Chapter Five "Everything Has a Reason"

     She rode with Linda to St. Bart’s the next day and waited outside for her friends. She was not quite ready for the long walk. Several girls stopped by and welcomed her back with hugs and kisses. They loved her new look and understood why she had to do it. There was no judgment from them.

     Just before Kelly and the clan showed up, Sarah saw her and stopped. She looked at Isabella with a big smile. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” She was in BTG attire. “You were right. This is so much better than before.”

     “I’m glad. You look so happy.” Isabella hugged her.

     “I am, and my mom wants to thank you for that.”

     “Oh, she doesn’t have to.”

     “No, she insists on it. I’ll see you later.”

     “Bye.”

     Isabella saw all her friends approaching and took them by the hand and went inside. It smelled the same, but it was different too. Sister Elizabeth stopped by and hugged her as did Sister Margaret.

     “I’ll be tagging along with you today.” Sister Margaret smiled. “I’ll carry your books and such until you are ready.

     “Thank you.” She looked at Margaret who smiled. “What?”

     She leaned down. “I love that outfit on you. It was always so different on Katie, but now you make it look natural.”

     “Thank you. I’m still not warm though.”

     “You should have worn three layers,” Kelly said. “I can…”

     “No…I’m good.” She smiled. “Let’s just go to class so I can sit down for a moment.”

     The students got used to how Isabella looked even those who did not care for her with, of course, one exception. While Isabella was in the hospital recovering, a wave of change swept over St. Bart’s once again led by Sarah. It was not that Sarah said a thing, it was simply what she did differently and that was being nice. Even her old friends noticed this change and liked it with the exception of one individual, Lucy Upshaw.

     At St. Bart’s when a child is being picked up by a parent in the car rider line, they do not go out the front door, they go to the back and wait in a series of areas based upon their grade level. Isabella, being a senior, went to the far side of the waiting area which has a series of picnic tables and benches near the cafeteria. She went and sat at the farthest table because it just so happened to be the closest one to the entrance where the cars came in, that way she could get into the car with Linda sooner and go home. She insisted on doing this herself her first day and sat alone trying to read her book. It was late October, and it was one of those days that you could be warm in the sun, but if you got in the shade, you began to freeze. Leaves on the trees were really beginning to give up for the season and falling off more and more and blowing around in the heavy gusts of wind that showered down out of the mountains. Isabella had hardly had time for her bottom to warm the bench seat of her table before she heard that voice once again.

     “You think we’re done? We’re not. I’m going to finally kick your ass once and for all and teach you to shut your face. I’ll break your jaw to make my point.” Yeah, it was Lucy.

     Isabella did not even look up. “I’m not going to fight you.”

     “Even better. That will make this even easier to do.” She bounced around a bit getting herself all worked up, but something was still holding her back.

     “You have to understand Lucy, that even if you beat me up, stomped on me, and send me back to the hospital, you would still be a very unhappy person. You’d have a moment within yourself of some kind of triumph, but it would all be fake. It would simply be a fantasy to believe that somehow beating me up would make you a better person. It’s a delusion.” She looked up.

     Lucy had stopped bouncing and was opening and closing her fists working herself up into a frenzy. She was not really listening. Her lips were moving, but she was not saying anything.

     “What you have to understand, Lucy is that I’m not your enemy.”

     “You’re not my friend.”

     “So what? Does that really matter?”

     “Yes.” She gritted her teeth.

     “What matters is what is inside you.” Isabella looked at her through her thin veil of material. Her eyes had a way now of cutting through a person even as they were somewhat hidden.

     “Don’t look at me.”

     “Why? Is it because I’m showing you that I’m not really afraid? Or is it that even this does not bother me? Your biggest enemy is not me. You were like this long before I stepped foot into St. Bart’s. All I did was move here because I had to. My father died. My mother returned to her old home. I had to come here.” She paused. “Everything in life is a lesson, Lucy…everything.”

     “No, it’s not.” She bit her lip.

     “I was told something quite different when I was dead.”

     At that statement, Lucy paused just enough that it even caught her off guard. “What?”

