Tangled Love

"We think you should go back to live with your mother. You're not eighteen yet and we don't think this is the best environment for a young teenager."

I stare at her dumbfounded, my mouth hung open unattractively. For so long I always questioned whether the police would really help me or not and today I found out the answer. . . They wouldn't.

"Trevor beats her and you want her to go back to that hell hole?" Jake says, breaking the silence. I blink a few times, unable to believe her words.

This can not be happening. No way.

I sit there in silence, my body frozen as the sound of Jake's protests float around me. How can the system designed to keep me safe recommend that I go back to the abuse? I don't understand it. I feel my lungs tighten and it becomes difficult to breathe. A grey fog builds inside my mind and I stand to my feet, wavering a little.

"Excuse me," I mumble under my breath, my words shaky and barely audible. My feet begin to move involuntarily and I find myself storming up the stairs, wanting to get away from the officers as much as possible. My hands glide against the walls, keeping me standing upright as I stumble across the landing. My breathing hitches and I suck in harshly, desperately needing the tight hold on my lungs to loosen.

door and stumble inside, blinking to remove the fog from my vision. My back hits the wall and I inhale deeply,

you doing in my room?"

but no sound comes out. The buzzing inside my ears intensifies and once Tobias notices the expression on my face, he stands up. I watch as he walks towards me, his dark eyes flashing

asks me. I nod my head even though I'm not okay. I can hear the officer shout my name up the stairs

onto the floor, pulling my knees towards my chest. Images of Trevor and Mum

It's growing increasingly harder to breathe

aware of his presence but it does nothing to calm me down. Instead I'm embarrassed by Tobias seeing me

my vision restricted from the tears in my eyes. Tobias leans down beside me

know I'm seconds away from passing out. I vaguely hear a door slamming open and Jake's angry voice fill the air. Before I have the chance to make sense of his

hand up to shield them from the bright sun

so

and I tried lifting it, groaning louder from the sudden pain it was causing