Chapter 1: Bumped, Seeing Purple, and Sweating

Esme licked a purple Popsicle, while staring at the ceiling. As she stared at the lines slow etchings she thought that her life was as normal as it could possibly be at her new home in Pennsylvania. She had made no new friends in her first week here. Esme then crossed the room to open the window to let the cool damp air of a rainy spring day rush into her room. At that time that was all she felt, cold, damp, sad, and alone in the world. She checked the hall to see that her Uncle who she had been forced to live with until, or for that matter if her mother ever found a new husband for her to feel happy with. After she had done that she ran to the roof of the apartment complex and thinking of suicide. She said goodbye to the world she knew, the world of cruel and unforgiving people she had come to detest and jumped. As she fell she thought of all the bad things in her new life. One example, Her Uncle Danny was an alcoholic. Apparently her mother had her heart set on finding a new boyfriend so much she didn't listen to her own daughter.

Esme saw a rainbow of blurred colors; the darkness closed in. When she woke from dreamless sleep Esme reached up to stroke her throbbing head; she felt a huge bump that made her cringe in disgust. She looked at her watch; all the digits said eight, the world was spinning. When the world stopped nauseating her she finally read her watch; she was an hour late for school. Someone in a white uniform sped into the room. Then she noticed she was in a cot. "I feel fine" "I 'm late for school, May I go now?"

"Yes" stuttered the nurse "If you're sure your fine" "Your bump should heal in a few days" Esme jumped up and walked out with the nurse, and the nurse got her doctor; the doctor discharged her and she was on her way. Unfortunately she never knew of the tragic demise she had almost suffered at the apartment. Esme's Uncle came to pick her up. "How are you Esme" he said in his excruciatingly familiar drunken titter. "Fine" she retorted. "I'll take you to school if you want"

"No thank you Uncle Danny" she said. As they cleared the last tile of the hospital and descended without caution down the stone steps Uncle Danny put his hand on her shoulder. "I'll talk to you about this after-" They had just driven into the school grounds. He changed tack at top speed "Have a nice fruitful day of learning honey" Or at least that was his mask he would hide behind with everyone else.

Esme walked with her satchel bag over her shoulder with all her completed homework inside. She only went to each class these days to prove to everyone that even thought she didn't attend her classes she was still as competent as the rest of them. Since she had already missed homeroom (Like that hour is worth anything) she preceded to Science. She was lightning fast. Esme had gotten used to it all. Speed in put your homework in the basket speed out. On her third day here she had found an abandoned classroom that was never used because of the dripping ceiling. She was so used to this she didn't even have to look both ways. Esme ventured up to her usual haunt. She took a left from the Science lab and went up the cleanly polished marble stairs. She admired the mystifying haze of color. Then she found the forsaken room. She thought of it as a haven for those not willing to face the world without friends and sufficient family.

Esme sat slumped in the corner huddling with a blue pen she found on the floor and an old composition notebook. She saw an untidy scrawl inside. It was utterly unreadable. She got up and moved slowly toward a gum-covered desk. Esme sat staring out the window. The landscape outside was sunny and flawless but, that wasn't how she ever felt inside. This must have been an old English classroom because of all the silently decaying books left on the shelves. She abruptly awoke from her daze at the window. She had heard the door click from behind. Esme did a double take. She considered this minute issue with the utmost importance. She looked down; she saw a shadow on the carpeted floor. Esme crossed the room following the shadow until she came upon a boy; His lean and muscular figure irresistibly appealing. His eyes shone with an inner light she had never glimpsed before. Esme couldn't speak. When she tried to say Hi all that came out was "H-a H-a H-a"

"Do you want anything?" he asked in a voice that sounded uncannily like a harp.

"N-a N-a No Th- Th- Thank you" she spluttered.

"All right then. I'll just be in the Attendance office if you need me." "I'm an intern at the school working for recommendations for collage" His dreamy figure seemed to move in slow motion as he left the room and proceeded through the hallway.