     “You heard me. I died in the hospital, and when I was dead, I was told some things, but I guess that doesn’t matter to you.” She looked back down at her book.

     “Bull…”

     “You can ask the doctors and nurses. I was dead. My heart stopped, and I stopped breathing for about twenty minutes or so. My brain had stopped working because of what happened to me in Atlanta.” She looked up again. “I’d be glad to tell you about it, but you’ll have to stop all this and actually listen.”

     “No…you’re just saying that, so I won’t kick your ass.”

     “You are being tested right now. Inside of you, there is a war waging that has been going on for most of your life long before I ever even stepped into it. It’s your war, Lucy. It’s not my war. Everyone wages this war within themselves. It’s just that some people win that war and change and mature and grow up and become who they are supposed to be while others lose that war and get taken over by the forces of the earth and die long before their bodies are even in the ground. You have a choice to make, and what you do now will determine the outcome of this war. If you choose to beat me up, you let that side of the war get a victory, but it also comes at a cost. There are always consequences to every choice, and you have to live with those choices. I was shown the consequences of my choices in my past, present, and future. I chose to live.”

     “But I don’t want you to live.” She was almost crying she was so upset.

     “Beating me up or even killing me won’t stop the war that is inside of you. You will simply find someone else to blame it on as you blamed it on Kelly or Amber or anyone else that was in your line of sight at any given moment. The blame game is simply that. It’s a game. You can’t win that game by constantly blaming others for what is inside of you. It’s not our war, Lucy. It’s yours.”

     “No…you did this to me.”

     “How? How did I do this when I’ve only been here about a month? You were like this long before I was even here. Does it even make sense to blame me for what happened to you in your life before I walked into it? No…it doesn’t. That is what I am talking about.”

     Lucy began to bounce around again and clenched her fist and was about to hit Isabella when a voice rang out. It was a familiar voice too.

     “You hit her, and I’ll make sure you never hit anyone ever again.” Sarah Jacobs walked out of St. Bart’s. She looked like a momma bear at the moment, and it almost looked like she had grown three inches all over.

     Lucy stopped long enough to realize that she was about to get a massive beat down on herself. She knew what Sarah could do to her because she had done it before when she was in a rage. She only did it once, but that memory floated right back into Lucy’s head. It was enough that Lucy stepped back and fell over the curb and landed squarely on her back. She knocked the wind out of herself and was left writhing on the ground. She had no one else to blame once again for her actions.

     Sarah came over to Isabella. “Are you okay?”

     “Yes.”

     “Did she hit you?”

     “No, Sarah, she did not, and I don’t think she was going to.”

     Sarah stared at her. “How do you know?”

     Isabella smiled at her and stood up. She took Sarah’s hand in hers and then rubbed her face with her soft hand. “My intuition was telling me that she was trying to figure out a way to stop and just go away, but she was having a hard time making that decision herself.”

     Sarah looked at her. “You are so smart. How did you get so smart?”

     Isabella blushed. “I’m no smarter than you Sarah. I just think differently than you. I am who I am…that’s just me.”

     “Well, I like you.” She hugged her. Then she rubbed her face gently with her fingers. “That is so soft. It’s weird, but at the same time, it’s you. You know some of the other girls were talking about it today. They thought it was weird, but then they began to like it a lot. Some of them said they were going to go home and try it.” She giggled. “You know superheroes dress like this all the time.”

     Isabella smiled. “I never thought about it that way, but you’re right. But I’m not a superhero. I’m just Isabella Dean.”

     “And I like Isabella Dean.” Sarah wiped a little tear from her face. “You know before you were nice to me, I didn’t like anyone…, especially myself. Now…” She began to cry.

     “It’s okay Sarah. I get it. Trust me, I get it.” She hugged her. “Thank you for being my hero.”

     Linda drove up and saw Lucy on the ground and got out. “Is everything okay?”

     “Yes.” Isabella turned. “You know my friend Sarah?”

     “It’s nice to meet you, Sarah.” Linda waved and looked at Lucy. She went over and helped her up.           “Are you okay?”

     Lucy cut all of them a look. “I’m fine.” She limped off toward town.

