Chapter Two: Time to Go

When Adia woke up, warm in her bed, she felt the strong arms of her brother around her.
She lifted her hand and gently traced his chin, trying not to wake him.

"You're going to make an amazing father, Caden," she whispered gently.

He suddenly woke and gripped her hand, almost roughly, and stared at her with worried eyes.

"Caden, What-" He covered her mouth with his hand, and placed a finger against his lips, silently telling her that she must keep quiet.
Closing her eyes, she listened…
"God damn teenagers… Caden?!" She heard her father calling for her brother throughout the house.

"Oh God-" She tried to ask him what they were going to do, but he stopped her again by placing his finger against her lips.
His eyes strained towards the door as their father's booming footsteps came closer.

"Go to sleep." Caden ordered.

Quickly shutting her eyes, Adia fell into a fake slumber. She heard the door open, non too quietly, and her father's angry muffled words.

What do I do? Caden had to think quickly.

Still acting as if he were asleep, Caden moved his leg slowly up his sister's, and pulled her tighter against his chest, sighing.

Silence.

Nothing but silence followed Caden's actions.

Their hearts sped and they fought to keep their breathing at a steady pace.

Caden felt his father poke his back harshly.

"Wake up." He ordered.

But Caden refused to be bothered.

Then he felt their father grip his shoulder and pull him off the bed. With Adia still in his hold, he gripped her against him, trying to shield her eyes from what was about to happen to him.

"I said get up!" their father yelled.

Even tighter Caden gripped Adia, and whispered "I'm sorry," to her.

"Sorry? You'll be sorry when I'm finished with you!"

Caden tensed every muscle in his body…

Kick.

"Ungrateful little fucker!"

Another kick.

Caden's back already hurt and the worst part was, he knew this wasn't even the beginning.

"You'll never live to be anything!"

The next kick hit his shoulder blade and a cry of pain escaped Caden's lips. He felt Adia trying to squirm free from his embrace.

"Don't be stupid," he mumbled to her. He nuzzled her neck and took in her scent again. He felt her arms tighten around his neck, her fingers tightening in his hair.

"You call yourself a man?"

Now his father's fingers gripped Caden's shirt and threw him against the wall, breaking Adia's grip easily.

"Caden!" She screamed as she stood on her feet and tried to pull her father away while he continued to punch and kick his son.

"Stop it! Leave him alone!" her fingers clawed at her father and her heart ached.

He then gave Adia a punch in the chest, making her fall down with a thud and she still came back.

"Please dad! Stop!" the punch to her stomach sent her backwards, and she was cornered.

"You're nothing but an ungrateful little bitch! My life would be better without both of you!" he kept punching her in the face until she was crouched in a defensive position before him.

"Hey!" Caden called as he re-gained his strength and stood his ground.

Leaving Adia in the corner, their father sauntered toward Caden.

This time, Caden fought back, blocking ever punch and dodged every kick, then gave his father a few good punches to his head, then raced over to the corner and lifted Adia.

"Adia, wake up,"

Slowly, she opened her eyes and saw Caden, with only a few small bruises on his body. She immediately wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him down to the floor, and she cried, so hard that her body was trembling.

I've got to get her out of here… Caden lifted her from the floor and tried to shield her eyes away from their now unconscious father and his bloody face. He didn't want his sister to see what his hands had done.

He walked out the door to the laundry room and grabbed the three suitcases they had, and threw every piece of clothing that looked to belong to him or Adia.

He knew he should have put her down so he could move faster, but he couldn't let go.

Heading into the bathroom, he grabbed all the boxes of band aids, Advil, cold medicine and everything else that was medical. He knew his sister well, so he grabbed six flashlights, as she was afraid of the dark, and every box of batteries he could find; he even grabbed her four favorite books so she would be distracted. Then he stole his father's wallet from his room, his sister's and his own.

"Adia, I have to put you down for a minute," he ran over to the couch and tried to set her down, but her grip only tightened.

"Adia,"

"No," she yelled.

"You'll be fine. Just one minute, that's all I need, I'll be right back," she pulled back to stare at him. She knew that tone in his voice, that look on his face. He was vowing that he would return to her.

"Do you promise?" she hiccupped.

He pulled her in for a hug and whispered, "I will never let anything bad happen to you." He released her, than ran up the first flight of stairs.

Adia counted the seconds and kept repeating his last words in her head.

Caden went to Adia's room and grabbed her scarfs and cell phone, then turned around to make sure his father was still unconscious.

His breathing was steady and slow. Turning around again, he headed for his father's room, and rummaged around in his draws until he felt the metal of a gun.

Rushing back down the stairs, he also grabbed his pocket knife off the table.

"Grab what you need from the bathroom," he told her.

"You mean…?"

He nodded his head and zipped up the first two suitcases; when she came back, he threw the box in the final bag and zipped it up, gave her one to carry, took her hand and carried the other two as they ran out the door.

Caden pushed Adia in the passenger side, stored the bags in the trunk, then ran to the garden gate and grabbed a bucket, just in case.

As he ran back, he heard his father shouting and breaking Adia's bedroom window.

Shit.

He gave her the bucket and headed over to his father's other car and slashed the tires, then got in on the drivers side and turned the key, his foot hitting the gas as he backed out, just as their father fell to the ground and tried to give chase.

Caden had to concentrate and restrain himself from pulling over and getting Adia to a doctor to treat her hand and nose. Instead, he settled for gripping her good hand as he hit 120 on the highway.

Only a few more kilometers…

He stepped on the brake and quickly rushed over to Adia's side, pulling her out of the car and still held her hand as she vomited.

Carrying her back, he gave her a water bottle from all the emergency kits he stole.

"You don't have to carry me," she muttered as her head fell against his chest.

"No, I'll just leave you to stand on your own and watch you fall over and crack your head open." He shook his head.

As he placed her in the passenger seat again, he remembered that if you had ever been in a fight or fell and hit your head, you weren't supposed to go to sleep, because you might slip into a coma.

He looked over at her as he started the car, and sped off to the nearest hospital.

"Adia, stay awake," he ordered in a cold voice.

"Mhmm…" her head fell to the side limply.

"Adia! Stake awake!"

"I… can't…" she whispered.

"You have to, Adia. Please, just a few more minutes, were almost there," he couldn't stop the panic that entered his voice.

"Caden…"

"No, Adia, stay awake, you have to stay awake,"

She didn't respond.

"Come on, stay awake, I know you can,"

He looked at her face and felt the tears starting. She fell asleep.

"Adia, your stronger then this! Wake up!"

Still nothing. "Please…"