After school was over Esme jumped into her truck less than intent on driving home. She decided to drop by early to school to see the new and overly cute intern. Esme deliberated shortly on weather to go to the library or face her alcoholic Uncle Danny first. She sat there as solid as a stone, then abruptly drove off like a speed demon; her adrenaline flowed to it's boiling point as she sped down the road, turned into the library parking lot, and parked the wheels scratching. From what she implied her Uncle was about to say as they drove in was that she was going to get a severe beating for being in the hospital, and making him pay the bill. All because she had gotten hurt, he was the one having to pay. Although she thought, he deserved it. Jumping out of her truck she ran to the library where, she thought, she knew she would be safe. Within the confines of the rows of books, subtle light, and discolored tables she speculated upon she had the time to stay just like the abandoned classroom during school she had stumbled on a new place to reach out to people who could help her out of her predicament with her Uncle. Esme ran to a computer with the speed of a jackrabbit, sat and typed. She had found someone to help her. She talked with them for hours once her screen name popped up onto the screen she was in business. Her conversation lasted as long as her talk with the new intern, at first:

Hlpe666: Hello?

Devilrepel777: Hello

Hlpe666: I need help with something big!

Devilrepel777: What do you need help with?

Hlpe666: My Uncle is after me in San Fran!

Devilrepel777: San Fran where are you NOW?

Hlpe666: I'm in the San Francisco Public Library!

Devilrepel777: Can you give me directions?

Hlpe666: Yes, Should I start NOW?

Devilrepel777: YES!!!!!

Hlpe666: Head east on Lawton Street toward Sunset Blvd. On Sunset Blvd. take a left. Turn right on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. Turn left on CA-1. Turn right on Geary Blvd. Continue on O'Farrell Street. Turn right on Van Ness Ave. Then turn left on McAllister Street. Then you should be here. It should take you twenty minutes.

Devilrepel777: Thanks! I'll be there soon.

Esme then logged out of the computer and waited. The waiting was aggravating. She could not satisfy herself with one book so; she put each one she was finished with on one of the bland and gray tables next to her, sat, and clutched her new found composition notebook. She hoped it could be the new interns. She was seventeen now and had to have some sort of-. Some chance to-. Have a boyfriend. She gulped loudly. The librarian yelled "Shhhhhhh" How stereotypical she thought as she jumped and sat back in the turquoise chair waiting. When will they come and take me away never to be a victim of Uncle Danny's drunkenness again, to be free with all the other overly privileged kids in the world. Then she came.

A utterly stunning woman with an obvious fondness for kittens walked slowly through the glass door to the second floor of the library. She was getting closer, and was not liked by most because as she came though Esme felt her stomach churn uneasily. As she watched most people were edging away at a pace that seemed to her as agonizingly slow. She walked with a sluttish demeanor. By this Esme thought, she was quote "Strutting her stuff" unquote. She was one of the overly confident types, and she was walking this way. As she edged away slowly imitating the surrounding people she realized it was no use. She had already seen her.

"Hello" said the woman in a surprisingly high-pitched voice.

"Hello" Esme said glumly. "Are you the person that goes by a screen name of hlpe666?"

"Yes, who wants to know?"

"I would. I am here to take you away" she said in a brisk, harsh manner. "You wanted me didn't you?" she asked. "I realized after I had talked to you that I still need some time to think this though. I was kind of caught up in the moment if you know what I mean" Esme said. "I can wait" said the woman

"Before I get all caught up again, what is your name?" Esme said.

It was very quiet for a while. Why should she have to think about this? Esme thought. Is she hiding something from me?

"May I be excused?" she asked the woman trying not to be rude. "Yes" said the woman. "And by the way my name is Darcie" Esme ran to the bathroom and splashed water from the sink onto her face. She soon regretted this though because the water here was so dirty it seemed as if it was never clean. Though it let her think although she was a little preoccupied by the fact that she could feel the dirt seeping into her skin. As soon as this had slowed to a snails pace she began to think clearly. Okay she thought I'm fine with this. Esme didn't care, she wanted to get away but, she had to be cautious. I mean look at her Uncle; this woman could be just as bad. She decided to evaluate the situation. Her plan was to see if Darcie had anything to hide. If she did Esme was in trouble. When Esme had finally come out of her revere, she walked gallantly back to Darcie. "I will go with you after tonight." "Can you meet me back here tomorrow?" "Yes" she said in a drab and dejected voice. "It would be better for me if you dropped by my house on Pine Street" "That's right next to your school isn't it?" Esme had never said anything about her school. Darcie was with her Uncle!

Esme pretended she didn't know, waiting to slip away at an opportune time. She sat there with Darcie talking about life. When Darcie came to the question "What is your favorite food?" even now she was letting of massive amounts of perspiration under what she thought felt like being locked in a room with a psychopath. She maintained her cool and stayed under control. By now, the perspiration had ceased. Esme talked with Darcie about various topics some of which were boy, family, school etc. This went on for what felt like hours.