     “What’s with her?” Linda turned and looked at her then back at the two girls.

     “Long story.” Isabella smiled.

     “Well, I see you got through today. Let’s get you home.”

     “You need a ride?” Isabella looked at Sarah.

     “Thank you, but I can walk. I was just doing some work for Mr. Charles when I saw you out here. I’m glad I was late.”

     Isabella looked at her. “You were meant to be late. There are no accidents in the universe.” She smiled.

     “Really?”

     “Really, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

     “Bye.”

     With Halloween fast approaching, the friends were all scampering trying to figure out what they wanted to be. Amber decided it was her turn to host the annual party and sent out her invitations to everyone. The Collins family opened their house and yard to this event, but Isabella was not feeling the mood quite like the others were. It was not like she was moody about it, unlike Katie who did not like the idea of wearing a costume at all. Ever since her experience, she just did not feel any of the holidays that were coming up. She began to see them as more of a distraction to development than an aid to development. Amber finally settled down to talk to her about it.

     “So, whatcha thinking you’ll be for Halloween?” Amber was perky and had accepted what Katie had told her about Isabella, but she was not taking ‘no’ for an answer about the party.

     Isabella sat on the edge of her bed and shrugged. “I’m not feeling it. I was never a big fan of Halloween growing up. I didn’t have friends to dress up with, and mom and dad were always working. I used to just stay home and watch something on television.”

     “Wow…how exciting.” Amber was the queen of sarcasm when she wanted to be. “How about I help you pick a simple costume this year? Everyone’s going to want to see you, and would it be fair to them if you skipped out?”

     Isabella thought a moment. “What were your ideas?”

     “Well, seeing as how you’re wearing those all the time, I sorta figured we could incorporate that into a costume of some kind.”

     “I’m listening.” Isabella sat up a bit.

     “You could be a shadow and wear all black?”

     She thought a moment. “That’s an idea, but what else?”

     “You like fantasy as I do. You could dress as a white elf queen and wear an all-white outfit over your normal one. That would also help keep you warm. I can get a white wig and some ears and do you up real nice.” She smiled at Isabella with as big a grin as she could.

     Isabella thought a moment. “I want it with the same chest as these…you know…the little bra.”

     “Okay, we can do that.”

     “And I want long boots…you know…up to my thighs.”

     “Now you’re talking…but where are we going to get those?” Amber thought a moment. “I think I can find those here in town…yep.” She smiled. “What else?”

     Isabella looked at her. “You have to be a green elf.”

     “What?”

     “If I’m going to be all white and covered from head to toe, so are you. I want you to wear a nude outfit that includes your hair in a long ponytail wrapped in the same material. Then I want you in a green tunic with all the extras including green tights and long boots. We’ll be the pair.”

     Amber smiled. “I guess I can live with that.”

     “What were you thinking of being anyway?”

     “I wasn’t sure yet…a witch…Snow White…or even Alice from…

     “Alice in Wonderland…yeah I get it.” Isabella smiled. “I could see that. I could also see you as a Viking queen or a great Irish princess of old, but you’ll be a green elf with all the fixings…right?” She smiled again.

     Amber sat down. “I think I’ll need Kelly to make the headpiece a little bigger somehow so that I can get all my hair in it along with that braid you want.” She thought a moment. “I could wrap it in gold chains too along with some leather straps. That would be interesting…and cute. I also want my extra sleeve if I’m going to do all the rest.”

     “Me too…I mean…we might as well go all the way like it’s a real second skin or elf skin.”

     Amber laughed. “Then we’ll be distracted all night and not worry about a thing.”

     Isabella got up and hugged her. “You really are a good friend to me. You’ve been there when I need it.”

     “You’re going to make me cry.”

     “No, don’t do that. I don’t want that mascara all over the place.”

     “Funny.”

