in tua voce

Fight and Flight? Part II

I dropped to my knees and bent to examine the poor girl in front of me. So, I had saved her from death, but what kind of life was she going to live? Now that she was wrapped up in the criminal world, I don't know if she could ever have a normal life again.

"Annabeth?" I whispered.

Her eyelids fluttered as she let out a low moan of pain through her split lip. Her face was swollen and blood leaked from somewhere near her ear and out of her nose; the start of a multi-colored bruise was already visible across her cheek. I didn't want to know what the rest of her body looked like.

A flash of anger flew through me and I clenched my teeth. How could they do this? How could you live with yourself, knowing you beat a teenage girl almost unconscious, and that too after locking her away for a week with hardly any food?

How could I have let this happen? I barely knew this girl, but here she was, trapped in this life, in my life, and now she might not even get to live any life? Hell, maybe I could offer myself instead! As far as life-worthiness goes, she's probably more important than me.

A sudden memory flashed through my head and I closed my eyes in guilt.

I was walking out of the school doors, with earbuds in but no music playing yet. I heard a loud voice behind me and I turned slightly to listen.

"Dammit Anna! You know what I want!"

I saw the girl, presumably Anna, shrink away from a greasy guy I didn't recognize. For living in a small town, I had no fucking clue who most of the people in my school were. It's not like I could really have friends anyway.

She was pleading with him. "Just stop. Please, go away."

"I'm not going anywhere," he took a step toward her. My lungs constricted as I watched the scene unfold. I probably should've helped her, she looked like she needed a way out yet there I was, just staring like an imbecile.

She looked at him with tired eyes, almost like she had tried everything and was now resorting to begging. She sighed. "Look. Just cut it out, Tyler," she stated plainly.

"I will not cut it out, because I'm not fucking doing anything!" he replied, his voice rising in frustration.

Suddenly, a tall, lanky guy that I knew to be Mark came out of the school and quickly approached the arguing Tyler and Anna. I almost gasped at the uncanny resemblance between Mark and Anna. They had to be brother and sister, no doubt about it.

Anna was just yelling "Get out!" again when Mark strode over.

Tyler blinked when he saw Mark, then quickly regained his composure and set his mouth in a deep scowl. Before he could say anything, Mark was already interrupting.

"She said she didn't want you here. So why are you still here?" he asked coolly.

"I-I- we - just - I" he spluttered.

Mark raised an eyebrow and made a face, a get the hell outta here or I'm gonna bust your ass kind of look.

With a final glare, the boy spun around on his heel, almost bowling me over in the process. "Watch where you're going!" he yelled.

I mumbled a quick sorry and scooted away, not before seeing brother and sister embrace and then walk away together.

Looking at Annabeth now, I cringed when I thought of her brother.

At least there was someone out there who loved her, missing her and searching for her and crying for her.

That's why I should just trade places with her. She can go back to her loving family and I can just die instead.