Page 37 of Reckoning

“By now, most of Verona would have seen the footage.” Hastings states, giving me a sympathetic look. “We can’t deny it was you. We can’t deny you were over the limit either.”

“But I didn’t do it. I didn’t choose to get in that car…”

“I know.” Hastings says. “But we also have to play the game, thanks to Darius we’re all now under a lot more scrutiny.”

“So what, I have to pay the price regardless?” God, is he saying what I think he is, that I’m going to jail for this?

“You’ll be banned from driving for the next year. And you’ll have to submit to regular drug testing.”

I should feel relieved. I should feel like this punishment is okay, I mean, it’s not like I drove before so who cares if I can’t get behind the wheel again? But I do care. I feel fucking furious. Especially given the fact Hastings knows as well as I that this was a setup.

“What if they drug me again? What if I fail the test?” I ask, voicing the other concern I have. What if I agree to this and it only comes to bite me in the arse further down the road?

He narrows his eyes. “We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“How? They can still get to me, you can’t guarantee…”

“The test will not come back positive.” Hastings replies giving me a hard look.

My jaw drops. Hastings is always so damned straight I’m not sure I believe the unspoken words. That he’ll fake the results if necessary.

Roman crosses the room, standing beside me but far enough to not touch me. “I’ve got your back, Sofia. I’ll do whatever is necessary to protect you.”

“Yeah?” I retort and my anger flares once more. “Maybe start remembering who I actually am first.”

Sofia

“We’re so sorry Mr. Montague…”

I stare out the window, at the blank, desolate landscape beyond the clinic.

I’ve been back to this place more than a dozen times over the last year. I’ve been poked, prodded, examined more than I can count.

Apparently the surgery didn’t work again. Apparently I can’t be fixed.

My father snarls.

“What good is she to our family?” He asks. “What use is she to anyone?”

No one replies. No one seems to have an answer.

Maybe now they’ll all leave me alone. Maybe now I can return back to my life of hiding away, pretending I don’t exist.

“She’s not dying.” One of the nurse says. “This won’t affect her life in any way.”

My father turns, sending the entire contents of the side scattering to the floor. “You may be a nobody.” He snaps. “But my family, our name means something. I won’t have people believing that our genes are defective, that we are tainted…”

“It’s not hereditary.” The doctor replies. “It’s an incredibly rare condition…”

“And yet my daughter has it.” My father shouts pointing at me. “My daughter.”

“There really is nothing further we can do at this stage.”

I’ll admit those words have the complete opposite effect than they do with my father; they give me relief.

I let out a puff of air, leaning back into the chair. My feet don’t even touch the ground, they just dangle above it. Maybe all this surgery has stunted my growth. Maybe now that this chapter is closed I’ll be left to be a normal nine year old, at least as normal as someone like me can be.

“You’ll try again.” My father states. “One more time.”

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