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Scared

"Cherry, stop looking of into space and pay attion!" Mr.Hig demanded.
"I'm sorry" I replied, looking at my teacher. It was a nice day dream. It was about having a nice mommy who cooks good food, and a daddy who picked my up and hugged me. Mr.Hig huffed and turned back twords the board. He was talking about subtraction. Too easy for me, I thought to myself. "Since you are now paying attion Cherry, what is 14 - 12?" Mr.Hig asked. It didn't take me very long to figure it out.
"2" I replied. He nodded and went back to teaching.
Somone at my table kicked my chair and threw a peice of papper at her. She look at who it was, it was Mikey. I opend it and it had a picture of her being squished by a dinosour. I crumpled it up and threw it in the trash. Mikey snickered. Hes a meany, always picking on me. Then the bell rang, and I quickly grabbed my book and ran out the door. I was happy that I could go home and talk to Rick. He used to come to school with me, but I got in trouble for talking to him, and everyone said he wasnt real. But I knew he was there, becasue I could see him.
But then I rembereed my brother was going to be home. He is worse then mommy and daddy. I felt worried and sad again. I had to go home though, or else I would be in big trouble. So I kept thinking of Rick, and what games we could play. I walked onto the bus and sat in the first seat on the right. I was the first house, so it only took a little bit to get there. I Got off the bus and slowly walked to my small orange house. It remided my of a big pumpkin. It would be funny if for halloween, we painted a face on it. So it would look like a Jack-o-Lantern. But I couldn't go trick or treating, or go to any Halloween parties.
When I walked into the house, still thinking about pumpkins, I saw my brother was on the couch, smoking a cigeret. "Come here" he comanded me. I slowly walked over to him, I was shaking. He grabbed my arm and put his cigeret on it. I screamed, because it really hurt. I dont like being burned. "Shut up and do your homework" he grunted while he punched my in the belly. I fell to the floor, but managed to crawl to my room.
"Rick?" I whispered quitly. "Im right here" he said comming out from under my beg. I ran over and hugged him.
"Its ok" he said patting my back. He was 10 years old, I was 7.
"It hurts," I whimpered, showing him my arm. The skin was burned and red.
"Aw, it'll be fine. You should get a bandade, though" he said looking at it. I nodded and got a bandade from my dresser. I took some from school, because I need them alot. I dont think anyone cares. I put it on my arm and looked through my bag.
"I don't have home work" I whispered.
Rick knew why I wanted homework. Because when I do have homework, my brother will leave me alone.
"Its ok, just be a solider" he said, smiling saddly. I nodded, and stood up, with my head held high, just like a soldier.
"I don't have any homework" I say quitly behind the couch my brother is on. He stands up and walks twords me. I loose my soldier-like pose and shrink away from him. He smiles as I cower away. "Wanna play a game then?" He says evily. I shake my head no.
"Oh well, too bad. We are going to play a game" he says grabbing me. I scream for help, but Rick knows better, and I told him never to help me. So he wont get hurt. My brother's hand clamps over my mouth and he picks me up and puts me over his shoulder. I start kicking him, but he hits me back. He hits really hard, so I stop kicking. I don't know whats hes doing with me, but I really don't wanna find out. He starts to go to the basement (its also his room). I can still scream with his hand over my mouth, so I do. I don't know what else to do. Im scared.
He throws me onto the floor and I try to crawl away. It dosn't work, because he grabs my ancle and pulls me back.
"Ok, to play this game, you gatta shut your mouth" he hisses. I starts to rip my cloths off, and I keep screaming. Whats happening?? I think franticly. He smacks me in the head to keep me from screaming, and it works. When my cloths are off, he goes to a drawer and pulls type and handcuffs. He comes back, grabs my wrist and puts one end of the handcuff areound it, then the other to a pole. Then he grabs my hair and and pulls my head back. "shut up" he hisses and types my mouth shut.
I really wish Rick could help me. But he cant, and Im on my own. My brother goes over to the light switch and turns the light off. Im afraid of the dark. Bad things always happen in the dark. I hear a zip, and then russtling sounds. Im sitting with my knees up and my free arm wrapped around them, crying softly. I can't see anything, but I know my brother can, because he always has the light off down here. Im scared. Please god, help me. Then I fell hands on my legs, forcing them apart. I hear a snicker. I keep trying to close my legs, but my brothers knees are inbetween them. Then it

is in me, I scream as loud as I can, all I feel is pain, i think Im going to die. But I dont, I just black out.
When I wake up, Im in my bed, but I dont have cloths on.
"Rh-R-Rick?" I say, pulling the sheets up and over me, its cold in here.
"Im right here" he whispers from the side of the room. I see him. I start crying.
"What happend?" I ask between sobs. I can see him bighting his lip.
"I dont know" He says. I start shivering, and say.
"I need to get dressed" Rick turns around. I shuffle over to my dresser, and pull out an old night gown. I put that on then some underwere. I almost fall onto the floor when Im done, because I really hurt.
"I wanna run away" I say after crawling into bed. I fall asleep, thinking of how to escape.

