Paramore

Chapter 5 - Always Up or Down, Never Down and Out

Out of the house, she grabs the keys, runs for the hills,
and doesn't leave a letter, that way the impact would be much better.
Away from the man that she's grown so fearful of, so fearful of.

Alex and I crept along the side of my house, doing our best not to make any noise. I only had to peer into the window at the side of the house to see if the coast was clear. We hadn't quite run into any bumps yet, but Alex was keeping me on edge. While I was used to sneaking into my house, even in broad daylight, Alex clearly was not. I constantly had to whip around and warn him to keep the noise down. Now, I was spinning around again as Alex cursed loudly.

            "Shut up!" I whispered.

            "I slipped on a piece of glass!" he whined. I rolled my eyes as he nursed his hurt foot.

            "Well, maybe you should watch where you're going," I spat back. He sighed and grumbled unintelligibly. I continued to tiptoe towards the open window that would give me a clear view into the kitchen and living room. Perfect. My dad's two favorite rooms.

            "Keep your mouth shut," I warned Alex as I came out of my crouch. I stood on my tiptoes and carefully peered into the window.

            "Do you see anything?" Alex asked from next to me. I tried not to jump.

            "I said keep your mouth shut!" I said to him, bending away from the window. He stepped back whilst pretending to lock his mouth and throw away the key. I craned my neck again, trying to get a good look around. The kitchen was quiet and looked devoid of life. If it weren't for the empty bottles littered all around the dusty countertops, I would have thought no one had lived there for weeks. I looked past the grime of the kitchen. I could hear nothing but silence coming from the living room. The lack of a TV blaring seemed even louder than my dad's favorite sitcoms. His recliner lay empty and bedraggled. I listened for another few minutes.

            "No one's home," I stated finally. Alex huffed out a deep breath as he moved to stand next to me. "Hoist me up," I said, motioning for the window.

            "Why don't we just use the front door?"

            "Because I don't have my key!" I replied, beginning to lose my patience.

            "Okay, fine!" Alex said. He intertwined his hands to make a foothold. I carefully placed my foot there and used it to support me as I pulled myself into the kitchen. I dropped into the house with an echoing thud. I stopped momentarily, making sure no one would run out for me. After a few seconds I turned back to Alex who was waiting impatiently outside. I gave him my hand and pulled him in after me.

            "Oomph!" he cried as he landed on the floor.

            "Must you always make more noise than necessary?" I complained.

            "Well, we can't all be jungle cats," he mumbled, rubbing his shoulder where it had impacted with the cold tile of the room. He stood back up and brushed his shoulder off.

            "Come on, my room is this way," I said, leading him down the hall just outside the kitchen. He followed swiftly, keeping silent for once. I stopped before each open door, peeking inside to make sure no one was sitting around. My room was the third door down on the left side. I stopped in front of the faded white door, thinking of how just yesterday, I'd been hoping to never see it again.

            "In here," I said to Alex, prying the door open and stepping inside. He looked around at the stark white walls with a grim expression. I ignored it as I stepped over some notebooks to my dresser.

            "We've got to move fast," I said to him. "There's a backpack under my bed, could you hand it to me?" He nodded before reaching down and grabbing the backpack. I caught it as he tossed it to me. The instant it was in my hands, I began stuffing it with as many clothes as I could fit. Alex moved over to my closet and began pulling clothes off their hangers.

            "There's another bag somewhere in the back of the closet," I said to him. He immediately found it and pulled it out. We worked in silence for a good ten minutes, scrounging my room for anything else I'd need. I tried not to slip on the annoying notebooks that were scattered all over my room.

            "What are these?" Alex asked as he slid across the room on one.

            I shrugged. "Just some old journals I used to keep. My sister likes to read them when she's bored. She never puts them back though. I guess she was in here before." I turned to see Alex flipping through one of the notebooks. "Give me that!" I said, snatching it out of his hands.

            "I didn't know you write poetry," he said, smiling.

            "I don't," I said. "Not anymore."

            Alex cleared his throat, fidgeting with his shirt. "They're really good," he said.

            "Thanks," I muttered in reply. I dropped a hairbrush into my bag.

            "Why'd you stop?" he asked. I paused in the act of stuffing hair ties into my bag.

            "I don't know," I said truthfully. "It just seemed like a waste of time I guess."

            "Oh." I let the following silence hang in the air as I grabbed some socks from a drawer. Alex went back to shuffling through my closet.

            "I'm gonna go get my toothbrush," I said, almost running to the bathroom. I could barely hear Alex's mumbled reply as I shot into the room across the hall, slipping on the wet tiles. Someone had recently showered in here. I was reaching over towards the sink, attempting to grab my toothbrush, when I heard it. The distinct sound of a car door slamming shut. My dad's car door. I stood back on my tiptoes to look out the window over the sink. I could see my dad running up to the porch step, looking absolutely furious. At the same time, I heard the front door slam shut with enough force to rock the whole house. I ran back to my room.

            "Alex, we need to leave," I said almost robotically, snatching up my bag before grabbing his arm. I half-dragged him out of my room before he started moving of his own accord. Unfortunately, he was not moving in the right direction.

