Hoping Just Isn't Always Enough

That whole night, I had trouble sleeping. After having talked with Brian's parents, they had agreed to lend us their basement, and they offered three beds for us all. Even though they promised to look after us all, I was still feeling queasy and unsure about all of this. I didn't like any of it, and I just couldn't believe it.

I mean, yeah, sure, Dave was acting pretty strange, but I hadn't told him all about me. I hadn't told him about Lucy and much less about what had really happened.

"Ree?"I heard Claire whisper out.

I looked over at her bed and saw that she was looking at Ronny.

"What's wrong?"I asked quickly. I got out of bed and walked over to them.

"He smells funny,"she complained.

I neared Ronny and looked down. He had his eyes wide open and appeared to be grinning. I picked him up only to hold him away from me.

"He's nasty!"Claire giggled.

I laughed lightly and put a finger to my lips. After changing Ronny, I took him back to my bed. I laid him down next to me and just played with him, trying to lull him back to sleep.

I smiled when I saw Ronny trying to catch my fingers. When he finally got them, he squeezed them tightly.

He was an adorable little baby, and I couldn't believe his parents.

Ronny wasn't part of us, blood-wise. When we had been placed in a certain foster home, our foster parents had decided that they wanted somebody younger that Claire. She wasn't as cute, and, on the contrary, had become more demanding and annoying.

So they got Ronny. At a week old, he had learned that even your parents can be the cruelest people ever. He had become part of our family, and when he had apparently grown and become less baby-ish, they decided to give us all away again and simply get rid of us.

We escaped with Ronny only to be placed in yet another home. But luckily, we had been able to remain with him. Ever since then, he became part of our family, and well, none of us would give him up for anything.

- - - - -

"So we don't go to school?" Sarah asked me quietly as we ate breakfast the next morning.

"No. Aren't you happy?"I asked, slightly puzzled.

She sighed and looked down at her plate. She twirled her cereal in its bowl and just watched them as they moved around.

"Sweetie, whats wrong?"I asked gently.

"Are we having to hide because of what happened yesterday?"

I stared at her in amazement. "No. We're staying here because we just need time to get our shit all straightened out and then we'll-"

"Bullshit, Reena, bullshit,"she said, quiet but fierce.

I opened my mouth to say something, but nothing came out. She stared at me with such anger and hatred.

"We always run, Reena! Always! Why can't we for once just stay and let them care for us?"she asked angrily, firing away. "You fight to defend yourself, but when it comes to defending all of us, you fucking back away, like you ain't such big shit anymore!"

I stared at my sister. She had never been like that, she had always been a quiet and lovely girl. And this, I just didn't know what to do.

"Reena!"she snapped angrily.

I continued to look at her.

"Reena! Talk to me! Or is it because I'm right that you have nothing to say?"

Before she gave me a chance to begin talking, she shot out of her chair and ran back downstairs, angry tears spilling down her face.

I sat there, still processing what had just happened. Did I do wrong in trying not to scare her and let her know what was going on? Did I do wrong in lying and not tell her the truth? Did I not do right in keeping her from knowing the truth and trying to keep her safe?

I stood up and walked to the window. I stood in front of it and watched as cars passed by, all passengers having a destination. Me? I didn't even know where I had steered my car to. I stared out the window and suddenly had an urge to go outside.

I opened the door and stepped out onto the cool sunny day. I walked down towards the sidewalk and looked both ways. The street had all of a sudden frown quiet and I wondered suspiciously about this.

Where had all the morning people gone too?

"Reena Harper?"I heard a man say from behind me just as I had turned around.

At the firm and commanding tone of the voice, I froze. I slowly turned around and saw two men in suits. I gulped. There was nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide.

"Reena Harper,"the man repeated more cunningly this time. "Don't try to run, we'll find you wherever you go."

He spoke with such firmness and seemed so sure of himself that I panicked mentally.

I didn't dare look back, and I couldn't run from them.

"Reena," the man whispered out again.

He took a step towards me and grabbed my wrist. I pulled my wrist away and was about to make a brake for it when the other one tackled me to the ground. And all I remember was hitting the ground hard and my vision going blank.