Dreamer

I wake up groggily, and look at the clock. Its 8:00 am. The bus comes at 8:30. I jump out of bed and dress in my blue jeans, and green monkey tee. "Rick?" I whisper, not wanting to wakeup my family. I stuff some extra clothes inot my my bookbag. "Im right here" He whispers from behind my door. I run down stairs and grab crackers, peanutbutter, bread, and the whole container of orange juice. I stuff them in my bookbag. I let out small sigh and run up to my room, and start pulling Rick down the hall, but run back to close my door "Im ganna do some thinking today" I say closing my door. I quitley run down the stairs and out the door "No school today" i whisper, as I run twords the train station.
I hear people talking by the train, I think they're saying the tain is comming or somthing like that. "Cherry, where are we going?" Rick whispers catching up to me. "Dreamland" I whisper grabbing his hand and running tworads the people. Rick dosn't say anything, because he knows what my dreamland is. I look around and look for a family, I see a little girl holding her mothers hand so I walk up to them and take the girl's hand. She looks at me confussed. "Im running away to my dreamland" I whisper to her. She nodds and says, "My names Nesa". "im Cherry" i whisper. Nesa's mother stars to move, and I still hold Nesa's hand. We move onto the train. Lots of people crowd onto the train, and i almost loose my grip on Rick's hand. But I dont, and when Nesa sits down next to her mother, i let go of her hand and Sit in the seat behind her. "Your free Cher" Rick whispers to me. "I guess I am" i whisper back. I am free, and I will never to back to that horrile family.
The train ride was exiting, because i never was on a train before. First houses pass by, then all there was was trees. The trees were pretty, all green and blossuming. Rick didn't say much, just looked out the window with me. Everyone on the train was talking, but me, Rick, and Nesa. Adventualy looking out the window got boring, so I started to dream of my dreamland. My eyes and mind unfocused, and I was in my head. I could see my dreamland, in the woods, it was bright and had pretty flowers everywhere. A small tree fort was up in a tree, and I was in it. I could see everywhere. I could see the rainbow and my family. My dream family. A nice sister, no brother, a mother, and father you loved me. They were all laying down on the grass in front of our house, pointing up twords the sky. My house was big, and baby blue. Then, all of a sudden, My mother got up and sreamed. It was a painful shreeking, and I was out of my dreamland, back in the tain. I looked around, everyone was yelling and babies were screeming. Rick was saying my name frantically. I looked around again, the train was on fire. I could hear Nesa screaming for her mother, who was now on the floor, bleeding. I didn't see her breathing. I opened the window next to me, and painted to it, looking at Rick. "Jump" I ordered. "but-" he started to say. "No, just jump! Ill be there in a second!" I screeched at him. He didnt move for a second, but then jumpped out of the slowing train. I ran over to Nesa. "Mommy!" she cried. "Nesa, shes in her dreamland now, she wont come back, come on!" I yelled over everyone els. I started pulling her twords the window. "But my mommy!" she kept crying. "you'll see her again, dont worry" I said pushing her twords the window. "Jump" I said pushing her closer. Nesa looked once more at her dead mother, then jumpped, I fallowed behind her. I hit the ground with a loud thud, but the screaming in the train was louder. Rick was by Nesa who was still crying. "Its okay, your mother is okay, shes in dreamland, and thats where were going" he whispered to her. Nesa looked up at Rick. "You sure?" she sniffled. "Yes" he said absoultly. My mouth was hanging open. Nesa was the first person who had ever talked to Rick that wasnt me. she could see him!
I scrambled up and wobbled over to Rick and Nesa. "You cansee him? You really can Nesa?" I asked in disbelief. "Ye-yes" Nesa stammered. "Why wouldn't I?" she looked to Rick then back to me. "'Cuz everyone else said he wasn't real, and that they couldn't see him" I tryed to explain. "Oh....now what do we do? Th-the tr-train was on fire.... my m-mother is...", Nesa didn't finish her sentence. "We find dreamland of course, anyone can find it, we just have to look" I said holding my hands out for Nesa and Rick to get up. They both took my hands. "Where do we go now?" Rick asked. I closed my eyes and thought, going through my map in my head. Listinging to my gut I pointed twords the forest. "That way"
Goog thing i still had my bookbag with me, because I was getting hungrey. Weve been walking for a while it seemed like. I was still leading, with Nesa and Rick close behind me. The sky was getting dark, and it was getting cold. I stopped and turned to Nesa and Rick. "Lets stop here, Im hungrey" I said plopping down on the ground. Nesa instantly sat with me, Rick kept standing. "Im not hungrey, you two can eat" he said. I shrugged and gave Nesa come crackers. I took out some for myself and some peanutbutter. "Put the peanutbutter on the crackers" I said, taking the top of it and dipping my cracker in it. Nesa did the same. Her eyes lit up, "Its yummy" she said, eating another.
When we were done, we drank some oranger juice and layed back, looking at the stars. "Wont animals come eat us?" Nesa asked nervuisly. "No, they wanna come with us to dreamland too, and Im the only one who knows where it is" I said mater-of-factly. "What does it look like?" Nesa asked. "Well, its a big bright forest, and a big tree fort in one of the trees. And a nice family , that's ganna be our family. The house is big. The sun shines bright, everyday. Flowers grow every season. And a new sister is there too" I said, closing my eyes. No one said anything, and we fell asleep.
Just like I said, no animals came to eat us. I woke up first. I looked around and rembered, I ran away, the train, Nesa. Free. I pulled myself to my feet and nudged Nesa. "wake up" I said pushing her again. Nesa blinked open her eyes, when they focaused her eyes went wide, and she jumpped up. Then she seemed to rember where she was and relaxed. "Its okay, rember?" I said quitly hugging her. Then I got up to wake Rick up, but her must have gottenup when I was waking Nesa up. You could here the birds chirping loudly, and the sun was high in the sky. "Lets eat, then we can go" I said taking out the crackers. A twig snapped, and when I looked over to where it was, I saw a boy, maby 11, walk out, eyes darting over us nervisly.

