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[23 Nov 2008|12:50pm] |
Spring in Minnesota was a beautiful time. Snow was slowly melting, flowers were trying to bloom, and the birds were even more chipper than usual. Janet and Martin Reynolds had promised their son, Alexander, a walk in the park as soon as it had gotten a little warmer. March 19th was that day. As they walked down the sidewalk, Alexander would soon find out that he wasn't going to make it to the park that day. No, someone had bigger things planned for their outing. Exactly six minutes and thirteen seconds after they walked out of their warm home, Janet's water broke. Park today would have to be postponed...the family was going to the hospital. Martin quickly ran for the car, little Alex confused as to why Mommy was breathing funny. At 6:08PM on March 19th, Rebecca Jane Reynolds made her entrance into the world. Too late for the park, but there'd be plenty of time for that, right?
Rebecca was a sweet child, growing up. She loved to daydream more than play, and sharing more than playing by herself. Which, was perfect. Since she had an older brother. Of course, older boys never thought of it that way. She was probably the annoying little sister than always followed Alex around. Rebecca didn't care, though. She just continued to follow until he gave in and let her play. She was patient. She had time.
Becca had a love for wandering as well. Something that her parents would soon grow to hate. Anytime they would go to the store, or anywhere in public, they had to keep a close tab on their youngest one. If they weren't careful, she'd go missing. No matter how many times they told her to hold her brother's hand, Rebecca would soon let go to look at something that interested her more than the task at hand. Luckily, they lived in a town small enough where everyone knew everyone. The people knew who Rebecca belonged to, so she was always safely returned.
Yeah, they had all the makings of a perfect family. Two adorable kids, a loving mother and father, a warm home. And things were perfect. Too perfect. Rebecca and her brother were always treated with care, but once the lights would go out for the night, voices could be heard. Voices that didn't belong to their parents. Little did they know, that their parents had started to have "meetings" with other adults from town. If asked about it, Martin would just chuckle and say that they had a little book club going on. But it was far from it.
As time went on, Janet became hysterical, paranoid. Martin became quiet and withdrawn. Rebecca and Alex started to spend more time with the neighbors, wondering why they couldn't go home when so many people were allowed to just walk in whenever they wanted? One morning, though, Rebecca had had enough. She may only be seven but..she was old enough to know she was sick and tired of her parents not wanting them around. She'd been patient for over a year. Something had to give. She grabbed her brother's hand and they both snuck out the backdoor, slipping into the house just before sun break. What the two saw was probably enough to scar them for life. After letting out a soft cry, Rebecca was discovered, right along with Alexander. A man who wasn't their father turned to look at them, telling them to come closer so he could take care of them. Alex yanked Becca out the door, and back to the neighbor's house they went.
Two hours later, Rebecca and her brother were watching the flashing lights from an ambulance and two cop cars fade away into the distance. Two days later, they were walking into a mansion to live with their grandparents in Key West. For the first time in Rebecca's short life, she was scared. Yeah, what had happened with their parents had been frightening, but at least was in a familiar area. Florida was some unknown land to her. And it was warm! In December! How did that happen? She barely knew the people she would be living with, but the bedroom was nice. The toys were even nicer.
To say that Rebecca didn't become spoiled would be a lie. Her grandparents loved the idea of showering a little girl with gifts. As a reward for adjusting to Florida life without a cry, Rebecca would get something after every therapy session. As time went on, the sessions were less frequent, but the gifts continued until her bedroom was full of everything she wanted, and a second room held things she just...enjoyed.
Becca and Alex were home schooled for a few years. Their grandmother, Sabrina, had been worried that if they were thrown into school with kids they didn't know, they'd never recover from that day in Minnesota. They hired the best tutors they could find, making sure everything was suitable for their grandchildren. However, one Becca turned thirteen, she began to beg for interactions with kids her age. She wanted, no, needed school. Her wish was their command. It always was.
Now Becca's sixteen and a senior at Tegesta high. She's too smart for her own good, as her grandfather would say, but she didn't really care. She was happy to be in the same grade with her brother, happy to have friends that didn't care that she didn't share everything with them, and happy to pretend that her parents were in some exotic country, soaking up the rays. Not in prison. She often wondered how they were, if they thought about her and her brother, her eyes becoming a darker shade of blue as she worried. Maybe, they'd get better and come back for them? Not that she didn't love her grandparents but..it just wasn't the same. Even if she had never gotten a letter from them..they still loved her. They were just trying to get well until they could bring them home. That had to be it. Until then? Becca would wait. She was patient.
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