Interactive Story - Never Forgotten, Chapter One Continued
Welcome back, before we get started, you know the drill! Yup, fill up your plates with goodies and pour yourself a refreshing beverage and find a spot to relax in the garden.
If you are just joining us, you can read the first post of the interactive story here... Then just scroll up from there. Remember this is a rough draft, and you are asked to answer the question at the end in a comment. Let's get started.
Here is the last from the last post:
Georgia picked up the manila folder from her desk. “Can you tell me what’s not in this file?”
Sarah’s grin faded, her chest expanded as she drew in a breath and held. She let it out gustily after a moment. She tucked her chin in and stared at her shoes. Georgia was pretty sure the girl wasn’t seeing her shoes.
“Why?”
“As I said, Sarah, you don’t have to tell me anything.”
The girl lifted her head just enough to stare at the file on the table. “No, I mean why isn’t in the file. I don’t know why my parents treated me as an animal, what I did wrong. Jamie was perfect. They loved her. She was the princess. I don’t understand.”
Georgia knew there had been another child in the home, but there hadn’t been much in the file about her. Just that they’d found her unharmed. Georgia had assumed it only met the other child was unharmed the time they were caught. What Sarah had gone through was horrific, but to have another child that was treated better, normal, would magnify the treatment.
“Tell me about Jamie,” Georgia said.
Maybe if she understood who Jamie was, she could come up with a treatment plan. Georgia usually waited until she’d had a few sessions with her patients before she designed an individualized treatment plan. The notes and situations on paper left out feelings and other dynamics, such as Jamie being perfect in this case.
“Jamie’s pretty. Not like me with buck teeth and carrot hair.” Sarah shifted around. “See even you are more interested in her than me, and you’re supposed to be helping me.”
Georgia leaned back in her chair as if she’d been slapped. The last thing she’d wanted was to alienate her patient. Damn. Time to back it up a step.
“Sarah, I’m sorry if it seems that way.” She picked up the file and let it drop on the desk with a thunk. “Unfortunately, there is nothing in this file other than there was another child. You said no bullshit and so this is the truth. I need to know about Jamie so I can help you.” Sarah sniffed then amazingly she regarded Georgia and actually made contact. Her green eyes shining with un-shed tears.
“She would sneak me food sometimes. I loved her too.”
Georgia couldn’t understand how parents could treat a daughter the way these people had done Sarah, yet it appeared they were capable of love with their other daughter Jamie. Or was she another daughter?
“Then what would happen? Did they punish her for helping you?”
“No, she was careful to sneak in when they were gone or drunk.”
Sarah pulled herself out of the chair, if Georgia hadn’t known better she would have thought the girl was an old woman instead of ten. As if called, she wandered to the window again. Georgia watched her, her throat worked as the girl swallowed. Then she closed her eyes for a moment. She turned her back to the glass and leaned.
She licked her lips, then began to talk. At first her voice was so soft Georgia had to strain to hear her.
“I can’t remember when it started, it’s just always been that way.” She shrugged as if to say, know what I mean? “My mom would slap me whenever I said or did something she didn’t like. It didn’t mean I’d done anything wrong, just that she was upset she couldn’t get what she wanted. I was a punching bag.”
Old beyond her years. Georgia almost felt guilty. She’d been forced to do and be unspeakable things. And she was abused but in different ways than this child. She wasn’t harmed physically, more mentally and the threat of physical harm to her loved ones.
She didn’t prompt Sarah, the girl would tell her in her own time.
“Punching bag, I learned that since I’ve been in my new foster home. Not that it’s much better than home was. But at least I’m not in the closet with no bathroom or food—I’m not sure which was worse. Starving or having to pee and poop in the closet.”
Georgia had to follow down the bile that wanted to come up. She had to focus on moving forward, in order to get the details for her plan.
“What do you mean the foster home isn’t much better? Has something happened?”
“Oh, the people aren’t abusive or anything but some of the other kids are jerks.”
She lifted a shoulder and shoved away from the glass and returned to her seat. She folded her legs up under her. A good sign she was beginning to let her guard down around Georgia.
Georgia jotted down a note to have Maggie check into the home where Sarah had been placed. While she was making notes, she added that Sarah had steered the conversation away from Jamie.
Georgia glanced at the desk clock and saw that all the silences had added up. The allotted hour was almost up. Although, she could fill the rest of the time asking a few things, she choose to wait.
“So how does this work? This no bullshit thing?” Sarah asked after a few more moments of silence.
“How do you want it to work?”
Georgia did her best not to laugh. But when Sarah swung her head up to glare she couldn’t help but let it out. After a moment the girl grinned, and then let out a laugh of her own.
“I think I may like you Dr. Georgia.”
Georgia stood and walked her to the door. After it snapped shut, she shook her head, Sarah, the poor thing had lost her childhood. She was ten going on forty.
Yet, Georgia had lost her childhood also. Not that her childhood was any less horrific, it was just a different horrific! Now, though, it was her job to help Sarah recover what was left of her childhood, bring her back to ten going on eleven.
~~
Next post find here...
Here is the interactive part:
Georgia's brother and Mother have been relocated. Help me decide what state and what are they doing in their new home:
1. Seattle, Washington.
2. San Diego, California
Georgia's Mother and brother both have been educated as she has:
1. Mother working as a nurse.
2. Mother working as a Administrator
Brother
1. Brother working as an Engineer
2. Brother working as a Database administrator
Voting CLOSED now. Thank you for reading!
