Chapter Three, The Getaway

            I run as fast as I can in the opposite direction of my house toward town. I need to get as far away from my uncle as I can. I have no idea where I’m going just yet, but I have to find a place to regroup my thoughts on what to do after I knew I was out of immediate danger. I keep running till I get to a part of the woods near a park I used to go to when I was a kid.

I get into the tree line then collapse to the ground on my hands and knees. I'm gasping for air; my body hurts, and I feel helpless. I sit back on my butt, resting my back against a tree as I slow my breathing down. I was fooling myself if I thought I could do this on my own. I had no money, no place to go, and no one I could go to that my uncle wouldn’t come looking for me. 

I start to cry all over again as I think about what just happened. My uncle turned on me like I was a stranger. I have to get out of this town if I want to survive this nightmare. I need answers, and I knew it was a lost cause to try to find any right now. It would only lead me back to him, and I couldn't let that happen. I sit and cry for what seems like a few minutes when I hear a car pull up. I lean past a tree to see a silver car parked near the park entrance. I watch two men get out of a car wearing long black coats like the two men I saw the night before in the alley.

This had to be a coincidence. I have never seen them before, and my uncle was not with them. What would these men want with me? I freeze in fear that they could find me if I make the slightest sound. I’m even holding my breath as I watch them start to look around. I know I have to move before they make their way to this side of the woods. I watch them walk in the direction of the main part of the park. This was my chance, probably my only chance to escape. 

I get to my feet and run as fast as I can deeper into the woods. I knew these woods well, which gave me a little bit of an advantage. The only place I can think of to go is my best friend, Hannah. She lives not far from here. If I went to her for help, I could bring the danger following me. I didn't have any other choice than to turn to her for help. With my mind made up, I head in her direction. I make it through the woods with no problems. I don’t think they are following me.

As soon as I get to the edge of the woods, I take off, running as fast as I can in hopes that no one will notice me. I keep to the shadows of the buildings, taking the back ways as much as possible. I'm only a block away from her house, so I slow down to make sure no one is following me. I scope out the house in the darkness, making sure no one was watching her house.   

I see Hannah’s room on the second floor, lit up by her desk light. I can only hope that she's still awake. I take another look around, and once I know it clear, I make my way over to her house. Standing beside a tree in the yard, I pick up several small pebbles and try my best to hit Hannah’s bedroom window to get her attention. After missing several times, I fuss at myself in the process while constantly looking over my shoulder. Finally, on the fourth time, Hannah slides her window up and peers down at me.

“Hannah, it's Kirsten. I need your help. Can I come in?” I ask in a whisper.

"Sure, come to the back door. I'll let you in," Hannah says before she slides the window closed.

Taking another look around, I dart around to the back porch. When Hannah gets the door unlocked, I run inside, shut the door, then lock it behind me. I peer through the small window to make sure no one saw me come in.

"What's wrong, Kirsten? What happened to you?" Hannah asks as she pulls me into her arms. “Who did this to you?” she asks as she pulls away to take in my awful state.

"I don't have much time; I'm in serious trouble. I need to get away from here and fast. I have nothing on me, not even my phone. I had to leave it all behind. I don't know what happened other than my uncle flipped out and attacked me. I've been on the run since last night," I explain to her.

"Your uncle, how could he do this to you? He's one of the nicest people I know. Here set down, let me get you something to drink, and then I'm going to get you patched up. We will figure this out. Do you think that they would suspect that you are here with me?" Hannah asked as she pours me a glass of water.

"I don’t know. I had nowhere else to turn. I won’t stay long, just in case. I’m sure my uncle will come here when he can’t find me. I ran in the opposite direction when I fled the house. Do you care if I get something to eat? I haven't eaten anything since yesterday,” I confess.

"Lord Girl, you know this is like your second home; help yourself," Hannah says as she opens the cabinet to get me a plate.

I open the fridge and pull out some lunch meat and other things. I put a quick sandwich together. I have it eaten in less than five minutes, which almost makes me sick. My stomach thanks me.

 Hannah leads me up to her room then heads into her bathroom. When she emerges, she has several items in her arms, dumping them on her bed—Hannah motions for me to sit.

"I can't believe he did this to you," Hannah says as she examines my face. Hannah then reaches over, going through the items on the bed that looks like a first aid kit.

"Me either, I'm still replaying everything that happened. It just doesn't make any sense; you should have seen the look in his eyes. He looked possessed by something. Honestly, the whole situation was scary. One minute I'm getting ready for bed, then the next thing, my uncle is dragging me to the basement by any means necessary. I have a bad feeling about this. I have only him as a family. I don't know what to do," I tell her.

"I'm hoping that there is a good explanation for all of this. It sounds like something out of a horror story," she says as she continues to clean my face.

Taking some cotton balls and peroxide, she cleans my face. When she hits certain spots on my face, it stings.

“Sorry,” she says as she continues to work on my face.

"He did a number on your face. I hope these don't scar," Hannah says as she makes her way around my face.

I know it's horrible by the look on her face. I could only make out a little through the dirty mirror in the abandoned house.

“I can't stay long; this is one place I'm sure he will come looking for me,” I tell her.

"Ok, all done. Go take a quick shower, and I will get you some of my clothes," Hannah says as she hands me a towel.

I walk into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. I peel off my dirty clothes then start the shower. I step in and let the hot water wash over me. The water feels refreshing on my battered body. I try to ignore the bruises that cover my body as I take the body wash and squirt it onto a sponge. I lather it up and make my way up my legs to my arms. I flinch when I run the sponge over my side.         

I fear that I might have a broken or fractured rib. I wash my hair, and the shampoo smells delightful. After getting all rinsed off, I step out and wrap the towel around my body. Brushing my wet brown hair out, it hangs down my back. I head out of the bathroom and find Hannah busy packing.

"Here are some clothes for you,” Hannah says as she hands me a clean pair of Jeans and a blue long sleeve shirt with stripes.

Thank goodness that we are about the same size. I pull on the clothes, dry my hair, and put some ointment and bandages on my scrapes and cuts.

"I know everyone will be asking all kinds of questions when I don't come back to school. I’m sure my uncle will make some excuse for my absence. Will you give Daniel a good excuse for me not contacting him or explaining anything to him?" I ask Hannah.

Her face falls with horror as she sits down beside me. “Are you breaking up with Daniel?” she asks.

“I don’t want to, but I don’t think I will be able to with what is going on. I will miss him, but I can’t stay here with what has happened with my uncle,” I tell her. 

“Are you sure you want to break up with Daniel? Things might get better,” Hannah asks.

“After tonight, I don’t want to ever face my uncle again. I want to get as far away from here as I can,” I reply as Hannah is trying to get over the shock of my request.

“This will crush Daniel. I don't know if I can break the news to him," she says with panic in her voice.

"I need you to do this. I can't handle any more heartbreak. I know he will ask questions, and I don't have any answers. He's the type of guy that would run off with me, and I can't have that," I explain.

Hannah gets up and starts to pace. "You better be glad I'm your best friend. I don't know if anyone else would take on this crazy request. He's going to flip out," she tells me. I can see the confusion and his questions already. Hannah will have her hands full.

"I know, it's the only thing I can think of," I tell her as I pull her down to sit beside me. 

"While you were in the shower, I called my aunt in West Virginia that I stay with during the summer. She said that you could come to stay with her for a while until you could figure something out. She doesn't need to know all the details, only the main details. I told her that your father was abusive and you needed to get away. I think that would be the best cover story for this situation. I guarantee she won't ask too many questions when she sees you. She's cool about stuff like this. She’s my favorite aunt, the aunt that everyone likes. If you are still there by next summer, I will come down and see you. Until then, you better use my phone and keep me updated. He would never expect you to be there, so this is the perfect safe place for you," she says as she wraps her arms around me.

“I can't believe the mess I'm in," I tell her as I start to get all emotional again.

"It will be ok. You’re not alone; you have me. Here is some money that I managed to get out of my mom's wallet; she won't even know it's missing. Here, take my phone. You can call me to let me know how you’re doing," she says as she places some money in my hand with her cell phone.

We both freeze when we hear Hannah’s mom coming up the steps. Hannah pushes me to the ground and motions for me to get under the bed as she grabs everything off the bed, slinging it onto the floor. She kicks the stuff under the bed, then leaps into bed and turns her light out. A soft knock sounds on her door. I'm holding my breath as Hannah acts like she just woke up.

"Mom, I'm trying to sleep," she calls out.

Her door opens slightly, and the hall light lights up her room. Hannah, Kristen's uncle, is here looking for Kristen," she says as my uncle enters the room.