     That Friday before Halloween, Linda came with some exciting news for Isabella, she decided to remodel the entire attic and give it to Isabella as a place of her own. She also wanted her sister to have her own room again. It was getting difficult to have men over with someone sharing the same room let alone the bed. Isabella had already forgotten about the excursion she and Amber had up in the attic. One of the symptoms of her brain surgery was a bit of selective short-term memory loss. That also included some of the schoolwork that she swore she read or did, but it was either half-finished or she forgot what she had read. As a result of this, she started to go to extra classes during the day to work on her memory skills.

     While her physical body was practically back to normal, she was frustrated by these memory lapses. She thought that by being healed that these would be as well. It was during a quiet session at home that she heard a thought in her head about being patient. She realized that some of those memory losses were for a reason.

     Halloween finally arrived, and Amber walked Isabella back to her house to change. Isabella had gotten used to the attention her outfit got her from some of the boys, and she began to wonder if she would ever meet a boy who really understood her. Her feelings about boys and girls had gone through a transitional change as a result of her NDE. Seeing Jessica and Katie together really helped even more than seeing Kelly and Brent together.

     Amber had her sit in her room while she set out all of the costume parts and separated hers from Isabella’s. She got dressed first after a quick shower and shave cleaning up any stubble, especially in the bikini area. She sat on the edge of her bed and slid on her special bottoms letting Isabella watch her as she made herself look like a true second skin in all areas. She put on a robe and let her mother braid her hair adding golden strings to it to hold it together. Then she slid on the new top that had an extra little patch added to it so that it stretched more to encompass her hair and not squeeze her face too much. She wanted her face to look natural in the nylon mask with it hugging her more than squeezing her, especially her nose. Her little bra was a nice touch as well making it look very much like a second skin. Then she put on the green tights and tunic. The boots made her nearly explode with excitement she loved them so much. They were very long almost to her crotch. Then she got out a little toy and smiled at Isabella. “I need this tonight.”

     “I’m not judging”

     She slid it under the green tights and into the sleeve between her legs. She pulled the tights back up, and it was perfectly hidden. She added some leather gloves and some fake ears that were held in place with an elastic band hidden under her little hat. She picked up a walking stick that she bought and was ready. “Your turn.” She sat down and giggled as the toy moved as she moved.

     Isabella took off her wig and put on the white outfit over her nude one that was the same as Amber’s. She pulled out a toy from her purse and giggled. “I’m not letting you have all the fun.” She put on her gloves which were white satin. Then she added a white wig and looked like snow in some ways. It was the effect she was looking for. Her eyes were hidden just enough under the two layers to add a lot of mystery to the costume. “Ready?”

     “Yep. Let’s go see who’s here.” Amber led the way downstairs and found Jessica and Katie already there.

     Jessica was dressed up as a Sixties flower girl in a very short mini skirt that barely hid her secret package. There were a few times when Isabella and Amber got a bit more of a look than they expected as she danced around swinging her hips letting the dress climb up passed the safe zone level. Isabella got a full flash when Jessica got frisky with Katie who lifted her dress for fun. They thought they were alone. Isabella laughed, and they fixed it. “You should have a license for that thing.” She came closer. “I’m surprised you don’t choke on it.” She whispered to Katie.

      “Never.” She whispered back. She was dressed as a mystic with a long dark cloak that covered her face. She did not wear a wig under it, and she wore a black outfit over her usually nude one to add some mystery to it.

     Kelly and Brent dressed up as Mick Fleetwood and Stevie Nicks from Fleetwood Mac copying the cover of their Rumors album. It was a big hit for the parents who were there. Kelly knew it would be, and it let her wear something she really loved. Brent seemed to be very excited by the whole thing all night.

     Ashley and Mark showed up as a pair of dice complete with white tights and white shoes along with two big white boxes painted like a pair of dice. They did not have much more than that on with a white sweatshirt on top. Mark could not keep his eyes off of her or Isabella all night. Isabella thought she would dress up as a butterfly as a joke, but she got too nervous about that idea and switched at the last minute. Although she did tell Isabella that the hidden butterfly was still very much there.

     John and Tony came as two magicians and could hardly keep from flirting all night. It was pretty obvious what they had on under their dress black pants since they were excited most of the night.

