...Miles away and oceans apart, a girl in Illinois rolled over and sleepily fumbled under her bead for a pencil and paper she had stashed in there when the dreams started, months ago.
They were always the same-green eyes, a boy, red hair, and a girl.
But there was something funny about them, something she could never quite put her finger on.
She scribbled : "Snakes. Raven. Badger?" before she heard her Dad stumbling in the hall. She shoved the notebook under her matress and squeezed her eyes shut, praying he wouldn't come in her room tonight.
Ever since he had lost his job all he has done is drink. Drink, and hit.
He used to only hit walls but now he was hitting Mom. And now Anna.
Anna pulled her quilt over her head and bit her lip so hard a drop of blood appeared.
She listened,hardly breathing in fear her Dad would hear. Presently she heard the 'clack' of the toilet going up and her Dad urinating, mostly on the floor.
He coughed and she heard a zip,a pause, then he was stumbling back to his own room. When Anna heard the door slam she let out a woosh of breath.
She sat up and snaked her hand under her mattress, and,pulling out her notebook, again, wrote "Flashlight/torch?".
She slid the thin book back in place, and presently went back to sleep.
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"Wake up. WAKE UP."
Harry jerked awake and fumbled for his glasses.
It was a shame to have to wake up,especially to THIS.
He was having such a good dream...he was flying in the clouds, on a broomstick,no less.
The dream had been so real. He was almost sure he could close his eyes and reach out his arms and feel the wind whipping through his hair.
Harry was broke out of his day dreaming by his unusually rotund cousin juming on the stairs that make up the third wall of room...if you wanted to call it that.
It was more of a small cabinet or cupboard under the stairs, such as an airing cupboard ,minus the mechanical jumble.
At any rate, Dudley called down to Harry "It's my birthday MAKE MY breakfast now!",every word punctuated but a stomp that sent dirt and plaster floating down around Harry's head.
Harry pulled his glasses on and,sneezing from the dust, clambered out of his cupboard.
He glanced both ways and made a mad sprint to the kitchen, but a black form tackled his legs, smashing his face into his carpet.
He heard the snap of his glasses.
"Damn, not again." Harry thought to himself as his cousin Dudley sat on his back and guffawed.
Harry's uncle poked his piggy head through the adjoining door "Harry shut up that noise and make my breakfast!"
Haryr muttered "Yes sir" and,detaching his legs from underneath Dudley's bottom, he stood as steadily he could and headed into the kitchen.
After he had finished the dishes,laundry and cleaning the house, Harry finally had a moment for himself while Dudley was out using children as punching bags and his aunt and uncle went to the cinema.
Harry lay on his back in the grass , gazing at the sky.
He though "It would be a perfect day to fly." and closed his eyes
The crowd was cheering his name "Harry...Harry...Harry"
He was flying as fast as he could but he couldn't reach the golden ball.
He stretched his fingers out...only a little further..."
"Look at that twat, dreaming on the grass. Probably dreaming of catching butterflies."
Harry's eyes snapped open. Dudley and his dim mates were in a circle around him. No where to escape to. No way to run.
Harry took off his glasses.
"Please, just not my nose again." and braced for the punches.
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Anna crouched in the back of her closet. The sound of wood splintering in the hall made her wince.
She re-wrapped the bandage around her ankle, wincing as the shards of glass imbedded under her skin moved.
She knew she only had a minute, two minutes tops, before her Dad would find her.
There have been times she has tried to make a break for it, but he has always managed to catch her, and then it was always twenty times worse.
But this time she was prepared. Walking home from school the other day she had found a shard of metal. She wrapped socks around the bottom like a handle and,when needed,it could be wielded as a knife and serve quite well.
The door too her bed room slammed open "Where are you, you stupid cunt?"
Anna took a deep breath ,and thought "I wish I was at the cabin on the lake." and stood as her dad ripped her closet door open.
She braced for the pain...but nothing came.
No grabbing,fumbling hands.
No drunken breath on her face.
She cautiously opened one eye.
Nothing.
In fact, it was complete silence. And quite bright for her dingy little room.
She stood and looked around.
She was on a grass hill over looking a lake or rather large pond.
A crow circled lazily ahead.
Anna took a deep breath. The air was sweet and fresh, as if after a rain or an early dew.
"What in the..."
She turned in a full circle.
Clouds, grass, farm, and then the pond again.
Anna thought to herself "Maybe I am dead, and this is heaven?"
Just then a crow swooped down ,cawing loudly.
Startled, she stepped back loudly...
and fell on her butt on her doorstep.
'What the HELL?"
Stunned, Anna stood, rubbing her bottom and looked around.
Same houses, same lamposts...
She could hear her dad from in side the house,calling for her.
Yep, she was home.
But...where did she come home FROM?
She knew one thing : she wasn't going back in.
She set off down the street.
She was a yard away when her dad fell through the front door, waving her secret notebook in one hand, the other clutched tightly around a drink which currently was dripping down the front of his pants.
He didn't seem to notice,though.
He focused best he could on Anna and yelled "What is this filth? Who is this boy, you slut?"
Anna took off down the street yet her dad kept stumbling after her, still clutching the now-empty glass in one hand the notebook in the other.
"Come back here you BITCH!"
Anna took one scared glance back and,seeing he was picking up speed, started jogging.
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Harry lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Dudley went and told his Vernon and Petunia Harry had walked out in front of his swing and, unsurprisingly, they had believed Dudley over him.
Harry knew next time he wouldn't make it out alive, let alone unscathed.
But...what could he do?
He was just Harry Potter.
Ok there it is. PLEASE R&R!
xoxo,
Laurannnnnnnnnnnnnn