Shelby sighed, thankful that all of whatever that was, was finally over. Shelby had lived her life ’tolerating’ her stepfather to the best of her ability.
’However, I don’t have to do that anymore!’ She thought. Shelby did feel slightly guilty for having such thoughts but then after that brief visit with him, all such sympathizing or self-reprimanding thoughts had vanished.
I mean, James was the lowest of the lows when it came to his role as a stepfather but then, to threaten her in a police station? That was new and insanely stupid from Shelby’s perspective.
She closed her eyes and thought through the brief exchange if she could call it like that:
"You whore! What are you doing here? I should never have sent you off to Ian Thornston if I knew I was signing away my future and my life! Ha, ha, hahhahahaaaaaa... The only regret I have is never having fucked that pussy you have hidden in there!
I never should have held myself back, no matter what witchy characteristics you have. Be careful that I do not get access to a phone, I will make sure that my underlings get the job done for me!" James leered; his words slightly slurred as well.
Shelby watched him indifferently, never bothering to take a seat. What she had done next was to look at Clara and check her reaction to her husband’s words.
Clara did not disappoint, she rushed to him almost immediately,
"What have they done to you, James? OMG I-"
James flanged his handcuffed hands, almost smacking her on the face. He turned his reddened, unfocused eyes towards her.
"Leave me! You witch! I should never have brought you out of that forsaken island! Get away from me!"
Clara stumbled back in shock, as pitiful tears run down her cheeks.
’It’s all gone! It’s disappeared! My belo-’
Shelby looked on at the two of them and then turned to head out, knowing perfectly well that the detectives behind that one-way glass had heard everything.
Her outlook and demeanour were indifferent, but Clara was undeniably even more devastated than when she had gone in, obviously so.
Shelby was past the point where she gave extra thought to her mother’s actions and reactions to things. Most probably, that was what irked Clara, too.
However, in the face of all who had witnessed that scene through that one-way glass, they could not wrap their heads around the fact that a mother who had laboured for her child had no reaction whatsoever for her daughter in the face of such vulgarities and abuse from the so-called man that she loved.
Clara did not care what anyone thought, though. She was like a shell of her old self. An overwhelming feeling of loneliness settled on her so much that, she could not sense any of the officers who periodically walked by her thorough the narrow areas of the police station.
"Are you ready to go, Miss Shelby?"
Albert appeared quietly beside Shelby and asked her,
"Yes, please, thank you, Albert."
Shelby turned to her mother who was leaning against the wall and mummering ’Why!’ in monotones.
"Let’s drop off my mother first and then we can go back, if that’s okay?"
"Of course, Miss Shelby, you don’t have to ask, you just have to tell me what to do."
Shelby smiled but said nothing.
Wise Albert had his head lowered throughout so he was not affected. The same could not be said by a few officers who could not sit still and wanted another glimpse of the woman they then referred to as a goddess.
They looked ridiculous, like fools, with their mouths slightly gaping. A few swallowed dryly and sat down by their desks to hide the evidence of their arousal, just from that smile.
Obviously, this also meant that the few females around were in different stages of frustration vs jealousy, and Shelby was more than used to all of that. That had been her life from as long as she remembered.
Leon, another wise one, kept his head slightly lowered as he briefed Shelby on a few things. After which, he left immediately.
"Mum, we need to go. Rocky already has measures in place, and the attorney will help James the best way he can."
Clara had no option but to follow them, almost like a robot but did not talk to her daughter.
James was already an unliked figure from trying to defame Ian Thornston. However, the few visits from his family had plunged his image totally in the officers’ hearts.
He was finally transported out of the police station right after Shelby had left.
Of all the people, only Albert was gloating in his head, ’Karma is a bitch!’ He had never liked James since the first day he set eyes on him and also from the actions that Albert had witnessed. ’Karma knocked faster than I thought it would. I hope he rots in there.’
Albert dropped off Clara at the Wendover mansion, but Shelby chose not to stay.
"I’ll visit you another time, Mum. Try to get some rest and take care of yourself. Everything will be okay in due time."
"Where should we go next, Miss Shelby? Back to the estate?"
Shelby had wanted to go to the orphanage, where she routinely volunteered, as she had not been there in a while. However, her mood had dipped after that visit with James. Even though she appeared to be indifferent and okay on the outside, she was not.
