We Are Free

A New Move

The weekend's over and it's back to work I have taken the wrap off my arm and I have bruise marks on my neck from him choking me. Today after work we are going over to Halo's for dinner and to hang out Zac is coming to. It's lunch hour and the kids are playing tag in an open space.
     "Those are some nasty bruises." Halo says as we eat. I am the outcast. Everyone loves me and the kids but I just am the outcast. I am the only one that is 16 and under 18. Dan gave me this job because he liked me and thought I had real skill.
     "Just adds to the collection." I say putting my plastic fork down and sighing.
     "Yeah, but it shouldn't. I don't see why you don't come live with us or Zac. You already share a room with them and you would be safe."
    "Lets not talk about this with them present because I don't wanna upset them." I say dodging her comment. She gives me a look. I know what they mean. I'm scared. Sure I could do it when my dad isn't home, but I can't afford it even if I am rooming with one of them. He has never hurt the kids and that should be my cew to get out. I sigh again. I just don't think I could leave him alone.
     "Damn it Jace! Come on." She says. "Share my room with me I don't care, get the hell out of there." She says frustrated. I don't blame her. Zac goes to open his mouth but I stop him. I am stubborn. I have sent the kids to live with them before. They keep pushing me to leave and stay with them but I won't. I can't help but think maybe they are right.
     "It isn't happening and I am done talking about it. If you want to take them that's fine. I'm not leaving him there alone." I get up and throwing my stuff away.
     "You texted me." Halo says with my back turned to her.
     "So, I text you all the time." I respond.
     "You told me that Emily said she hated him with nothing but hate in her voice. Never has she ever said that not even when you stand her in the corner. Shouldn't that be a sign?" She says in a pleading voice. It just makes me even more stubborn but that doesn't stop me from thinking that she is right.
     "We all hate him." I say before grabbing Andrew and taking Emily's hand. We finish lunch and the kids go for a nap in Dan's office (he's the boss). I get back to work. When the clock says five Zac changes his clothes and we all leave and get in our cars. Zac rode with me this morning so he gets in with me and we go to Halo's house.
     When we get there I grab the backpack and Emily. Andrew refused to be carried by me so Zac grabbed him. Emily and I walk to the front door and walk in the house smelled good. It reminds me of when Halo would come over and my mom would cook dinner. The smell of chicken, mashed potatoes, and apple pie comes to mind.
     "Hi guys." Anna, Halo's mom says.
     "Hi how are you?" I say smiling.
     "I'm fine how about you?"
​​​​     "I'm doing alright. I am making it."
     "That's good." I take Andrew's shoes off hang the backpack up and Emily takes her shoes off I take mine off. Emily runs up to Halo and jumps in her arms
     "Hi Emily."
     "Hi!" Emily loves her so much. She paints her nails and takes her to get her nails done with her. She will take her to get her hair done to.
     "I brought toys and stuff for them to do." I tell her as she sets Emily down.
     "Okay that's sounds good it's going to be a while yet." She replies.
     "Okay."
     "Down." Andrew says pushing on Zac's chest.
     "Okay." He sets him down he runs to the kitchen. He likes Anna.
     "At least he didn't start kicking you." I tell him.
     "Well I'm not his brother." He replies. Mocking me best he can.
     "It don't matter." I say crossing my arms.
     "I'm sure it does."
     "Okay boys you fight worse then two teenage girls." Halo chimes in. I give up by rolling my eyes. I pull the crayons out and coloring books they color at the kitchen table while we help Anna in the kitchen. She quickly shoos us out and we go out back. I have to change my clothes first though.
     I grab a pair of light blue shorts out of my backpack and a black shirt that said hooligan on it in white letters. I go to the bathroom and take my jeans off. I put the shorts on and take my work shirt off and put my black shirt on. I put my socks in my work boots and go out back Halo changed when she got home.
     "About time." Zac says as I come out. I step onto the cool grass. I have always loved the feeling of cool summer grass and running barefoot in the summer.
     "Shut up." I say giving him the seriously look. He smiles in satisfaction.
     "Boys geesh." Halo says crossing her arms as Andrew taps her leg being too short to pull on her shirt. She lifts him up on her waist. She was wearing a crop top any way.
​     "It will never end." I say.
