The Long Road to Recovery

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Artemis!" my sister Atlanta said waking me up. "You were screaming."

I looked over at my mom and step-dad in their bed. My mom was looking at me horrifies. Daniel, my step-dad, was still sound asleep.

"Go back to sleep," I told them standing up.

Once I put wood in the stove that heated our little house, I braided my sun-damaged blond hair. I walked outside. The cold winter air nipped my cheeks as I walked through the streets of Witeville, Ohio. Witeville is one of the smallest cities in the mostly countryside Ohio, but there are still some cities that are smaller, I think. Everyone knows me here with the trouble I've gotten into; it's amazing the whole country doesn't.

I was walking by the courthouse when I heard a quiet whine. I automatically thought bomb. It turned out to only be a television. One of the courthouse' lights turned on; I ran. I was out passed curfew. I ran to my friend's house. I knocked on the door. Peter's mom opened the door.

"Oh, Artemis! Come in; you must be cold," his mom, Adeele, said.

"No, I can't do that," I told her. "I came to get a chocolate rose from your garden."

"I insist," she said pulling me in. She took my coat and took my boots off. "Sit down; I'll make some tea. What do you want?"

"Anything but Earl Gray," I told her.

Peter some in from his curtained off room rubbing his eyes.

"Mámá, what are you doing?" he yawned. He sat on me and yelped. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm getting a chocolate rose," I told him.

"At this time?"

"Peter," I said impatiently, "come on."

I looked at his mom. She was watching us. Her eyes were full of tears.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Hm? Oh, it's nothing," she said tending her tea.

Peter sat at the end of the couch and pulled my feet on his lap. He massaged them. My eyelids became heavy. I slowly fell asleep as I drank Adeele's tea.

"What do you want?" I heard Adeele scream.

I woke up all the way. I was still on the couch. Peter yelled out. I looked over the head of the couch. The police had Peter by his brown hair. They pulled him out of the house. Before he was out of my sight, his blue eyes caught mine. He was gone.

"Where are you taking him?" Adeele screamed.

Peter's younger sister screamed for him. I held her back from running after him. One of the police came back in.

"Your son is being taken to a camp in Idaho," he said.

"Idaho? They were destroyed," Adeele told him.

"That is none of your concern," he said to her walking out.

"I'm sorry," I told her,"now for what I came for."

Adeele went into the yard where the greenhouse was and got me a chocolate rose. I said "thank you" and left. I ran to my house and placed the rose under my mattress. I grabbed my bow and strapped my quiver to my back. I went to hunt leaving my mom and sister cooking.

I ran to my aunt's house and ran to the back of her property. There was a huge fence; I found a loose board and slipped through. I went about a mile into the woods when I finally found a tree to perch in. I sat there for the whole day pondering about what might happen to Peter. I jumped out of the tree bending my knees to absorb the shock. I heard footsteps behind me. I started to run.