Surving the Game

My life was decent. Parents that loved me, a God to believe in, and not a care in the world. Many summers ago, when I was nine, I decided to sneak out to go see some friends that lived down the street from me. As I stared at the back of my mother's head while she was cleaning, paying me no attention, I jumped out my bedroom window. I skipped along the road as green leaves swayed as the trees bent with the wind. The honey suckle aroma swirled through the air. My heart pounded as I quickened my pace, and my cheeks reddened in the heat. My black, long hair swayed and curled in the humidity. The white house centered in a crammed driveway with trees surrounding the small property space familiarly appeared. I knocked on the paint chipped door while catching my breath. Justin answered the door and my face wrinkled. Justin was the oldest out of three boys (around 16 or so) being cared for by their single mother. Justin was also the only one out of the three that made me feel uncomfortable. His brothers and me would sit on the couch and laugh, while Justin would stare at me, into my soul, it seemed like. I adjusted my little yellow dress that I intended to wear to catch his brother's attention. I retied my sneakers, and took one more deep breath. "Hey Justin... Where's Jake and Jack?" His yellow eyes brightened with each blink. "Not here," was his vague answer. I tossed my head. "What about your mom? They said for me to come over today." He shook his head, but moved out of the door way as a gesture to come in. "Come on in lil' girl. They'll be back in a minute." Hesitantly, I walked into the living room reviving memories. "Well, while we're waiting, do you wanna play hide n' seek?" My child side came out, and I nodded my head. "No peeking," I said with a smile and exposed dimples. I ran into the master bedroom which was small, considering that the house was added on with a trailer. I climbed under the bed as I heard him counting. I picked at the carpet fuzz until he said," Ready or not here I come..." His boots drug along the floor as he whistled a bittersweet tune. I watched with suspense as his boots made a stop in front of the door. I held my breath as he walked each step closer to my hiding place. I let out a giggle knowing he was about to discover me. I felt his teenager fingers grope my ankles and yanked me from underneath the bed. I was still laughing until I looked into his eyes. Hunger. I gasped in horror, and tried to free myself from the grip he had around my little wrist. He flung me onto my stomach and yanked my dress up. As one hand was firmly pressed down on the back of my head shoving my face into the carpet, his other hand was ripping my underwear off. He pushed himself inside with a grunt, and his weight was all on my back. I squealed at the pain, the pressure, the tearing. Wetness caked my thighs. I was clueless until his hand was relaxed on my shoulder, where I got a peek of the blood that coated his fingers. I tried so hard to squirm away but his weight pinned me down. My nostrils filled with his Ole' Spice cologne. My back muscles ached. His yellow eyes swallowed my soul. His blonde hair was stuck to his forehead with sweat. He penetrated one last shove before my insides filled up with goo. He rolled onto his back next to me catching his breath. Out of a puff of air he mumbled, "Oops..." My world was ending as each second passed. I could feel myself dying inside. I didn't feel like the princess my father told me I was. Tears finally feel down my cheeks as I stumbled to the door. While I was having trouble catching my footing blood ran down my dimpled knees. He got up with his eyes still staring me down. Before I could even get out of the room his fingers wrapped around my hair where I was pulled back to the ground. I crawled back whimpering. His fist scraped my jaw, cutting my gums, and making me spit blood. "You weren't supposed to do this, Michelle.. You were supposed to come here, let me grab you, throw you in the van with the rest of 'em, and get your ass to Mexico." My mind was in too much of a haze to respond. "That's okay though... You're my angel now. My sweet angel. I've had my eye on you since day one.... Such pretty green eyes. You're not gonna tell a soul because if you do, I'm gonna hurt that family of yours. We don't want that do we?" His head tossed to the side and his lips wrinkled. I thought of my two sisters and parents, and I shook my head. He looked down out his boots with a face that my youth could never understand. I ran out the house and was knocked into a blur. Diane's face appeared and I felt relieved. She had a grip around my forearms. Justin walked calmly behind with a straight face. "Let her go." Diane's expression changed from confusion to frustrated. "Jesus Christ! You didn't! She'll be worth nothing now!" Her lips curled and her auburn hair framed her angered face. My stomach rose to my throat. "That's why she's gonna go on home. She ain't gonna tell a soul, right Michelle?" Justin was looking through me again with those yellow eyes waiting for an answer. I nodded. Her grip tightened and then released my forearms. "Don't make me regret this, kid," she said with a stern voice then looked at Justin. I ran off and felt their eyes burning through me the whole time I was in their site. I couldn't smell the honey suckle anymore. It was drowned out with Ole' Spice and sweat. The trees didn't look playfully swinging anymore either. The branches looked like claws that were reaching out to consume me. The sun was shining but I didn't feel its warmth at all. I didn't feel anything.