Where I live isn’t really the best place for a kid. So I now decided that I was going to leave I didn’t know where I was going to go or who could help but I had six hours to find someone before I had to return to that hole where I grew up.
So the clock had begun, I didn’t know how but I would get out at the age of ten I couldn’t do it anymore. First I needed to collect ny things but he only leaves from 11 until 11:30 so I had to be quick or he would catch me.So the school wouldn’t call I forged a note saying I would be absent from school for that day. I visited the woman next door to say goodbye.
Her name was Sharon, she was about 60 years old or so. She always took care of me after he hurt me she bandaged me up and let me stay in her apartment until I was better. It was a temporary safe haven. But now I was ready to be safe for good. Sharon said that she was glad that I was taking my destiny into my own hands that I was ready to leave and be safe.
I said goodbye and tip toed into my room from the fire escape, as I had done many time before. I collected my things from my room when I herd someone coming out of my fathers room. I quickly ran behind the door of my bedroom to hide from her. She came by a lot, usually when she came she would be here all day and I almost always paid the price for coming home from school or for not letting Brittany do my hair or dress me up. I was scared if she told my dad I didn’t attend school. I stayed quiet until she returned to his bedroom but when she went back into his room.
As I went to leave this horrible place, then the turn of the handle shook me and I jumped out of my bedroom window on to the fire escape and jumped down. He heard me the rattle of the bars on my way down. he bellowed for me to stop, so I knew he would be on his way to catch me.
I knew he would come to look for so I decided that I couldn’t run I had to hide instead until I had thought of someone to tell that wouldn’t return me to my dad. I remembered once a woman came to the apartment because I missed a week of school. I couldn’t remember her name but she said if I was ever in trouble that I could call her and she’d protect me.
Ever though I didn’t know what her name was or where she worked or lived. I knew she could protect me.By now my father had told the police I was missing which ment once I was found I would be returned to him. So I had to find someone who would listen to me before the police or my dad found me.
It was about 11:30, so I thought the library would be quiet and my dad wouldn’t suspect that was where I would go since I wasn’t doing well in school. This was not because of lack of interest or skills I just did no homework and missed a lot of school. I never wanted to miss school but most of the time he told me to stay at home because of marks that I couldn’t hide. I also did not enjoy the teasing from the other girls about my clothes and the fact that they were either dirty or ripped and I couldn’t get new clothes.
When I arrived at the library there was only the librarian there, she was an old woman short and skinny with a pair old small glasses that hung on her nose. She asked me if she could help me find anything I asked her if she would be so kind as to show me how to use the computers. The librarian began to question me why I wasn’t in school and where were my parents? I explained to her that I was on holidays and my parents were in a shop down the road.
Of course this was a lie but I was glad that she believed me. I had to look up a social worker near by but quickly because if the police know I’m missing they will begin to look everywhere and I cant let them find me. As I began to search through all the websites and links then I found one a woman who worked an hour away but that would be hard.
As I left the library the television above the desk came on my photo was on it. It said I was missing lots of people were looking for me so getting one hour away from here was going to be very difficult and I couldn’t let them find me or he would find me.
After he found out I didn’t go to school and that I took all my things, if I go back he will hurt me more than ever before. I couldn’t let that happen. I had to make a plan. in the library I got a bus schedule so I could get a bus to the social workers office.
Hopefully I’d get there before I was found. I was waiting unpatienly at the bus spot when a guard came around the corner, showing people on the streets my photo.
I ran into the ally way to hide as he passed by the bus also pulled up so once he passed by the ally I ran on the bus. At this time I though I was home safe only 30 minutes on a bus but as we left the city. Police stopped the bus, to search for me so before we got to the stop I hopped off the bus. Then I realized this would be harder than I thought.
I needed to think of a plan to find the social worker. Suddenly I thought of a brilliant plan. I could call her, I already had her contact info but the hard part was getting her here without letting her know who I was. If she knew who I was I wouldn’t get to talk to her alone without the police inter fearing.
First I needed to find a payphone to call the social worker on. It took me a while but I found one in the back of a Chinese takeaway. When I took out the number then I remembered the day she came to the apartment and asked me how I was doing because I missed a week of school.
The reason I missed a hole week because the Wednesday before that week I dropped my bag at the door and he tripped over it so he pushed me into the wall and I twisted my ankle so I wasn’t able to walk to school.
When I dialed the numbered, I suddenly realized that if she met me here no one would look in a Chinese takeaway for me. Then she answered the phone “Rachel Douglas child services” “Hi I need your help please meet me at the Good Life Chinese takeaway on main street “. Then I quickly hung up the phone and order a bottle of water as I waited.
As soon as I saw her at the door searching through the room. She then noticed that I was also looking at her. Her face suddenly turned to a worried look. I think she then recgnised me. I told her that I needed her help, that my dad and I began to tell her what he had done. That is why I needed her to help me get away. She said that she saw me on the news that a lot of people were looking for me and I had to go to the police so they would know that I was safe but I knew that if I went back to him I wouldn’t be safe.
Rachel asked if she could come with me and if I was okay about it she’d tell the police what he did and i’d be safe. So I agreed, She had a car so I drove there with her. And that is when I knew I was finally safe.
Melany Mosby