some clothes, the common stuff like jeans and different style tops. I even snuck a couple of summer dresses and shorts in there for you,” she stated as she pulled items out of the bags, placing them on the couch before me. They were an array of vibrant colors, all the material appearing to be soft. Tears were forming behind my eyes
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