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(This chapter involves mentions and actions of abuse and harm. please skip this chapter if this is a sensitive subject. if you need someone to reach out to, my DMs are always open. my insta is @avaawritesz_ love you all. take care!)

The events of midsummer night kept spinning in Annabelle's head. The blue lights of the ambulance that pulled up and carried John B into the van before driving off, leaving the group of friends in utter shock. Annabelle had stayed the night at Pope's house along with JJ and Kiara, Heyward sweeping them under his wing as soon as he heard what had happened.

Annabelle left early, to get out of Hayward and his family's hair despite them trying to convince her to stay for lunch. JJ gave her a ride, the tension between them, evident as they traveled up the roads. 

JJ and Annabelle hadn't talked much since their kiss. A lot had happened. Everything with Rafe and with JJ getting arrested, it was hard for the pair to get some time alone. Now that they finally had it, it was clearly awkward but peaceful at the same time. However, it didn't last long.

As soon as they entered the area where Annabelle lived, she could tell that something was off. The usually dead silent neighborhood was rather noisy and she saw people peaking out of their doors and windows.

Two black cars, far too expensive to belong to anyone in the area, stood parked in front of Annabelle's house. CPS. She read on the cars.

Two social workers stood on the porch, their expressions neutral, unreadable. But what made Annabelle's breath catch was the sight of Tess standing between them, a duffel bag slung over her shoulder, her face pale and tear-streaked. The younger girl turned around, a cry escaping her lips at the sight of her sister. "Anna,"

JJ barely had the chance to stop the bike before Annabelle was off, feet slamming against the ground as she sprinted toward the house, pulling the helmet off in the process. "Tess..?"

Tess's red-rimmed eyes locked onto hers.

"No, no, no, no," Annabelle repeated as she rushed up to her sister. She lunged forward, arms outstretched, but the male social worker stepped in her path, his firm grip catching her around the waist. The girl snapped, twisting and squirming to get out of his grip as her sight blurred. "No!"

"Miss, please—" The woman beside Tess tried to speak, her voice calm, too calm, as if that would make whatever nightmare was playing out before them any easier. It did the complete opposite. It only made Annabelle angrier.

"Hey! Let go of her!" JJ shouted, coming up behind her with his fists clenched on either side.

"Sir, she needs to calm down." The male that held Annabelle said, still struggling to hold her back.

"Tess!" She fought harder, her limbs burning as she shoved against the man holding her back. "Please! You can't do this!"

"Miss, she's being placed in temporary care then we'll see what happens to her. You'll speak to her once she handed over to the authorities." The woman tried to explain but Annabelle was past even trying to listen.

"No, you can't!" Annabelle cried.

"Miss, we need you to calm down." The two social workers exchanged a look, as a signal, before the woman grabbed Tess's arm and forcefully guided her away from her older sister, from her home, and toward the car that was going to steal her childhood.

"No! Please don't do this!" Annabelle struggled to draw steady breaths. The man put her down and she lunched forward, however, this time JJ grabbed her, locking her arms down and pressing her against him to prevent her from getting hurt.

"Annabelle. Bells.." He attempted, knowing that there was nothing that she could do to fix the situation.

"Let go of me!" Annabelle sobbed. Tess turned around just before the car door closed, her eyes red and her voice small.

"Annabelle..." Her voice sounded like a plea and the older sister shattered upon hearing it.

"Baby!"

The door closed.

Annabelle desperately used her last powers to try to break out of JJ's grip as she watched the cars drive off. Annabelle stood frozen, her breath coming in sharp, ragged gasps. It felt like she was being crushed from the inside out, her chest caving in under the weight of it all.

Annabelles knees felt like they were gonna give in. In a moment of desperation she crashed into JJs arms.

That was all it took. Annabelle broke.

A gut-wrenching sob tore out of her, her body collapsing against his. JJ held her up, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other wrapped around her waist as she shook in his arms.

"She's gone," she gasped, clutching at his shirt like it was the only thing keeping her from shattering completely. "They took her-"

"I know," JJ murmured against her hair, his voice rough, pained. "I know, Bells. I'm so sorry."

Her chest ached. Her face was wet with tears and her knees were barely holding her up. She gasped for breath, looking up for a moment to catch a glimpse of a figure stepping out on the porch.

He stood there looking almost lifeless like he hadn't just destroyed everything. His face was shadowed in the dim porch light, his expression unreadable. For a second—one stupid second—Annabelle thought maybe he'd look guilty. Maybe he'd be sorry. Maybe he'd do something other than just stand there.

But then he spoke. And his words were like a knife to the throat.

"She shouldn't have run her damn mouth."

Annabelle stopped breathing.

The pain in her chest switched—grief melting into something more raw, darker. Rage. She saw nothing but red, her eyes swelling up in enraged tears.

JJ felt the shift before she moved. "Bells—"

But she was already tearing out of his arms, charging up the porch steps like a wildfire ready to burn everything down.

"You did this!" she screamed, shoving him hard. He stumbled back a little, but her strength was not enough to cause any actual damage. "You made them take her! Your own kid! What the hell is wrong with you!" Her voice broke as she shouted, slamming her fists against his chest.

Her father caught her wrists, his grip tight, enough to leave a bruise. "You better watch how you're talking to me."

"Do you even care?!" Annabelle stared up at her father, her eyes burning with tears. "God, if mom was here-"He squeezed harder, his nails digging into her skin making her let out a strained cry.

"Don't you drag her into this!" He retorted. "I've given you girls food on the table, a roof over your heads! I've given you everything!"

"Hey!" Annabelle heard JJ shout behind her.

