CHAPTER 8

She felt the pain ripple through out her body as she was pushed on the ground. "What's wrong now?" The older bullies stood above her taunting her "What? No big brothers around to save you this time?" The one that looked like the oldest took a step forward and kicked her in the stomach. She screamed out in pain but that only made the boys laugh. She tried to get up and run, but there was seven of them, and only one of her.

A few weeks ago after school Tara had seen a bunch of older kids picking on two younger ones. The older group was trying to get something from the younger boys, but Tara couldn't figure out what it was. Most likely money, that's what most fights where about these days. She wanted to run up and tell them to back off, but she was only 13, and these boys looked like they were probably 15 or 16.

Tara looked around from the bush she was hiding behind she didn't want to attract their attention, but she knew she needed to help the younger boys. Tara looked around trying to see if there was any adult around that she could run to for help, nobody. She looked back over at the group of boys, the two younger ones were now on the ground the older ones were now throwing rocks at them, as well as kicking them. In an instant Tara knew what she had to do. "HEY! Over here! You guys better leave them alone! I'm going to tell an adult!" Before she had finished her sentence Tara was running as fast as she could, with the older boys right behind her.

She turned a corner and continued running down an outside hallway. She knew Martin and Bray would be walking down this way any second, they always did. This walkway is usually where they picked her up after school, Bray and Martin went to a school a few blocks away from Tara's, and everyday they met up and the same spot and continued walking home together. As Tara's legs kept on pumping, and she ran right into Bray and Martin. As she looked up at her brothers and hid behind them as the boys came barreling around the corner. They looked at Tara's brothers and started to turn around and walk away. But before they were completely gone one of them yelled back "Watch it little girl, you never know when we'll show up!"

They kicked her again and Tara was snapped back to reality, the throbbing pain that was echoing through out her body had also returned. She screamed out again, but this time she didn't stop. She continued yelling for help, and the blows came down harder and harder. She reached up to cover her face and felt blood. She started to cry. She shouldn't have gone out for a walk.

She told her brothers that she'd be home almost 30 minutes ago. Maybe they would come out looking for her. She hadn't traveled that far from home. Suddenly Tara couldn't breathe; one of the boys had kicked her back and had knocked the wind out of her. She felt her head start to go black. She took one last look up at her attackers, and as she did she saw her two brothers, and two of their friends start to pull the boys off of her. Then everything went black...

Tara shot strait up in bed, she couldn't figure out where she was, someone was holding her. She looked around, scared to death. "Where am I?" she finally screamed out. She looked up at the person who was holding her, it was Jack. She looked around the room and realized where she was. "Lex's room." Jack had confirmed her suspicion. She looked at the end of the bed; Bray was sitting there. "Again?" He asked her. He knew that she had been having the dream of her attack for the past few days, but she had never reacted to it like this before.

The entire tribe had heard her screaming, and came running. Bray knew instantly what was wrong. He had shooed everybody out of the room, except for Jack. Bray knew Jack would be a comfort once she woke up. "Yes," she answered him, "but this time it seemed so real, it was like I could really feel the pain all over again." Bray looked over at Jack, who was still holding Tara. The look of confusion on his face would have been laughable in any other situation.

Bray had told Tara not to tell Jack about the incident. She had wanted to tell him, after all he was her best friend, but Bray didn't want him to know that his brother's gang had beat up Tara, it would hurt him too much, or at least Bray thought it would. Bray looked at his sister and saw her eyelids start to flutter, she was about to pass out. Jack noticed it to and tried to stop it, but Bray reassured him that it was all right. Once Tara was out of it again Bray placed a cool cloth over her forehead, and had Jack come out into the hall so he could talk to him. Jack made sure the door was still open a crack so that the two guys could hear everything that was going on in the room. Jack looked up at Bray as he started to talk. "Jack, there's something that Tara and I haven't told you..."