Chapter 2

The next day, Megan Johnson carried the newspaper with the job list folded in her hand as she went to each and every possible place that was advertising for help wanted or job available. Due to the low skill qualification she had, megan was refused.

Feeling frustrated and tired, as she kept trying and requested for a job. Crossed out the advertised boxes in the paper as she was refused by and finally the last one, that stood out.

Help wanted.
No qualification needed, just able to wait and host tables. Able to work flexible hours including night shifts with weekends.

Megan exhaled softly and thought to herself. What did she have to lose? This is just the start and until she could get to where she wanted to go, this would had to do for her in the meantime. One hour later, finally found the small diner that requested for help. Looking down the advertisement again and to the billboard of the diner. Shrugging lightly and said. "Well, what do I have to lose? They are asking for no qualifications."

Putting the paper under her arm and made her across the road to the diner. Pushing the door open and walked inside as the customers looked back for a second and resumed to their meals. The middle aged, blond woman gently called to megan.

"May I help you with something, sugar?"

"Yes, I am here about the position you have advertised in the paper for help wanted." Megan answered, mentioning the advertisement of job position.

"Yo, joe. Finally got a applicant." Judy called back. "Be right out." Joe answered.

"He will be right out, honey. Can I get you a drink?" judy offered, smiling warmly.

"Yes please, a soda." Megan requested and sat down, joe walked out as he wiped his hands. Megan looked upon this gentle giant, dressed in a black t-shirt with black pants and apron covered in stains of food.

"What is your name, sweetheart." Joe politely asked. "Megan Johnson." She answered.

Holding out his hand and smiled, greeting and introduced himself. "Joe Marshall. How soon can you start, little lady?" he continued, with a hopeful smile.

Megan was dumbfounded and stammered at first then finally answered with a proper sense reply. "Tomorrow?"

Joe nodded and smiled graciously then said. "Terrific. Just let me get your apron but you have to get your own shirt and skirt though. 10 am sharp. The pay is 15 a hour including tips."

Megan was excited to have a job, and to have 15 a hour was a lot more than she was getting before and if that was, she was able to keep the job without her parents causing mischief to result of her losing her job.

"That is great, I'll be here. See you tomorrow?" megan smiled.

"See you then, sweetheart. And Tuesdays is the busiest day. Hope you can keep up." Joe walked away as he answered. Megan was so excited and couldn't wait to start as she rushed out the door and home to write in her journal. But first was that she needed to find a shirt and skirt to wear for her first job in the big city. Despite she had met many that offered to give her a ride home, but always politely declined and always try her best to take the safest way back to her apartment.

Always keeping to herself was the only way she knew how to stay safe. And it was a lonely existence, as it was the only way to avoid conflict or assumptions of her parents wanting to know where and who she was with and did.

Remembering all the gruelling moments that parents would scowl her for whatever her younger siblings did either at school or at home when she never influence them to do what they did. But she was always punished for their stupidity, because she was the eldest child. Sometimes she felt as that she was more a slave over been apart of the family.

"Megan! Where are you, little bitch!" Bradley Johnson shout and sit down in the chair as he waited. While Sharon Johnson would sit across from him and say. "She is not coming, ignoring you again. Better see what keeping her."

Bradley would grit his teeth, hiss as he stood up and his feet would sound like a heavy pounding to the floor that they met the ground. Jason and Jody would sit in the living room, feeding their faces as they watched television. The yelling would resume followed by the thudding in the walls and floor until a huge crash would meet the floor of the living room, and Sharon would come in as she showed no sympathy and stood in the doorway then glared down to megan.

"You should had listened to your father when he called, megan." She hissed coldly. Megan looked up with glassy eyes and whimpered as she was forcibly grasped by her hair and forced to stand then walked to the dining room where she pushed in the chair that waited then received a hard back hand across her cheek. But her lower lip was split.

"Where the hell were you when your brother was getting beat up?!" Bradley growled. "Jason wasn't been beat up, and he was in his room. I swear, daddy." Megan cried. Then whimpered as she was back handed again.

"Don't lie, you filthy little bitch. And what do you call the bruising on your brothers face."

"There is no bruising on his face, daddy." Megan tried to convince her father with the truth as her brother created lies to get her into trouble. "Jason, come here son."