She ripped out of his grip, her wrists pulsing and burning, as if his grip was still there. "This is everything?! You've ruined us!"

"You have no idea what you're talking about. You're just an ungrateful brat, just like her. I didn't do this. She brought this upon herself."

Annabelle drew hast and wild drags for breath. "I hate you." She huffed before lunging at him once again, on instinct, driven by pure rage.

His hands acted quickly, grabbing her arm and wrenching it back, hard. Annabelle wailed out as the pain radiated through her shoulder, her body folding at the force of it. The pain was too much, her knees giving in making her fall to the floor.

"What did you say to me?! Huh?!"

"Hey, get your hands off her!" JJ was there in an instant, shoving her father back and making him let go of Annabelle before helping the girl to her feet. He instinctively held her close, turning her away from her father whose eyes were now narrowed at JJ.

Annabelle's father charged at the two and JJ pulled Annabelle behind him, his hands curling to fists.

"You don't touch he-" JJ was cut off by a fist to his cheek, the boy collapsing to the ground with a grunt. Annabelle gasped and took a sharp step forward but her father stepped before her. The girl choked out a sob when JJ rolled over, the porch light revealing the blood seeping from his cracked lip.

"JJ-" her voice broke. "Leave him out of it."

Her father rounded the boy on the ground. "He got himself involved, didn't he?"

Just as JJ looked like he was about to scurry to a stance, Annabelle's father slammed his boot into his gut. The boy curled, coughing to catch the air that had fled his lungs.

"You maniac!" Annabelle tried to gather enough force to shove him back. But she clearly didn't have the strength to cause any damage, the intoxicated man only stumbling a little and chuckled, as if the scene was amusing. His face then shifted to something more serious, angrier. He took a step closer to Annabelle, towering over her with eyes flaming. 

JJ's fists curled against the floor of the porch as he drew sharp and hast breaths. With a grunt, he shot up and filled with anger, his fist cut through the air like a bullet before landing forcefully on the man's cheek.

The older man crashed against the doorframe, his head tilted down as the punch and the alcohol in his system made everything around him sway.

Acting in pure instinct, Annabelle grabbed JJ's arm and pulled the two of them a few steps back and off the porch. Her frightened eyes stared at the man, awaiting a reaction with her whole body stiff in alarm.

"You got yourself a guard dog, now?" Her father let out a humorless laugh, his head tilting up as he rubbed his jaw. 

"Let's go." JJ turned to Annabelle, gently grabbing her arms.

"That's right. Leave." Her father spat after them.

Annabelle eyes were cold as they stared up at her father, ragged breaths spiraling from her nose. A face that she recognized so well, but his eyes so unfamiliar. She wanted to say something but knew that whatever she would say would release a river of emotion.

JJ assisted her away from the front porch and over to his bike, his pulse thumping in his ears. The boy held a hand on Annabelle's lower back as she sat down on the bike, before getting on himself and handing her the spare helmet.

Annabelle glanced up at her father, her heart-shattering. She wanted nothing more than to run up to him, hug him, and bury her face in his shoulder, which used to smell like fresh wood. Have him tell her that everything would be okay. Have him tell her a joke that would make her laugh through the tears and the heavy pressure inside her chest. But the man on the porch wasn't that kind of man. Not anymore.

His shoulder didn't smell like fresh wood anymore, just a sour stench of sweat and whiskey. His eyes were empty and almost dead. They looked like the eyes of any stranger she could pass on the street. They sure as hell didn't look like the eyes of someone she knew, someone who cared.

Her hands curled into fists, her nails digging half-moons in her palms as she forced back a cry. She was grieving someone who wasn't even dead. He was just gone.

"And Annabelle!" He shouted. "Don't even think about coming back here."

The girl felt all the air leave her lungs. She had no interest in coming back there but hearing him say that, made her whole world crumble because she knew that this was it. He was officially gone.

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JJ dropped Annabelle off at Kiara's house, where her parents immediately set to work, making phone call after phone call in search of answers. They scoured every possible lead, hoping to uncover where Annabelle's sister had been taken, what awaited her, and—most importantly—how Annabelle could see her again. But after an hour of endless ringing and hushed, frantic conversations, they were left with nothing but silence and speculation. If anything, the questions had only multiplied, tangled in a web of uncertainty that left Annabelle feeling more lost than before.

A suffocating weight pressed against her chest, her heart aching with each unanswered plea. The air inside felt thick, heavy with frustration and helplessness. She needed to escape, even if just for a moment. And she knew exactly where she wanted to go. 

Rising from the couch, Annabelle drifted through the house in a daze until she reached the front door. She barely managed to shove her feet into her shoes, not bothering to tie them properly, before pulling the door open.

"Anna, where are you going?" Kiara asked coming up behind her. Worry flickered in her eyes as she searched her face, trying to find something—anything—that they could do to fix this, the feeling of something that was irreparably broken. 

Annabelle dragged her hands over her face. "I- I don't... I need some fresh air." She said, forcing a smile. "Thank you for your and your family's help."

Kiara sent her a warm smile, wrapping her arms tightly around her and pulling her into her warmth. "I'm here for you, Annabelle. I will always be here for you."

Tfhe simple promise unraveled something in Annabelle, stealing a tear from her eyes as she leaned into the comfort of the embrace, the feeling of complete and utter loneliness, lifting off her shoulders. "I love you."

𝟐𝟏𝟔𝟒 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬
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𝐀/𝐍
the start of Annabelle's downfall.

this chapter was so hard to write I sobbed writing it. this is awful. if you're in a situation like Annabelle's with these types of parent, don't be afraid to reach out to me or any other adult or someone you trust. my insta is @avaawritesz_