Escape

Chapter four

7:45 pm

A huge gust of cold wind with a few flurries hits my face as I jog away from my so called "home." It's been about two minutes since I slammed the door, almost in my stepmothers face.
Through the wind I can hear a soft cry. I place Austin's car seat down and see that he's crying and his cheeks are bright pink. His sad little face makes me frown and I quickly dig through my bag until I find a small blue blanket. I pull up the shade from behind his head and then drape the blanket from the top of the shade down to his feet, shielding him from the bitter cold. Then I zip up my bag, swing it back over my shoulders, pick up the car seat by the handle and stand up. I look behind me to make sure that my parents aren't after me. I can hear a car start in the distance and I begin to run. I run as fast as I can down the street and then turn the corner into Julia's street.

"We're almost there Austin" I say to him, not expecting a response of course. Then I can hear an engine from far behind me start and I hear the tires of a car as it pulls out of a driveway back on my street. I start to slow down as I am becoming exhausted. It is starting to hurt to breathe as I realized I have just ran for a whole two minutes without my puffer. So I stop, reach my hand back to the mesh water bottle holder on the side of my knapsack, grabbing my asthma inhaler. I turn around as I bring the cold plastic to my mouth and expect to see my parents car heading towards me and see their faces that are full of rage threw the windshield. But to my surprise, the car that I had heard was my neighbour, George's. I deeply exhaled and then squeezed my inhaler until the cool mist shot to the back of my throat, then deeply inhaled.
Placing my inhaler back into my knapsack, I began to jog down the street, inching closer and closer to my new home.

I finally reached the front step of Julia's house. I exhaled and inhaled vigorously as I tried to catch my breath. Then I walked up the steps and placed Austin down beside me. Then I reached into the water bottle holder on the other side of my bag feeling around for my keys. Just then my face went blank. I threw my bag off and angrily rummaged through the water bottle holders searching frantically for my keys and then the thought dawned on me.

"I left them...on my dresser..." I whimpered and then feel onto my side. I let my arms lay out in front of me onto the 'welcome' mat. Then another ice-cold tear ran down my face as I thought I had finally gotten out. I'd finally gotten away from those horrible people who dare call themselves my family, meanwhile they actually hate me.

Then, just as I had lost all hope in finally being happy. I felt something underneath the welcome mat. I raised an eyebrow and sat up. There was an object of some sort under the mat. I reached to the corner of the mat and lifted it. There is was, my saviour, a spare key! I jumped up, pushed the key into the door and twisted it. With a grin I picked up my knapsack and brother then pushed open the door that lead to my future.

As I walked in, closed and locked the door behind me, the warm air rushed to my frozen cheeks. I place the car seat down and begin to untie my knee-high Converses. Once those are off I plop onto my knees and pull the blanket off from across the car seat revealing my small, frail and tired baby brother. Who looked so small and fragile in his oversized snowsuit.
I carefully reached in and unbuckled his seatbelt. Then I shifted my hands under both his sides and then I picked him up as carefully as possible. He was sleeping so soundly and he was so exhausted I felt bad because just as I went to stand he started wailing. I frowned again and then walked over to the living room with a bounce in my step to try and soothe him, which wasn't working, then I laid him down on the couch.
Walking to the front of the couch I kneeled down and unzipped his snowsuit. He let out another series of wails and it made me even more sad. I hated hearing him cry. He was a good baby and he rarely ever cried. So when he did cry, it made me terribly sad.

I carefully pulled his arms out of the sleeves and he just yanked them up in a defensive position type manner. Then I pulled his legs out and he pulled them up to his stomach. He let out another cry and I frowned again, this time, picking him up and bounce-walking over to our bags. I reached for the strap of the diaper bag and picked it up. Then bounce-walked back to the couch. Placing him down gently I begin rummaging through the diaper bag until I found an adorable little puppy dog onesie, a clean diaper, wipes, his bottle and formula mix. As I looked up at him he was crying, but now not so hard. He was pouting and looked so sad. And I frowned. Again. Then I took out a little face cloth from the side pocket of the diaper bag and wiped off his soft little pink cheeks. Then I changed his diaper and unzipped the onesie. I picked him up slightly and then placed the onesie under him. Then I pulled his soft tiny feet through the foot holes and his tiny hands through the hand holes. Then I zipped it up.

"Awh" I say aloud. I can't help it honestly. He is just so damn cute. Then I realize he's stopped crying. I stare at him in awe and his bright eyes wander around the room as he begins to become comfortable in his new surroundings. I put away his dirty clothes and things. Then I pick up the bottle and formula in one hand and him in the other then make my way to the kitchen. I just realized another thing. I don't have a highchair for him. So instead I just put down the bottle and things, and hold him in my one arm as I make his bottle.

I mix up the mixture and then place the bottle into the microwave for exactly five seconds. I learned that Austin loves his milk slightly warm. Not too hot, nor too cold. So exactly five seconds in the microwave will do the trick. I was staring off into space, slightly bouncing my body to try and calm Austin more. Then my daydreaming got cut off by the loud three beeps that signifies that whatever is in the microwave is done.
I then press the button that opens the microwave door and take out the slightly warmed bottle. Screwing on the lid I walk over to the couch. I plop down and lay him down across my lap, with his head against my forearm just like I did hours before, when I was at my old home with my old family.

Now looking down at his little face, his huge red cheeks, wandering green eyes and thin layer of hair I know now, that everything is going to be okay.