A Little Note: Oh by the way I was spelling Tracey wrong, I know, sorry I'm a blonde.

Bleezie- Thank you again for your review and honestly who could not think River Phoenix was hot? Anyway hope you enjoy my fourth chapter.

Dark-Celeste37- Thank you for your review, and I did read your story. I left you a review too; it's really good so far.

Chapter Four:

Charlie's P.O.V.

I'm open the front door of my house. My dick head Sept-Dad is lying unconscious on the couch, beer bottle in one hand cigar in the other. The sight of the cigar makes me pull down my shirt collar and look at the scar on the side of my left shoulder. A gift from 'daddy' dearest.

Sneaking as quietly as possible up to my room, so I have to deal with the jackass if he wakes up. I close my bedroom room door silently behind me and lock the door. I start my homework, having finished most of it at school I finished by 5:00 PM.

Ten minutes later my stomach was growling and I was willing to make the unsafe journey to the kitchen for some grub. Just as I was about to unlock my door, I hear my mom's car pull up…Oh no! I sit down with my back against the door as the bedroom as my mom opens to door to the house.

I hear a slurred drunken male voice shouting and my mother's calm voice trying to reason with him. Then comes the sound of fist and kicks falling mercilessly on my mother. I hear her pleading with him to stop. Tears come to my eyes; I know this is only a dream but as hard as I can't get free from it…or him.

Then sound of my mother being thrown to the ground, grunts and groans seconds later. Oh My God! He's raping her again! The tears are now streaming down my face.

I hear sobbing; at least he's finished beating her for now. "Shut Up Bitch!" He screams at her and I hear a sharp smack.

I get a shower and cry myself asleep. Around two in the morning I feel a hand over my mouth and the other gently shaking me awake. I open my eyes quickly to see my bruise mother holding a finger to her mouth for me to be silent. She points to some clothes for me laid out at the bottom of my bed. I quickly get dressed and put my hair into a braid. And follow her out to the car, she's carrying a green military backpack with her.

As we turn the corner leaving our block, she begins to talk.

"I can't put you through this anymore I'm taking you to the bus station and sending you to Tracey's. I'll come down there as soon as I turn Tony into the cops. I found out that he's been dealing with the mob." Mom explains quickly to me never taking her eyes off the road.

"Okay, as long as you come down as soon as possible. And did you tell Tracey and her cousin's that I'm coming? (She shakes her head no) Oh, it'll be ok I'm positive Tracey will understand like she always does." I reply trying to assure her as much as I am myself.

"Good, the bus should take you straight to a town seven days walk from Castle Rock. Here this bag has a change of clothes, a hairbrush, my good jewelry and yours, your kitty (my stuff gray cat), and our bible. I also want you to take this." She says as she unclasps it and clasps the gold chain around my neck. It's her pure gold heart locket that my father had given to her; it had a picture of her, my father, and me (when I was a baby). It's was the only thing she had left of my father, Tony had thrown out the rest.

"Thank you" I whisper quietly as she leads me to the bus. We hug a long time before I have to get on the bus. I feel my eyes well up with tears I can't believe I'm leaving her here with him.

"Don't you cry babydoll. I'll see you very soon, but goodbye for now." She says quickly flashing me a watery smile, trying not to cry in front of me.

I get on the bus and open my window up watching her waving to me until she's out of my sight. Then I close the window and pull my kitty out of my bag. I hug her and my bag close to my chest and fall asleep. When I wake up at 6 PM the next day, the driver says we're pulling into a bus station. I look at my ticket snub this is where I need to get off.

I walk for six days and then on the sixth night as I'm walking along a lonely road. Three car pull up behind me, two drunk boys like five years older than me get out of the car with two sluts in tow.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing here all by yourself." Slurred one with a twitchy eye, and the others laugh as I back away. I bump straight into a hansom boy with spiky blonde hair. He'd be attractive if he didn't look so cold in the eyes.

"Well what do we have here," he asks me, then he rubs my shoulders and arms suggestively. I slap him across the face and kick him in the balls. And snake away while the others are seeing if the boy is all right. Just when I think I'm finally home free from those cock knockers.

I feel a pair of hands shove me to the ground. The two sluts beat me up, one holds me down, and the other delivers the blows. The boys stand there laughing at me. When they're finished they leave me lying there on the side of the road.

I limped the rest of the way and I reached the tree house in Castle Rock. I was too tired to think straight and just wanted to keep going but needed to rest…

"Charlie come on wake up!" Tracey whines at me through the door. I bolted up in the sunny bed and wiped the tears off my face.