Isabella did a lot of people-watching knowing things about them. She was fascinated at their obvious desires that the adults tolerated to a degree. Dr. Collins was far stricter about physical contact than Dr. Simpson. Isabella found it humorous how he tried to use Catholicism as a means to dissuade their desire to want to have personal contact with each other. She also found it interesting how Amber was one of the horniest of the bunch wiggling around with a hidden toy stuck inside of her while dancing and having fun. She noticed how Amber would rock while she sat knowing what she was doing and why she was doing it. It just made her laugh the whole time. On top of that, Amber let it be known that she learned that trick from her mother by accident while walking down the hallway and seeing her through her open bedroom door. She told Isabella that she used an even bigger one and kept it well hidden throughout the day.

     Then she saw something that really struck her how things had changed in such a short amount of time. Sarah was there dressed as a fairy, and she had obviously lost quite a bit of weight pretty quickly. She had on a purple leotard with pink pantyhose along with ballet flats and a golden wand. She had her hair up in a tight bun with a tiara and a bit of glitter on her arms and face. She looked so different. She complemented her on the look and asked about the choice of leotard. Isabella felt it was a bit skimpy in front for such a public party. It was very narrow and had high leg holes that required her to wear the special pantyhose that Kelly made for all the girls. It was also obvious that she had to get a complete wax job so that nothing dark showed through the thin leotard material. She liked the attention she was getting from some of the boys especially Amber’s brother, Jacob. He latched himself onto her almost immediately when he did not recognize her. She really looked different and losing so much weight made her feel less shy around him. She watched as they peeled off from the group to hide in the backyard away from Dr. Collins.

     As the night wore on, Isabella felt the fatigue of the day beginning to hit her when Amber strolled back up to her. She had been hanging out with several people before getting back to Isabella who had been enjoying just chatting with everyone.

     “You want to go for a little walk?” Amber sounded energetic.

     “Where?”

     “It’s not bad outside. We could go look at decorations around and see what’s what. Can you handle that?”

     “I have my phone just in case I get too tired…sure.” Isabella got up and followed Amber out the door and along the sidewalk. They strolled down toward Kelly’s house looking at all the Jack-o-lanterns and ghosts and such. There were so many houses decorated that they lost track of where they were going.

They finally stopped downtown near an old warehouse. Amber giggled to herself. “My dad owns about four apartments here.”

     “Really?”

     “Yeah, he rents them out to graduate students. He makes pretty good money off of his adventures. He owns some here and across town too. You want to see one?”

     “Sure…you got a key?” Isabella thought for a moment she would not.

     “As a matter of fact, I do.” She smiled under her veiled face. “Follow me.” She led Isabella down another block and turned.

     It was near a dark corner that the building came into view. Amber pointed, and as she did, they heard a commotion in an alley across from them. Thinking it was an animal, they were about to leave when two girls appeared out of the alley looking for help. They were waving at Amber and Isabella for assistance when a man came up from behind them and grabbed them. They could not run because their legs were chained together.

     “Should we call the cops?” Amber asked.

     “You call.” And as she said that Isabella instinctively bolted across the road. Her legs and body were filled with adrenaline.

     “Stop!” Amber’s voice was swallowed by the night air.

     Isabella did not even think. She ran at the guy and immediately belted him across the jaw with her boot knocking him out. His glass chin was his downfall. Another guy ran up to her, but he was no better. He thought he could take her, but he was wrong. She was even more fleet of foot than ever working on intuition and skills that she had no idea she had. She used the heel of her hand to hit his nose in an uppercut that broke it and sent him against the wall in a spatter of blood.

     The two girls ran up to her. “Ángel! Ángel!” They yelled.

     Amber ran up behind her. “They think you’re an angel, Isabella.”

     “We need to get them out of here.”

     “They are pointing at that truck.”

     “What is it?”

     The two girls made them follow them to the back of a large semi-trailer. The back was open, and inside it was filled with young girls of various ages. Amber nearly panicked.

     “Did you call 911?”

     “Yes.”

     “Let’s get them out of here. You still have your key, right?”

     “Yeah.”