            "What's goin on?" he asked, stopping in my doorway.

            "My dad's home, we gotta go," I told him. His eyes grew in fear as he shouldered the other bag and started running towards the kitchen. We were half-way down the hall when a single sound made me stop. A sound that came from the closet just next to my sister's room. A whimper.

            "Wait, stop!" I said to Alex.

            "Stop, why stop?" he asked in a panicked voice as I dragged him back to the closet. I could hear the strangest sound coming from the front door. A pounding, as if someone were trying to break the door down. My mind started working as I pried open the closet door. My sister sat there, screaming. I quickly ran in, enveloping her in a protective hug.

            "Shhh, what's wrong?" I asked her worriedly. She stared up at me through her big brown eyes, tears running down her swollen face.

            "Dad," she said simply. I cursed under my breath. I quickly examined her face, wincing when I saw a bruise forming around her right eye.

            "We have to get out of here," I said to her, grabbing her hand and pulling her to her feet.

            "Too late," she cried as the sound of wood breaking echoed through the house. The splintering cry of protest was the last sound we heard before we fell into silence. Alex pushed us all into the closet and locked the door with a satisfying click. We waited quietly for what was to come. I could hear the floorboards creaking under a pair of heavy boots. I held my breath.

            "Here Kimmie," a sickening voice called. "Come to your dad." My sister whimpered again and I held a finger up to my mouth. She instantly lapsed into silence again. The sound of footsteps came closer and closer to our closet. Alex was moving closer to the door, trying to keep us behind him. I stared down at the beam of light entering the closet from under the door. Two black spots were blocking the stream of light.

            "You in there Kim?" the voice of my father said from right outside the door. We stayed silent as the doorknob rattled above us. I pushed Kim behind me as I heard the distinct sound of keys rattling outside the door. After several minutes of hearing keys fail, the sound of metal being fit into a slot filled our silence. The sound of the tumblers came slowly, as if taunting us. And suddenly, the dark space was illuminated by the lights of the hall. My sister shrieked at the tall figure looming over all of us. I bit back my fear.

            "Oh, Kimmie," he chided in a slurred voice. "You know I don't like you girls having friends over." His enlarged eyes somehow managed to glare straight at Alex. I expected him to run. I expected him to take the opportunity and dash out the front door, never to look back again. I would have preferred that to what he did.

            "Leave them alone," Alex growled, standing up in front of us. I stood as well, ready to knock some sense into him.

            "Step aside, boy," my dad spat. "These are family matters. Ain't that right girls?" Kim looked down, flinching slightly. I held my father's gaze, trying not to show fear. He loved our fear. "I said move aside, boy," he growled, grabbing Alex by the shirt before throwing him across the hall. Alex stumbled before falling over. That did it.

            "Don't touch him," I snarled, stepping out into the hall. Kim snuck out behind me, running to Alex. My dad's nostrils flared as he stared down at me.

            "Raised you better than to whore around with guys," he spat at me, his pupils dilating in the light.

            "You've never raised us," I scoffed, moving out of the way as he took a swing for me.

            "Don't talk to me like that!" he screamed, reaching out and slapping me painfully. I didn't recoil. But of course, that only made him angrier. "Don't be a bitch, hon," he said, his voice turning sweet momentarily. "Move, so I can teach your sister a lesson."

            "No way," I said, ignoring the throbbing pain in my cheek. His eyes flared with anger.

            "Then I guess I'll have to teach you first," he said, pushing me backwards with enough force to knock me off my feet. I landed with a thud, skidding a few feet. I could hear my sister screaming my name.

            "Get her out!" I yelled at Alex. He seemed to have escaped his fall without a scratch. He ushered my sister out to the kitchen, leading her to the kitchen.

            "Hey, wait!" my dad screamed when he finally noticed Kim was gone. He stumbled after them.

            "No, YOU wait!" I shrieked, stretching my leg out in front of him. He tumbled over it, landing face-first. I stood up, ignoring the dizzying sensation in my head. I felt a hand wrap around my ankle as I ran for the kitchen. I struggled to rip my foot out of my dad's vice grip, but I was getting nowhere.

            "You're not goin nowhere," he grumbled, somehow managing to stand up without letting me go. He grabbed my wrist, trying to drag me to my room.

            "Let go!" I screamed, kicking him in the shin. He loosened his grip momentarily. Just long enough for me to run into the kitchen. Unfortunately, he was right behind me. I ran over to Alex just as he was climbing out of the window. I could see Kim outside, frantically helping Alex out. I turned as I heard the sound of glass breaking behind me.

            "That boy is gonna get it," my dad yelled, pointing a broken beer bottle at Alex's head. I ran towards him as he aimed to throw it.

            "No!" I screamed, grabbing his wrist.

            "Get off me!" he roared, aiming the bottle at my head instead of Alex's. I moved back, avoiding a clonk on the head. Held back a scream when I felt the glass scraped my face. Warm liquid was dripping down my face. He pushed me away ruthlessly, once again aiming for Alex's head. And then, something very strange happened. I felt something strong rack through my bones, pulsing through my blood. Anger.