My heart pounds, and the fear takes hold of me all over again. I want to run, but I know I got to be as quiet as possible, or he will find me.

"Hannah, sorry to wake you at such a late hour, but I’m worried about Kirsten. Right before bed, Kristen was doing laundry. I saw her carrying a basket of clothes as she headed up to her room. That’s when I heard her scream, followed by a loud crash. I run into the room to find her lying face down at the bottom of the steps. I ran to her to help her up, and that’s when she pushed me away. She looked hurt when she got up. I think she hit her head when she fell down the steps. I think she may have suffered a concussion that makes her see things that are not true. She took off, running out the door before I could reason with her. I need to get her to a hospital. Have you seen her?" he asks in a calm tone.

Liar, I want to scream. I know I'm not seeing things, and I sure in the hell didn't have a delusion about him attacking me.

"The last time I talked to her was after she finished her homework. She was getting ready for bed. I’ve not seen her or heard anything from her. If she comes here, I will have mom call you," Hannah says.

"Ok, sorry to have bothered you," he says before they shut the door. Hannah flops back on the bed, and I can hear her let out her breath. "That was a close one," she says.

"I got to get out of here and fast," I say as I shimmy out from under the bed, as my body protests from all my injuries. I get to my feet then walk over to the window. I see my uncle get into his car and pull out of the driveway. The car pauses for a moment, making me move from the window. I hope he didn’t see me. “Please go away,” I say in a whisper as Hannah comes over to me, pulling me into her arms. Hannah leans over toward the window then breathes a sigh of relief. “He’s gone,” she says as she releases me, pulling me toward the bed. “Sit; as soon as mom goes to sleep, I will drive you to the bus station.

When everyone is asleep, Hannah tosses me one of her coats. Hannah then leans down and picks up a backpack that she had packed earlier. We make our way down the steps making as little noise as possible. The sound of one of the bedroom doors opening has me and Hannah frozen in mid-step as we look at each other.  The sound of the bathroom door sounds has both of us relieved. We make our way down the rest of the steps without getting caught. We wait at the bottom of the steps to listen to whoever went to the bathroom. When we hear the bedroom door shut, we know we are in the clear.

Hannah opens the car door, throws the backpack into the back seat then climbs into the driver’s seat as she puts the car into neutral. I open the garage door and step back so Hannah can back the car out. She lets it coast backward down the slanted driveway. When she clears the garage door, I pull it closed. I run over to get into the car. Hannah lets the car drift into the road before starting the car. Backing up without the lights on, we head down her street. There are no car's insight, which I find to be a blessing. My nerves are on end as I keep looking in the mirror, thinking they will come and follow us.

When we get some distance from her house, she flips on the car's headlights.  We pull up to the bus station and park the car. Climbing out, we both head inside the station. She buys me a ticket, and we sit down, waiting for the next bus to depart.

"I will keep my ears peeled to see what I hear. You can call me from my aunt's house when you get there. Call me anytime you need to. My aunt said she would meet you at the station when you arrived and would keep you safe until we can figure out what’s going on," she explains.

She pulls me to her and sobs into my shoulder. "I'm going to miss you. Be careful and stay safe," she says.

I give her a nod and then turn to get on the bus. I peer out at my best friend, who waves me off with tears in her eyes. My heart hurts as I finally lost track of her. As the bus hits the interstate, I settle into my seat, then fall apart as I cry as quietly as I can. I cry for a long while until my mind wonders how this happened. I just didn't see this coming; we were laughing earlier that day. All I could figure was that my uncle must be involved in something bad.  Maybe he pissed someone off or owed someone money. Was I the bargaining chip he was going to use to get himself out of hot water?

There was no sadness or pain in his eyes, just anger. I just couldn't think of anything else that could make him act like that. It’s still dark outside as I stare out of the window, watching the streetlights pass. The bus was empty for the most part except for an occasional person that would board and then get off in a stop or two. The past events left me drained, and I found myself dozing in and out as my trip went on. When the bus comes to a stop, announcing our arrival, I snapped out of my trance. Stretching, I grab my backpack and head for the door.

When I get off the bus, an older lady stands in silence until I get near her. "So, you must be Kirsten. My niece called me and said you needed my help. Her face grows in shock at the appearance of my face. Her face softens, “Let's get you back to my house, and then we can work out the details.”

I follow her out to the parking lot, where a dark SUV stands. I climbed in as she starts the engine. "My name is Marie, nice to meet you," she says as she pulls out.

"Thank you for picking me up," I say as I try to hide my face from her. I can tell she has already seen the bruises, and the painful look on her face tells me that she knows I have been to hell and back.

 It's not a long drive at all when we pull up to this white house that has green shutters on the windows. She shuts the car off and climbs out. I grab my backpack and follow her up the stone pathway. She unlocks the door, and I walk in behind her. She drops the keys on a nearby table then heads into another room.

"Do you want some tea? She calls out to me.

 "That would be nice, thank you,” I say as I look around the room.

A few minutes pass, and she comes back with a tray with two cups and some cookies. She sets them on the small table and sits down on one of the couches. She motions for me to sit on the one that’s facing her.

“So, Kirsten, what kind of trouble are you in? I just need the basics. You can leave out the really bad parts; I just need a little information," she says as she pours her a cup of tea.

"I.......I'm not sure what happened. It's my father. He attacked me out of the blue, and I think he was trying to kill me. I can’t let him find me; I think he lost his mind," I choke out.

She gives me a surprised look and then picks her tea up and takes a sip. "My dear, it sounds like he did lose his mind. I will keep in contact with my niece and see if anything changes. Until then, I will hide you here. This means you will have to lay low, and the fewer people that know you’re here, the better protection I can give you. My niece means the world to me, and she talks very highly of you. I would move the earth for her. I have a spare room upstairs that you can use, and there are some clothes that my niece has that might fit. And take two of these, my dear, that looks like it hurts a lot," she says as she hands me two pills with a weary smile.

"Yes," I say as I take them and down them with my tea.

“Now, let's get you settled; you look like rest should be your best friend," she says as she stands and starts up the steps.

I move quickly to catch up to her as she makes her way to the second floor. "Over there in the room, and this door leads to a bathroom. If you get hungry or thirsty, the kitchen is downstairs; it’s easy to find. My room is the far door down the hall if you need anything else. Just give her a knock, and I'll help you, she says with a smile.

"Thank you again,” I say as I enter the room she showed me.

In the room is a twin bed with a small dresser to the right with a mirror hanging above it in the shape of an oval. There are a few pictures on the mirror of my best friend, Hannah. She's with her aunt and her brother in several of them. I walk over to the dresser and open the first drawer. There are the usual socks, underwear, and bras. I shut it and move to the next drawer. Bingo, I pull out a pink set of pajamas, sliding them on.  I climb into bed, pulling the covers up drifting off to sleep in a matter of minutes.

I'm running, and it’s cold and wet. I don't see where I'm running to or from. I look around in the darkness and see nothing but the rain falling from the sky. The streetlights light each drop, and my feet splash the puddles that are forming on the ground. My heart is thumping, and I feel like I'm about ready to come out of my skin. Then out of nowhere, a pair of hands grab me. My own screams wake me up. I'm sitting up, and the sweat is running down my face. My hands are clammy, and the covers are a mess from where I was tossing and turning. Suddenly, the door bursts open, and Marie is standing there in her robe with a gun. When she takes in the scene, she puts it against the wall in the hallway and comes into the room.

“Bad dreams," she asks.

"Yes, I'm sorry I woke you up; it was so real. I was living it all over again, the running away part," I say as I try to slow my heart down.

"I'm sure you will have many more of these. At least I will be more prepared for screams in the middle of the night," she says as she smiles at me. “Try to get some sleep," she says as she gets up from the bed and heads over to the door. She looks back one more time and then shuts the door.

I lay back on my pillow and stare up at the ceiling. Now what, I keep thinking to myself. I'm far away from him and still feel like he's going to come busting in and take me away. To do whatever evil that has come over him. I put my arm over my eyes and begin to cry. I cry silently to try not to wake Marie up. I don't like for anyone to see me cry. Tears run down my cheek, making my pillow wet. I'm so exhausted, I want to sleep, but there is the fear of slipping into another nightmare. I give in and close my eyes once again.

For the next few days, things were a blur. I stayed exhausted as the nightmares came every time I fell asleep. I woke up in a panic, either from the nightmares or from the fear of him finding me. On the third day, I wake up, and it's daylight outside. I go to set up, making my body protest with every move I make. I’m so sore that every inch of me screams with pain. I slip out of bed, head over, and pull out a pair of jeans and a pink top. When I dress, I can see Hannah in this, and it's totally her for sure. My face looks much worse than yesterday. The bruises are turning different colors. I see yellows, black and purple, and I'm not sure; I think I see brown. This is going to take a few weeks to fix.