     “Let’s get them to that apartment and wait there. You start with those two. I don’t think the rest of them are tied up.” Isabella went up the ramp and started getting them to follow her. One girl knew English and figured out what they were doing and helped get the girls moving. They ran out of the alley while kicking the men as they went. The two men did not move. They just fell over in the alley and lay there.

     Amber fumbled with the key and then opened the door. It was a large space with enough room for all the girls. Amber shut the door behind them and locked it. She turned to Isabella. “What the hell did we just do?”

     Isabella was not speaking. She was stunned for a moment.

     “What is it?”

     “Déjà vu…really bad déjà vu.” She rubbed her head and sat down next to one of the girls who held her hand.

     Another girl walked up to her and rubbed her arm and face gently. They kept calling Isabella an angel in Spanish while smiling and looking at Amber too. Some of the girls rubbed on Amber as well.           “What have we done?” Amber looked confused.

     It was not long before blue lights began to flood the streets outside. Amber waited a moment then looked out the window. She saw the police looking at the men. “I’ll be right back.” She went out and was gone a while leaving Isabella thinking really hard about some of the things she had seen during her NDE. She had experienced this before but differently.

     The door opened, and Amber stepped in with two officers. One was in plain clothes while the other was in a heavy black uniform loaded with radios, guns, and a large vest. The plain-clothed man walked up to Isabella. “I’m Detective Cruz, Tony’s dad. What’s going on here?” He looked around at all the girls.

     Isabella stood up. “I’m Isabella Dean, and I think Amber and I just busted a human trafficking ring.”

     Detective Cruz looked at her a moment and thought. “I can’t argue with that, but we do have some investigating to do. How many girls are there?”

     “I don’t know. We just had them follow us up here and sit.” Isabella felt a wave of anxiety begin to grow in her gut and move up to her heart. “Can I sit a moment? This is a lot to…”

     “Yes.” He took her by the arm and sat her down next to a petite Asian girl whose hair was disheveled, and her eyes looked lost. She had on rectangular glasses with dark frames. Her eyes were like a dark grayish blue. She had a beautiful face that was caught up in fear and confusion and yet seemed to be calming down as she realized where she was.

     Isabella put her head down and caught her breath. She sat back up and looked at the girl next to her. “Do you understand me?”

     The girl nodded and looked at her. Her eyes looked frightened. She leaned up next to Isabella’s ear. “I’m scared.”

     “So am I.” Isabella looked around. “Do you know how many there are?”

     “Last count…about 65. It’s hard to say because they are always taking girls here or there and adding new ones, but I think I’m right.” She looked at Isabella and managed a smile.

     “What’s your name?”

     “Michi.”

     “You have a nice accent. Where are you from?”

     “I was born in South Korea, but I was living in California until about six weeks ago.” She looked at Isabella and held her arm. “These are soft…I like it.”

     “Are you the only one who speaks English?”

     “No…there’s a girl over there.” She pointed to three girls who looked alike as in familial relations. “The older one speaks English very well. I think she told me she was from Mexico but had been here in the United States for a long time.” Michi looked around. “Her name is Margaretta. There are girls here from Mexico, Colombia, Honduras, Nicaragua, Brazil, China, and Taiwan…that I know of. Some of them only speak enough to know where they were from…so many of them grew up in this…” Michi almost cried. “I…I don’t know what to say except thank you for what you did, but I’m afraid they’ll come after you now.” She looked down.

     “What do you mean by that?”

     Michi looked at Isabella. “The last time someone tried to rescue us, they shot them…all of them in front of us.”

     Isabella smiled. “I’m not afraid of death. I’ve already done that.”

     Michi looked at her. “What?”

     “Long story…” She looked up. “Detective Cruz?”

     He turned and walked over. “What is it, Isabella?”

     “My new friend here, Michi, said that a girl named Margaretta speaks English. She can help translate if you don’t find anyone else, and that there are girls here who only speak their native languages like Chinese, Thai, and…” Isabella looked at Michi.

     “Portuguese…”

     “Yeah…Portuguese.”

     He thought a moment. “We’ve called several social workers to come here.”

     “Michi is also afraid that they’ll target me.”

