Miriam sat in the back of the expensive black car that her parents owned her father driving and her mother in the passenger seat humming along to the church hymns playing through the car speakers. Miriam internally groaned, and rolled her eyes, she hated it this it was something that they always done on long car rides since she was a child and all it did was make her want to plug her ears and fall asleep for the four hour trip to the country.
It was then that the familiar churning started in,
"Ooooh no not now... why now isn't it bad enough that I puked this morning and Mum got all worried." She thought to herself has she felt the acid start to build up in the back of her throat.
"
Dad.... pull over please.", she muttered to her father.
Miriam's father raised an eyebrow and looked at her through the rear view mirror.
"
Can't it wait Miriam, we're almost there." He said back with a hint of disbelief.
Miriam's mother on that note turned and looked at her daughter. "
I don't know Arthur dear, I think you should pull over Miri looks a little green under the gills love."
"
Unless you want me to puke all over the bloody back seat I would pull over!" Miriam's voice rose finally.
Her mother gasped at her daughter's language and disrespectful way of speaking to her father and her father stifled his aggravation and displeasure pulling over with the tires screeching to a halt on the side of the country road. As soon as the car had stopped enough Miriam bolted out of the back door to a ditch bent over at her waist and proceeded to get sick on the side of the road. Her mother unbuckled herself, got out of the car behind her daughter. Gently rubbing her back Mrs. Denkley cooed until Miriam was finished.
"
Perhaps we should wait and take you to the doctor dear before you go to Fickleberry, I'd hate for you to be there a few days only to find out that you're sick and we have to make the trip out here to get you again. Then you have to deal with the drive being ill all over again." Her mother was obviously not as happy about sending her away as her father was.
Miriam shook her head, "
No... I'm fine, I think I'm just nervous is all. It's not everyday you're sent away from home."
Mrs. Denkley sighed, "
Well dear you know why we're sending you... it's for your own good love. Your father and I just don't want you to go down the path you were heading with that boy." She tried to hug Miriam who forcefully shrugged of her mothers arms and headed back to the car.
She sat down in the backseat again without a word, and her mother took her seat again in the car giving a sigh and then an almost pleading look at her husband.
"
Now, can we move on I don't want to delay this any longer I have to be back in home in time to prepare for my sermon for Sunday. Don't have any more time for foolish rot... am I understood." His voice was authoritative, and Miriam just sighed.
"
Yeah, fine Dad lets just go." She mumbled.
There were no other words just a nod from her father and the click of the gear shift moving from park to drive once again. It wasn't long till Miriam and her parents pulled up in front of Fickleberry Manor. It was a large farm house as far as she could tell as her mother chit chatted with owner of the place and her father took her suitcases from the trunk of the car.
He handed the two wheeled cases to Miriam, with a stern look on his face. "
Stand up straight, keep your nose clean, remember who's daughter you are and don't make a fool of your mother and I. Say your prayers, read your bible everyday, now I know there's going to be boys here but we can only be sure their a bunch of ruffians no better than that boy you got involved with. Stay away from them, do as your told, don't disrespect or talk back. If I have to come back and get you because of behavior you know the consequences." With that he turned on his heal and headed back to the car.
This wasn't anything new for Rev. Denkley, he was a strict man that only expected the best from his children... unfortunately none of them ever lived up to his expectations and Miriam was the only one he still had any contact with. Miriam just looked down at her feet trying not to cry, as her mother came up and forcibly hugged her. Miriam just stood there not taking her eyes off the wooden planks of the manors front porch.
"
We love you dear, be good and this will all be over before you know it." Mrs. Denkley kissed Miriam on the forehead and headed to the car as well. She stopped for a moment, with a look like she almost might have a second thought, but then she looked at her husband who gave her an aggravated look. Miriam's mother sighed sat down in the car, closed the door and the pair drove away.
Miriam began to feel the sting of tears in her eyes, but she wiped the quickly away so no one would see them. After she was told where to go, she made her way upstairs with her suitcases. As she was going up she heard a door slam and a girl come from the upstairs hallway. Miriam sensed she was upset and tried her best to stay out of her way as she passed, if there was one thing she learned living with her father it was best not to get in someone's way when they were upset. With a quiet knock she wrapped on the bedrooms wooden door, turned the knob and stepped inside.
"
Excuse me hello?" Her voice carried through the room as she looked around, she didn't want to walk in on someone changing or something like that.
She saw another girl in the room, sitting on the edge of her bed. "
Oh so there is someone else in here." Miriam glanced around the room.
There were a couple of bunk bed, one of the top bunks on the left was obviously taken. The girl who was sitting was sitting on a single bed. Miriam assumed that she must have got there first since she was lucky enough to score the single bed. She decided on the bottom bunk of the the bunk bed on the right side of the room. Miriam had never been a fan of bunk beds, and certainly not the top bunk so she was happy to be on the bottom.
Miriam looked at the dressers in the room chose chose one and next to her bed ad began to unpack her suitcases. It was almost like she was on autopilot she tried not think of the fact that her parents had forced her to come here. That her father was never going to let her come back home after this. It wouldn't be long till the truth would come out and Miriam would be abandoned by her parents forever. She felt the sting of tears in her eyes again as she slipped the now empty cases under her bed. Miriam couldn't take it anymore, the only thing she could do was try to be quiet so the other girl in the room didn't hear her. She crawled into her bed grabbed her stuffed bunny that she had, had since she was little and buried herself face first into her pillow, hoping it would muffle her crying.