            Maybe it was the fact that he had hit my sister for the first time, and not just me. Maybe it was the fact that he was trying to hurt the one person that had tried to help me for the first time in many years. Whatever it was, the anger it caused gave me the strength I needed. With every ounce of power I could muster, I swung a punch straight at my dad's face. There was a satisfactory crunch as my hand impacted with his jaw. My dad turned to glare at me, blood streaming from his mouth. His eyes looked more dazed than usual. And then, he fell. I gaped at the sight for a good ten seconds before someone jarred me out of my reverie.

            "Cass, come on!" Alex screamed. I turned towards the window then, expertly jumping out and landing next to him. I grabbed Kim's hand and started running down the street. I could hear my dad stirring inside and I didn't want to be around when he got his wits back. The three of us sprinted down two blocks before we finally slowed. Alex jogged beside me, panting slightly. Kim looked determined not to stop. When we made it as far as the town park, I skidded to a stop.       

            "Wait," I said, when Kim tried to pull me forward. I studied Kim's face, trying not to wince at her black eye or swollen arms. Something was tugging at my heart. How could I think of leaving her there without me? Didn't I know I was the only thing preventing those injuries? I pulled her into a hug and she stiffened, surprised at the action.

            "Are you okay?" she asked uncertainly.

            "You're covered in bruises because of me... and you're asking if I'm okay?" I said to her.

            "It's not your fault," she argued, hugging me closer. "And I only meant... well... you're hugging someone. You're actually hugging someone!" I pulled back to look at her, realizing just how strange that was for me.

            "I thought you left me," she said quietly, fear in her eyes.

            "I..." I wanted to say, no of course not! But I couldn't lie to her. Not now. "I did," I admitted. "And I don't know how I could have done that. I left you with that monster."

            "No, you did what you had to do," she said. I looked down into her intelligent eyes. For someone who was barely a teen, her eyes held the pain of several lifetimes. It hurt to look at them for too long. I vaguely wondered what my own eyes looked like. "It wouldn't have mattered if you left or not," she continued. "He was mad because he found out I was trying to run away to Aunt Maggie."

            "Oh, honey, I told you that wouldn't work," I said, trying to work some sense into her head.

            "It can now!" she said. "We made it out. We can escape now." I took that in for a second, somehow coming across that as true. We were free now.

            "What now?" Alex asked quietly. I jumped, having forgotten he was there.

            "I don't know," I said.

            "Aunt Maggie was supposed to pick me up today," Kim said quickly. "She said she'd meet me in the park at four." I glanced at her back, noticing for the first time her black backpack. I realized I still had my own slung over my back.

            "Well, where in the park are you meeting her?" I asked.

            "By the main entrance," she answered, pointing to the sign that marked the entrance to the park. Convenient. "That's probably her in the parking lot," Kim said, pointing out the black Mercedes parked in clear view of us.

            "Good," I said. We jogged over to the car. Half-way there, our aunt stepped out, looking absolutely elated to see us. Her smile faded when she took one look at all our faces.

            "I'll kill that man, I will," she threatened as soon as we were within hearing distance. "To think that devil's spawn was my brother." She shook her head in disgust. She wrapped the two of us in a great hug. She pulled away and looked at Alex.

            "Oh, well hello," she said to him. "Um, I don't think we've met."

            "We haven't," Alex said, smiling pleasantly. "I'm Alex, I'm Cassadee's friend."

            "Well, it's nice to meet you," she said, instantly beaming at him. I guess the word 'friend' got her excited. "Well girls, you say bye to your friend and we'll go," she said.

            "Actually, Aunt Maggie," I said. "Only Kim is going."

            There was a moment of silence punctuated by the shocked faces of my aunt and sister. Alex was looking at me with a confused expression, as if he'd expected me to leave. "What?" Aunt Maggie said. "Cassadee, you can't expect me to let you go home!"

            "I'm not going home," I assured her. "I have a place to stay."

            "But-"

            "Please, Aunt Maggie?" I asked her. "I just... I think it'd be better that way." She studied me for a minute.

            "All right," she sighed. "You're legally an adult. I can't force you to come with me. I'm gonna miss you kiddo. Keep in touch."

            "I will," I promised. Kim stepped forward to give me another hug.

            "Bye Cassadee," she said, her voice breaking.

            "Bye Kimmie," I said. "You be good. Make me proud."

            "I will," she smiled before getting into the car. Aunt Maggie smiled at me before getting in as well. Alex and I watched them drive away, a bright glare shining off the windows. Soon, they were a blur of light in the distance. A spark of hope that my sister could keep her dreams alive.

Rawrrr update!!! Dedicated to xojoshfarrolovexo A.K.A. BECKY cuz she kept askin me to update this haha! Sorry it's kind of abrupt at the end there, the chapter was gettin too long so i jus cut it off half-way through haha... miiight double update tonight? only if you guys COMMENT LIKE HELL OKAY? maybe a buzz here or there?