I touch my swollen cheek and wonder if my face will ever look the way it once did. I lean down and grab the backpack and dump the contents out. Hannah packed a cell phone, some makeup, a little cash, first aid supplies, a hair brush, and hair ties. Gees the girl was prepared for a makeover. I grab the makeup first. I dab on the foundation, only to realize I had to drown my poor face even to make any changes. I put on some blush, which helps some, but I still look like a mess. I brush out my hair, put the contents back in the backpack, and set it beside the dresser.

I head down to find Marie sitting at the kitchen table, sipping some coffee. She has breakfast sitting on the table, and the smell is heavenly. I can't believe how hungry I am. I take a plate and load it up with pancakes and bacon. I dig in, and it tastes so good. She grins at me as she takes another sip of her coffee. "I'm glad to see that you have an appetite and that I'm hoping that my cooking is good," she says. I take another bite as I nod with appreciation.

"I'm going to be heading out to town and wondered if you needed anything while I'm out," Marie asks me.

“I'm not sure if I need anything; this is perfect," I say.

"Ok, I will be gone for a few hours. Stay inside, and don't answer the door. I have a house key so that I can let myself in.  Make yourself at home," she says as she stands and takes the keys off the table with her purse.

I finish eating and decide to clean the kitchen up. It's the least I could do to repay her for her kindness. After washing the dishes, I head upstairs to find my best friend’s phone. I find it in the backpack sitting next to the dresser. I dial her up and wait for her to answer.

"Hey," she answers.

"It's me," I say.

"Hey, how are things there," she asks.

"It’s great. Your aunt is great. She's been kind to me. So, what’s going on there," I ask.

"Your uncle came by again asking for you, and it looks like he took a beating himself. They are treating it as a runaway case. They have a few search parties looking for you. I think they are still watching my house. I can see them parked down the street, and mom hasn't even taken notice. I guess they underestimate us, teens," she chuckles.

"Yes, indeed. How did Daniel take the news?” I ask.

“He was upset, as you can imagine. He’s been pouting and staying to himself. I can’t blame him. He will get over it like we all do when we go through a breakup. Don’t stress about it; take care of yourself, Hannah tells me. 

“I hate this. I hate everything about this whole situation. Try to help him through this,” I say.

"Keep in touch with me as often as possible. I think that we should keep our chats short just in case they are tracing the calls," she says.

"Oh, I didn't think about that. OK, I will talk to you soon," I reply.

"Yes, soon," she replies and then hangs up.  I put the phone back in the backpack and head downstairs. If I was going to be here for a while, I figured I would get to know the place a little.

Chapter Two, The Nightmare Begins

After spending an hour on my essay for English class, I was ready to call it a night. I reach for my phone to check my messages, and I see one from Hannah. I quickly read over her text that had me smiling.

I hate these stupid essays. Why can’t the teacher have us write about something more interesting, instead of things that happened before I was born, she text?

I could see her frustrated face in my mind as she typed this. I began to type a response. I know how frustrating Ms. Peter's class can be. I finally finished mine. It only took me an hour, lol. Just think of it this way, we only have a couple more months left before we graduate. I finish typing to her.

She was quick to respond. “Very true, this still sucks. I dread her class tomorrow. I know she will give us an assignment for this weekend. I'm so sick of homework. I want to focus on my date with Kevin this weekend, not do some stupid assignment.

Ready with my reply, “maybe she won't be hard on us this weekend. Are you still picking me up tomorrow morning?”

The sound of my uncle knocking on my door made me look up from my phone. "Can you come downstairs for a minute?" he asks.

"Yeah, give me a second," I call out to him as I look back down at my phone to see if Hannah had to text me back.

"Yeah, same time as always," she texted.

"Kristen hurry up," he calls again.

"Hold on," I yell back to him as I finish texting Hannah that I will see her tomorrow morning.

My door comes open as my uncle steps into the room with an angry face. "I told you to come downstairs," he says as he walks over to me. Without warning, he reaches over, grabbing me by my arm.

Before I can say another word or react, he pulls me to my feet, making my phone fall to the floor. I'm sorry, I was about ready to come downstairs, I say as he leads me down the hallway. I must be in deep trouble; he looks very mad at me. What the heck did I do this time?

His grip tightens, causing his fingers to dig into my arm. "What's wrong?" I ask as I try to keep up. He never acted this way before, and I feared I'd done something bad this time. I tried to think of anything I might have done that would cause him to be this angry, and I couldn't think of one thing.

"Uncle Mike!" I plead once again. With no response, we approach the top of the steps. This must be bad, oh what did I do. Think Kristen, what could you have done to get into this much trouble?

He began to pull me down the steps of our two-story house. I'm finding it hard to keep up, and my balance is not the best as he pulls me behind him. I try to ask him again, only to get silence. I pull my arm free as I start to protest the brute force he is imposing on me. He turns fast, faster than I expected. What came next, I never saw coming.

His hand came across my face, making me stumble back up the steps. My mind goes blank; the shock of being hit has me floored. He has never hit me. He's never been violent toward me. As he starts back towards me, the look on his face sends chills down my spine. Something's not right. 

He grabs me by my arm again, pulling me up from the step that I had stumbled back on. He pulls me down several steps again, and I am more confused and scared by his actions. I need to get as much distance from him till he calms down. In his state of mind, he will not be rational with me. I can't imagine what I have done for him to be this mad at me. My mind races as the scene unfolds before my eyes.

I break ahold of his death grip on my arm once again. I stumble, but not as much as before. I turn and get up a few steps, only to feel him grab ahold of my leg. I lose my balance and hit the steps face first. My vision swims, and my face lights up like fire. I cant see, and the pain in my face has me in tears. I could hear him coming up the steps, and he was now almost on top of me.

"Stop! Stop!" I scream as I hit him with my hands in hopes of fighting him off. He's trying to grab me but can't get a good grip. This only causes us to slip down the steps with me on my back. My back takes blunt force contact with the steps as I slip down more steps. We end up at the bottom of the steps, tangled in each other. I feel his hand on my arm as he starts to pull me to my feet. I have only a second to get my balance before he starts to pull me through the house as he struggles to get his breath. 

"For fucks sake, why did you have to fight me? You would have made it easy on the both of us if you would have just come with me without a fight," he hisses under his breath.

I began to panic at his tone of voice. I start to cry from the pain and the sheer terror running wild through my body. I know that no matter how much I fight against him, I'm no match for his strength. I can tell he's getting angrier because of how rough he got with me. I must find a way to outsmart him. I beg and plead for him to stop, "you're scaring me."

He spins around and backhands me across the face. I fall to the floor with a hard thud. More tears welled up in my eyes as I looked up at him in disbelief.

"Shut up!" he shouts at me. This can't be happening!

He reaches down, grabbing me by my neck, making me get to my feet as I continue to cry. The tears run down my face as I cry even harder. He drags me by my arm over to the basement door. He opens the door as he keeps his hold on me. The thought of being dragged down into the basement freaks me out. I don't like the basement. I never go into the basement. I don't want to know what's down there.  

I can't help but panic at this point as he pulls me down the steps. This is not right. I hear someone talking. Who brings a teenage girl down into the basement after beating the crap out of her? I had to get away from this situation before something bad happened. I had this one chance to try to get away before I faced what was down there. 

I push my body backward with everything I have, causing him to lose his grip on me. I try to brace myself for the fall. I use my foot to kick him, causing him to lose his balance. He falls forward down the steps, giving me the perfect opportunity I needed to getaway. I grab at the steps ahead of me, pulling myself to my feet. I stumble through the door of the basement, turn and shove the door hard to close it. With shaky hands, I fumble with the lock on the doorknob, then put the chain on the door to give me a few more minutes before he can kick it down.

I run up the steps to my room as fast as I can.  When I get to my room, I turn and lock the door behind me. I grab my chair from my desk and shove it under the doorknob. I then grab a pair of shoes from my floor, slip them on, then grab one of my hoodies from the floor. I slip it over my head when I hear footsteps coming up the steps. I began to panic, knowing that he would come through the door in a matter of seconds. I look around in desperation when I spot the window as my only option of escape.  I run to the window, trying to get it unlocked. I fight to get the window open when I hear the doorknob start to rattle, making my heart pound in my chest. I manage to get the window open when my uncle begins to hit the door.

"Kristen, open this damn door," he shouts as he starts to ram the door with his body. I can hear the wood beginning to crack.

