Chapter 1
It was the day before summer ended. School shopping became a nightmare. College applications became stacked, and where ever you look, a mob of children scattered everywhere. I mean, you can not change that, can you? Exactly, like how you can not change the past. I might sound sarcastic, but it is who I am, a funny, sweet, sensitive young lady. And if men do not like that, then they can move along. You might think I am a strong, brave girl, but that is not true.
“So, what do you have to say for yourself, Katherine?” Mike asked, coming towards me. Mike was one of those guys you want to punch in the face most of the time. The ones who just had fun. He was my boyfriend, if you could even call it that. He is abusive and I finally noticed that exactly one year ago, when he hit me for the first time.
“I am sorry,” I said, looking at him, trying not to cry. I wanted to look at his face, but I was so afraid. I knew if I would, I would lose it. He was grinning at me. Pain comes upon my cheek when he slaps me. “Sorry ain’t going to cut it, sweetheart,” he said. I knew it was going to happen soon, the ring, the pressure, the force. I knew that sooner or later he was going to force me to be his wife, or should I say internal torture toy.
“You think you can fix this?” I asked him, with tears in my eyes. I hate the way he looks at me, with a straight face and without any emotion at all. I know that it has to do with his dad, but he is too strong, too stubborn, and too pissed off. Mike is not my man, just a voice for his father. Mike doesn’t even know what love is.
“Fix what, Katherine? The problem is you. You are the fucking problem! Do you think you are worth something? Well, let me tell you...you are worth NOTHING!” He screamed, with a bloody lip.
When I heard him talking like that, I wanted to run away. I wanted to run away from him, away from our lives, and away from myself. I think I was in shock. I could not understand what he was doing. All I knew, was that I was furious with him. He slapped me again, while I was still trying to talk.
“I own you, so YOU do what I say! Got it?” At this point, I was shaking with terror, I do what I always do...nod my head. I need to get out, but I can’t. If I go, he will hunt me down like dead meat, and punish my life even more. If I stay, he will continue torturing me. I guess I don’t have a choice, do I? All I’m going to say is that this summer is going to be the death of me.
Blood ran down my cheek, and I started crying, and when I look up at Mike, he was laughing. He is a sick man, who doesn’t care if I get hurt. He won’t let me go. Never. I already tried running away, trust me.
I tried running away six months ago, I ran with all my luggage to my friend Luke’s house. I and Luke have been friends since we were newborns and he was the only person I could trust at this point. I remember it all. The blood. The pain. The fear. Mike not only found where I was hiding, but he saw Luke. Once he saw him, a blade was rising out of his jean pocket. And, then…Luke was gone. Just like that. I got the police over in time, but Mike convinced everyone that some intruder did it and he found me naked in the closet. I tried to tell them, but nobody believed me. They thought Mike was a sweet, caring, innocent, and smart fellow. But each rose can have its thorn, right?
I blame myself every day for Luke’s death. That is the hardest part for me. That day, was the most terrifying day of my life. I want to die and go away from this nightmare. I can’t deal with it anymore. He made me stay back. I’m so sick of fighting for my life. I am so sick of being strong and brave because I am not brave, just weak and stupid. I want to be dead, I want to die and stop fighting for my life.
I don’t know why I did this, to myself. No one cared about me. None of my friends, Mike’s father, or my own family. Nobody cared about me. I should have been dead the day Luke was stabbed. Not Luke.
I feel so alone and cold. I never wanted to die, but I’m not strong enough to live. I want to be dead. I want the pain and the agony to go away. I wish I was dead. There is no cure for me, there is no hope for me. All I can do is watch my life go further away, slowly, and painfully. The pain is overwhelming me. Everything that’s happening to me, is bad. Like my life is in shambles. But, I still don’t want to die. That’s the hardest part. I still want to go on living. I want to be alive, with my family, friends, and everybody else.
But I guess this was my lesson. I need to learn to live in this world and deal with the pain. I need to find a way to get rid of this pain, so I don’t have to think about it anymore. I have been fighting for a long time, I’m going to keep fighting as long as I can, I will not die. I will NOT die. I will fight this war. I will win. I will live. I will live for my mother. I will live for everyone. Luke would want that. I need to have a reason to keep on going. I need a reason to live. It has to be something big, something that will motivate me. And it must be something I can do with or without Mike if I ever get the chance to run away. I don’t know if I will ever get that chance. If I could run away, that would be the greatest gift anybody could ever give me.
before I could waste more time, I plan my escape. And this time, I AM GETTING OUT! I thought it out perfectly. He would leave me to go to his friends or where ever he goes, and before he goes, ill sneak into his jacket to get his spare keys. Once he is gone, I will be too. But then I will have to be cautious of the outer world. I don’t want what happened before to happen again. Ever. I’ll need to stay hidden for a long time and stay off of the roads. That’s where I can be safe.
I plan on waiting for the opportunity to leave Mike. But, it’s always possible he’ll find me. I would have to try and hide in plain sight, but at the same time, he will be searching for me to see where I’m going. There’s only one way to find out. My time to escape is nearing. I hope I make it. It’s dark now, and the stars are shining above. My friends left me because of Mike. They all think that I’m in love with Mike. I understand they are young and don’t understand, but they will understand one day when they can look back and realize the truth. I understand now, how they feel. But I am scared. Every day that goes by, I get more scared. I keep going because I need to stay away from Mike. I don’t want him to find me, but I need to escape.
I had gotten the keys and Mike has left. I run to the door, with nothing holding me back any longer. I unlock the door and run. I won’t stop running. I run, I run as fast as I can. Until I get to the forest. My heart is beating fast. I am exhausted. I have no idea how far I’ve run or what to do.
I run into the forest. I go deeper and deeper into the forest, never once looking back. I know that if Mike finds me now, he will kill me. That was what Mike would do. But I also know he will probably not find me here. I need to try and hide. I need to hide, but where?
I walk and walk, deeper and deeper. My heart is beating so fast. I’m scared. I have to find somewhere to hide. I can’t just walk forever. I have to rest. I have to stop. But where?
I am lost. The forest is so dark. I can’t see. What am I going to do? Then I spot something. It’s some sort of road. There I see it, a bus stop. I run to the bus stop and I see the bus coming my way. I hop right as the bus stops, take a seat, and take deep breaths. Breathe in. Breathe out. I am safe for now, but not for long.
