I reached Sarah's house soon after that and knocked on her door. Her father answered. "Anna," he said. "What is it? Has something happened?" He moved aside so that I could come in and shut the door behind me.
"No," I said. "I was just coming by to make sure Grace made it here all right."
His face showed his panic. "She never arrived."
"What?" I demanded. I felt tears coming. "She- Luis sent her here. But if she never made it..." I began to sob. "There are HJs all over the streets. She must have..." I couldn't bear to finish. Grace was gone, because of a careless mistake that my brother made.
Then there was another knock on the door. He looked through the small hole in the door and turned to me. "It's one of them," he said. "I'll tell him no one's home. Find Sarah and hide with her." I nodded and went out of sight.
I was about to go up the stairs when I heard a familiar voice. "Let me go!" she screamed. It was Grace!
Forgetting about Sarah, I rushed back to the door to see an HJ holding my sister tightly around the wrists. She had a red cheek where she'd been punched and a little bit of blood coming from her nose. The HJ himself had a bleeding lip.
"Do you know this child?" he asked.
"Yes," Sarah's father replied. "She is a friend of the family."
"Grace!" I said, running up to them. I turned to the HJ. "Let her go!" I said. "Now! Or else-"
"I'm not going to hurt her," he said. "Please. May I come in?"
Sarah's father hesitated, then moved aside. "Yes."
The HJ entered, shut the door, and then released Grace. "I had no intention of harming her," he said. "but she is quite forceful and has a good kick." The HJ wiped some blood off his lip. "But I needed to restrain her. I'm sorry."
"Of course you are," I said sarcastically, wrapping my arms protectively around Grace. "Goodbye."
The HJ looked at me curiously. "I just saved her life. It was obvious that an HJ would have grabbed her sooner or later. You're just lucky it was me. Anyone else would have sent her away."
"And what do you gain?" I asked suspiciously.
"A clean conscience. Don't let her out alone again. I might not be there next time." With that, he left.
Grace stuck her tongue out at the door. "He hit me," she said. "He-"
"It's OK," I said. "Why don't you go find Sarah?" She nodded and left. Then I turned to Sarah's father. "Thank you. If you'll call our house when they're done playing or talking or whatever, someone will come to pick her up."
"I'll bring her myself," he replied. "I wouldn't want you to have to come back again. Goodbye."
"Thank you again, goodbye."
A/N: please, PLEASE review, I'm dying!!!!!! I promise it'll get better… promise!