Demi's POV

"Yes I'm fine." I rolled my eyes and held the phone closer to my ear as I assured my sister on the other line. Don't get me wrong, I love Vanessa. She's always been my go-to girl ever since I was say.. 5? Sometimes she can get paranoid and that's what I can't stand about her. She takes the four year age difference to the extreme and acts like a second mother.

"Demi are you sure? Who are you with? Where are you anyway?" I could feel her grow suspicious over the phone.

"I'm alone and I'm in a hotel, Vanessa." I explained to her, even though half of it was false. Let's just hope she believes me.

She sighed in frustration. "Please just come home."

Well at least she believed it.

"I.." I shook my head in disagreement. There's no way in hell I'm going home. I have things to clear up. "I really wish I could. I just can't face anyone right now, especially him."

"Fine." I pictured her rolling her coffee-colored eyes at me like she always does. "Can you at least just tell me where you are so Mom and I can stop worrying our asses off?"

I paced around the room using my right shoulder to press the phone against my ear. I guess I was nervous because there was black nail polish chippings all over the floor. I always pick at my nails when I'm nervous. I stopped walking and pressed the speaker against my chest.

I looked around for the man, but he was nowhere to be found. Fuck.

"Demi are you still there?" Vanessa questioned.

"Uh, yeah." I responded dumbly.

Suddenly, the door opened and the man came in. He had a plastic shopping bag in one hand, a green apple in the other. Taking a bite into the apple, he kicked the door shut. It slammed pretty hard.

"Demi?! Are you okay?! What the hell was that?!" My sister practically screamed into my ear.

I winced, staring at him from across the room. "The line's breaking up. I'll call you later." I hit the end button before she could even interfere.

He tossed the bag on the flowered sofa and looked at me. "Was that your mom?" A chunk of apple flew out of his mouth when he spoke. Remind me why I agreed to stay again?

"Sister." I corrected as he came closer to me. My eyes followed him. He was huge and could definitely overpower me. It frightened me a lot more than I expected. Years of karate couldn't even prepare to take him down. I'm screwed if he ever lays another hand on me.

"Oh." He walked over to the trashcan and tossed his apple core in the garbage.

"What's in there?" I crossed my arms over my chest and nodded towards the bag on the couch. If it's not some type of food I think I'm going to start sobbing.

Joe's POV

I scratched the back of my head and walked towards the couch. "Well you haven't eaten since yesterday." I dumped the contents of the bag out on the cushion. God that's such an ugly couch. It's 2010, you'd think they'd update it from the 70s by now but I guess not. "So I brought you something to eat."

"Thanks." She smiled genuinely at me and grabbed the coke and hot dog wrapped in foil.

"No problem." I shrugged and turned the TV on. This poor girl has no idea what's she's getting into. I should've brought her a feast of some sort.

She walked over to the bed and sat down cross-legged. I never realized how tiny she was. I feel like more of an ass for laying a hand on her now. There's no way she could've defended herself. I sat down on the couch and put my feet up on the coffee table, arms behind my head.

I thought about how much I could've harmed her and felt a lump in my throat. "How's your arm?"

The girl held her arm out and twisted it around a little. You could clearly see the marks from my hand, almost purple now, on her forearm. She shrugged.

"Fine I guess."

I nodded and looked back at the TV.

I really suck at conversation. I guess that's due to the fact I'm used to being alone. I was an only child until I was seven, then I turned into an orphan. My parents died in a car accident on impact. That puts me at ease knowing they didn't have to suffer. My mother and father were my world. They made me feel absolutely invincible and gave me their all every one of those seven years we had. After my parents departure, my uncle Jared took me in and raised me as his own son. Everything was fine up until two years ago when uncle Jared was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer. For a while, it looked like he would pull through. Everything was looking up, the chemo and radiation were going great and he always kept that goofy smile on his face. Then in August, two days before my birthday, things took a turn for the worst. After being practically lifeless for over four days, I made the decision to pull the plug on uncle Jared. It was the single most hardest thing I've ever done in my life. Uncle Jared was gone and once again I was all alone.

"Are you okay?" She screwed the cap on her coke and looked at me.

I snapped out of my daze and sat up. I guess I was slouching cause my back ached. "Yeah."

"You don't look oka-"

I groaned in annoyance.

"Just shut up and eat your food." I mumbled, rubbing my aching back.