Runaway

Chapter 1

(Dipper pov)

I freeze hearing him humming as he walks behind me, his cold rough hands finding themselves up my shirt and I have to force myself not to flinch as kisses my cheek. It isn't kind or gentle like it should be, he doesn't know what those words mean, it's rough and hard just like everything else about him. I used to like that about him, thought it meant that he was a better person because of his roughness. But I know better now and a small part of me knew better even all the way back then.

Taking slow breathes in and out I try to pretend that he's just not there as I focus on the plate I'm washing. I start rinsing it when his hand tightly clamps down on my wrist nearly making me drop the plate.

"You missed a spot."

"I-I wasn't done.....just was clearing away the soap so I could see better...."

I regret my words as I feel his hand grab a fistfull of my hair making me cry out in pain as he yanks me back from the sink making me drop the plate as it shatters to pieces.

"What have we said about talking back? And now you broke a plate. You're going to have to be punished for these things, and you just know how much I really hate doing those things to you."

........................

I jerk awake on the bus, looking out the window I see the bus finally arrived at it's final stop in Piedmont California.

Pulling my hat down to hide the bruses around my right eye and pulling my hood over my hat I pull my backpack on as I step off the bus. I take out the article I had printed from the library, looking at the address on it then visualizing the map I had pulled up on my phone before getting rid of it at the last rest stop.

I start down the faintly familiar streets, keeping my head down and constantly looking over my shoulder to the point where I'm bumping into a few people.

I was born in Piedmont but my parents got a divorce when I was 12 and because my dad didn't have a good job, my mom got custody of me and my sister. Had us live with other family in Gravity Falls ever since. Small town where your business somehow becomes everyone's business.

I get to the right address, double checking it first, before I go up to the door and ring the doorbell. The door has extensive locks and there's a security camera above the door.

"Can I help you?" I hear a voice say from the intercom I hadn't even realized was right above the doorbell.

"This is Daughters & Sisters, right? The home for housewives needing to get back on their feet?"

"Yes that is who we are. Who are you?"

"I.....I know this isn't exactly normal, b-but I need help......you're the only people who might be able to help me."

There's silence and then the door opens revealing a woman with red hair in a pixie hair cut.

"You have a name, kid?"

"Dipper. Dipper Pines."

"Follow me." I follow her into the house, shutting the door behind me. I see other woman in the hall and all look surprised to see me. I follow the pixie cut lady to an office and sit as she gestures me to do so as she sits behind her desk. "Is Pines your name from before your marriage?"

"Yes ma'am."

"Please, everyone calls me Amber. Now, am I correct to assume that your spouse is...."

"A man? Yes, that is correct."

"Would you mind taking your hood and hat off?" I do so, looking at the ground ashamed as I feel her looking right at the shiner around my eye. "That shiner have a story?"

"My partner didn't approve me speaking up to correct him about things and it got worse when the plate I was washing broke. I know he meant to hit me, just not on the eye. He's usually careful to do it where no one can see it."

"Like where?"

"The back, stomach, the arms and legs sometimes. When he's in a certain mood he seems to aim right for my kidneys. He kinda really screwed them up."

"Tell me about you and him. How long where you two together?"

"Since highschool. Started off as friends, started dating on and off a bunch of times our senor year but that is normal. Lots of other couples did that too. In college he dropped out, convinced me that it would cost us less if I dropped out too so I did. We got married soon after that, I think it was 3 years ago now. Was right after the honeymoon that things wend bad."

"How so?"

"He would get angry out of nowhere and for no reason. One minute he would be saying how much he loved me then he would be cussing me out."

"What about the first time he hit you?"

"I wanted a family. He wasn't thrilled but he didn't say no so I went ahead with working on finding a kid to adopt. He told me to just do whatever I wanted. I was getting ready to adopt this little girl from Vietnam, the papers needed both our signatures. But he flipped out saying he didn't want a kid in the house. So I argued back about how he said I could do what I wanted. He hit me hard, so hard I fell to my knees and couldn't breathe. He just calmly ripped up the adoption papers saying that he didn't want kids and I should get the idea out of my head."

"Did you ever stop wanting a family even though he didn't?"

"No. I thought maybe if I slowly approached the subject he would be open to it but he just always put his foot down and punished me more for not letting it go."

"Why stay with him for so long?"

"I didn't have anywhere else to go. After being married for only a short while I realized that I had no friends or family that I was close to anymore. He had left me with no support system. So I just suffered through it thinking I didn't have any other choice."

"Why leave now?"

"This past year, he made me quit my job. Was the one thing that gave me sanity in his craziness and I couldn't.....I can't explain it well but it was a last straw for me. For months, when he allowed me to, I would go to the library and use their computers to research where to go so he wouldn't find me and who might be able to help me. That's what lead me to you people."

"Why not your own phone or computer?"

"I didn't want him to find out through my search history. I went through a lot of work getting here and covering my tracks."

"We have a policy here that the people who come here, are only here for eight months. We believe that is plenty of time for us to help them get a stable job and a place for themselves. That seem fair to you as well?" I give a small nod. "Then welcome to Daughters & Sisters." She stands up and I follow her out of the office.

She goes to the dining room where a guy with golden hair is helping some other woman set the table. "Bill." He looks over at us as I put my hat back on my head. "Show Dipper where his room will be."

"Sure thing." He walks out of the room and I follow him up the stairs. "How come you came here of all places?" He looks over his shoulder at me.

"I didn't have anywhere else to go. I know that this place is for woman but it seemed like my best option."

"Gotta admit, don't think we've ever had any guys staying here."

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm a friend of Amber's. Helped her get this place running better after her parents who founded it passed away. Amber likes to have me around as a reminder to the other women that not all guys are abusive assholes." Once at the top of the stairs he leads me to a small room, it having a bed and a desk but not much furniture or decoration otherwise. "We're pretty full up right now so this is the best we can do."

"It's more than enough."

"I'll come get you when dinner is ready."

He heads back downstairs as I step into my new living situation for the next eight months.