     “We’ve already alerted your aunt and mom. Amber has been very helpful with that. Her dad is on the way here too.”

     “Have you thought to call St. Bart’s? Sister Elizabeth and Sister Margaret could be very helpful. These girls are going to need a place to stay, and I know there’s got to be rooms at the rectory or convent.”

      “Thank you, Isabella. I’ll do that, but we have a place in mind that the social workers can use. It’s a safe house just for these situations.”

     “Michi also said there are about 65 girls.”

     “Yes, we did a head count. There are.” He looked at Michi. “You look older than the other girls.”

     “I am…I’m 19.”

     “Really?” Isabella looked at her.

     “I was in college in California…my parents…well, my mom sent me here after my dad was killed in Iraq. He was a Lieutenant in the US Army. We were still living in Seoul when we found out. My dad was American, and my mom is Korean.”

     “I’m so sorry.” Isabella held her hand.

     “That means you can decide whether to stay with us or somewhere else.” Detective Cruz looked at Michi again. “Why don’t we take care of the other girls first? You just hang out with Isabella for now until we know where we stand with all of this. I was told they were still doing a sweep of the building where they were taking the girls.” He pointed across the street. “We’re going to use this apartment as a holding space until we get an all-clear.” He looked at Amber. “Your friend Amber seems to be very helpful. She’s grabbing up as much food as she can and handing it out.”

     “You want us to help?”

     “That’s up to you. I know you are still recovering from surgery…Tony likes to gossip a bit.” He smiled at her.

     “Yeah, all of this is a bit much. We just wanted to go see Halloween decorations and wandered down here to take a break.”

     “Some break.” He tapped her head and went back to talk to the other officers.

     “Surgery?” Michi asked.

     Isabella sighed. “Yeah, I had to have emergency brain surgery a few weeks ago.”

     “Is that what you meant when you said you weren’t afraid to die?”

     “Yeah…I did…for a moment.” She squeezed Michi’s arm.

     Michi looked at her. “Um…I have a confession that I just want to make to you now before we talk much more.”

     “Oh?”

     “Yeah…you see…I was born…well…a boy.”

     “Okay. That’s okay. One of my best friends is a transgender…boy to girl…her name is Jessica…Jessica Henderson. She’s one of the first friends I met here in Asheville. Besides Amber, she’s probably my closest friend.”

     “Really?”

     “Yeah…so…what made you…you know…”

     “Want to be a girl?”

     “Yeah.”

     Michi thought a moment. “I always liked dressing like my favorite American girls I saw on shows, and my mom…well…Korean women almost always wear what you have on.”

     “Pantyhose?”

     “Yeah, and I started wearing them when I was really little…I was four when I tried them the first time. I used to wear my mom’s all the time…of course, they were too big on me, so I wore them almost like you. Then when I was about seven, I told my mom I wanted to be a girl. My dad was upset of course, but he went off to war. I only saw him a couple of more times before he was killed.” She looked at Isabella. “He was a big man…I didn’t get those genes.” She laughed. “He was also black, and I certainly didn’t get those genes. I favor my mom a lot except for one thing.” She smiled.

     Isabella looked at her. “What does that mean?”

     Michi blushed. “I’m short and have a girl’s figure. I always did. I didn’t need to take hormones for that, but I got my dad’s…well…you know…” She gave Isabella a little smile.

     “Oh…oh…” She smiled back. “So, you’re packing a large package?”

     “You could say that…a really, really large package, and that is why I think they took me.” She sighed. “I was really stupid in college. I was all over social media showing it off…it was so stupid. I had a couple of accounts that I was warned about, but I was stubborn about it. I posted some graphic pictures of myself in dresses with it holding up the dress or me playing with it.” She sighed again. “Then I decided to answer a message and go meet someone. I mean I was a trans girl who was not getting a lot of dates, so I went. That’s when they took me. I was knocked out and woke up somewhere in Texas I believe. Then we hit the road again…now I’m here.”

     “Do you need to call your mom?”

     Michi sat there a moment. “I can’t.”

     “Why?”

     “She disowned me when she found my pictures online. She and I got in a huge argument, and now I’m alone.”

