All The Faith In The World

Chapter 18: Fruit Loops

Faith's P.O.V

I wake up at 5:02 A.M. the next morning. The memories from the night before come flooding back into my brain. Pizza, that feeling, the nightmare. I get those nightmares quite often though, so I just do my best to block them out the next morning. I usually don't wake up until 6:40, so at least I had some time to relax. An hour and 38 minutes, actually. I wonder if anyone else is awake? I swing the blanket off my legs and grab my crutches from the floor. I open the door and look to my right. Noah's door is closed, but there is a blue light underneath. He must've left his laptop on or something. I look to my left and Connor's door is wide open. He is usually an early bird anyway, so I go in and check on him. He's sitting on his bed, staring at a computer screen. He's wearing jeans and a t-shirt Noah and I got him for his birthday from Walmart.

"Hey. Why are you up so early?" Connor asks when I knock lightly on his door. I shrug.

"I don't know. I just couldn't fall back asleep," I sit next to him on the bed and put my head on his shoulder.

"What'cha doin?" I ask in a sing-songy voice.

"Looking at apartments." He mocked my sing-songy accent and clicked on one for $700 that's pretty close by.

"You're moving out?" I ask, putting on my best 'puppy dog' face. I'm still not supposed to know he was ever looking.

"No. Well, not just me. I wanted to get an apartment for you, me, and Noah to share. I've saved up a lot of money, so now all I have to do is find a place." he said. I get super excited next.

"Really? That would be awesome!! You should do it! Definitely do it!!!!" I say. He laughs.

"I knew you would like that idea. But, don't say anything to mom. I know that's probably not a problem, but still." He finds a new place and clicks on a link to open it.

"Oh, crap. Noah wanted me to wake him up early today. I'll be right back," he says, setting his laptop to his side and going to Noah's room. I decide to grab the laptop and look at some different apartments. I've always liked apartments. They can be so pretty and they are nice and small too. And living in an apartment complex would be the best. Hayden lives in one, I wonder if there are any openings? I type in "Sunset Cliff apartment complex." When I don't see any openings, I go to close out the tabs, when I see Connor has many more open. There's the apartment one, then there's one on information on how to become someone's legal guardian, and one about our news story. I click on the news story one. It comes up with a state wide news station at the top.

"A few weeks ago, in the small hours of the morning, neighbors in the Sunside Vista apartment complex awake to the sound of screaming and banging going on in one of their neighbors apartments. Video cameras show a horrific scene. A drunk father comes up to his apartment and can't get inside. He knocks on the door softly for a few minutes, then starts to bang on it. In the tape from inside his apartment, you can hear a 14-year-old girl, Faith Porter, telling her father she's coming, but instead she makes a pleading phone call to her older brother, Noah Riley.

"Hello?"

"Noah! Help! I need you and Connor! Dad went to the bar and he just  now came back and he's as wasted as mom usually is, and you know how  that can be! Help!"

"Ok, we are on the way, just grab your stuff and stay away from dad!"

"Ok, hurry! He's almost got the windo- AHHHHHH!!!!"

From there, the father comes into the apartment. He is seen yelling at the girl. Then, he smacks her face and hits the inside of her elbow to make her fall onto the counter. He picks up the wrist, squeezing it hard, and meets her around the counter with it. He whispers something to her that's hard to make out, but then, kicks her in the back of her knees. They bang on the cabinets below and she falls to the ground.