     "I can see that." She replies as Andrew plays with her braid. Zac comes at me and throws me over his shoulder
     "Come on." I say
     "Gain some weight." He says, I am pretty light for being 16.
     "I have been trying you know." I say with my elbow on his back.
     "Could have fooled me." He shrugs.
     "Put me down." I say moving around.
     "Fine." He puts me down I take my shirt off.
     "Now it's personal."
     "Bring it."
​​​​​      "Ladies first."
     "Here we go." Halo says putting her free hand into her head. He throws a punch. I kick him in the side he runs forwards and flips me to the ground. We laugh while doing so. I get up and he grabs me and throws me over his shoulder again. He flips me over I land on my feet. He takes his shirt off and Halo is playing with the kids.
We throw a few more punches. He gets me for the third time over his shoulder.
     "I hate you."
     "Good."
​​​​    "Put me down."
    "Okay." He flips me into the pool I go in head first and surface.
    "Hey screw you."
    "If you insist I don't know how well it will work though." He shrugs his shoulders as Emily laughs at me.
     "I hate you." He jumps in the pool splashing me.
    "Little man, big splash." I say
    "Let me in. Let me in." Emily says.
    "Okay." I reach over the end of the pool and pick her up I put her in. Halo gets in the pool and Zac takes Andrew but we take his shirt off first. He gets in then Halo jumps in with her jean shorts and shirt on we swim around for a while.
     "I see you guys found the pool." Anna says from the back porch.
     "Yeah we did." Zac says.
     "Well get out and dry off. I brought you guys towels and come in for dinner." She says. We nod. We get out and dry off I wrap my towel around my waist and dry the kids off. I take them inside. I grab the backpack and pull out a pull up for Andrew and clothes and a outfit for Emily and panties.
     "I will be back." I say
     "Okay." Halo responds before I go to the bathroom. I take them into the bathroom and get their wet clothes off. Emily gets wrapped in the towel.
    "I have to go potty Jace." Emily says I dry Andrew. He keeps trying to move around.
    "Okay go ahead and go." I say to her.
While she goes potty I finish drying Andrew off then he goes potty. I put a new pull up on him and shorts then I put new socks on him. He runs out of the bathroom. I help Emily get dressed and her hair stayed in its braid.
     I put my shirt back on by now my shorts are almost dry I put my socks on and my tennis shoes in the back pack. I get a plastic bag and put the wet clothes in it. Then I put the bag and everything else that's ours in the back pack. I put Emily at the table with a couple pillows as a booster seat. Anna found Halo's old high chair it was pink but it will do.
      I put Andrew in it on the other side of me and we all start eating. I give Andrew some mashed potatoes on his plate, shredded chicken that I cut up and some corn. I give Emily some cut up chicken mashed potatoes and corn. I get my plate.
     "Can I have some ranch?" Emily asks me. She is a ranch fanatic. If ranch was the only thing she could eat then it would be the only thing she eats.
     "Yeah." I say to her. I give her some ranch for her chicken. I give Andrew some ranch to and I eat.
     "Jace I have a lot of clothes in the basement that were Halo's and I even have some of Ash's. If you would like to take a look see if there is anything you need or want for them." Anna says.
     "I will take a look." I reply, Halo looks down.
​​     "No arguments?" She raises her eyebrow and Zac laughs a little.
     "You don't take no for an answer so I don't see the point." I say, it is true she is very hard headed and much like me she doesn't take no for an answer
     "Yeah, I know." Ash was Halo's little brother he died when he was 6 due to drowning at the beach. Halo was 10 when it happened. It still upsets her. they were very close and did everything together.
     We finish dinner and I clean Andrew up. I clean Emily's face and they go play. Anna shows me where the clothes are and gives me a small garbage bag. Zac and Halo follow me to the basement and they sit in the hammock next to each other. I look at the clothes and put what will fit them in the garbage bag.
     "So what happened Saturday?" Halo asks me to get the full story. I tell them about my dad hurting me, pushing the kids, and throwing the glass. They had their mouths open by the end of it.
     "It sucks and it makes me so mad that they have to grow up in that home and there isn't anything I can do about it. All I can do is stand around and watch them suffer and I don't want that I want them to be free and happy. Damn it they are little kids and I can't give them a good home to grow up in." My eyes water I'm not sure if they were angry tears or sad tears all I know is they want to fall so I let them fall. Halo gets up and wraps her arms around me Zac does the same thing.