Then, Esme said in a resigned tone "Sorry Miss but I must go. My Uncle Danny will be worried." "I'll have to come back tomorrow then" said Darcie. As Esme walked casually out the glass door to the first floor Darcie walked after her at a faster pace. "I thought you said you wanted to get away from your Uncle." Darcie said after her. "I thought I told you, I have to think this over, I was caught up in the moment." "Okay" she said casually. There was a hint of exasperation in her voice all the same. Esme scuffed her feet on the brown excuse for carpet on her way down the hall and out the door. Anxiety crept through her with the claws of a monster. Away she would go, she decided. She also thought there should be one exception; it was either the intern at her school or nothing. She hopped into the driver's seat pf her truck. She turned the key. The engine whined in protest but, it did start. Reckless she was as she sped through a red light in her haste to get home. Fortunately, she was never pulled over by a cop. When she turned into her street she slammed on the brakes. Edging her way up the road she made it home with out so much as a squeak.

She noticed her Uncle wasn't home from his usual job at the meat packing plant in town. Probably got a beer; she cringed at this thought. He would be even more intoxicated than usual. She grabbed what she called the hide-away money. This money was only to be used in emergencies. This was an emergency. Uncle Danny would be back any minute. She noticed as she found the jar of money that He had used most of it for beer. She took what she could carry and ran back to the truck, started the engine, and was off to pull a hat over Darcie's eyes.

She drove into Miss Darcie's apartment complex on Pine Street. It was called San Francisco Towers. It was fairly modern, although when Esme went to the reception desk and ask "What room is Miss Darcie in?" the girl behind the desk said "She's in room 314 Miss um…" "Esme" Esme said proudly. She left the desk defiantly and proceeded to the door marked 314 in gold-plated numbers and rapped smartly on the door. It was answered immediately by the woman she had seen yesterday, ready to go, with a new seemingly un-blinding violently purple coat. Esme said "How are you today Miss?" "Very well thank you" "Have you come to give me my breakfast?" "No" Esme said shortly.

"I've come to strategize"

"Strategize for what?" Darcie said unknowingly.

"To get away from my disgrace for an Uncle before…" she trailed off silently.

Darcie waited patiently to be filled in; Just as Esme had planned. Esme went on about her strategies. Esme told her she was going to take classes in alcoholism clubs and Criminal Justice, which would have been a sensible course of action, but He was after her now and that would take to long. She would have to run. Esme was too afraid to tell anyone about her Uncle, if you could call him an uncle she thought in disgust. She did not want to be related to Him. She had to find her Mom. To her, it was the only thing she could do. "Does that sound like a good plan?" Esme said her voice level. "Yes, but won't that take a little too long?" she asked. "No" said Esme flatly. "I can wait"

She couldn't. Esme had to have results before she was (for lack of a better word) incapacitated by someone she hated ever since her mother had come to San Francisco.

When she got back to her truck, she was as rigid and as unmoving as a stone until her thoughts stopped racing. Bubbles and dots appeared before her eyes. So many that she couldn't see straight. At this she lay there feeling as if she has the morning reluctance to wake from sleep. As Esme sat in her car in a half daze she was picked up by the scruff of the neck and into warm arms.

Esme still had her eyes shut tight not willing herself to see who her attacker had been. As they walked Esme thought she heard high heels walking along on the sidewalk below her. She overcame her fears and opened her eyes. She looked up into an icy cold yet inviting face. Her sweat had been with her so long it had gone hot with anticipation then cold as she looked at who had taken her. It had been Darcie, that prim and proper woman, if she could ever call her that.

When Darcie noticed she had her eyes open she was abruptly stopped and blindfolded. While they walked she was perspiring with renewed intercity as she was taken somewhere cold, she could tell from the temperature. Esme was surprised she was not fighting back. To tell the truth, she wanted to know where she was being taken, and it was an instinct of hers to know she had to be being taken into danger. Esme just then felt labored and obvious breathing, by the tone of the voice it sounded male. Esme went unnaturally still and had a seizure of heroic movement and elbowed Darcie in the stomach. Because of the movement she had made her blindfold fell to the ground and she saw that she was being hanged by the scruff of the neck from a crane sort of machine and was going to be dropped. Darcie was staring up at her gloatingly with a smug expression on her face.

Esme knew she was in deep shit now and she had to find some way to get out of it or someone was going to kill her.