Nessie's POV
I heard Mr. James come in. I was happy because it meant I could have some food again and my tummy was always sore. But I also knew that he would hurt Momma again and so I covered my head with the blanket like I was supposed to do.
But I didn't stay covered up. I knew what he did to her. I saw him do it all the time and I hated him for it.
So I peeked. And that's when I saw the door.
Momma told me… she always said that if he ever left the door open then I needed to run away and find help. She said to look for the helpers… the police or the other people or anyone. She told me to look around and know where I had come from so I could take the helpers back to our home and help her. She couldn't run anymore. He broke her leg once and it healed wrong so now she needed me to be strong and brave.
Run. I snuck out the door and up the stairs. When I got to the top, there was another door and I pushed it open, running out into the brightest light I had ever saw. I had to close my eyes, but I peeked them open quickly to look around first. I had to be able to bring the helpers back to Momma.
This wasn't right. It was supposed to be night-time. It was supposed to be dark. But as I ran further away from Momma I knew that I was wrong. It was daytime. There were people. I couldn't see them. It was too bright still. But I could hear them.
Stopping in my tracks I yelled out as loudly as I could, hoping that a helper would find me – I didn't want to go too far away from Momma so I couldn't find her again.
"HELP ME!"
My eyes were squeezed tightly shut again, people were everywhere around me, all of them talking at the same time, hands grabbing onto my hands, touching my shoulders.
"Stop. Please don't hurt me!" I begged quietly as I collapsed onto the ground, pulling my knees up to my chest and rocking back and forth. This was how I soothed myself when Mr. James would make noise and hurt Momma.
"Everyone back up for a minute, let me through!" A voice called out and then everyone's hands were gone, the voices quieter but still there.
"Hey sweetheart. I'm not going to hurt you, can you open your eyes for a minute?" The voice sounded soft, gentle… like Momma's. I liked it and I tried to listen to her. Momma said to look for the helpers… I would know when I found someone nice.
I blinked my eyes open. Everything was still too bright though and I slammed them closed again.
"Can I put a hat on your head sweetie? It will help with the light." The voice asked a minute later as I struggled to keep my eyes open. I had only seen bits and pieces but I knew now that the voice was a lady and she was sitting on the ground in front of me, and I knew. Momma was right. I knew that she was a helper. Nodding my head slowly I waited until I felt something funny rest on my head, and then I opened my eyes again and pulled my hands away from my face, the shadows darker now and easier to keep my eyes from closing again.
As I looked back up at the helper-lady I saw a funny look on her face as she said my Momma's name… she said 'Bella'.
"Do you know my Momma?"