     "You will get them out soon I promise you will." Halo says to me.
     "You can't be sure." I say, I am so in doubt that I don't think anything will ever get better. I know what they want to say but they won't say it. Not right now they won't at least.
     "Yes, I can and I am it will all be okay." She says Zac has let go but she tries to soothe me by rubbing my back.
     "We are here for you whenever you need us." Zac tells me making me feel happy.
     "Thanks guys."
     "What you need to do is focus on taking care of them and giving them the best life you possible can, the rest will work itself out I promise." Halo say as she looks at me.
     "Your right." I say, it is true.
     "I know I am now let's make sure they haven't killed my mom." She says happy that I said she is right.
     "Yeah, good idea." I say, they can be  a handful when wanting to be. We go upstairs and Anna was playing a game with the kids they were laughing and smiling and happy.
     "I'm sorry to be a party pooper but I have to go and get these kids to bed for work tomorrow." I tell everyone.
     "Okay sweetie I will help you take them out." Anna says as she gets off the floor.
     "That's not necessary." I try to tell her but yet again she doesn't take no for an answer.
     "Yes it is." She says and grabs Andrew.
     "Okay, Zac you coming?"
     "Yeah."
     "Okay let's roll." I put Emily on my shoulders and grab the backpack I slide into my work boots and tie them since I had put my socks on after dinner. I head outside after giving Halo a hug. I don't know what it is but I feel different when I'm around her.
     She is great with the kids and is awesome all around my heart beats funny when I'm with her. My whole view on the world changes. I put Emily in the car and she buckles up.
     Anna puts Andrew in the car and buckles him up she also puts the garbage bag in the truck I put the backpack in the car.  Zac gets in the truck I give Anna a hug and thank her. I get in the car and leave.
     "Are we going home Jace?" Emily asks me.
​     "Yeah after we drop Zac ​​​off."  I respond to her.
     "Why."
     "We have to." She starts crying.
     "I don't wanna go home Jace please don't make me please. I hate him. I hate him. I hate him."
     "We have to sweetie I'm sorry."
     "That's it! Come stay at my place." Zac says.
     "Where?"
​     "The spare bedroom."
     "That's not necessary."
     "Yes, it is you are going to go home pack and come stay with me for a couple days if I have to drag you. I am done with all this!"
     "Okay okay fine stay in the car with the kids and I will pack how long should I pack for?"
     "As long as you want, hell you are coming to live with me till you can get a place of your own because after hearing what he has been doing thats the final straw."
     "I don't need to live with you I need to start looking for a house."
​​​     "I don't care, you are doing it. It is about the safety of you and the kids. I have made up my mind you are living with me and that's the end of the story. I swear I will drag you I am done."
     "Are we going back to daddies?" Emily asks me. I know I have finally reached my limit.
     "Yeah but you aren't going in."
     "Why?" She asks me her face wet with tears and a bright shade of red.
     "Because we are going to stay with Zac." It is time to give in. Take what we need and give in.
     "Yay!" I get to my dad's house and go upstairs I pack a duffel bag for each of us grab Emily's pillow and blanket some diapers and pull ups in a Walmart bag. I pack up my pillow and blanket, Andrews play pen, and all our toiletries in a ziplock bag and put it in my duffle bag.
     I grab Andrew's pillow and blanket. I look at the clock it was 7:00 my dad will be home any minute I grab the duffel bags and throw them in the bed of the truck. I do it so fast I barely remember doing it.
     "You need to drive as soon as I get in I will explain later just get ready." I tell him. He nods his head. I run back inside and grab the playpen then I see Andrew's favorite toy and Emily's teddy bear I grab them and bolt downstairs. My heart pounding. I'm sweating I want out never have I ever been more scared of him coming home.
    I run out the door shut and lock it I throw Andrew's play pen in the bed of the truck and jump in as soon as I close my door Zac takes off. I buckle up and hand the kids their toys. I was breathing heavy and trying to stop shaking. When we get to a stop light Zac puts his hand on my shoulder.
     "You okay?"
      "Yeah, I just wanted to get the hell out of there."