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Jessica'S POV

It's now been a couple of hours, and I'm so tired. My legs feel like they're about to give out any second. I finish the last table and go lean on the counter. I sigh and close my eyes for a minute. Then Martha comes up to me.

"Darling, you look tired; why don't you get your stuff and go home and rest?" She suggested with a soft smile.

"But Martha there is still a couple of people left." I said, trying to convince her to let me stay, but she wasn't having it.

"It's okay, hun. I'll take care of it, and anyways, your shift ended hours ago. You always stay overtime; you need rest, my sweet girl." She said.

"Are you sure?  You know I don't mind staying; I love working here." I asked to make sure.

"Yes, honey, it's okay. Now go get your stuff; it's getting late. I don't want you walking late at night." She replied. I nodded my head and went to get my bag and put my work stuff away. I said goodnight to Martha and Jerry and started my way to hell.

As I was walking, I had a feeling like something happened. I don't know what it is, but I had a feeling like something big was going to happen soon. Too lost in my thoughts, I didn't notice the bright blue and red lights and the police cars outside my home. I felt my heart start beating faster with each second.

Why are the police here? Oh god, what if John did something and they are going to take me instead? With all those thoughts, I didn't notice a police officer walking towards me.

"Excuse me, are you Jessica Thompson?" Asked the officer.

"Yes, sir, is everything okay?" I asked, concern clear in my voice.

"I'm sorry, honey, but your stepfather had an overdose, and sadly he didn't make it." He said, pity in his eyes and voice.

I felt my heart stop. John is dead. He's finally dead. He can't hurt me anymore. I'm free from his claws. I never thought that he would die before me; I always thought that maybe he would go too far someday and kill me for good. My dream has come true.

But then suddenly, a thought came to mind. Where will I go? I don't have a father. My mother always told me that when he found out she was pregnant, he told her that he didn't want me and left. I have no aunts, uncles, or grandparents that I know about.

I have heard about the foster system, and I don't want to go from one bad house to another.

"But where will I go? I don't have anyone that can take me in." I said, fear gripping my heart and chest.

"We will take you to the station to get a blood sample and see if you have any relatives that would like to take you in. If not, then you will be placed in an orphanage or the foster system. For now, why don't you go pack your stuff, and then we will go?" He suggested, sympathy clear in his voice.

I nodded and went to the house to get my stuff. I didn't have a lot of stuff, so it didn't take me long to pack it up. I had two shirts, two sweatshirts, one pair of sweatpants, one pair of leggings, a pair of underwear, and a bra. I put them in my backpack and took out the money I had been saving all my life. I counted them, and they turned out to be 1,500 dollars.

I put them in my bag and looked at the room one last time. The thought of leaving sounds so surreal; it feels too good to be true.

I looked at the room one last time and went downstairs. When I reached down, I went to the officer that I talked with before and told him I was ready. We got inside the car and started driving towards the station. Once we reached it, we parked and went inside. He told me to sit down and wait for him to come back.

Once he came back, he took my blood and told me the results would be back in an hour. It was 8:30 by now, and I was exhausted. So I closed my eyes, and I felt myself drift off.

ONE HOUR LATER

I felt someone shaking me from my shoulder, and I immediately shot up, thinking it was John. But once I saw the officer, I relaxed. But he had a wide grin on his face, which confused me. But what he said next confused me even more.

"Well, I have some good news for you: we found someone that would love to take you in." He said with a wide smile.

"Who?" I asked curiously.

"Your father and older brothers." He replied.

I stood there frozen. I couldn't hear anything else he was saying. 'Father', that word kept repeating in my head over and over again. Why would he want me now? Why? He could have saved me years of pain and anguish, and now he wants me? I couldn't believe this. My ears kept ringing; my heart kept beating out of my chest.

I didn't notice the officer calling my name until he started shaking my shoulder. I flinched and stepped away from him with wide eyes and my mouth hanging open.

"F-father?" I whispered, still in shock about what I had just said.

"Yes, Father, isn't that great? "Well, how about you rest for a while? It'll be a couple of hours till he arrives since he's coming from New York." He explained.

I nodded; I couldn't form any words; nothing could come out of my mouth. It's like my tongue was tied.

'Father', I have a father, and he said I have brothers.

How many brothers do I have? Will they like me? What if they hate me? What if they never wanted a sister? Oh god, what if they hurt me? I could barely keep up with John and now a father and brothers. I couldn't think anymore, as I could feel a headache starting. I rubbed my temples and took two painkillers.

My body hurts so much with this new information. I rested my head against the wall and thought about something: will this be my new start with my new family, or will it be my new hell? With that, I drifted off.