I turn toward the window and start to climb out when I remember my phone. I turn and spot it on the floor as the door to my room comes crashing in. I turn back toward the window and make my way through as he runs across the room. Before I manage to get myself completely through the window, he grabs one of my legs, causing me to fall out of the window face-first onto the porch roof.

He manages to keep his grip on my leg as I squirm to get loose. I try to reach the edge of the roof to get leverage as he pulls on my leg tighter. I look back, and he's halfway hanging out of the window. I take my other foot and put it against the house. I push with everything in me, freeing my leg from his grasp.

He leans out the window, trying to get ahold of me again. I kick at his hands as he fights to try to get out the window. I kick at him harder, causing me to lose my balance. I start to slide down the slope of the roof. I know it's too late when I reach the edge of the roof. I slip off the edge of the roof of our two-story house. This is going to hurt.

I hit the ground on my back, and everything goes black for a second. A second later, everything comes back to life, as I panic when I can't get my breath. I struggle to get air back into my lungs but remain paralyzed and sprawled out on the lawn. I know I had to move; I had to get up, but I couldn't, no matter how much I tried. Run . . . Run . . .  I scream in my head as I gasp, trying to get air back into my lungs. After a minute, my lungs fill with precious oxygen, allowing me to move. I manage to roll over, get to my feet, and start to run.

I have never been this scared in my entire life as I run to get to the main road. I was halfway across the yard when my foot slipped on the wet grass, making me fall to my hands and knees. I quickly push myself off the ground, getting to my feet. I freeze at the sound of my uncle's voice. 

"Kristen! Get back here. Don't make me run after you," he shouts. I turn to see him looking down at me from my bedroom window.

"I will find you," he shouts when I turn my back to him and start to run toward the road.

My heart’s racing, knowing he was already on his way down the steps to come after me, and I knew he would catch up with me if I didn't hurry. By the time I made it to the road, it was dark. The entire neighborhood was asleep. I should have been asleep at this hour, being a school night. I run down the road that’s lit only by the streetlights. There are only a few houses on my block, and I knew it would be too late to pound on the doors for help. No one would hear my screams for help in time before he got his hands on me again, so I continued to run toward the town square only a few blocks away.

A few raindrops hit me in the face signaling the start of a downpour. I ran down the road as the rain began to pour. The sound of the raindrops fills the quiet night as I pick up my pace. Out of all the times for a downpour, this couldn't get any worse, I thought. This all seemed unreal as I stopped to catch my breath. I stopped to catch my breath. I was gasping for air as the pain in my ribs burned with every breath I took. I took one deep breath and began to run as I held my side to make it another block to reach the town. Once there, I hoped to find a store that had late hours.  

The first thing that came into view were two large buildings. This could give me some cover until I could come up with something else. I made it halfway down the alley when I start to throw up. I held onto the wall to keep myself on my feet as the dry heaves hit me over and over. Tears ran down my cheeks as my body shook violently from the dry heaves and the cold rain that continued to rain down over me. I collapse to the ground as the pain radiated through my body. I try to catch my breath as I fight the urge to give up. I knew that I wasn't a quitter. I wanted nothing to do with what I had witnessed earlier, which kept me motivated not to give up. I slow my breathing down as the dry heaves slowly came to a stop. I know I couldn't stay long.

I slowly get back to my feet as my whole body protests. I make my way down the alley, using the walls to help me stay upright as I hold my ribs. When I reached the end of the alley, I look both ways before making a quick decision to take the one that didn't have any dead ends.

I pick up my pace to a slow jog until I get to the end of the alley. I peek my head around the side. I don't see anyone. I run across the road to another set of buildings. I knew the layout pretty well. Growing up around town gave me a little bit of advantage. I knew I had to pick up my pace, or he would catch up to me eventually, so I speed up till I was running again.

I stopped at the end of the alley, completely out of breath again, and my body couldn't go any further. I look around in desperation till I spot a place to hide to give me a chance to get my stamina back.

Sliding down the side of the building, I stay on my feet just in case I need to run, keeping my eyes on the entrance. My lungs pull air in as sweat runs down my face. I move my wet hair out of my way. Overwhelmed, I can no longer hold back my tears as the betrayal and fear wash over me. I was now all alone, betrayed, and wanted for unknown reasons. I had so many questions racing in my head with no answers. I can't seem to get his face out of my mind when he attacked me for no reason at all. I had never seen him that angry with me, even when I pushed him to his limits. It was clear that something snapped; he was not the same man who raised me as his own child. It was clear that something wasn't right.

A noise not far away pulls me from my thoughts. I look up in the direction of the sounds. Fear begins to spike through me as the sounds grow closer. I fear he has found me. I manage to stand up without making much sound as I make my way toward the end of the alley. I can only hope that in the darkness, I can outrun him. I know if I keep running, I will give myself away, so I look around in desperation for a spot to hide.

I manage to get around the corner, drop down, and hide beside a large metal garbage bin. Pushing myself against the wall, I try my best to conceal myself in the shadows. I see a few bags of trash and a few boxes that give me the idea of a perfect hiding place. I move the bags in front of me and the boxes to make them look like random trash that someone threw out.

My breathing is erratic, my heart is pounding, and all the adrenaline running through my body is taking its toll on me. The smell is about to make me gag as I try desperately to calm myself so I can focus on the situation. Who was I kidding? I was just a teenage girl, helpless and defenseless against him. I had a bad feeling about this whole situation, and I was not sure I was smart enough to figure a way out. When I hear footsteps closing in on me, I freeze. My whole body becomes stiff, and I quit breathing as my body trembles in fear. Please don't find me. I shout in my head as the footsteps stop. With every hair standing on end, I fight against my body's urge that screams for me to run. Did he find me? Can they see me? I wanted to move the box to see what was going on, but I knew better. Knowing if he spotted me, I wouldn't be able to outrun him from this distance.

I'm exhausted, and my body aches all over. All I can do is hold still and not make any noise. I make myself focus and try to be as calm as possible. The footsteps start again, and they are growing closer. I listen without moving a muscle as they walk right past me without stopping. They move out of the alley, and I let out the breath I was holding.

I move the bags and boxes very slowly to make any sounds that would draw any attention. I stand up and walk to the end of the alley. I peer around to see two men that I don't recognize making their way up the street. I try to make out more details, but they are already too far away for me to get a good look at their faces. I was relieved to know that neither one of them was my uncle. I wonder who they are and why they are looking for me. I jump when one of the men shouts. I freeze as I watch them take off, running out into the street. 

I take one quick look and slowly take off, running in the opposite direction. I'm trying to figure out where I can hide. My mind is blank as I look around in desperation. I'm almost to the end of the building leading to the main street when I look around. I spot a fire escape ladder hanging down only a few feet from the ground. I make a quick decision to take a chance to hide.

I jump up to grab ahold of the ladder; it makes a grinding sound as it comes down. I begin to climb up the rusty steps that threaten to give way to my weight. I climb onto the platform, then reach down and grab the top of the ladder to pull it up so no one can reach it from the ground. Holding the rails, I climb up a few more steps putting me further off the ground. 

When I reach the top, I find a window that's busted out. The broken glass litters the platform around the window. Carefully I stick my head inside to see if the building appears abandoned. When I'm sure that the building is empty, I slide the end of my sleeve over my hand so I can knock the rest of the window out. I take one last look around before I slide one leg in first, followed by the rest of my body. Holding on to the window frame, I steady myself as I pull my other leg through the window. Peering out, I look for any signs of anyone that might be around, only to find the streets are quiet with no one in sight. 

I step back from the window. I find that every muscle aches, making my body scream for relief. I walk over to the wall and slide down to sit on the ground. I lean up against the wall and bring my knees to my chest. I try to get control of my body that's shaking violently from my wet clothes and all the adrenaline running through me. I listen for any sounds that signal anyone's approach but only hear my ragged breathing.

With a jolt, I wake in a panic, realizing I must have dozed off sometime during the night from exhaustion. I look around to make sure I'm still alone.

The room is empty, with trash and broken items littering the floors. The walls have wallpaper with several spots that have peeled down the walls.

I manage to roll over, getting to my feet even though my body protests from the position I slept in all night. Making my way across the floor, avoiding several holes and cracks, I make my way toward the door. I push the door, making it creek on its rusty hinges.

Sticking my head out, I look to see if I can find anything to help me. I wasn't going to get my hopes up with the way everything looked. I make my way down the hall without stepping in the damaged parts of the floor. I find another door in the hallway. I push the door open to find a bathroom that had seen better days. A broken mirror hanging sideways on the wall over a dirty old skink stained with rust and grime.

