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The pads of my feet dragged across the dirt path sweeping up dirt clouds as I ran. My arms were held tightly against my heaving chest. My sweat and tears were dripping onto the ground and were being seeped into the dry soil. My bare feet swept out from underneath me as I frantically ran down the path. The shadows seemed shifty and I constantly looked over my shoulder to check to see if he was there. He'll catch me if I stop,I thought, although the thought brought more tears to my eyes. My heart thudded hard against the walls of my chest and my eyes searched the surroundings.

Shuffled noises were amongst the dark shadows and the fog was creeping up along the trunks of the twisted oaks. Thorny branches grabbed at the hem of my white night gown. The branches left holes and tears in the fabric, and it was stained with blood from the torn flesh of my calf. Tears rolled down my curved cheeks and splattered onto the dehydrated earth. The earth was needing hydration and the terrain was rugged with rocks jutting out every which way. The winding branches reached out to get a hold of me, to claim me. I surged onwards down the dirt pathway as rain sputtered from the murky coloured sky. My surroundings were engulfed in a mix of sounds, natural sounds from the forest and me, gasping for breath as he came down the same path, behind me. He would not give in. He was my father. He called out to me, over the sound of rain pounding on the crowns of the trees. His face was distressed and a mixture of emotions. He needed to get to me, one way or another.

I stumbled over a tree root sticking abrubtly out of the mud. I skid across the mud and lauched myself into the muck. Now enrobed in a black cape of mud, I reached up and swiped the mud from my legs and shook it off. My legs were weak from running, and my throat was a wild fire. My arms swayed limply from my sides as I collasped with my legs curled underneath myself. I cradled my head in my arms and hoped that the ground would open up and swallow me up. I had nowhere to go now. I didn't really have a purpose in life anymore. Now that my mother was gone, there was no one to care for or look out for. I knew that my father wouldn't anything loving for me anymore.

After my mother passed away, my father changed. He acted diferent, if was although he was another person. He would become outraged at anything. And being an only child, he took all of his anger out on me. I was his target, his life-like voo doo doll. Say, if I were to forget to turn the water off when I was brushing my teeth, he would leave red marks streaked across my face. We were very conservative now, we would have to use our electricity and water very carefully. We needed to save up money for food and clothing. If you're thinking, no, we did not live in some fantasy mansion. We lived in a trailer park and my Dad had no job, so he tried to do volunteer work around the area, which eventually, he got fired from. It's not terribly hard to keep a volunteer job, but for him, nearly impossible. I, on the other hand, was fourteen. I couldn't do a whole lot to raise money for our mere existence. Our budget was real tight, and our trailer was recently repossesed.

We have been staying in a hotel room for the past three days. These days were extremly hard on my Dad, and there wasn't any emotional bonding happening between us. I had taken a too long of a shower and when I came out of the restroom my Dad had shaken me and whipped me with an open hand straight across the left cheek. It stung badly but I forced back the tears, or my Dad would have striken me once more. He had an uncontrollable rage, and needed help. I just couldn't live in these conditions anymore.

I turned my body around so I was facing the beds which had stained and spotted bedspreads. I could feel his auburn eyes watching my every move, I had to make my next one smarter. My dampened hair fell forward over my shoulders and I pulled up the hotel's towel over my torso so it wouldn't slip down. I then heard my Dad shift his weight and his shuffled footsteps leave out the door. The steel door clicked softly behind him. He left me, so now it's my turn. I made my way quickly across the one room suite and to my luggage. I pulled on the metal zipper and tugged open my bag, carrying the few things I had. I slipped into a plain pink T-shirt that was well over it's washing point, and a pair of jeans with holes in the knees. I grasped onto the handle of my hair brush and made my hair into a pony tail. I flung the contents of the mini fridge into my worn out bag. I also took my Dad's wallet, which was cruel, but I despised him now. I needed this cash now. I zipped the bag back up and grabbed the fabric handle and then hoisted it onto my back.

I sped down the cement sidewalk making good time. I was already two blocks from the hotel in under three minutes. A Mac Donalds came into view and a whole bunch of other commercialized restaurants. I stopped to take a look at what was before me, so I could come back here again if I had too. I sat down on a green metal bench. It was cold to the touch, but it would do. I took it long, deep breaths trying to get my breathing at a regular pace. I rubbed my eyes and ran a hand over my pony tail and tightened it.

I slowly rose to meet a group of teenagers. They gawked at me and make rude comments within their group. I could tell, people always did it anyways. They would usually come up the sidewalk talking loudly as if the world were listening and then they would come to a hush as soon as they strode past me. One of them glared at me from under the brim of his hat. I stared back at him not willing to look away. After a few seconds he cocked his head one notch to the side and smiled. Then the group took off again, leaving me alone in the dark.

The moon painted white light on objects, casting shadows behind them. The air was still and cool against my face. Only the occasional honking of a horn would break the silence, or maybe a wolf howling, communicating with the others of the pack. I walked calmly, knowing that it would be until morning my Dad would return to the deserted hotel room. A smirk spread across my thin face, thinking to myself that I had finally done it. I had escaped finally from his wrath of beatings and twisted disciplines at last. The only thing I had to worry about next is where I would go next. The night wind was cool, so I couldn't stay outside for terribly long intervals. I needed a place to rest my head for the night.