"Coming!" I called back pulling on the clothes Tracey had left out for me. I open the door dressed in a black shirt, the gray shoes, and navy blue shorts that came a little higher then my knees. "Hey, I just need to brush my teeth and my hair. Then I'll be right down ok?"

"Yeah, that's great, just hurry up Madi and Riley are waiting down stairs for us. So we can walked over to the tree house." She told me.

"Ok, but where's Vern?" I asked confused.

"He when to 'try' to hit on girls with Teddy, and before you asked Gordie always gets up really early to go for a walk, it helps 'clear his thoughts'. " she explains to me, and I nod my head and go into the bathroom. Brush my teeth and braid my hair into two French braids. And open the door. Tracey is standing there with arms crossed, with her long creamy brown hair in a braid slung over one shoulder, and her foot tapping impatiently.

"Finally!" She snaps playfully, her brown eyes shining brightly. I shove her and race down the stairs before she can get me back.

"Get back here you wimp!" She screams chasing after me. I'm to busy trying to run from Tracey to notice where I'm going and I run straight into two girls I remember vaguely from yesterday.

"Hi! I'm Riley! It's so great to finally meet you! Well I mean when you're awake anyway! Tracey told us so much about you!..." She went on but I lost track of what she was saying. Riley has pale brown hair with a strong orange tint, her skin tone is well…uh…kinda…really pink and she has loads of freckles. She has a stocky body she must be at least 5'6 ½, and she has a bosom most guys I know would just stare at, sadly. Under her baby blue cat glasses lay soulful brown eyes. I then tuned back into what she was saying … "Oh and I absolutely HATE, HATE, HATE pink!"… Then why is she wearing all pink? What a strange, though really friendly girl.

"Oh, that's, cool. So the you must be Madison," I direct my attention to the other girl.

"Yes, so then you must be Charlie," she replies with a quiet smirk. I nod my head and grin back at her. Then I study her, as she studies me, and Riley just keeps talking on not noticing a thing. Madison seems like the type of person that is louder once you get to know her. She's shorter than me, probably around 5'1 or so, but despite her very petit size she gives off a tough air about her like a female mighty mouse. Her eyes are tough green with a spark yellow in the middle. Madison's hair falls barely past her shoulders, her bangs just meet her eyebrows, and her hair is pale brown, with loads of bleach blonde highlights. Her skin is the same pale white tone as mine much she has much more freckles. I see a flash of blue under her arm and grab her wrist and turn it over. Blue veins twist and turn all the way up the under side of her arms.

"That is so awesome!" I say, just as she was about to reply, I feel two hands poke me in my sides. I yelp girlishly and snap around to see Tracey laughing. I glare at her and then quickly poke her in the stomach. "So anyway you said we needed to head over to the tree outhouse to meet the guys, right?"

"Yeah, here let me two muffins for us," Tracey said to me, then turns to the other two, "Do you guys want one?"

"Sure, thanks." Replies Madison.

But Riley said, "No, duh! I mean no thank you! I'm on a diet!" She then sucks in her stomach and looks at herself in the mirror. I learned later that she does this all the time, and I mean all the time.

We eat as we head to the tree house across town, in the sluggish heat. Riley talking the whole, I wonder how she's able to breathe she's talking so fast. But she seems like a very nice, understanding person. Deep, deep, down inside.

"At least it's cooler out today, if it wasn't she'd be dead by now." Madi whispers to me.

I laugh loudly and say "Yeah, I know, I'd help you!" Tracey, Madi, and I start laughing again. While Riley stands there confused and silent trying to figure out what happened.

A few minutes after we finish laughing, Riley asks, "So wait what was so funny? (That sets us off laughing again) HEY! Stop it! Tell me, what was so funny?"

She walks off in a huff, I look after her worriedly. But Tracey reassures me, "Riley will be back and talking to us in a couple seconds."

By the time we had reached the tree house, Riley was back and chatting at us, again.

"Well, up we go!" Yelps Riley, as she starts to climb up the tree but falls off not even half way up. But then she jumps back up with an 'I'm ok!' and climbs up the latter. Then she climbs into to the tree house.

"Does she fall often," I asked to no one in particular.

"All the time." Madi and Tracey answer in unison. We all start laughing again as we climb up the latter. I climb up last since I have a think with people behind me on stairs and stuff. So I pull myself into the tree house and…