Chapter VI - She's Mine

MARYBELLE'S POV

Time passed quicker than usual. Each morning had always went by faster than the wind and the next time I opened my eyes, it was the next day. It was always none the usual to me; time was nothing but an illusion, after all. The courtroom were eerie and cold, I hated it. The sharp eyes of the judge was engraved into my mind as the lawyer asked me certain questions that I found difficult to answer. I was nervous, shaking even, because I was so afraid to respond to anything. It was my dad's trial and not even a trace of remorse was written on his face, but rather, he was angry. I wasn't sure of what. Maybe it was because he got caught, or he was angry at me. As I spoke he never failed to give me a menacing and murderous stare, as if Daddy was thinking he should have just killed me himself when he had the opportunity. But fortunately, every time I couldn't answer, Levi and Cosette were always there to give me reassuring smiles and nods. I wish I could say the same for Mummy but she only looked at me intently, waiting for my response to the lawyer's question. Levi, my angel, also spoke up front, keeping a deadpan expression with little to no emotion on his face and answered his questions accordingly. I envied how calm he was at that moment. Levi definitely seemed like the type to despise social events but he definitely had no trouble speaking in front of a crowd.

Before I knew it, the trial was finished and Daddy was pleaded guilty, then sentenced to thirty years in prison. The second I heard that sentence, not once in my life had I felt so...relieved. God knew exactly what I needed and set me free from that monster of a man! I would no longer have to worry about him hurting me! After all these years, I was finally safe! However, my celebration was short-lived, for the second I walked out of that courtroom, all happy and giddy, I saw my mummy screaming at Levi and Cosette, going on about how they "didn't deserve to take me away from her."

"You evil cockroaches! How dare you try and steal my little girl away from me! I just got her back after all these years!" Mummy screamed at the two Churchill siblings. "Ann, my sister and I are just doing what is best for Marybelle!" Levi stated, his eyebrows furrowed. "Take a good look at yourself and your situation! Do you honestly think Mary deserves to be in the lifestyle you are currently in? You aren't even completely sober yet!"

"Don't you judge me for my circumstances! I don't give a damn who you are or what your status in life is! That girl is my daughter and she's mine! Just you see, once I win her over, I will get a proper job and I'll give her the world! Then I'll..." she paused, looking at the ground. "I will finally get clean..." Once their argument got heated, I was pulled into another room by a case worker as I tried to make sense of what was happening. Why were those three fighting just then? I knew Mummy didn't like Levi and his sister because I liked them. She always said not to get too "attached" to those two because I'd be going home with her anyway and that I would probably never see them again and she especially was not fond of the way I was calling Levi my angel. It saddened me a little when she said that because I adored those two greatly. They were so kind and nice enough to take care of me. And Levi, the first person to ever care despite never meeting me before. However...Mummy mattered more to me and I had to be with her. Daddy was finally behind bars, so this was my chance to finally be with her!

Setting that aside, once the kind female case worker pulled me away, she explained everything, about how a second court day could end in me either living with my mother or Levi and Cosette due to Mummy's "unfortunate" shortcomings in life, such as her financial situation and "addictions," whatever she meant by that, damn woman didn't even bother to dumb down her words for me. But hey, I never knew anything. Most of what she said was a blur to me but I understood one thing, and it was that there was a chance that Mummy and I won't actually be able to live happily ever after. A few tears escaped my eyes due to how sad I was with the news, especially because I couldn't properly understand just why we couldn't be together even if we were mother and daughter. But then, something hit me suddenly. I was upset, of course, but I thought as long as I would be with the two people who treated me so kindly, then I wouldn't mind that much. And even if Mummy didn't like those two, surely she would have wanted me to be happy even if we weren't going to be together! Right? I smiled at the thought that Levi, Cosette, and I, just the three of us, together in one house, maybe even a proper family!

However, on the day that court was held, things had gotten more heated than Daddy's trial. Mummy seemed to always look as if she was about to scream her lungs out and Levi had a murderous look in his eyes whereas to his usual stoic expression. Cosette always calmed him down as the two pleaded their case alongside my mother. The lawyer of the two siblings was a beautiful and elegant woman who had definitely seen everything she needed to see in court; she was confident in her words and knew how to push people over the edge. Mummy's lawyer was a young man who was fresh out of law school. Levi and Cosette had several arguments, one of which was that was that they believed I was unsafe under my mother's care. She had no job and was barely breaking out of her bad habits. And Mummy's argument was that she was my mother and I was her daughter. I thought those three were going to eat each other alive at any moment. Despite Mummy's lawyer having just recently finished school, he presented reasonable arguments, said all the right things, and was on par with the lawyer of the Churchill siblings. And it wasn't even all about who had the best lawyer, Mummy made it blatantly clear that she would change for the better and "give up everything" if it meant I could be with her.

However, at the end, I didn't think anything ended in anyone's favour, for the judge's final decision was that for the time being, I would be under the care of Levi and Cosette and I would only be allowed to return to Mummy once she gets a proper job and moves into a more "appropriate" and "safe" space that was an adequate environment for me.

