Chapter Seven

I won't mention Aaron Carter anymore except where she calls Adam! Kristin's birthday is March 10. She'll turn 13 soon, but it's only December in this story.

***

The police officer called Scott's dad and told him he had to come pick up his kids from the police station and that a friend of Scott's was taking his car back to their place. Martin didn't even question that "your kids" meant Scott AND Kristin.

Martin arrived and tried to control his anger but before they were even out of the doors he swatted Scott in the back of his head. Scott didn't say anything but Kristin hid behind Scott, afraid of Martin now.

When they got home Martin was so angry he didn't exactly walk straight. They got into the kitchen and he threw down the keys on the counter. "Go upstairs, NOW, Kristin!" Martin screamed. "Dad don't yell at her-" "SCOTT, SHUT UP!" He roared and Kristin ran out and went halfway up the stairs then went back down and sat on the bottom stair.

"What were you thinking? Huh, Scott? Going back to your pot-head friends!" Martin yelled. "Dad I just-" "Then you go and get into a fight, your second day home! You could've been killed, along with your cousin. Your twelve-year-old cousin, Scott. She's been through enough, dontcha think?" "Well so have I! But I bet you wouldn't care!" "THis isn't about you, well it is, but...God, Scott I am SO mad at you I can't think so straight. What if he had pulled out a knife? A gun? If he hadn't have shot or stabbed you, he could've Kristin, or one of your other friends. God, Scott, I thought that school was suppose to HELP you? But I guess you're just as stupid as before. DON'T YOU DARE WALK AWAY...SCOTT!!!" He hollered and Kristin ran up the stairs and saw Scott stomp out. Martin walked out the back door and slammed it as hard as he could as Scott ran out the front door. Kristin peeked around the corner to make sure Martin wasn't there and ran out to Scott. She closed the front door. "What the hell do you want?" Scott screamed and turn around and saw it was Kristin- and she was shaking. "I'm sorry...I thought it was my dad. God, I hate him SO much sometimes." He said and walked over to her. He hugged her but stopped when he noticed she was shaking. "Hey, what's wrong? He's not mad at you," Scott said. Kristin shook her head. "What? You can tell me anything!" He promised. "It...it...sounded like when me and my dad use to fight. Except he'd punch me." She said, getting a memory.

***Flashback***

"Hey, Kristin, come play football!" Adam told her over the phone. 10-year- old Kristin looked around the house. It looked pretty clean, a few dishes, but the dishwasher was going, so she threw them into the sink, grabbed her jacket and ran outside.

She came home about an hour later and walked into the kitchen. Her dad was glaring at her. Uhh...hi, dad," she said. "Come. Here. Now." He said. She slowly walked over to him. He grabbed her collar and watched her in the nose. "I thought I told you to clean this damn house up. My room is still a mess, my bathroom is still a mess, and this kitchen...there are spots ALL OVER THE FLOOR! There are dishes in the sink. What the hell were you thinking? HUH?" He screamed and kicked the back of her knees and she fell to the ground. "I didn't know I was suppose to clean YOUR room and YOUR bathroom! And when I left the dishwasher was still going!" SHe screamed back, knowing what was coming to her." "Don't you dare talk back to me," He screamed and picked her up by her hair and punched her in the eye. She tried to squim away and finally he got tired of her and threw her down and stomped upstairs. She laid there for a few minutes then went into the pantry to the money jar. The "Money jar" was where her dad put money for when his friends came over to bet. She took a stash-around a hundred dollars- and ran out the front door.

***End of flashback***

That night at dinner the tension was almost unbearable for Kristin. Martin was giving Scott Looks that could kill, Scott was giving them right back and Elaine was looking confused. "I'm leaving." Scott finally said and threw his dishes in the sink. "What went on today?" Elaine asked Martin. "Scott and Kristin kind of got arrested." Elaine's mouth dropped open and mouthed "already". "Can I be excused?" Kristin asked. "Go ahead. And if you can through to your wonderful cousin tell him he's grounded until he goes back to school." Martin said and Kristin put her dishes in the sink. She walked outside and sat on the curb. Mike was outside and walked over when he saw her sit down. "Hey, Kristin, where's Scott?" He asked. "Umm...I don't know. But he's grounded anyways." "What? Already?" "We kind of got arrested." "Wow. And only your second day?" Kristin rolled her eyes and wanted to say "Gee, you can count?" but Scott came up from behind her. "Yeah. On our second day. Wanna go somewhere?" "Scott, your dad said you were gr-" "Kristin, I'm fully aware of that." He said and walked past her. "Well what do I tell them?" She asked. "The truth-you don't know." "Whatever." She said and walked back into the house.

***That night***

She was in her own bed. Scott wasn't home yet, Martin had been badgering Kristin up until 10. Elaine was sitting on the couch, fanning her face. The stereo was playing 95.5 and Eminem was on again. She was worried about Scott. She knew he took drugs before Horizon. She finally fell asleep.

***Nightmare (This dream is her imagination, un-like her other dreams...)***

"Kristin...yep, that's right I FOUND you!" Kristin's dad gleefully yelled. She jumped out if the bed and met her dad's fist. "Don't worry...I'm a- gonna getcha. I'm gonna take you from your safe little Uncle Martin's house and take you where you belong. I'll beat you to do death-just wait. That's what you deserve," He punched her in the face again, "You don't deserve this," he said, motioning the room, "All your pretty little posters...pretty little ocean blue. How about after I kill you, I throw you in the ocean? Everyone will forget about you. Peter, Sophie...they'll all forget about you. Like you never existed." He said. He started beating her and finally stopped. "C'mon...time to go..." He said and pulled the limp girl to the car.

***End of dream***

Kristin snapped awake in her bed. She looked around, breathing hard. No sign of her dad. She knew it, he was coming to get her. She jumped out of the bed and peeked into Scott's room. He was just getting into bed. She tip-toed down the stairs. She had to get away, she just hoped Scott or Martin or Elaine wouldn't hear. "He was coming...you've got to get away..." she muttered to herself. She slipped out the door.

When outside she looked at a big clock on a building as she walked the streets. It said 5:05 AM. She was freezing, and it was December 23. Great Christmas presents to her only family. She walked to the only place she knew in town-the empty lot. She had seen a playground by it, and although she knew some kids were runaways and pretty much lived there, she just hoped not many kids were there. When she got there she looked around. The cold bit into her face, and her flannel pyjamas did nothing. "How could you have been so stupid? It's Washington....and winter." She told herself and walked over the a tunnel thing on the playground. She curled up into it and soon fell asleep.