Journey

"Who are you?" I ask, looking at him coursily. He looks bad, his clothes are ripped, and hes all muddy.
"Dustin, what are you doing here?" He says, strighting up, seeing that we're smaller than him.
"We're going to find dreamland. Im Cherry, thats Nesa, and thats...Rick" I say gesturing to my firends, hesiting at Rick, not sure if Dustin can see him.
"Dream land? like... somewhere, better? Bright sun, trees, tree fort?" He asked. I widen my eyes in shock. He knew about it too? How....?
"I used to dream about somthing like that, then I kinda, moved on...." he said, voice trailling off.
"Same with me" I smile. He looks unsurly at us, then sits across from Nesa, who had small tears rolling down her face.
"Whats wrong?" he whsipers, touching her soulder. She sniffles then looks up at him.
"I-I miss m-my mommy" she says saddly. Dustins eyes are filled with sympothay, and he whipes away her tears.
"Thats okay. You'll see her again, where ever she is...." he says, smiling a little.
"Do you know what else is ganna be there? Bunnies" he whispers, as if it was the best thing in the world. Nesa's face lights up,
"Really?" she says, whipping the rest of her tears away. Dustin nodds. Nesa and Dustin keep talking about bunnies, and what else will be waiting for them. I turn to rick.
"Did I make the right choice?" I ask him. "Of course, if you didn't, you would have been beaten up more, Nesa would have died on the train, and Dusin would have never met us" he says seruisly.
"Oh" I say, looking down and thinking. I look up,
"Are you hungry?" I ask, directing my question at Dustin. He looks up suprised,
"Yeah, I haven't eaten for 3 days now.... But I stil got my water" he says, holding up a camo water botal.
"Okay" I say, sitting down, pulling out the crackers and peanutbutter.

I think Dustin tried it before, because he didn't ask any questions. I didn't want to run out of food quickly, so I only ate 3. After we were done, I stood up and pulled my back pack onto my shoulders. I held my hand out to Dustin, he took it and I helped him stand up. He was taller than me, but I still felt like a comander in am army, now hes second in comand. He smiled down at me, I smiled up at him. Nesa and Rick joined us. I looked at Dustin once more, he seemed like he wanted to say somthing, or like he was suspossed to do somthing.
"What do you got to do? We'll help" I said seruisly. He hesitated, looking at all of us.
"I promised my little sister I would come back for her if I ever found somone, who could take us to dreamland" he said. I thought about it slowly. We were going to rescue someone from ememy lines. I needed a plan.
"How far, where in the house, and how old is she?" I asked. He looked suprised I just jumpped into it. He answered me quickly,
"Not far, maby a days trip. Shes on the first floor in the house, her rooms near the back door, she has a window. Shes 4".

I wasn't that sure if it was a good idea to take someone so young, she was a baby, but if his mommy and daddy were bad, then we could take the risk. Good thing it was first floor, or we might have to go into the house. We would have to do it at night, so I think by tonight, she would be free.
"Lead on" I said, geasturing forward. He didn't hesitate, and we all fallowed closly behind him. There were some dead leaves on the ground, and they crunched beneith our feet. The wind was gently blowing, and I liked the nice breeze. The sun was climbing into the sky, it would be noon, it looked like in 4 hours about. I could hear birds chirping off in the distance. It was a very pretty day, almost as pretty as dreamland. We kept walking like this for a while, and I would occanitaly see squirrls or chimpmunks finding the nuts that were left from winter. Nesa was slowing down looking tired, so I called break. We all sat down, Nesa and Dustin in the shade of a small tree, Rick sitting near me, while Im sitting in the sun by a bush. "Anyone thirsty?" I asked. I didn't want to use the food just yet.

