Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Okay so for the story I had to change their ages some.
Riker- 13
Rydel- 12
Rocky- 9
Ross- 6
Ryland- 4
Running From the Past
Chapter 2
I take one quick glance back before slinging my duffel bag over my shoulder and climbing out of the window. I sprint down the street avoiding the glow given off by the street lights. I enter the train station, purchase a ticket, board my train, and sit back ready to start a new life. I just hope it is better than before. What is so wrong with my life up till now you might ask? Well it started 11 years ago when I was only 6.
11Years Ago:
"Ross, wake up." I hear Rocky saying as he shakes me.
"What?" I ask still half asleep.
"I think something is wrong with mommy. Daddy took her to the hospital and left Riker in charge." He says, I can see the panic in his eyes.
I quickly get out of bed to find Rydel and Riker in the kitchen talking. Rydel seems to be crying a little.
"Riker what's going on, and Delly why are you crying?" I ask my two older siblings.
I can hear footsteps behind me. Soon Rocky and Ryland are standing on both sides of me. I look at all the faces around me, each one with an expression of sadness or fear.
"Guys, mommy is at the hospital because something is wrong with the baby." Riker tells us. Rydel breaks down sobbing once again.
"Now I won't have a baby sister, it's not fair!" She shouts.
"Ssh, it's okay." Riker says as Ryland walks up to her and hugs her.
This can't be happening, I was so excited to be a big brother again. It's not fair, the baby was gone so soon, she didn't get a chance to live. Out of all of us Ryland and Rydel are taking it the worst. Ryland, my baby brother will never get a chance to be a big brother.
"Guys, I think we need some sleep, mommy and daddy won't be back for a while." Rocky says. Riker silently nods in approval of his statement. Everyone but Rydel slowly starts towards their rooms.
"I can't, I was supposed to share my room with her, I can't go back in there." Rydel whispers.
"Delly, you can sleep in my room." I offer. She gives me a forced smile before heading to my room.
"We should all stay together she is going to need support." Rocky says from behind me.
We all head up to my room, I find my sister curled up in my bed trying to hold back tears. I sit next to her and hug her from the side. Some how all five of us end up sleeping in one bed. Me and Ryland laying on top of Riker and Rocky. It is really uncomfortable but no one says a word. We all seem to drift off into sleep filled with nightmares. Around two in the morning a scream wakes me from my sleep.
I can see Rydel twitching in her sleep, I shake her slightly to wake her up. She sits up suddenly starling the others out of their sleep. Eventually we all fall back into a restless sleep.
When I wake up in the morning I head down stairs to find my dad asleep with his head on the table. There is a multitude of beer bottles surrounding him. I know he should go upstairs to sleep so I try to gently wake him.
"You! Why did you wake me!" He screams.
"I thought you should go upstairs to sleep." I whisper at the floor.
"Look at me when you speak, I don't appreciate this behavior." He shouts. I shrink back at his words.
"I'm sorry daddy."
"No, you will call me Sir from now on." He states.
"yes, sir." I manage to mumble out.
"Go get the others and then clean the whole house." I stare at him in shock, he isn't my dad anymore. He is some strange mean man that happens to look like him.
"NOW!" He shouts as he slaps me across the face.
I can hear footsteps approaching and they are getting louder. Soon Riker is by my side.
"Don't hit Ross ever again!" He shouts.
"Why, what are you going to do about it?" He says while slapping me again.
Riker goes to lunge at him, but is stopped when he is punched in the stomach. Riker lets out a strange sound on impact. I go to move in front of him but I am stopped by Rydel. She pushes me back and takes me to my room. Rocky and Ryland are both in here. She just gives us a look before leaving.
I decide to get up and see who mom is doing. When I enter her room all of the curtains are closed, there is little to no light. I can see her form huddled on the bed. I gently sit next to her.
"Mommy are you okay?" I ask. She doesn't respond. I look into her face and I see her blank expression. She is just so catatonic, she ins't the bright fun loving mom I remember. It's like she is a hollow shell of the mother I used to know.
It stays like this for months. My dad being abusive, Rydel seems to get the worst punishment. He says she doesn't deserve to live a good life since her sister didn't get to live at all. Mom doesn't come out of her room, except for food. When she does it's usually at night. They don't take care of us any more, Riker and Rydel have to do it most of the time. No one around us has seemed to notice our situation.
Today I had just been beaten for trying to go to the park. According to my father, I wasn't supposed to leave the house except to go to school. I rush to my room in tears. The visions of the broken beer bottle he used to beat me still fresh in my mind. I can here to door open and I look up to see Ryland. He may be only four but he still understands. Sure i'm only six but we all just kind of know.
"What happened?" He asks.
"Daddy, he took one of the empty beer bottles, he broke it on the side of the table and started cuting and hitting me with it." I sob out. I see the fear in his eyes. He quickly leaves the room. He soon returns with Rydel and Riker.
Rydel quickly cleans all the cuts and puts bandages over them. She has become our nurse, she is always there to help us when he hurts us. I look to Riker, I can see the anger in his eyes.
"This has to stop, we can't live like this anymore." he shouts.
"What else are we supposed to do?" Rydel asks.
"We have one more option." He says as he pulls out his phone and dials a number.
Twenty minutes later i'm being put in the back of a car with my siblings, heading for a foster home.
Now i'm with my fifth foster family. They are just as bad as my real parents, but this time I don't have siblings to help me through it. My step brother constantly beats me and my parents treat me like their personal slave. I shouldn't even consider them my family, they don't treat me like family at all.
I just can't take this any more. I just can't live like this. Eleven years of abusive guardians, I just want a normal teenage life. Is that to much to ask for?
I make my decision, grab my duffel bag and pack my stuff. Next thing I know i'm climbing out the window and getting on a train.
Thirteen hours later i'm standing in a train station in the middle of California. I just need to keep a low profile so that no one finds me. If the foster care system finds me I will be back in the same endless cycle. I guess I can always go by a different identity till i'm able to find Riker. He is legal now, maybe I can find all of my siblings and we can be a real family.
Time to start my new life as... ugh... hmmm... how about Austin Moon. All I need now is a bottle of hair dye. I need to make my hair blonde just like Riker and Rydel. Time to say goodbye to my natural brown hair color and hello to blonde.
It's all part of being Austin Moon.