"Yes dad." Jason smirked as he stood by his father before megan. "Show your sister where the bruising."

"It is here, dumb bitch." Jason growled. Showing the false bruising in his cheek that appeared to be normal. "There is no bruising, daddy. Please believe me, I aint lieing." Megan cried, pleading.

Then suddenly Jason slapped her. "Good work son." Bradley praised him. Megan was terrified as her mother stood by and watched. "Mum, please make them stop. And tell them I didn't do anything wrong. I did what you asked, the house is clean."

"No, you didn't clean the house. The dishes aren't done. Dinner isn't served. The beds aren't made. Clothes aren't folded." Sharon folded her arms and glared at megan, scolding glance.

Jody remained sitting in the chair as she continued to eat the popcorn. "What about the money?" jody mentioned.

"I worked hard for that money." Megan said, trying to keep her shouting down but was terrified and feared that she kept been scared and allowed her family to treat her like dirt, she'll never be free.

"No you didn't, you stole that money from my purse." Sharon hissed. "I worked hard for that money. Not you."

"I did, it is my money." Megan corrected. Sharon stepped forward and slapped her cheek. "No, it is my money. Why are you doing this to me?"

Before megan could reply the phone rang. Sharon answered the phone, glaring at megan.

"Oh, is that right? Megan has a shift now? Well, I think you should fire her because she is still in bed." Sharon lied. Megan glared mortified as stream of hot tears covered her face, shaking her head.

Sharon smiled and continued. "That is alright, I'm sure that wont happen again. Bye-bye." Hanging the phone on the receiver. "Well, that was barney's fruit market. You are fired since you can't keep schedule."

Megan shook terrified and couldn't stop the tears down her face as she was forced to her room and received another beating from her father while Sharon, huddled jody and Jason to her embrace and told them, that megan will be home to look after them.

Wiping the tears away from her cheeks as the abusive memories burned in her head, destroying all contacts that she left behind of the small town she grew up in, and disconnected with all those who knew her only to snitch her back to the horrid family she desired to forget.

Tearing and throwing away the address book of names that she believed to be her friends, that only proved to be minions to her parents and siblings. Having no friends and anyone that took a interest in her, would be turned away as they'd made sure that there was some dirty old man to be by her side and play to be her husband and she would be named horrid names by others when and if left the house.

Megan wondered how ever, she managed to survive the hell she lived in and hadn't broken mentally. She wondered, it could had been the possibly of linger of hope that kept her going.

As the pile of her old life, burned in the bin. She said, farewelling with no regrets. "Good bye dysfunctional family and hello new life."

Meanwhile, back in the small town known to be gladsville. Megan's family was getting anxious and played to victim game to the police as they reported her to be missing and said that she had ran away. Which she had and did but with good reason.

Sharon huddled into her husband's embrace as she held tight on a hankerchief and pretended to cry. "Oh my poor baby, she has ran away. Why would she run away from home?"

One police officer was new to the area and sensed that something didn't seem right. While he partner assured them. "Don't worry I'm sure she hadn't gone far and will bring her home."

"How old is megan to be exact ma'am." Officer Ling asked, curiously. Officer stevens turned and glared at him as officer ling looked back and said. "What?"

Sharon answered the question with a question as she continued to play the grieving mother. "What does that have to do with her age when has ran away?"

"Please answer the question." Officer ling requested gently. "18." Sharon answered. Officer Ling exhaled then turned as he walked away. Officer stevens stood still and said. "That's it, just going to walk away."

"Yeah, that's right. The girl is 18. Legally allowed to move out of home and find a place of her own. I'm not wasting time on a silly missing person's report when she could be just out working somewhere in a grocery store."

Officer stevens turned the johnson's and said that he'll search for megan and bring her home. When the police officers left, Bradley slammed the door and begun trashing the living room as both Jason and jody stoody watching and said.

"Uh-oh, megan is so going to be in big trouble."

"Yes, that she will be." Sharon commented, agreeably. "Pack your bags, kids. Road trip." Bradley told them as they excitedly exclaimed and hurried to pack.

"We are going to find her ourselves." Bradley held his wife's face in his cheeks and informed her. she nodded. "As we should, and this time. She will be chained with a lock and key."