Chapter 1; Kimberly:

A loud, ear piercing scream woke me up. I jumped up and pulled on my school uniform, a white polo shirt with the emblem and a navy blue skirt. As I ran down the stairs, I saw my younger sister, Amanda, was sitting in a corner crying.

"What is wrong?" I asked even though I knew what happened, my father has beaten us up ever since mother died. He blamed us for the car crash. I was all Amanda had.

"Father hit me." She showed me her arm and I saw a gash the size of a foot. I had stood up for Amanda for so long, but I never felt such a surge of rebellion as I did now.

"We have to tell the police." I say even though father has control of the phones.

"No. Please. He will punish us even more." Amanda cries even more and I pull her to my side.

"Ok. Not right now but if someone asks we WILL tell them." I did not want to say those horrid words but I had no choice, Amanda would not listen to anything else. "Let's go to school and get out of this house."

"GET UP HERE RIGHT NOW KIMBERLY ANN HALE!" said the voice I was dreading all morning, my father. I slowly walked up the stairs, not wanting to apprehend his ugly, drunk face. Finally I walked up the last step, my last hope, maybe even my last breath. I silently opened the door to the bedroom I share with Amanda, the room HE called from.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?" he called holding out my cellphone I had just gotten, secretly. And the contact was on 911.

My eyes watering, I bravely respond, "YOU ARE ALWAYS BEATING US UP! I HAD NO CHOICE!" I grab at the phone but he pulls it away.

"YOU ARE A BAD, BAD GIRL, AND BAD GIRLS NEED PUNISHMENT!" I tried to run but his slimy, alcohol covered hands grabbed my arm and squeezed it until I could not feel it anymore. He lets go and I fall to the ground. I heard one of the sounds I hear way too often, his belt coming off.

SNAP! A sharp pain came to my face. I try to lift my arm to see what happen but I still could not feel it. SNAP! Went the belt again hitting my other arm, my good one. SNAP! It said as it hit my back, again and again. My face running with tears and blood, my arms hurting, my back aching. I try to run but the next snap was at my legs.

"YOU ARE NOT GOING TO LEAVE UNTIL YOU FINISH YOUR PUNISHMENT!" he stabbed his finger on my cut, well gash. My vision blurring, seeing red blotches. He pulled up the belt for one more hit. I rolled out of the way. My arm sent a surge of pain into my shoulder, it was broken. I try to run once more but my legs crumpled beneath me. I would not give up to the pain, the excruciating pain, the pain in my ribs, the pain in my back, the pain in my whole body.

"Please." I beg, "Please let me go!"

"NO! NAUGHTY GIRLS NEED PUNISHMENT!"

I crawl on the floor towards the door. I look up to see my blood all over the walls. I get to the door and tried to get out. SNAP! More pain heads towards my legs. I crawl faster, not wanting to see that man's face at all. I don't care if Amanda doesn't want me to call the police. They need to know. I run down the stairs and I trip over my own leg. I stumble and fall head over heels, rolling down. THUMP, THUMP, THUMP, THUD! I land on the ground.

Amanda comes running and she stops and gasps at me, looking for an explanation. But I give none. Instead I grab her arm and we run to the police station. Stopping for no one.

I opened the door and ran in.

"What happened?" a man in blue says.

"Our…" was all I could manage. My voice was cracked and I was covered in blood.

"Our father beat her up." Amanda explained. I was thankful for such a nice sister. The policeman looked at us for a minute then spoke something into his walkie-talkie. Suddenly a squad of officers came marching down the hall. Then I heard a siren. It was an ambulance. 2 men came rushing in with a stretcher.

I felt tired. My adrenaline rush had faded away. And my legs crumpled and my vision went dark.