Nesa nodded, Dustin help up his waterbotal, and Rick shook his head no. I shrugged and drank some of my oranger juice, then gave it to Nesa. She drank it slowly, but only drinking a little, then gave it back. I stored it in my backpack and layed down on my back. I whistled a happy tune, thinking of the birds I heard eairler. I got carried away in my whistling so I dont know how long I was like that, but then I noticed no one was talking.
I opened my eyes and saw a grey kitten gazing down at me. I let out a ghasp of suprise, then slowly sat up. Oh, it was the cutest kitten, it had its ear tips white, so were its paws, and tail tip. So it was grey, with white points! I reached into my book bag and pulled out a cracker, the kitter slowly came twords me when I extended my hand to her. She nibbled on the cracker, then ate it all. I picked her up and put her in my lap. Nesa quickly came over to me.
"How did you do that?" she ghasped. I shrugged and petted the kitten.
"What can we name her?" she asked, petting her too.
"Zooy" I said, the name just popped out. It was good, becaus ewe didn't know if it was a boy or girl.
"Will she fallow?" she asked. I looked at the kitten a moment, then nodded.
"Lets go" I said, setting Zooy down and standing up. Dustin and Rick come over and petted Zooy, and she seemed to like the attion.
"Lead on" I said to Dustin. He looked once more at Zooy, then we moved off. I was right, Zooy fallowed right at my heals.

We walked all day, nothing but the birds and our ocacinal chatter. We only stopped once, and we all had a drink and I gave a cracker to Zooy. But when we finally arrived, things turned serious. Dustin lead us to the back of his small, run down house. When we were safley hidden behind a tree, I turned to him.
"Why did you leave?" I asked, I had to know the full story before going in there.

Dustin looked down at his feet.
"Father would hit us, and wouldn't let us go to school. He hurts me the most though, because I protect Lissa. My sister" he says, not looking up. That sound fimiler to me.
"Its okay, I know how it feels. Same happened to me, but Im an only child" I said, touching his shoulder.

I didn't want to go in there, now that I knew it could be dangerous. But I had to, Im the commander, and I have a mission.
"Okay, you know how to get in" I sighed. Dustin let out a nervous breath. He went up to the window, I guess its his sisters. He tapped on it lightly. No one came, and he tapped harder. This time, a little girl popped up. Her blond hair was long, past her shoulders, and she had green eyes.

She beemed at her brother, but then frowned, poining to the window. Dustin turned to us.
"Its locked, she cant open it" he whispered. I looked at the door, maybe it was open. I walked over to the door, it was open.

"Nesa and Rick, stay here with Zooy, me and Dustin will get Lissa" I whispered. She nodded, but looked nervous. Me and Dustin opened the door, the house was a mess, and smelt like smoke. The T.V was on in another room, and I could here another door open. Dustin quickly stepped back aginst the wall, pushing me back too.

It was Lissa. Dustin stepped forward, and Lissa quickly ran twords him, hugging him. She was dressed in a nightgown, she was tiny, and it went to her ancles. She also had another bag with her, a guy bag.

She then looked at me.
"Are you gonna help us?" she asked, her voice small. I nodded and smiled at her. She held up her bag.
"I got clothes, blankets, food, water, and a flashlight" she whispered proudly. It must be heavy, because she was half dragging it. Dustin took the bag from his sister, and we went to the door.

I heared a chair squeek.
"Hey! Where are you going?" A voice boomed. As soon as we heard it, both Lissa and Dustin stiffened. I looked back. A man was standing behind us, his head balding. Dustin grabbed his sister's arm and ran, I ran after them. I could hear the man shouting, and things moving.

Somthing sharp hit my arm, when I looked down, it was a pocket knife. Now I knew how crazy this man was. My arm hurt bad, but I grabbed the pocket knife for future purpuse and kept running. I felt the blood running fown my arm.

"Run Nesa, Rick!" I hissed, and scooped up Zooy with out stopping. Now I think Im crazy. Im running with an open pocket knife, and a kitten. I quickly closed the knife, and stuffed it in my pocked, and grabbed Nesa's hand. We ran throught the woods, and slowly the sounds of yelling faded. We all fell to the ground, trying to catch our breath.

I was suprised I was able to hold on to Zooy, Nesa, and my bag.

Impressum

Widmung:
To everyone who has been told that they spend too much time daydreaming.

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