I take my sleeve to my shirt and wipe a spot on the mirror to see how I look. I was curious about my injuries, especially how badly my face hurt. I knew that I had damage; I didn't realize how bad. When I get enough of the mirror wiped clean, my reflection shakes me to my core.

My poor face is a mess, with makeup running down my cheeks as the bruises show from underneath it all. I reach up and rub my face, but the sting from the cut that runs along my jaw makes me stop. Anger runs through me as I take in my appearance. I look like I got hit by a car with this amount of damage to my face. How could he do this to me? How could he say he loved me like his own child and turn around and attacked me?

Tears sting my eyes as I choke down a sob that threatens to undo me. My dark hair hangs flat past my shoulders in a tangled mess. The cut is not too deep that it would require stitches. I needed to clean it before any infection set in. My eyes look swollen from crying through the night. I pull my eyes from the mirror to assess the rest of my injuries.

I pull up my shirt and see a large black and blue bruise that matches my poor face. I hear something hit the floor. I reach down and see my necklace that broke when I was trying to get away. It was my mother's necklace that my uncle gave me when I was a young child. I put it in my pocket, so I don’t lose it.

I begin to look at the rest of my injuries. I run my fingers along with the black bruise, making me flinch. I run my hand along my back, and it hurts in several places. I can only guess what my back looks with how it feels. I had no idea how bad it was last night with all the adrenaline raging through me.

I pull my shirt down, then slide my pants down to reveal more bruises covering several parts of my legs. I don't remember how I got those exactly. I figure it was when I was fighting him off. I pull my pants up, then fix my clothes so they don't look bad. I try to soothe my poor hair down to find it's a lost cause.

I wonder if this building has running water still. I turn the knob on the sink, hoping there might be some water, only to be disappointed when nothing happens. Just my luck as usual. What to do? I take my shirt sleeve and wipe my face the best I can to get as much dirt off my face as I can. I wipe only to find that it's not dirt but bruises that are starting to form on my face from when I fell. It looks no better than when I started. He beat the crap out of me with just his hands. I can't let anyone see me like this, or they will grow suspicious.

I head out of the bathroom, making my way through the building to find old broken furniture with trash lying around everywhere. I head back to the room where I came in last night. Sliding down the wall, I decided to wait till dark to travel in the shadows of the night, to keep hidden from the world.

I pull my knees up to rest my head. I reach into my pocket and pull out my necklace. I fiddle with the locket that always gave me comfort, knowing I had a piece of my mother with me. The locket was in the shape of a heart with strange writing engraved on the back in a language that I couldn't understand. Out of a nervous tick, I would rub my thumb along the engravings of the words.

When I was four years old, the necklace was given to me when my mother passed away. My uncle told me that I should take care of it and never take it off. I couldn't remember my mother or anything before I started living with my uncle after the accident that took my parents' lives. I cherished the necklace in hopes that my memories would come back one day, and I could remember the face of my mother. So, I never took it off since I was a small child, knowing it meant something special to my mother.  

I sit back, letting my head rest against the wall as my thoughts run wild. I can't help but get angry when I think about what my uncle had done to me. It was a side of him that I had never seen before. He was so mad at me, which had me confused. I tried to think of anything I had done to make him this angry with me, but I couldn't think of anything.

I've always tried to be a good child and always did what he told me to do, so his behavior confused me. I thought that he loved me as if I was his own daughter. He had raised me since I was four. I had no other family other than him, and I could honestly say it wasn't that bad growing up. He had taught me many things, and I had many happy childhood memories, except for the one night he snapped.  The hate that I saw in his eyes for me made no sense to me.  I was so scared as I begged and pleaded with him to stop. I still didn't know why he wanted to get me into the basement so badly.

As I ponder my thoughts, the sky slowly turns dark, signaling me to get out of here. I peek out the window to make sure that no one will see me as I make my way through the window the same way I entered the previous night. Carefully I make my way down the ladder that threatens to give way as it protests from my weight. I jump to the ground then run to the end of the alley.

I quickly look around the corner to make sure no one is around. I run down the street till I reach the park in hopes that it could provide better cover. I make my way through the park as I think of where to go. I can't run forever; I have to find a safe place to hide. Where do I go from here? I'm only seventeen with no other family other than my uncle, that has turned on me, leaving me all alone. I have to figure out what to do if I am going to survive the night.

Chapter One, Just An Ordinary Girl

The morning has come as my alarm goes off on the nightstand beside my bed. With a grumble, I reach over and turn my alarm off. I stretch my body as my feet hit the floor. Stepping over the pile of clothes from the day before, I head to the bathroom. After brushing my teeth, I work on my long brown hair that hangs past my shoulders in soft waves as it curls at the ends. I often wonder if I look like my mother or my father.   

Losing my parents at a young age, I can't remember them or what they looked like. I always wonder who I looked like more. I don't even have a picture of them because of a fire. Shrugging off the thought, I finish my hair and move on to my makeup. I keep it simple, with a bit of blush and light eyeshadow, followed by mascara that brings out my brown eyes.

Now that I was halfway ready, I go back into my room to the closet to find something to wear. Opening the two white sliding doors, I look through the shirts hanging, and I take several as I step in front of the mirror on my wall to see which suits my mood today. After several options, I choose a tee-shirt that shows off my hourglass figure. "I do approve if I say so myself," I say out loud to my reflection in the mirror. Pulling on my jeans, I turn to see if they look ok, and I finish putting myself together in time before Hannah arrives to pick me up.

I head over to my desk, shoving all my work into the backpack. I grab my phone off the bed and shove it in my back pocket. I pull on my hoodie and head downstairs.

Hannah's car horn signals that she has just pulled up into my driveway. "Later, Uncle Mike," I yell out, not waiting for a reply as I head out the door. I sling my backpack over my shoulder as I walk down off the porch. Running down the concrete driveway, I reach Hannah's car. I get into the front seat then throw my backpack into the back seat.

My best friend Hannah sits dolled up in her jeans that show off her curves that I wish I had. Her blond hair hangs a little past her shoulders, bringing out her blue eyes.

"Ready?" Hannah asks as she starts to back down the driveway.

"Not really; I can't wait till we graduate. I want to move into the dorms when I start college. Uncle       Mike is too strict with all his rules. You would think I was still a child. I'll be turning eighteen next month," I explain.

"Very true, it's probably because he's a single parent. Just bear with it until we move out. Then we can do whatever we want," Hannah says as she grins at me with a big smile.

The school bell sounds, signaling the end of my last class. I head down the hall when I spot Hannah as she comes around the corner with Kevin. He has his arm draped around Hannah's shoulder as he towers over her with his slender frame. Hannah and Kevin have been high school sweethearts since our freshman year. I have always wished that I could have a relationship like them, but all my relationships have ended in disaster.

I have been single since last summer when my last relationship ended. It had already been a few months into my senior year when I met Daniel when he transferred to my school. I can still remember the first time I met him. In chemistry class, Daniel walked in and handed the teacher a form. He looked nervous as the teacher introduced him to the whole class. After the teacher finished, she directed him to an empty seat next to me. Ever since that day, Daniel and I have been close friends. A few weeks ago, Daniel asked me out on a date, and ever since then, we have been together.

"Hey Kristen," Hannah calls out to me as she hands Kevin her books. I can't help it; I laugh at Kevin's face as he struggles not to drop her pile of books.

When I get to my locker, I see Daniel waiting for me.

"So, how was class?" I ask him as I open my locker, getting my backpack out.

"The usual, did you hear about what Brad did in English class?" he asks as he reaches over to hold my bookbag.

"I did; I bet he gets suspended a long time for that stunt," I say as I hand him my books. He places the books in my bag then slings it over his shoulder.

Throwing his arm around my shoulders, we start heading out to the parking lot.

"Sam said he heard that he got a week of detention for putting glue in some teacher's seat. It was hilarious when she went to get up and couldn't get out of her chair. She sent another student to the office to get help. He also said they had to cut part of her clothes to free her. I bet she was mad," Daniel says as he starts to laugh.

I imagine the poor teacher as she endured the whole incident. The embarrassment and humiliation would stick with her for a long time.

I turn and shove his shoulder, "it's not funny; they shouldn't do that to people," I huff as I try not to take my frustration out on him. 

He gives me a big smile then pulls me into his arms.

"She had it coming. She's so hateful to everyone. It makes her a target to their pranks," Daniel says.

"That may be true; no one should treat someone like that," I reply.

When we get out into the parking lot, we head toward Hannah's car. I can already see Hannah and Kevin making out in Hannah's car. Oh lord, not again. They need to get a room.

Daniel starts to laugh when he looks over at me. I can only guess it's from the expression on my face.