For Shelby, only two things could help her mood lighten up: Dancing and Drawing. The two D’s, as her friends called it.
However, she thought that dancing was out since she couldn’t do that where she was but,
"I would have loved to draw in an outdoor space, but I left my tools at the estate; maybe I should just go back...."
"That can easily be solved, Miss Shelby."
"Huh?" She had not realized that she had mumbled her words, and in the quiet car, Albert was able to hear everything.
"There are drawing canvases and other supplies in the car that you can use."
"Really?" Shelby brightened considerably, adding, ".... But how?"
"Master Ian had me put them in the car yesterday for your use. He said that you might need them if you go to the orphanage. In fact, there are more that we would there too...."
Shelby was grateful and touched beyond measure and she made a mental note to thank him later.
"...as for the outdoor space, leave that to me."
"It’s my job, Miss Shelby."
This is how Shelby found herself back at the place she dreaded subconsciously; the infamous public park where her unfortunate ’accident’ with James had happened.
She stiffened when the car pulled up in the same parking lot.
Albert had no idea of this but this public part had all the ambience and scenery that Shelby was looking for. In fact, it was the only one that had that. So, unless Shelby wanted to draw the scenes of a vineyard or endless rows of trees, that park was her best shot. Albert had not considered going to the seaside, as that would have been a good alternative.
’If I don’t want this place to haunt me for life, I should probably try and get over this.’ She thought as she alighted, trying to stabilize her shaking knees.
’James is behind bars! There is nothing to fear!’
"Thank you, Albert. This might take a while so, why don’t you head back."
"Oh no, Miss Shelby, I can’t do that. Master Ian will have my head."
"Hahahaaaa.... That’s an exaggeration." But was it?
"I’ll help you set this up first-"
"No, it’s okay. Really Albert... It’s okay. I can manage it. How about get yourself a cool drink and wait for me then..."
Shelby did not wait for him to respond. She carried a small foldable stool in one hand and then a large-sized bag with a small canvas, some painting tubes, brushes and other things she needed and quickly departed.
Albert could only watch helplessly, consoling himself that it was day and there were many people in the park. He could never stop Shelby from what she wanted to do, though. He settled back in the car and then drove off for the drinks she had mentioned.
Shelby walked the same walk as she did years back with James, trying her best to keep the negative thoughts out of her mind.
Shelby walked deep into the heart of the park, where dense trees covered the sky, making it look gloomy. Streaks of light passed periodically above through narrow gaps in the leaves and away from the people who were out enjoying the scenery, making the place slightly cool, as the sunlight did not pierce through enough.
She set up her tools in a small clearing and then sat on the stool, taking in a deep breath.
With focused eyes, Shelby took in the scene: large trees, with narrow paths, small crawling plants with budding flowers in them, occasional small insects and other crawling animals passed by and the darkened depths of the far end.
For some reason, Shelby loved that gloominess. It was almost like how she felt on the inside at the moment. She poised her slender hand and started drawing strokes on it.
Shelby became lost in what she was doing as the sights she took in got conveyed onto the page she had in front of her.
It was almost like she was taking a scenic picture with her brush strokes. Some of the animals she conveyed looked so much alive to a creepy level. The more the picture became complete, the more Shelby felt her mood stabilize.
She was at it for so long that she did not notice the passage of time, not the creeping vines on the trees that seemed to have obtained a life of their own. They slithered down the tree trunks and down onto the ground towards her slowly as if it was playing some sort of hide-and-seek game with her.
Shelby placed her arms on her thighs with the brush still in her right hand, a satisfied smile on her face. A few drops of paint dripped towards the ground.
Suddenly, one of the vines that had gotten near her wrapped around her ankle in a tight grip that made her scream in pain and surprise.
’Oh no! What is that? What is going on?’ A mumbling raw of disoriented thoughts rushed through her. It was cold and rough. Shelby did not get the time to look down at what had gripped her foot.
The only thing she felt was that it yanked her hard, unseating her and then subsequently dragging her on the forest floor to only the heavens knew where. The floor was clammy and cold and had a lot of debris, including slightly jiggered ends. It scrapped her face and body as the vines pulled her with the speed of light towards the unknown.
This all took but just a second as the air got knocked out of her. She let out a deafening outcry of terror! "Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!"
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