Owned By My Step Brother

Chapter 24 - More betrayal

Alice's Point Of View

I had so many questions, my heart in my throat.

“Take a seat,” Mrs Charles said calmly, her eyes searching mine.

I looked around me, trying to take in the entire place.

It was a dark shade, filled with old, torn books, with a small light illuminating the room.

I sat quietly, still holding my breath as I waited for her next words.

“I know you are shocked by all the things that happened today, but I need you to understand that the situations around us are changing fast,” she said in a tone that made goosebumps cover my body.

“I…I don’t understand,” I stammered anxiously, my eyes bulging out.

Ever since my mom announced her new marriage, strange things had been happening to me, but I didn’t think they had anything to do with my new job.

Mrs Charles looked at me with sad, pitiful eyes, like she knew what I was going through. After a while, she finally spoke.

“I got a call from the city council last night,” she said quietly, taking a deep breath.

“City council?” I asked in shock, my eyes widening more.

I was confused about why the city council called her and what it had to do with me.

There was another long pause, and she stared deep into my soul as if she was trying to send a message, but I didn’t understand a thing.

“They wanted me to make your life so miserable that you would leave the library on your own,” she said flatly, her voice and eyes distant.

Her words hit me like a train wreck; my mind was in shambles.

I had never been to the city hall more than once, and that was when I picked up my driver’s license.

I didn’t even know anyone there, and I didn’t understand why the people there wanted me to suffer.

“Not to sack you, just to make you leave on your own,” she whispered mindlessly, staring into space.

There was another long pause, and tears finally began to roll down my face as I ran my hand through my hair.

“I…I have no idea about this, I don’t even know anybody there,” I tried to explain anxiously, but she just shook her head

“I know my dear, I know,” she said quietly, finally turning to face me.

“But people know you, Alice; they know your parents and your family situation,” she said quietly, still not looking at me.

I blinked a few times, trying to process the information she had given me.

What family situation was she referring to? Was it the fact that my father had died or my mom’s multiple marriages?

I wanted to demand some answers, but she continued to speak, still staring into the darkness.

“These people, they treat you like dirt, like you have some infectious disease that needs to be avoided, they don’t see you as a human being, Alice,” she said in a tone that broke my heart, finally turning in my direction.

“But I didn’t do anything wrong…” I tried to explain, but she cut me off again.

She stared into the darkness again and spoke in low rumbles, almost like she was having a monologue with herself.

“But these monsters don’t want to accept responsibility; they want to act like they are neutral, want to make it look like your decision, so disgusting,” she sneered, her eyes lighting up with a fire and rage I had never seen before.

“They want to frustrate you and drive you out of this town, Alice. I am telling you this because I want you to know what you are up against and finally make a decision.

I felt like the air in my lungs was stuffed out, and tears flowed down my face freely.

All of this was more confusing because I didn’t know how or why any of it was happening.

Mrs. Charles watched me calmly as I tried to wrap my head around everything and stop the tears from falling.

She didn’t try to comfort me or hold me; she just let me cry until I felt better.

“What decision?” I finally asked, finally getting a hold of myself and remembering her last words.

“Whether you want to run away or stay and fight,” she said calmly, looking at me coldly before turning to walk away.

Left alone in the dark room with Mrs Charles’ words repeating over and over in my head for what felt like a few minutes, but hours had passed.

Stay and fight for what? I didn’t even know what or who I was up against.

It was all so confusing, and the worst part was that Mrs Charles had not made herself an ally or enemy, just a messenger.

My bedtime alarm buzzed from the small flip phone I had bought on my way to work that morning, bringing me back to reality.

“s**t,” I cursed angrily, as I frantically rushed to the front desk, where nothing waited for me except some keys and a note.

“Lock up… come to work tomorrow if you want,” It read, Mrs. Charles' beautiful handwriting scribbled on a small piece of paper.

I swallowed hard, looking around the library, like I was waiting for someone to jump out of the shadows.

After a few minutes, I picked up the keys and locked the library, literally running back to my house.

It was almost midnight at this point, the streets were not safe anymore, and with what I had just discovered, I had more things to be scared about.

I half expected my mother to be waiting for me with a death stare when I got to my house, but she wasn’t in the garden that day.

“Thank goodness,” I whispered in relief, skipping past the garden and walking quickly towards my room.

I halted for a few seconds, noticing the light in the dining room that was unusually turned on.

It sparked some curiosity and suspicion, but after listening for a while, and hearing no sounds.

I shrugged and decided to continue the quiet walk to my room, but not before hearing the most gut-wrenching words.

“I called the city council myself, don’t worry, she won’t last long,” my mom said confidently, smiling at Claire, my ex-best friend.