     Isabella hugged her. “No, you’re not. You got me now.”

     “Thank you.”

     The next few hours were a rush of police questions and interviews. Isabella ended up in the station and then was released with her mother and aunt. She waited to hear about Amber who went with her parents, then she waited to hear about Michi. They finally left the station at almost three in the morning and took Michi with them upon Isabella’s insistence. The other girls were slowly taken to the safe house.

     Sister Margaret came and talked to the girls for a long time. She had enough Spanish in her to learn their names and where they were from. They also found translators for the other girls so that they could figure out what to do with them. Then came the reality that most of them were like Michi except Margaretta and her three sisters and a few other biological girls. They ranged in age from five to nineteen. Most of them had been sold into slavery by their parents, so that figured in their decision to keep them in Asheville. Then came the conversations about adoptions or foster care. Dr. Collins and Dr. Simpson both volunteered to take in some of the girls while they were there. Dr. Simpson came with the Collins family once the word got out. He had been to Mexico and Central America several times on missionary trips and wanted to help as much as possible. He knew the severity of the situation.

     Isabella got home with a quiet ride with no questions from her aunt or mom until they walked into the house. She helped Michi find her way to the bathroom before she went to the kitchen.

     “What were you thinking?” Her mother was sipping a glass of wine.

     “I didn’t. It was so quick…I just reacted.” She looked at Linda.

     “You seem to do that.” Linda hugged her. “Look, sis. Why don’t I…”

     “No…Isabella…I can’t take much more of this…”

     “What?” Isabella asked. “Me?”

     “No…that’s not what I meant…I mean…it’s just been so much…first your dad…then you…now this…I just.”

     “Mom?”

     She looked up at Isabella.

     “Do you want to hear what happened to me in the hospital? Are you ready to listen to me this time?”

     “She is even if I have to sit on her and make her listen.” Linda gave her sister a stern look. “You need to hear this…you do.”

     “Fine.”

     Isabella moved over and took her mom’s hand. “When I was in surgery…I died.”

     “I…I know.”

     “But you don’t know what happened to me. I left my body…I saw dad on the other side, and he wanted to tell you that he loves you and that he was sorry about how things ended between you two. I didn’t know you were asking for a divorce.”

     “What?” Linda asked.

     “Yes Linda, mom wanted a divorce, and dad understood…well, when I spoke to him…well, it wasn’t that I spoke, it was more that we communicated through our minds. I didn’t speak over there. Everything was thought. It was beautiful. Dad was at peace…is at peace now. He understands the mistakes that he made with you and with me. I forgave him, and you need to forgive him, mom. It’s not good for you to harbor all of this resentment toward him or anyone for that matter. When I came back, I wasn’t the same…you should be able to see that for yourself. I’m a different person now because of it.”

     Her mom looked at her. “I just don’t know if I can.”

     “I can help you if you’ll let me. I was shown so many things about my life and how things could be one way or another based on my choices, and I want to help you understand that. You can only change yourself, mom. I love you, and I want us to have a better relationship than what we used to have. It isn’t just about this.” She pointed to her outfit. “It’s a lot of things.”

     Her mom stood up and finally hugged her. “I love you too Isabella, and I’m so damn sorry about everything.”

     Isabella looked at her. “I believe you.”

     “What are you going to do with Michi?” Linda asked.

     Isabella let her mom go and stood there a moment thinking. “She’s going to stay with me. I always wanted a sister.” She knew they did not know that Michi was a transgender yet, but she was not thinking about that so much. “She can borrow some of my clothes until we go shopping. She really needs a safe place.”

     Linda looked outside. “We have a couple of cars outside watching the house.”

     “Yeah, I figured we would.” Isabella sighed. “I did what I did because I had to. I can’t explain it any better than that.”

     “I think I understand.” Linda gave her a peck on the cheek. “You are a good girl.”

     “Thank you.” She turned and left. She found Michi standing in the hallway waiting. She gave her a quick tour of their house before showing her to her room.

     “Do you need to shower?” Isabella offered her a robe.

     “Yes…thank you.”