I open my eyes to a bright that burns. As soon as I know I am fully awake I start assessing my situation. My lip is bleeding, my nose is broken, and I think at least one of my ribs is cracked.
"Oh look the princess awakens," a cold voice sneers. A shadow looms over me and I roll my head back to glare into the eyes of my torturer.
"Now tell me where your friends are and you can have some water," he bargains. I growl and spit in his face.
"Well, that was rude missy," he growls slamming me with a crowbar. He starts laughing as he hits me over and over. Forehand, backhand, forehand, backhand.
"Which one hurts more dear," he laughs as he hits me over and over. So I do the only thing I can I escape to the recesses of my mind where the pain is only a dull thud. However memories I have long tried to forget are hidden there surrounding me forcing their way to the front for me to relive.

"Quick they're coming, move it Joanna," I growl as we stuff our backpacks full of the prescription drugs set behind the counter. I can hear the sirens louder now, I can hear the screeching tires, the slamming doors, the pounding of booted feet slapping the asphalt parking lot. In that moment I know its over, it's too late for both of us to make it out.
"Joanna run, get out now," I shout over the screaming sirens. I can see her hesitating as the door slams open. I leap over the counter and grab her by the collar dragging her to the door and throwing her out.
"Don't stop running until you know you've lost them," I hiss and jerk the door shut locking it as it closes with a snap. I run back through the pharmacy crashing into the rows of medicine. I grab my black backpack as I go swinging it onto my shoulder, the bottles of medicine rattling as I do. I leap over the body of the sales clerk and run towards the door trying to escape even though I know that I can't. I burst into the parking lot my feet slapping the pavement.
"Hold it right there," a stern clipped voice states followed by the all too familiar cold clicking of a gun. Officers race towards me forming a circle around me.
"Drop the bag," the cop says. I smirk letting the black backpack slip from my shoulder to the ground. I slowly raise my hands into the air turning to face him. One of the cops behind me moves forward to handcuff me. As soon as his hand grips my wrist I throw my head back as hard as I can and am rewarded by a satisfying crunch as his snaps. I whip around twisting his arms and pop one of his shoulders out. His screams in pain and falls to the ground in pain. The other cops are on me in an instant. I spin roundhouse kicking one in the face sending him flying back taking out another cop with him. Soon though I'm surrounded once more and there are too many of them. The cop who spoke first punches me in the face and I fall to the ground. Before I can blink I am handcuffed and being pulled to my feet.
"How high are you," one cop sneers.
"No officer I am pretty sure it's hi how are you," I smirk as I am pushed into a squad car. As the car pulls from the parking lot and starts rolling down the road I stare out the window and can barely see Joanna disappearing into the darkness. It wasn't long before we reached the police station where I was jerked from my seat and pushed inside. I was cuffed to a bench outside the front desk. There I sat waiting as people came and left.
"Hey what are you in for," a boy who is being cuffed on the bench next to me asks?
"What's it to you," I growl?
"Nothing I just don't think that you look like the kind of girl to get caught stealing a candy bar."
"Ha well you're right about that you first."
"I asked you first."
"This isn't preschool," but even as I say my mouth breaks into a small smile.
"Fine, my name's Jake I'm in for multiple armed robberies and possibly a murder or two, I was running with the gangs fun stuff like that."
"Brianna, I was caught stealing drugs from the pharmacy. Nothing major just enough to make a good amount of money," I shrug.
"That's not everything what are you hiding."
"Did the cops hire you to get a confession out of me because it's not going to work," I growl.
"Hey chill I'm just making conversation," he says defensively.
"Well you'd do well to remember this once you get into juvie because us regulars don't like telling newbies what we've done," I state as the guard unhooks me from the bench and starts leading me down the hall.
"I'm not a newbie I practically run that place," he yells after me. I don't look back.