When we get close enough, I clear my throat to get their attention. Hannah looks at me with a smirk on her face as Kevin is oblivious to the awkward scene. He reaches over to get his backpack, then leans in to get another kiss from Hannah. I turn away from them. I reach up, giving Daniel a quick kiss goodbye before I climb into Hannah's car. Hannah and Kevin kiss for several more minutes, making me a little uncomfortable. I wish I had that kind of chemistry with Daniel. We haven't even gone past second base; the thought is depressing.

Hannah waves as Daniel and Kevin walk toward their cars. When she gets into the car, I give her shoulder a hard shove. I wish they would stop making out so much in public; it's embarrassing.

"What was that all about?" I ask Hannah, who is laughing at me as she starts the car.

"I can't help it that you and Daniel are not on the hot and heavy yet," she says as she tilts her head with a big grin on her face.

I throw my backpack into the back seat then climb into the car. "That's because we have not been dating as long as you two. It's only been a month since I started dating Daniel. I know that you and Kevin moved fast, but I don't feel that close to Daniel yet. My uncle doesn't like me to go on dates, so he limits the time me and Daniel get to spend with each other outside of school," I reply in a dry tone.

"I know your uncle can be a bit overprotective, but he needs to lighten up. When you turn eighteen this year, you will be able to make your own decisions. He can't keep you a little girl forever," Hannah says as she turns up my street.

"Give him some time. I think I will be able to talk him into giving me some more freedom," I say in his defense.

Hannah pulls into the driveway putting the car into park. I gather my things from the back seat and then hug her. 

Good luck with that; let me know what he says later, Hannah says as she gives me a look that says, I doubt you will win. 

I get out of the car, then turn, "I will text you," I yell to her as I walk toward the house.

When I head into the house, I head upstairs to my bedroom. I pull off my jacket and place my backpack beside my desk. I go back downstairs to get started on dinner. I'm in the kitchen when my uncle Mike comes in.

"How was school?" he asks as he reaches into the fridge, getting a bottle of water out.

"The same as usual," I reply as I get the cutting board and a knife from the drawer. 

"So, what's for dinner?" he asks as he walks over to the table. 

"I was thinking about making stir fry," I reply as I pull some vegetables from the fridge.

He sits down at the table, unfolding his newspaper. As he reads, I start chopping up some peppers. A few minutes go by when he sets the paper down on the table.

"I've got some work to do before dinner. Just yell at me when dinner is ready," he tells me as he gets up from the table. 

I give him a nod as I watch him leave the kitchen. I then turn my attention back to the peppers. A thought crosses my mind, I know he is not my birth father, but he's the only father figure I have ever known. He's been in my life since I was young. I never got to know my real dad. The thought is depressing. I shake off the negative feeling as I finish cutting the vegetables. I add the noodles into the water then move over to the frying pan to start the chicken. My phone rings that I had shoved in my back pocket. I fumble to answer it as I dump the chicken into the pan.

"Hey girl, what's up?" Hannah coos through the phone.

"Cooking like I always do," I reply, knowing she knows my routine. It's what I have done every day for the past several years.

Hannah rambles on about her parents and their latest disagreement. I stir the noodles as I try to balance the phone on my shoulder.

"Yeah," I mumble as I stir the chicken.

"Are you even listening to me?" she yells through the phone, getting my attention.

"Yes, I'm listening. What would make you think I wasn't?" I reply. I laugh inside, knowing she knows me all too well.

"I asked you if you wanted to stay over at my house tomorrow," she states with a bit of annoyance in her voice.

"I didn't catch the last part; the water was running," I tell her as I try to cover up my lack of attention. 

"So, do you want to stay over at my house tomorrow?" she asks in a calmer tone.

"I will ask my uncle if it's alright. I'm sure he won't mind. I'll message you after I get finished with my homework and have a chance to talk to him," I reply.

"Ok, I will talk to you later then," she says in a high-pitched tone that lets me know that she is no longer annoyed with me.

"Ok, talk to you later," I reply before hanging up the phone. I shove my phone into my pocket then continue stirring the noodles.

After cooking the noodles and the chicken, I then add the vegetables and sauce into the pan with the chicken. When the stir fry begins to simmer, I drain the noodles then set them aside. Uncle Mike comes in and sits down at the table.

"That smells good. I can smell it all the way through the house," he tells me with a smile. 

Thanks to Hannah's mom, I actually turned out to be a decent cook, I say. I beam with pride, knowing I have one accomplishment worthy of praise.

"I'm very thankful. I think we both would have starved to death if she hadn't helped us both. She took us both under her wing when I brought you here. Your aunt, Nicole, would have loved you if she had not passed away from cancer before you came to live with us. I know you can't remember her; she would have loved you like her own," he says as his face grows sad. I can only imagine how lonely it must be for him to be a single parent.

"Don't be sad. I know you miss her. I hate that I was too small to remember her. The pictures of you guys that you have all through the house are good memories. Both of you looked happy and remember those times, which should bring you happiness. I wish I had memories like that of my parents to look back on. I know you said that it was impossible to salvage anything after the fire that burnt down my parent's house. I wish I had just one photo of them, so I could see if I looked anything like my mother or father," I say as I set the bowl of stir fry on the table. Taking my seat, I scoop out a plate for Uncle Mike, then me. He runs his fork through the noodles, deep in thought.

"What is it?" I ask.

"When I think about it, I never expected them to die the way they did. A gas leak in the kitchen built up, one spark, and it ignited, and it blew up, and nothing was left," he tells me as I sit there in shock.

"I always wondered how they died. You never would tell me this before. Why now?" I ask as I look over at my uncle Mike who looks a bit shocked by my question. 

"I didn't want to tell you because I felt that you were too young to know the truth. Now you are old enough to know the truth behind your parent's death," he says as he sits back in his chair. 

"Can you tell me more?" I ask him in hopes he will tell me more about my past that I still cannot remember.

"It was a big blow to the entire family when we lost both of your parents. He was my big brother, and I didn't even have anything to remind me of him. The photos that I did have of you and your family got damaged when the house flooded that one year. You were too little to remember when the water pipe broke in the basement one night and flooded the whole basement.

I still remember it took us several days to pump all the water out before we could see what all the damages were. It destroyed everything down there. I couldn't save anything after it had set in water that long. The only thing that I managed to save is the necklace you wear. That belonged to your mother. It was given to me at their funeral for you to have," he says as he points over to my necklace.

"That you did tell me. I have not taken it off ever since you gave it to me," I say as I fiddle with the heart-shaped necklace with the strange engravings on the back. I shake off the depressing thought.

We don't say anything else about my parents or their accident throughout the rest of dinner. I clear the table, then wash all the dishes. When I finish, I start up the steps to my room when I hear Uncle Mike yell for me. I stop in mid-step, then turn toward the bottom of the steps.

Uncle Mike comes to the bottom step, "here in a little while, I will need your help."

"Ok, I'm going to get started on my homework. I'll be in my room," I reply as I continue up the steps to my room. When I get to my room, I head to the bathroom to get a quick shower before I get started on my homework.  

I towel dried my hair, then pulled on a pair of sweatpants and one of my long-sleeved tee shirts. I then head back to my room. After spending an hour on my essay for English class, I was ready to call it a night. I reach for my phone to check my messages, and I see one from Hannah. I quickly read over her text that had me smiling.

I hate these stupid essays. Why cant the teacher have us write about something more interesting, instead of things that happened before I was born, she text?

I could see her frustrated face in my mind as she typed this. I began to type a response. I know how frustrating Ms. Peter's class can be. I finally finished mine. It only took me an hour, lol. Just think of it this way, we only have a couple more months left before we graduate. I finish typing to her.

She was quick to respond. "Very true, this still sucks. I dread her class tomorrow. I know she will give us an assignment for this weekend. I'm so sick of homework. I want to focus on my date with Kevin this weekend, not do some stupid assignment.

Ready with my reply, maybe she won't be hard on us this weekend. Are you still picking me up tomorrow morning?

The sound of my uncle knocking on my door made me look up from my phone. "Can you come downstairs for a minute?" he asks.

"Yeah, give me a second," I call out to him as I look back down at my phone to see if Hannah had to text me back.

"Yeah, same time as always," she texted.

"Kristen hurry up," he calls again.

"Hold on," I yell back to him as I finish texting Hannah that I will see her tomorrow morning.

My door comes open as my uncle steps into the room with an angry face. "I told you to come downstairs," he says as he walks over to me. Without warning, he reaches over, grabbing me by my arm.

