Full Circle a short story - Day 1

Day 1

Viola knew something was wrong the instant she heard the phone ring. Her hand trembled as she reached out to answer it. “Hello?” she said, nervously, perhaps a little too softly since there was no answer on the other end. “Hello?” she repeated, commanding strength to return to her voice.

“Um… Mrs. Van Cort?” the unfamiliar voice asked.

“Yes. Yes, who is this?”

“I’m sorry to call so late, Ma’am. My name is Lieutenant Davis, I’m calling from the 22 precinct.”

“Yes?” Viola asked, willing him to quickly get to the point.

“The reason I’m calling tonight, Ma’am is because we have a young lady here that one of our officers picked up wandering around the rail yards. She says her name is Tori and that she is your daughter. Would you be able to verify this information and come down to the station to pick her up since she is still a minor?”

Viola didn’t respond. The last thing she had heard was ‘she says her name is Tori.’ Oh my God… No. Victoria… But it couldn’t be, she thought in disbelief. She had not seen her in almost four years. She had not even heard from her. Not even so much as mentioned her name. There had been no word from, or contact with Victoria… until now. But why? Why would she return now? She wondered. Victoria had left home, a difficult and troubled child at the age of fourteen. She had gone to live with her grandmother, who was more like Victoria than anyone would ever admit. So now, at almost eighteen years of age, why would she come back to a town that she despised… and a family she hated even more?

“Ma’am,” Lt. Davis continued, unaware that Viola was somewhere else, deep in thought. “We really don’t want to have to hold her here at the station for this. She can be released to you as soon as you can get here.”

Viola was only faintly aware of what he was saying. Something about all of this made her very uneasy. She felt frozen, gripped with fear. She really wanted nothing to do with Victoria . Nothing at all. Not after what she had done. Viola shivered as she involuntarily began to recall that awful, awful night that, until now, seemed like a lifetime ago. She gripped the phone so tightly that the color drained from her knuckles. Suddenly, she heard someone let out a horrifying scream. It wasn’t until she heard Lt. Davis repeatedly calling her name, that she realized it had actually been her who had been the one screaming... Be sure to look for the continuation of this story in 3 days.