Lost and Found (A Novel) (20 page)

Wynne let out a breath of relief at the timely aid that came. He watched as they surrounded Dale and handcuffed him. There was a mix of emotions on Dale’s face. He did not understand what had caused Dale to attack Caelie. For all the years that they had been friends, he had never thought that Dale could even be capable of doing this. As Dale was being led away, he turned towards Wynne. Gone was the menacing look that had marred his face earlier. In its place now was the old Dale whom Wynne had always known, one whom he had trusted enough to aid him in his search for Hayley.

CHAPTER 15: 5 YEARS AGO

Hayley stood at the porch beside the young social worker, waiting to see the new family that would offer her temporary refuge in their home. Since being placed under custody of the state at the age of eight years old when her mother was convicted and her father suffered permanent brain damage, she had been moved from one foster family to the next. Initially she had been excited to meet a new family and each time she hoped that it would be the last family she would be placed in. As years went by, the harsh reality had begun to set in and now, at the age of 14, she had learnt not to harbor any expectation of being taken in permanently as a foster daughter. Even her case file had been passed from one social worker to the next that she no longer bothered to learn any of their names.

“Don’t worry, they are a nice bunch of people. They will treat you well while you are here.”

The social worker’s soft voice drifted to her ears. Hayley looked up at the immaculately dressed woman and gave her a small smile. That was the exact same thing that the woman’s predecessors had told her before. Yet, Hayley knew better. There were the occasional families who treated her nicely but most of them were either indifferent or treated her more like a helper than a foster daughter. All Hayley could do was to grit her teeth and bear with it until she was shipped off again to a new family and the cycle repeated. Of course, the social workers were all oblivious to this fact since they only showed their pleasant side whenever the social workers were around. Otherwise, they may have their allowance for taking care of a foster child forfeited. The only thing that kept Hayley going was the knowledge that once she turned 18, she would be recognized legally as an adult and would be able to live on her own.

The door swung open to reveal a plump woman who looked to be in her fifties with curly shoulder length white hair holding a feather duster. She smiled widely when she saw them on her porch.

“Well, hello there. You are right on time. Come on in.” The plump woman ushered them into her house.

The social worker stepped in first, followed by Hayley. Hayley took a quick glance around the house, surveying the place that she would have to call home for now. The living room was relatively neat, the feather duster a proof that the plump woman had been cleaning her house in preparation of their visit. The house had a cozy feel to it although it was rather on the small side. Hayley had lived in worse conditions so this was already considered good enough for her.

“Take a seat and make yourselves comfortable while I get us some drinks and snacks.” The woman made to move to the kitchen but was stopped by the social worker who had an apologetic look plastered on her face.

“It’s okay, Mrs. Fracasso, you don’t have to go to all that trouble. I have another appointment in a short while so I won’t be able to stay for long.” The social worker gave a regretful smile.

“Oh well then, let’s sit down, shall we?” The woman sat at the sole armchair in the living room.

Hayley took a seat at the sofa next to the social worker, clutching her small backpack of belongings on her lap and waited to be introduced.

“Okay, we have already gone through the formalities and paper work with you last week so there’s nothing else that needs to be done for now. This is Hayley Price, as you would have already known,” the social worker motioned towards Hayley, who nodded and smiled politely, “and she will be placed under your care effective today.” Turning to face Hayley, the social worker motioned towards the woman seating opposite them, “Hayley, this is Mrs. Delia Fracasso, your new foster mother.”

“Hello, Mrs. Fracasso.” Hayley greeted her as was expected of her to do, extending her hand for a handshake.

Instead of taking her hand, the woman stood up from her armchair and pulled up Hayley into a hug. “Oh, you don’t have to be so formal dear. Just call me Delia. It’s good to have you with us.” Pulling apart, she held Hayley at arms length, smiling as her eyes traveled over Hayley as if assessing her.

“Uh, sure Delia.” Hayley said awkwardly, uncomfortable under her scrutiny.

The social worker took this as a cue for her to make her exit and stood up. “Now that we are all acquainted, I will have to take my leave.”

Both Hayley and Delia walked the social worker to the door. “Okay Hayley, this will be your home now. Take care and behave yourself. I’ll be back in a month’s time for a visit.” Hayley nodded and waved as she watched the social worker walked down the path towards her car.

“Right Hayley, first thing first, let’s go up to your room so you can get settled down, unpack and wash up.” Delia turned and walked towards the staircase with Hayley following close behind. They walked until they reached the last door on the second floor. Delia pushed the door opened and Hayley stepped in. A smile formed on her lips as she saw the way the room had been set up. Delia chuckled at Hayley’s reaction. “I’m glad you like the room.”

Hayley nodded her head happily. “It is wonderful of you to prepare the room for me. Thank you Delia.”

“Don’t mention it, we are a family now. I’m sure you are tired from traveling here so if you want, you can lie down and take a nap. Both my husband and son are out at the moment. I’ll introduce you to them during dinner.” Delia gave another smile before exiting the room and closing the door behind her, leaving Hayley to the privacy of her room.

Hayley took the time to survey her entire room. Throughout the time that she was under the foster care system, this was the first that she had been given her own room. It was probably because the Fracassos only have a son and there was no way that they would want her to share a room with their son, she reasoned. Her body was aching from the long car ride and the bed seemed to be calling out to her but she did not want to appear rude on her first day.

After doing some light unpacking of her belongings and taking a quick bath in the bathroom that was situated at the end of the second floor hallway, Hayley made her way down to the kitchen. Delia was already starting to prepare for dinner. “Can I help?” Hayley picked up the knife and vegetables that have been washed and started to chop them.