Before I can say another word or react, he pulls me to my feet, making my phone fall to the floor. I'm sorry, I was about ready to come downstairs, I say as he leads me down the hallway. I must be in deep trouble; he looks very mad at me. What the heck did I do this time?

His grip tightens, causing his fingers to dig into my arm. "What's wrong?" I ask as I try to keep up. He never acted this way before, and I feared I'd done something bad this time. I tried to think of anything I might have done that would cause him to be this angry, and I couldn't think of one thing.

"Uncle Mike!" I plead once again. With no response, we approach the top of the steps. This must be bad, oh what did I do. Think Kristen, what could you have done to get into this much trouble?

He began to pull me down the steps of our two-story house. I'm finding it hard to keep up, and my balance is not the best as he pulls me behind him. I try to ask him again, only to get silence. I pull my arm free as I start to protest the brute force he is imposing on me. He turns fast, faster than I expected. What came next, I never saw coming.

His hand came across my face, making me stumble back up the steps. My mind goes blank; the shock of being hit has me floored. He has never hit me. He's never been violent toward me. As he starts back towards me, the look on his face sends chills down my spine. Something's not right. 

He grabs me by my arm again, pulling me up from the step that I had stumbled back on. He pulls me down several steps again, and I am more confused and scared by his actions. I need to get as much distance from him till he calms down. In his state of mind, he will not be rational with me. I can't imagine what I have done for him to be this mad at me. My mind races as the scene unfolds before my eyes.

I break ahold of his death grip on my arm once again. I stumble, but not as much as before. I turn and get up a few steps, only to feel him grab ahold of my leg. I lose my balance and hit the steps face first. My vision swims, and my face lights up like fire. I cant see, and the pain in my face has me in tears. I could hear him coming up the steps, and he was now almost on top of me.

"Stop! Stop!" I scream as I hit him with my hands in hopes of fighting him off. He's trying to grab me but can't get a good grip. This only causes us to slip down the steps with me on my back. My back takes blunt force contact with the steps as I slip down more steps. We end up at the bottom of the steps, tangled in each other. I feel his hand on my arm as he starts to pull me to my feet. I have only a second to get my balance before he starts to pull me through the house as he struggles to get his breath. 

"For fucks sake, why did you have to fight me? You would have made it easy on the both of us if you would have just come with me without a fight," he hisses under his breath.

I began to panic at his tone of voice. I start to cry from the pain and the sheer terror running wild through my body. I know that no matter how much I fight against him, I'm no match for his strength. I can tell he's getting angrier because of how rough he got with me. I must find a way to outsmart him. I beg and plead for him to stop, "you're scaring me."

He spins around and backhands me across the face. I fall to the floor with a hard thud. More tears welled up in my eyes as I looked up at him in disbelief.

"Shut up!" he shouts at me. This can't be happening!

He reaches down, grabbing me by my neck, making me get to my feet as I continue to cry. The tears run down my face as I cry even harder. He drags me by my arm over to the basement door. He opens the door as he keeps his hold on me. The thought of being dragged down into the basement freaks me out. I don't like the basement. I never go into the basement. I don't want to know what's down there.  

I can't help but panic at this point as he pulls me down the steps. This is not right. I hear someone talking. Who brings a teenage girl down into the basement after beating the crap out of her? I had to get away from this situation before something bad happened. I had this one chance to try to get away before I faced what was down there. 

I push my body backward with everything I have, causing him to lose his grip on me. I try to brace myself for the fall. I use my foot to kick him, causing him to lose his balance. He falls forward down the steps, giving me the perfect opportunity I needed to getaway. I grab at the steps ahead of me, pulling myself to my feet. I stumble through the door of the basement, turn and shove the door hard to close it. With shaky hands, I fumble with the lock on the doorknob, then put the chain on the door to give me a few more minutes before he can kick it down.

I run up the steps to my room as fast as I can. When I get to my room, I turn and lock the door behind me. I grab my chair from my desk and shove it under the doorknob. I then grab a pair of shoes from my floor, slip them on, then grab one of my hoodies from the floor. I slip it over my head when I hear footsteps coming up the steps. I began to panic, knowing that he would come through the door in a matter of seconds. I look around in desperation when I spot the window as my only option of escape. I run to the window, trying to get it unlocked. I fight to get the window open when I hear the doorknob start to rattle, making my heart pound in my chest. I manage to get the window open when my uncle begins to hit the door.

"Kristen, open this damn door," he shouts as he starts to ram the door with his body. I can hear the wood beginning to crack.

I turn toward the window and start to climb out when I remember my phone. I turn and spot it on the floor as the door to my room comes crashing in. I turn back toward the window and make my way through as he runs across the room. Before I manage to get myself completely through the window, he grabs one of my legs, causing me to fall out of the window face-first onto the porch roof.

He manages to keep his grip on my leg as I squirm to get loose. I try to reach the edge of the roof to get leverage as he pulls on my leg tighter. I look back, and he's halfway hanging out of the window. I take my other foot and put it against the house. I push with everything in me, freeing my leg from his grasp.

He leans out the window, trying to get ahold of me again. I kick at his hands as he fights to try to get out the window. I kick at him harder, causing me to lose my balance. I start to slide down the slope of the roof. I know it's too late when I reach the edge of the roof. I slip off the edge of the roof of our two-story house. This is going to hurt.

I hit the ground on my back, and everything goes black for a second. A second later, everything comes back to life, as I panic when I can't get my breath. I struggle to get air back into my lungs but remain paralyzed and sprawled out on the lawn. I know I had to move; I had to get up, but I couldn't, no matter how much I tried. Run . . . Run . . .  I scream in my head as I gasp, trying to get air back into my lungs. After a minute, my lungs fill with precious oxygen, allowing me to move. I manage to roll over, get to my feet, and start to run.

I have never been this scared in my entire life as I run to get to the main road. I was halfway across the yard when my foot slipped on the wet grass, making me fall to my hands and knees. I quickly push myself off the ground, getting to my feet. I freeze at the sound of my uncle's voice. 

"Kristen! Get back here. Don't make me run after you," he shouts. I turn to see him looking down at me from my bedroom window.

"I will find you," he shouts when I turn my back to him and start to run toward the road.

My heart's racing, knowing he was already on his way down the steps to come after me, and I knew he would catch up with me if I didn't hurry. By the time I made it to the road, it was dark. The entire neighborhood was asleep. I should have been asleep at this hour, being a school night. I run down the road that's lit only by the streetlights. There are only a few houses on my block, and I knew it would be too late to pound on the doors for help. No one would hear my screams for help in time before he got his hands on me again, so I continued to run toward the town square only a few blocks away.

A few raindrops hit me in the face signaling the start of a downpour. I ran down the road as the rain began to pour. The sound of the raindrops fills the quiet night as I pick up my pace. Out of all the times for a downpour, this couldn't get any worse, I thought. This all seemed unreal as I stopped to catch my breath. I stopped to catch my breath. I was gasping for air as the pain in my ribs burned with every breath I took. I took one deep breath and began to run as I held my side to make it another block to reach the town. Once there, I hoped to find a store that had late hours.  

The first thing that came into view were two large buildings. This could give me some cover until I could come up with something else. I made it halfway down the alley when I start to throw up. I held onto the wall to keep myself on my feet as the dry heaves hit me over and over. Tears ran down my cheeks as my body shook violently from the dry heaves and the cold rain that continued to rain down over me. I collapse to the ground as the pain radiated through my body. I try to catch my breath as I fight the urge to give up. I knew that I wasn't a quitter. I wanted nothing to do with what I had witnessed earlier, which kept me motivated not to give up. I slow my breathing down as the dry heaves slowly came to a stop. I know I couldn't stay long.

I slowly get back to my feet as my whole body protests. I make my way down the alley, using the walls to help me stay upright as I hold my ribs. When I reached the end of the alley, I look both ways before making a quick decision to take the one that didn't have any dead ends.

I pick up my pace to a slow jog until I get to the end of the alley. I peek my head around the side. I don't see anyone. I run across the road to another set of buildings. I knew the layout pretty well. Growing up around town gave me a little bit of advantage. I knew I had to pick up my pace, or he would catch up to me eventually, so I speed up till I was running again.

I stopped at the end of the alley, completely out of breath again, and my body couldn't go any further. I look around in desperation till I spot a place to hide to give me a chance to get my stamina back.

Sliding down the side of the building, I stay on my feet just in case I need to run, keeping my eyes on the entrance. My lungs pull air in as sweat runs down my face. I move my wet hair out of my way. Overwhelmed, I can no longer hold back my tears as the betrayal and fear wash over me. I was now all alone, betrayed, and wanted for unknown reasons. I had so many questions racing in my head with no answers. I can't seem to get his face out of my mind when he attacked me for no reason at all. I had never seen him that angry with me, even when I pushed him to his limits. It was clear that something snapped; he was not the same man who raised me as his own child. It was clear that something wasn't right.