If you are just joining us, you can read the first post of the interactive story here... Then just scroll up from there. Remember this is a rough draft, and you are asked to answer the question at the end in a comment. Let's get started.
Here is the last from the last post:
Sarah’s grin faded, her chest expanded as she drew in a breath and held. She let it out gustily after a moment. She tucked her chin in and stared at her shoes. Georgia was pretty sure the girl wasn’t seeing her shoes.
“Why?”
“As I said, Sarah, you don’t have to tell me anything.”
The girl lifted her head just enough to stare at the file on the table. “No, I mean why isn’t in the file. I don’t know why my parents treated me as an animal, what I did wrong. Jamie was perfect. They loved her. She was the princess. I don’t understand.”
Georgia knew there had been another child in the home, but there hadn’t been much in the file about her. Just that they’d found her unharmed. Georgia had assumed it only met the other child was unharmed the time they were caught. What Sarah had gone through was horrific, but to have another child that was treated better, normal, would magnify the treatment.
“Tell me about Jamie,” Georgia said.
Maybe if she understood who Jamie was, she could come up with a treatment plan. Georgia usually waited until she’d had a few sessions with her patients before she designed an individualized treatment plan. The notes and situations on paper left out feelings and other dynamics, such as Jamie being perfect in this case.
“Jamie’s pretty. Not like me with buck teeth and carrot hair.” Sarah shifted around. “See even you are more interested in her than me, and you’re supposed to be helping me.”
Georgia leaned back in her chair as if she’d been slapped. The last thing she’d wanted was to alienate her patient. Damn. Time to back it up a step.
“Sarah, I’m sorry if it seems that way.” She picked up the file and let it drop on the desk with a thunk. “Unfortunately, there is nothing in this file other than there was another child. You said no bullshit and so this is the truth. I need to know about Jamie so I can help you.” Sarah sniffed then amazingly she regarded Georgia and actually made contact. Her green eyes shining with un-shed tears.
“She would sneak me food sometimes. I loved her too.”
Georgia couldn’t understand how parents could treat a daughter the way these people had done Sarah, yet it appeared they were capable of love with their other daughter Jamie. Or was she another daughter?
“Then what would happen? Did they punish her for helping you?”
“No, she was careful to sneak in when they were gone or drunk.”
Sarah pulled herself out of the chair, if Georgia hadn’t known better she would have thought the girl was an old woman instead of ten. As if called, she wandered to the window again. Georgia watched her, her throat worked as the girl swallowed. Then she closed her eyes for a moment. She turned her back to the glass and leaned.
She licked her lips, then began to talk. At first her voice was so soft Georgia had to strain to hear her.
“I can’t remember when it started, it’s just always been that way.” She shrugged as if to say, know what I mean? “My mom would slap me whenever I said or did something she didn’t like. It didn’t mean I’d done anything wrong, just that she was upset she couldn’t get what she wanted. I was a punching bag.”
Old beyond her years. Georgia almost felt guilty. She’d been forced to do and be unspeakable things. And she was abused but in different ways than this child. She wasn’t harmed physically, more mentally and the threat of physical harm to her loved ones.
She didn’t prompt Sarah, the girl would tell her in her own time.
“Punching bag, I learned that since I’ve been in my new foster home. Not that it’s much better than home was. But at least I’m not in the closet with no bathroom or food—I’m not sure which was worse. Starving or having to pee and poop in the closet.”
Georgia had to follow down the bile that wanted to come up. She had to focus on moving forward, in order to get the details for her plan.
“What do you mean the foster home isn’t much better? Has something happened?”
“Oh, the people aren’t abusive or anything but some of the other kids are jerks.”
She lifted a shoulder and shoved away from the glass and returned to her seat. She folded her legs up under her. A good sign she was beginning to let her guard down around Georgia.
Georgia jotted down a note to have Maggie check into the home where Sarah had been placed. While she was making notes, she added that Sarah had steered the conversation away from Jamie.
Georgia glanced at the desk clock and saw that all the silences had added up. The allotted hour was almost up. Although, she could fill the rest of the time asking a few things, she choose to wait.
“So how does this work? This no bullshit thing?” Sarah asked after a few more moments of silence.
“How do you want it to work?”
Georgia did her best not to laugh. But when Sarah swung her head up to glare she couldn’t help but let it out. After a moment the girl grinned, and then let out a laugh of her own.
“I think I may like you Dr. Georgia.”
Georgia stood and walked her to the door. After it snapped shut, she shook her head, Sarah, the poor thing had lost her childhood. She was ten going on forty.
Yet, Georgia had lost her childhood also. Not that her childhood was any less horrific, it was just a different horrific! Now, though, it was her job to help Sarah recover what was left of her childhood, bring her back to ten going on eleven.
~~
Next post find here...
Here is the interactive part:
Georgia's brother and Mother have been relocated. Help me decide what state and what are they doing in their new home:
1. Seattle, Washington.
2. San Diego, California
Georgia's Mother and brother both have been educated as she has:
1. Mother working as a nurse.
2. Mother working as a Administrator
Brother
1. Brother working as an Engineer
2. Brother working as a Database administrator
Voting CLOSED now. Thank you for reading!
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