A Weekend in Seattle
Day 2 Part 2
May 10, 2008
I couldn't believe what I just heard. The only reason I did believe it was because Kelsi was still sobbing on my shoulder, and even Morgan was tearing up. I let them both sit on my bed, they told me stories of how mom had changed, she started drinking, and then the abuse came. When they had finished explaining, they both rolled up their sleeves.
Kelsi had a scar on her arm as long as a ruler, and as wide as a pencil. The rest of her arm was covered with bruises and cuts. Morgan had the same scar, and she had another one on her face, too. Her arms and legs also had cuts and purple – blue bruises on them. It was revolting, and I found myself staring at their matching scars.
"She got real mad at us one night." Morgan began, "We asked her for help with our homework. We couldn't see she had been drinking. She got so mad, she dragged us both into the kitchen. She said she was going to show us 'how fractions work.' She tried to cut our arms off, Quinn. Then, when she missed, we both tried running away. We got away safely, but that's how I got the scar on my face." I just looked at them, saddened. "Yeah, try explaining these to your teacher."
And that's when I had the idea. It was crazy, and possibly life-threatening, but I knew I had to get them away from the life I used to live. This was no life for any kid, especially not my own sisters.
"I have a plan." I told them, and asked them to come close. But out in the open, we knew the plan wouldn't be safe. We didn't want it being heard by the one we were protecting it from…the one we used to call our mother. So, I lead them into my closet, where we all sat on the hardwood floor. On the floor, I had my notebooks, some pillows, a pickle jar full of perfectly sharpened pencils, and my lucky stuffed frog. It was a little cramped in there, and I could tell I was going to be claustrophobic after this, but we sat there, going over the plan, and the route we'd need in my notebook. It was getting darker, and we couldn't tell how long we had been in there, until Nathaniel called us down for dinner.
The dining room smelt of spaghetti and fancy French bread. I could hear mom and Nathaniel talking happily, and Mom pouring herself a drink. This was going to be a long night.
We entered the dining room through the sliding door. Kelsi and Morgan sat on one side of the table, mom and Nathaniel on the other. I sat myself at the head of the table, where I used to sit. I glanced over and Morgan and Kelsi, and they shot my a knowing look. They knew what would happen after dinner, just as I knew when I was their age. And, all three of us knew we had to act fast.
"Mom, Kelsi and I don't feel good. May we be excused?" Morgan asked, holding her stomach and wincing in pain. Kelsi followed suit, and I soon did the same. I even threw in a fake gag, for good measure.
"All right, go upstairs. All three of yah." Her reply was groggy and slurred, as if she already had too much to drink. I rushed up to my room and started to re-pack my bags. Kelsi and Morgan ran into their room and started packing, too. I soon was finished, and went into their room to see if they were done. They were arguing…something about a green blouse. I rushed to the closet, rummaged around a bit, and shoved it at them. Kelsi gave Morgan an apologetic look and kept packing.
"Now, the arrangements are all made. You'll be PCA students in no time." Trust me, the arrangements weren't as easy as they looked.
"How'd you pay for it?" Morgan stopped short and looked at me. That part wasn't easy either, and I intended to steer clear of it for a while, at least until I knew they would understand.
When we were all done packing, we went into Kelsi and Morgan's closet to go over the plan again. Together, we had enough money for a few bus rides, so we planned them wisely. First, we would take the bus from here to Puyallup, where one of Kelsi's friends lived. From Puyallup, we'd take another bus all the way to St.Helens, where I'd made arrangements at Holiday Inn. From there, we'd take a train to Quincy, California. There, we'd be staying with Glenda and Marcov Martinez, who were there on business. From the Martinez place, I got someone to pick us up and drive us back to PCA. With this plan, we'd only have to walk about a mile, and we'd be homebound before the school week began.
We climbed out the window and onto the roof of the houses addition. From there, we climbed down the trellis. First me, then Kelsi, and then Morgan. Then, we started walking to the bus station. To our new lives. To a rescue so dangerous, it'd be like the underground railroad.