A noise not far away pulls me from my thoughts. I look up in the direction of the sounds. Fear begins to spike through me as the sounds grow closer. I fear he has found me. I manage to stand up without making much sound as I make my way toward the end of the alley. I can only hope that in the darkness, I can outrun him. I know if I keep running, I will give myself away, so I look around in desperation for a spot to hide.

I manage to get around the corner, drop down, and hide beside a large metal garbage bin. Pushing myself against the wall, I try my best to conceal myself in the shadows. I see a few bags of trash and a few boxes that give me the idea of a perfect hiding place. I move the bags in front of me and the boxes to make them look like random trash that someone threw out.

My breathing is erratic, my heart is pounding, and all the adrenaline running through my body is taking its toll on me. The smell is about to make me gag as I try desperately to calm myself so I can focus on the situation. Who was I kidding? I was just a teenage girl, helpless and defenseless against him. I had a bad feeling about this whole situation, and I was not sure I was smart enough to figure a way out. When I hear footsteps closing in on me, I freeze. My whole body becomes stiff, and I quit breathing as my body trembles in fear. Please don't find me. I shout in my head as the footsteps stop. With every hair standing on end, I fight against my body's urge that screams for me to run. Did he find me? Can they see me? I wanted to move the box to see what was going on, but I knew better. Knowing if he spotted me, I wouldn't be able to outrun him from this distance.

I'm exhausted, and my body aches all over. All I can do is hold still and not make any noise. I make myself focus and try to be as calm as possible. The footsteps start again, and they are growing closer. I listen without moving a muscle as they walk right past me without stopping. They move out of the alley, and I let out the breath I was holding.

I move the bags and boxes very slowly to make any sounds that would draw any attention. I stand up and walk to the end of the alley. I peer around to see two men that I don't recognize making their way up the street. I try to make out more details, but they are already too far away for me to get a good look at their faces. I was relieved to know that neither one of them was my uncle. I wonder who they are and why they are looking for me. I jump when one of the men shouts. I freeze as I watch them take off, running out into the street.  

I take one quick look and slowly take off, running in the opposite direction. I'm trying to figure out where I can hide. My mind is blank as I look around in desperation. I'm almost to the end of the building leading to the main street when I look around. I spot a fire escape ladder hanging down only a few feet from the ground. I make a quick decision to take a chance to hide.

I jump up to grab ahold of the ladder; it makes a grinding sound as it comes down. I begin to climb up the rusty steps that threaten to give way to my weight. I climb onto the platform, then reach down and grab the top of the ladder to pull it up so no one can reach it from the ground. Holding the rails, I climb up a few more steps putting me further off the ground. 

When I reach the top, I find a window that's busted out. The broken glass litters the platform around the window. Carefully I stick my head inside to see if the building appears abandoned. When I'm sure that the building is empty, I slide the end of my sleeve over my hand so I can knock the rest of the window out. I take one last look around before I slide one leg in first, followed by the rest of my body. Holding on to the window frame, I steady myself as I pull my other leg through the window. Peering out, I look for any signs of anyone that might be around, only to find the streets are quiet with no one in sight. 

I step back from the window. I find that every muscle aches, making my body scream for relief. I walk over to the wall and slide down to sit on the ground. I lean up against the wall and bring my knees to my chest. I try to get control of my body that's shaking violently from my wet clothes and all the adrenaline running through me. I listen for any sounds that signal anyone's approach but only hear my ragged breathing.

With a jolt, I wake in a panic, realizing I must have dozed off sometime during the night from exhaustion. I look around to make sure I'm still alone.

The room is empty, with trash and broken items littering the floors. The walls have wallpaper with several spots that have peeled down the walls.

I manage to roll over, getting to my feet even though my body protests from the position I slept in all night. Making my way across the floor, avoiding several holes and cracks, I make my way toward the door. I push the door, making it creek on its rusty hinges.

Sticking my head out, I look to see if I can find anything to help me. I wasn't going to get my hopes up with the way everything looked. I make my way down the hall without stepping in the damaged parts of the floor. I find another door in the hallway. I push the door open to find a bathroom that had seen better days. A broken mirror hanging sideways on the wall over a dirty old skink stained with rust and grime.

I take my sleeve to my shirt and wipe a spot on the mirror to see how I look. I was curious about my injuries, especially how badly my face hurt. I knew that I had damage; I didn't realize how bad. When I get enough of the mirror wiped clean, my reflection shakes me to my core.

My poor face is a mess, with makeup running down my cheeks as the bruises show from underneath it all. I reach up and rub my face, but the sting from the cut that runs along my jaw makes me stop. Anger runs through me as I take in my appearance. I look like I got hit by a car with this amount of damage to my face. How could he do this to me? How could he say he loved me like his own child and turn around and attacked me?

Tears sting my eyes as I choke down a sob that threatens to undo me. My dark hair hangs flat past my shoulders in a tangled mess. The cut is not too deep that it would require stitches. I needed to clean it before any infection set in. My eyes look swollen from crying through the night. I pull my eyes from the mirror to assess the rest of my injuries.

I pull up my shirt and see a large black and blue bruise that matches my poor face. I hear something hit the floor. I reach down and see my necklace that broke when I was trying to get away. It was my mother's necklace that my uncle gave me when I was a young child. I put it in my pocket, so I don't lose it.

I begin to look at the rest of my injuries. I run my fingers along with the black bruise, making me flinch. I run my hand along my back, and it hurts in several places. I can only guess what my back looks with how it feels. I had no idea how bad it was last night with all the adrenaline raging through me.

I pull my shirt down, then slide my pants down to reveal more bruises covering several parts of my legs. I don't remember how I got those exactly. I figure it was when I was fighting him off. I pull my pants up, then fix my clothes so they don't look bad. I try to soothe my poor hair down to find it's a lost cause.

I wonder if this building has running water still. I turn the knob on the sink, hoping there might be some water, only to be disappointed when nothing happens. Just my luck as usual. What to do? I take my shirt sleeve and wipe my face the best I can to get as much dirt off my face as I can. I wipe only to find that it's not dirt but bruises that are starting to form on my face from when I fell. It looks no better than when I started. He beat the crap out of me with just his hands. I can't let anyone see me like this, or they will grow suspicious.

I head out of the bathroom, making my way through the building to find old broken furniture with trash lying around everywhere. I head back to the room where I came in last night. Sliding down the wall, I decided to wait till dark to travel in the shadows of the night, to keep hidden from the world.

I pull my knees up to rest my head. I reach into my pocket and pull out my necklace. I fiddle with the locket that always gave me comfort, knowing I had a piece of my mother with me. The locket was in the shape of a heart with strange writing engraved on the back in a language that I couldn't understand. Out of a nervous tick, I would rub my thumb along the engravings of the words.

When I was four years old, the necklace was given to me when my mother passed away. My uncle told me that I should take care of it and never take it off. I couldn't remember my mother or anything before I started living with my uncle after the accident that took my parents' lives. I cherished the necklace in hopes that my memories would come back one day, and I could remember the face of my mother. So, I never took it off since I was a small child, knowing it meant something special to my mother.  

I sit back, letting my head rest against the wall as my thoughts run wild. I can't help but get angry when I think about what my uncle had done to me. It was a side of him that I had never seen before. He was so mad at me, which had me confused. I tried to think of anything I had done to make him this angry with me, but I couldn't think of anything.

I've always tried to be a good child and always did what he told me to do, so his behavior confused me. I thought that he loved me as if I was his own daughter. He had raised me since I was four. I had no other family other than him, and I could honestly say it wasn't that bad growing up. He had taught me many things, and I had many happy childhood memories, except for the one night he snapped. The hate that I saw in his eyes for me made no sense to me. I was so scared as I begged and pleaded with him to stop. I still didn't know why he wanted to get me into the basement so badly.

As I ponder my thoughts, the sky slowly turns dark, signaling me to get out of here. I peek out the window to make sure that no one will see me as I make my way through the window the same way I entered the previous night. Carefully I make my way down the ladder that threatens to give way as it protests from my weight. I jump to the ground then run to the end of the alley.

I quickly look around the corner to make sure no one is around. I run down the street till I reach the park in hopes that it could provide better cover. I make my way through the park as I think of where to go. I can't run forever; I have to find a safe place to hide. Where do I go from here? I'm only seventeen with no other family other than my uncle, that has turned on me, leaving me all alone. I have to figure out what to do if I am going to survive the night.