Disclaimer: I don't and never will own Code Lyoko.

Chapter.1. Escape Plan

Yumi was determined not follow in the footsteps of her parents and older sibling. Unlike most people her age, she hated going home from school each afternoon because she knew all too well the scene she had to face.

Arriving home from secondary school, she took a deep breath before opening the front door. Once again she was greeted by her drunken father, who was sprawled over the lounge in front of the television. He yelled jibber jabber at her, as she power-walked to her bedroom trying her best to ignore his slurred jargon.

She knew her room was a safe haven but that it was also a false escape. Once she set foot inside her sanctuary she could no longer fathom fiction from reality. The realism of her situation dawned on her, once more, as she was startled by her eldest brother returning home. She knew exactly what was going to happen next as sickeningly, it so frequently occurred.

She felt a presence behind her. A cold shiver ran down her spine, as she sunk lower into her desk chair. The looming shadow rapidly drew closer, and the next thing she felt was staggering pain as the unstable chair beneath her was thrust backwards, causing her to land harshly upon the floor. She did not cry out or show emotion. All sentiment had left her long ago, leaving her to be consumed by aversion emptiness.

Her hair was pulled up roughly causing her face to follow suit, she looked pleadingly into the eyes of her brother but to no avail. He struck her across one cheek before demanding money. In the past she would have resisted but she learned that this would only cause her more suffering.

Raising a trembling hand she pointed hazily towards the wallet which lay on her bed. Without another word her brother strode over to the leathery holder and began draining its contents. The foul stench of cheap alcohol mixed with smoke lingered in the air even after his departure.

She inhaled deeply in a desperate attempt to fight back tears that threatened to plummet down her face. Lifting a trembling hand she used her stone cold fingertips to try to ease the pain in her cheeks from where she was hit.

Her attention was suddenly brought to an insufferable argument in the next room. Jane, however, preferred to describe these 'quarrels' as struggles. As common as it was for her parents to fight, the unpleasant experience never ceased to affect her.

From her bedroom she tried covering her ears with a pillow to muffle the noise, but still it penetrated the soft fabric. Thump, thump, thump, she could hear her mother's whimpers among the beltings she received.



Then silence…

XxXxX

Yumi held her breath and waited for the silence to be broken. After what seemed like eternity, she heard the familiar clanging of saucepans. She exhaled slowly with relief as she crept to her bedroom door and hesitantly opened it. She saw her 'father' slumped on the lounge in a deep sleep.

She waited in her room until she was called for dinner. Yumi sat at the dinner table in complete silence, there was nothing to be said. The comforts within her family had been long lost since the first day her father lost his job, and all self control.

But, it was this night that her mother cornered her whilst her father slept deafeningly in the next room, her mother assured her that she couldn't prolong their escape any longer.

"Tomorrow", he mother had murmured softly. Nothing more had to be said, she knew perfectly well that her daughter understood her and she only wished that her child could perhaps forgive her for the hurt she put her through, however indirect it may have been.

XxXxX

Her sheets clung to her restless body, and they became more and more contorted and intertwined with her legs as she tossed and turned in a sleepless daze. Generally Yumi slumbered easily, her dreams being the only peaceful and blissful thing to happen to her any more. Not tonight. Tonight her mind was too clouded with relentless thoughts of exactly how bad the consequences would be if they had another failed escape attempt. She was broken from her thoughts when the small electronic device at her hip started to vibrate. She had set up her phone to go off, silently, when it was time to move.

Yumi precariously untangled her self from her sheets and slipped out of bed and quickly changed into warmer attire. Knowing it was best to make as little noise as possible she pulled on a pair of socks to cover the sound of her feet upon the floorboards. It was only 2:31am but she couldn't have felt more awake when she began rounding up her belongings which consisted of her phone, wallet, jumper and shoes in hand that she would put on once outside.

A soft knock, which was barely audible, caused Yumi's head to snap up and look into the face of her mothers. She had a backpack slung over one shoulder and a handbag over the other, she was wearing a few layers of clothing so she didn't have to carry them and her face held a certain look of urgency. Yumi's mother motioned for her to come and in return Yumi gave a shaky nod and strode to her mother's side.



"Dad?" Yumi asked her voice barely above a whisper.

"Asleep, downstairs", her mother assured her. Yumi breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Where will we go?" Yumi inquired.

"I will tell you once we are safe, for now follow me and keep as quiet as you can, we'll go out the back door", she spoke softly.

Yumi soon found this was easier said then done. The staircase that lead downstairs leaded directly into the lounge room which was emitting a faint blue light coming from the small television in the corner, right in front of the blue box snoozed her father. For the first time she became aware of just how much her stairs creaked, and was immediately grateful for the cotton she had placed on her feet earlier that morning.

Making their way downstairs they had to stop every once in a while when her father would grunt or groan in his sleep, but both Yumi and her mother eventually made it safely outside. Yumi sat down to put on her shoes while her mother gave her a brief analysis of her plan.

"I have a brother living about 6 hours north of here, I called him earlier this morning and asked if we could stay for a while. He only has a small house though so you will attend a boarding school for a while until I can find a job. Our train leaves in 45 minutes, from the station my brother will pick us up and we will leave this behind", her mother paused before looking down at Yumi. Her eyes softened as she added, "I love you, and from now on I promise to keep you safe and away from all of this".

"I know", was all Yumi could muster. So they set off swiftly, heading towards the train station that would take them to their new home.

Done! There goes chapter 1…Sorry if it's a little short I was going to end it sooner but I decided against it and thought it would be better to get the back story out in one go. With the next chapter I'm not sure yet if I will put in the train ride or skip straight to her first day of school, I'm leaning towards putting it in but I guess I just have to write it up and decide if it feels relevant or not…this will be my first chapter story for CL but I'm going to try and keep it short, I would like to know what you all think. It doesn't take much so submit a review that says either 'I like' or 'I hate', so please just do it. Oh and the pairings in this story will be YxU and either JxA or OxA, haven't decided.