Abigail turned around and leaned against the door, her chest heaving. Inside the room Debra picked up the plate, stared at the food and then smashed the plate against the door.
Started Abigail wanted to open the door, but Wayne stopped her. “She’s provoking you. She wants to know how far she can go”
“Then what am I supposed to do?” Abigail asked desperate as she heard the fragments shatter on the floor. “Just ignore her?”
“For now, yes” Wayne replied strict. “Now, come downstairs with me. There’s no reasoning with that girl now”
Her ears pressed against the door, that was now stained with food, Debra heard Abigail and Wayne walk off the stairs. She ran to window and opened it. She looked downstairs and calculated the distance between the window and the ground. She realized there was no escaping here. It was too high and there was nothing to hold onto.
She turned around again and glanced at the fragments at the door. Slowly, she walked to them. She crouched and picked up a large piece of fragment. She examined it as if it were an extraordinary piece of art.
She placed the fragment on her arm and drew a short, but deep cut.
Downstairs Abigail was trying to act like there wasn’t a fourteen year old traumatized girl locked up in a room.
“If she doesn’t get any better, I will call Child Care” Wayne said. Abigail looked up upset, but before she could argue, Wayne explained: “She’s not our responsibility. That girl needs help and we can’t give it to her”
“All she needs is some love and attention” Abigail replied desperate. “We need to give her some time to learn to trust us. In time she will understand we are not the enemy”
“Well, maybe, I’m not willing to give her that time” Wayne replied frustrated. “We should inform Child Care. They can try to find her parents”
“Funny you mention her parents” Abigail scoffed. “Have you seen any poster Debra, saying she was missing? Have you seen a news alert? Heard something on the radio? Read something in the paper? If her parents want her back, they’re not trying very hard to find her”
“She’s not ours” Wayne pointed out.
“She could be” Abigail replied, casting a hopeful glance at Wayne.
“You want to adopt her?” Wayne asked. He shook his head. “Do you have any idea how long it takes to get all papers filled in? And besides, they will never officially give her to us. We’re too old. And when they’ll see her, they will conclude she needs special care. The kind that we can’t give to her. They will give her to someone else”
Abigail stared at the table, thinking of what to do. Then she slowly raised her head, desperation replaced by determination. “No” she said soft, but steady. “I won’t let them”