Delia turned to watch Hayley. “It’s okay dear, don’t trouble yourself.” The smile was evident in her voice. Delia was not expecting Hayley to know how to cook at that age, especially given the circumstance that she was in. There was no one to teach her how to cook. Her face turned surprise when she saw the way Hayley expertly handled the knife at the chopping board.

“No problem, Delia. I’ve been doing these things since young.” Hayley threw a smile at Delia.

Delia gave out a sigh. “It’s so good to have you around Hayley.” She chuckled and shook her head as she turned back to her cooking. She had always longed for a daughter who could help her with household chores but she had only been able to bear a son. Not that she was complaining, her son had always been her bundle of joy, though lazy when it comes to doing housework. And so, she had resigned herself to doing things by herself, not expecting any help even when Hayley had first arrived.

Later that evening, Hayley finally met Delia’s husband, Hugh Fracasso and 20 year old son, Dale Fracasso. Like Delia, Hugh was a pleasant man in his fifties who insisted she call him by his first name. He was also a man of few words who preferred to listen to the bantering between his wife and son, only joining in the conversation once a while. Dale on the other hand, was the joker of the family. He was a typical young man who was cheeky and liked to tease. Hayley was glad at the ease with which they embraced her as part of their tight-knit family.

It did not take long though for Hugh to show his true self. Hayley soon realized with disappointment that his pleasant quiet self was just a mask of the monster that lied beneath. A few days after the social worker’s visit a month since Hayley started living with the Fracassos, Hugh started to show a growing interest in her in a way that raised her caution level. From what happened with her father, Hayley knew the telltale signs that would lead to a more despicable act. Whenever he thought that they were alone, Hugh would leer at her and attempted to hug and even kiss her but each time, Hayley had managed to squirm away. She had made it a point never to trap herself in a situation where she would be alone with Hugh, which was tough, since Dale was hardly ever at home and she could not possibly leech unto Delia the whole time. She had tried explaining her discomfort of Hugh’s affections to Delia but was chastised instead for being too suspicious. To Delia, Hayley was like the daughter that both she and her husband had longed for and so, it should not come as a surprise that Hugh would be particularly affectionate towards Hayley.

Things took a turn for the worse when Delia walked in on Hugh lying on top of Hayley who was only clad in a towel on Hayley’s bed. If Delia had came in a little earlier, she would have seen Hayley trying to fend off Hugh’s advances and tripping over her bed, causing Hugh to topple on top of her. Off course, Delia refused to believe such coincidences and the fact that Hayley was only in a towel did not help matters either. Hayley could have kicked herself for being so careless that day. She had always made sure that she brought a change of clothes whenever she took a shower but unfortunately, she had dropped her clothes on the wet floor and had no choice but to wrap a towel around her body. She had practically ran to her room but Hugh was faster and had slipped in before Hayley could lock the door behind her. Since then, Delia’s opinion of Hayley had changed. She acknowledged that her husband was no saint but it did not take one hand to clap. If Hayley had not flaunted her body, Hugh would never have succumbed to such desires. Arguing would only make matters worse and since Hugh had stopped his harassment, Hayley chose to let it slide.

Dale did not know what had transpired during his time away from home but he noticed that his family was no longer the way they used to be. The relationship between his parents seemed strained and Hayley had also grown silent. Not that she was talkative previously but at least she could hold a conversation with his mother. Nowadays, she hardly ever uttered any words and even more strange, Delia also appeared to be ignoring Hayley. It was not until one night when he overheard a heated argument between his parents that he pieced the story together and made his own assumptions.

So, it was because of Hayley, he fumed. Angrily, he stomped towards her room to confront her. Hayley’s door was slightly ajar, a strip of light spilling into the dark hallway. Tiptoeing closer, Dale peeped into the room. Hayley was lying on her stomach on the floor reading a magazine. Her curly pale blonde hair fell lightly over her face. The soft yellow light from the table lamp cast a soft glow to her face. That was the first time that Dale really looked at Hayley and saw the beauty that she was. The anger that he felt simmered slightly, replaced by complete lust. If Hayley could seduced his father who was already so old, then Dale had no qualms finishing what his father could not. Licking his lips, Dale stepped into her room, closing the door behind him.

Hayley looked up when she sensed movement at the door. Her eyes widened in shock when she saw Dale standing, watching her eerily.

“My...my...Hayley. I never did notice what beautiful eyes you have. Your crystal eyes could certainly charm any man you want, so why my father, pray tell dear Hayley?” Dale said mockingly.

Hayley hastily stood up, crossing her arms together, suddenly feeling that her pajamas was too flimsy. “You’ve got it wrong, Dale. I did not seduced your father. He tried to take advantage of me.” She tried to sound firm but her voice still came out shakily.

“Oh, is that so?” Dale’s eyes traveled the length of her body. “Hmm...with that body of yours, I’m sure every men would not pass up the chance to take advantage of it.”

“Dale!” Hayley gasped. She could not believe that Dale would say such things to her. She had thought that her ordeal with his father was over, now she had to deal with his son, who seemed to be equally bad, if not worse.

“Enough! I didn’t come here for a chit-chat. If you are so desperate as to create a rift between my parents with your slutty behavior, then let me show you a good time.”

With the blink of an eye, Dale had already crossed the room and pinned Hayley down on the floor. Hayley struggled, thrashing her arms about and kicking at him in an attempt to throw him off her but Dale was far too strong. Hayley started to scream before swiftly being cut off when Dale covered her mouth with his hand. “Shut up!” He hissed, pulling her hair and knocking her head a few times on the floor. Hayley’s muffled cries could be heard through his hand. “Ouch!” Hayley bit down on his hand hard, causing him to let go off his hand. Hayley took the opportunity to scramble away from him. “Come back here!” He shouted, grabbing Hayley by her hair and pulling her towards him. His other arm snaked around her body, holding her tightly against him to prevent her from running away again.