Folding Hearts by Jennifer Foor Page B

know.
    “Over-crowding! He is ge tting out early on account of overcrowding . Do you believe this shit? He committed an act of violence and he is being let out six months early.” My brother was not too happy.
    “Honey, sit down!” My mother said as she sat down on the couch and waited for me to join her.
    “He beat the shit out of her. Does anyone else have a problem with this? I don’t care if he has had good behavior or some dumb shit that qualified him for an early release. This is horse shit, ” Conner slammed.
    The room was filled with sudden animosity and I knew whatever they were about to tell me couldn’t be good.
    “When does he get out?” I asked.
    “As early as three days from now.” My mother answered. “They said that you would receive a letter.”
    “You really think I am in danger?”
    “We have all made arrangements for you and Bella to go away for a while, at least until we can tell you aren’t in any imminent danger , ” My aunt explained.
    Tears filled my eyes. “Where am I supposed to go? How long? Is anyone goin’ to go with me?”
    “We have a place for you to go. It’s out of state and you will have help there. I have made arrangements for you to stay with family in North Carolina. They have plenty of room and you and Bella will be safe there. It isn’t forever honey, just until we know for sure that you are safe.” She looked over to her son Colt and gave him a quick nod. He and Van left the room without saying a word to me.
    “When do I have to leave?” I asked.
    “Tomorrow. We will help you pack up enough of your things before you make the trip, ” My mother explained.
    I started to really cry and my mother wrapped her arms around me. “I have never left home before. I don’t want to go. I don’t even know the people where I am goin’. This isn’t fair.”
    “You aren’t staying with strangers. You are going to stay with Tyler and his parents. They have a small farm and a carriage house that you and Bella will be comfortable in for the time being. Honey, this is temporary.”
    The only word I heard out of her mouth was Tyler. I was shaking so bad, but I definitely heard her right. “ You are sendin’ me to stay with Ty?”
    How could they want me to go stay with the one person they made a point to try to keep me away from?
    “Yes. I know it isn’t what you want, but just go there and lay low, at least until we can figure out if t here is anything to worry about, ” My mother suggested.
    My brother looked out the window . I could see him clenching his jaw. He didn’t like this idea one bit. “This is only temporary Randa. We just need to make sure this son of a bitch is not goin’ to be a problem for you. Give it a couple of weeks and then you can come home. ”
    For the next hour my family t ried to convince me that leaving was my best and safest option. It wasn’t like I was fighting them; I just wanted to be able to make my own decisions. When it was all said and done, the decision was final. Tomorrow mo rning I would wake up and pack as much as I needed and be on my way to a different state. By the time the discussions were done it was too late to call and talk to Ty about how his par ents really felt about me coming to stay with them. I was sure that the last thing they wanted was for a baby to be in the way of their everyday life.
     
    The next morning was hectic. My family got me up at the crack of dawn. They insisted that I drive Van’s new car instead of taking my own, on account of Tucker not being able to tell whether I was still in town or not. My aunt handed me a envelope full of cash and a new cell phone before I pulled out with a road map and a long trip ahead of me.
    I felt like I was going into a witness protection program. My family was famous for overreacting, but in this case, I wasn’t really sure what Tucker was capable of. I couldn’t take any chances when it came to Bella.
    It was hard to watch everyone kissing Bella goodbye, and it