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MARYBELLE'S POV

"This is bloody ridiculous, absolutely ridiculous!" Levi yelled angrily, carrying me in his arms, as he and his big sister exited the court district. "So what? We're just going to fucking babysit this kid while she runs around making more of a mess of her life?" To be honest, I didn't mind this current set-up we were in. I would get to be with Levi and Cosette for some time and soon I would be with my Mummy. I called it a win-win for me! "Levi, calm down or that mouth of yours shall be the death of you! In the end, we half achieved our goal. That is...something. Look, maybe during the time that Ann tries to get her life together, she will finally learn how to be a better person and a good mother. In the mean time, let's do what we can for this little girl," Cosette gently squeezed my cheek, making me giggle at her. "And either way, Mary is still Ann's daughter, so she has the right to her own child,"

I could feel Levi getting angrier. "Cosette!" exclaimed Levi. "Ann hasn't been there for Mary and has never bothered to check on her! The judge should have—" Cosette looked at him, cutting off her brother's sentence.  "Levi, we can argue about this later," Cosette frowned at Levi, a frightful look. "For now..." she finally turned to me. "Darling, why don't we visit some shops to pick out some toys, clothing, and other things for you?"

"Really?" I asked, excitedly. I haven't gotten any new toys nor clothes in years. "I would love that! Can I really get new things, Levi?" I looked at Levi with beaming eyes. The young man stared at me, unfazed. "Of course, it will help you settle into our house anyway," he simply shrugged. "Cosette, I should go back home and fix up a room for Mary, so you can charge me whatever amount you spend on her today,"

"You needn't pay me back, brother, I have my own money and I'd be more than happy to use it on her," said Cosette. "Do I need to pay you back, Cosette?" I asked, anxiously. "No, of course not, love," Cosette answered me, chuckling. "Get whatever you want later," After our short conversation at the entrance, we got to the car park and as I was about to enter inside the back seat of Cosette's car, Mummy came running to us yelling, "Wait!" We all turned around to her and saw her out of breath from all the running she did while Levi frowned upon seeing her again. Mummy stopped in front of us before clearing her throat. "My um...My Lords, let me talk to Mary one more time, please," she requested. The siblings look at one another, unsure, but I didn't give them any time to answer because I ran over to my mother excitedly before I embrace her in my arms. "Mummy! I can't wait to be with you again!" I beamed. My mother got on one knee down to my height and met eye to eye with me. For a moment, she simply stared at me, playing with my long hair. "Oh, baby, I will miss you. But for the time being, you have to stay with these...people, okay? Mummy just has to settle a lot of things but once I'm done, I will take you back and prove to everyone that I do, in fact, deserve you," Mummy said to me almost in a whisper.

"You can take your time, Mummy, and I'll be okay with Levi and Cosette. I've told you all about them, remember?" I smiled. "They are amazing people and I am looking forward to spend time with them! So, put your mind at ease okay?" Mummy looked at the two weirdly before whispering into my ear, "If they ever do anything bad to you, you tell me and I will have them arrested, alright?" to which I only nodded my head slowly. Eventually, Mummy gave me one final hug before walking away. "What did she whisper to you, kid?" Levi asked me. "That if you and Cosette ever do anything bad to me, I should tell her," I answered, making Levi scoff. "Rubbish," said he. "Well, that was the most interesting case in court I've ever seen," Miss Eponine suddenly appeared. We hadn't noticed her until then. Cosette looked at her sister, visibly surprised that she arrived and so was Levi. "Eponine," the older sister called the younger one.

"Mary, why don't you wait inside Cosette's car?" Levi suggested to me, not looking away from Eponine. I did as I was told and got into the back of the car as Miss Eponine stepped closer to her siblings. I watched the three from the window but I couldn't understand a thing they were saying, for their voices were muffled. I had memorized all of their faces by then including their scent and the feeling of their touch. I could tell all three were good people because none of them had any threatening or menacing auras but Levi felt the most different. In comparison to his sisters, his scent was the most "unique," as he constantly smelled of alcohol and his atmosphere felt the coldest. And yet, still no hostile aura from him. Levi was just the type of person who never let down their guard or opened their gate for anyone. Well, I didn't plan on having him opening it for me, no, I would break through myself and steal his love! Oh, and Cosette's too but I thought about it and maybe I had already achieved that. I hoped.

Anyway, the siblings all seemed calm and Levi, as per usual, had not a care for the world. So, it was safe to assume that they weren't fighting. I was glad about this because I noticed how tense the three were around each other. By the time Eponine left, Cosette got into the car and Levi waved goodbye to me before his sister drove us away. "Can I get McDonald's once we get there?" I requested. "Sure, if you'll be good," answered Cosette. "And if you fasten your seatbelt for me," I immediately abide obediently, as I really wanted that ice cream. "Cosette, how old are you?" I asked.

"I recently turned twenty-five last June. When is your birthday, Mary?"

"I'll be six this October twenty-six! How about Levi? How old is he?"

"Levi is currently twenty, but shall turn twenty-one on the twenty-fifth of December,"

"Blimey! His birthday is exactly on Christmas! That's positively amazing, Cosette! I wish my birthday was a holiday as well,"

"Well, Levi had never been too thrilled about it. In fact, he thinks his special day gets quite overlooked because his date of birth is literally on same exact day of such an important holiday. But for the most part, he's quite indifferent,"

"You know, you and Levi are both very attractive people! Especially you, Cosette, you have such a youthful glow! Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Um, well...I am with someone but they aren't exactly a boyfriend..."

"Pardon? What do you mean?"

"Never mind that! Thank you for your compliment, darling, you're too kind!"