It's a Good Year for a ***

The sound of water running wakes me from a deep sleep. I rub my eyes with the back of my hand and sit up. Panic rises up in my chest when I realize she isn’t laying next me anymore. I scramble out of bed and rush to the bathroom door, throwing it open wildly. She’s up to her nose in a bubble bath and completely unaware of my presence. My ipod is sitting on the edge and the headphones are pouring music into her ears as she sings along softly. Her eyes are closed and her hair cascades down her shoulders and floats in the soupy water. I awkwardly shuffle my feet and stare at my hands, unsure of whether to leave her here alone and go get her breakfast, or to just wait for her to finish.
“It’s rude not to knock you know.” She says, gaining my attention.
Her green eyes bear into mine as she sits there, gazing at me.
“Um. I was just checking on you.” I mumble.
“I couldn’t sleep.”
I nod my head at her, and back up to the doorway.
“Well, I’m going to make us some breakfast.” I say as I leave her there.

When I get to the kitchen Gates and Jimmy are already there eating cereal.
“Why do you look like that?” Gates asks with a mouthful of food
“Like what?” I try to play off. I’m well aware that I have a slight blush after seeing her in the tub. All wet and naked, it’s a good thing I have some self control.
“Same look you had the first time you saw Martha Fischer’s tits in middle school.” He laughs at me
“Well you wake up to a naked girl in your bathtub and tell me how you feel. Jackass.”
“Aw. Is Zacky all flustered cause he saw a naked girl.” Jimmy teases
“I bet that was nice. She’s sexy as hell.” Gates mutters as he stirs his cereal around.
“What?” I demand
“Gates don’t talk about my Lola Bear like that. Besides if she was going to be with someone other than Vengeance she would pick a real man like me.” Jimmy says as he puffs his chest out.
“Fuck you guys.” I say bitterly as I leave the kitchen empty handed
“I call dibs!” Jimmy yells behind me
“Fuck off!” I shout back at him

I climb the stairs two at a time and bump into Johnny making his way out of his room. A cigarette half hanging out of his mouth, a cup of coffee in one hand, and a lighter in the other. He nods his head at me as he walks past and down the stairs. I turn back to my door and narrow my eyes in suspicion. It is open, I didn’t leave it open. I search the room quickly for her before my eyes find her, standing against the wall next to the closet, staring across the room. I follow her gaze and find Shadows sitting on the couch, a big packet in his hands.
“We have things to discuss.”
“You can go downstairs and eat.” I say to her. She nods her head and slides against the wall until she gets to me. I stop her as she walks past and plant a kiss on her cheek, she blushes slightly but leaves after let her go. I watch her until she is halfway down the stairs and then shut and lock the door.
"She really is terrified of me isn't she?" he laughs
“What is it?” i ask waving off his question.
“Have all the paperwork I could get on her. Thought I’d let you look it over first.” he says as he sets it down on the coffee table. I sit in the chair across from him and pull the packet towards me, opening the sealed file with my pocket knife.
“How’d you get it so fast?”
“Someone had it all put together. Didn’t have to look very hard. Someone had been watching Jameson and the girl for a long time.”

I pull out the huge stack of papers and set them in my lap, skimming the first page. Her birth certificate, the original one. July 15, 1992. She’s about to turn 18. Stapled to that is an altered birth certificate, Jameson’s name is listed as her father. Done in 1997. She would’ve been five. I dropped that paper on the coffee table and went to the next one. Notes from a therapist, started having night terrors when she was seven, had to be put on medication. Stopped taking the pills when she was 16, on her own accord. She never spoke during the sessions and the only time hypnosis was tried she just kept screaming about monsters. I hand the paper to Shadows and look at the next one. A doctors report. Broken arm when she was seven. The next paper, broken jaw when she was ten. I looked quickly through the papers, examining each report and each lame excuse why. Concussion, broken foot, lacerations from falling out of a tree house. They went on and on. I can feel the anger growing in me as I drop each paper and go to the next.
“What is this?” I ask disgusted.
“Appears as though she was being abused. There’s no way DCF would let this much happen without getting involved.” He says as he looks through the papers I put down.
“Oh here it is. Report from Department of Children and Families. Says very welcoming environment, parents are a joy, child seems shy. Is in therapy. Medication side affect causing child to be clumsy. That’s some bullshit. He got someone to cover this up.”
“We aren’t the only ones with friends in high places. You saw who was sitting at the table with him. They were all on the list. It was just lucky for us they were all in the same place at the same time.” he says
“Well. This is utter bullshit. She lived with that for years, no hope of rescue. Glad we saved her now?”
“Oh don’t start that shit with me. Regardless of this,” he says pointing to the papers “If she fucks up again I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in her head.”
“Yeah yeah.” I say as I look though more papers, trying my best to keep my anger to a minimum.