Empty

Chapter 9

It's Sunday.

The day I get to leave.

The day my life starts.

I'm walking out of the hospital holding the flowers that Jonathan gave me with him and Harmony by my side. Jonathan on my left, Harmony on my right and Mom in my pocket. I'm really impressed with Harmony; she took her break up with Anthony very well. Yesterday when Anthony came to visit her, hell broke loose.

"I think we should break up," He said.

"Why?" Harmony asked with her lip quivering.

Shoving his hands in his pockets, he said "Because people are beginning to talk. Ever since that video on YouTube. . ." He trailed off scratching his head.

"Oh so just because my sister flipped out on T.V you're gonna break up with me? You care more about what people think about you than your own girlfriend? The one who listened to you when you needed someone to talk to? The one who has always been there to pick you up when you fell? The one who understands you better than anyone else? More than your own damn parents who don't give a fuck about you? I don't give two shits about what people say about my sister and I. They don't know what her and I have been through so they have no damn right to judge us!" While she said this she was throwing her arms in the air and I could see her vain at the top of her eye poping out.

"I just don't want to be known as the kid who went out with the sister-of-the-crazy-bitch-from-YouTube. I'm sorry okay?" He said offendedly as if he were the victem. I felt Jonathan's body stiffen next to me. I looked up at him and I knew he was going to do something, so I gave him a look to calm down. Harmony got her glass of water and hurled it at Anthony. "You fucking asshole!!!" She yelled at him as he walked out of the room soaking wet.

********

"So where are you girls going to go now? Home?" Jonathan asks. Oh god. I forgot about our bags at the apartment.

"Yeah, we gotta get some things," I say. We walk to his grey Toyota and he opens the door for me like a gentleman.

"Thank you, sir." I nod.

"You're welcome, Ma'am," Jonathan bows. While he walks to his door, Harmony asks me "Are you and him. . . a thing or something?"

"I guess you can call it that," I smirk. He comes into the car and starts it. Careless Whisper is on and he cranks up the volume.

"I'm never gonna dance again, guilty feet have got no rhythm." Jonathan sings. I laugh and Harmony and I join in with him. We sing our hearts out the whole way to the apartment.

******

I remember the first time I ran away from this place. I was nine and Harmony was seven. Father had passed out on the couch, so I took the opportunity to leave. Harmony and I had talked about our escape for months, and we were so happy when we finally got the chance to leave. We were so prepared that we already had our bags in our closets when the time came. We got our bags ready, I brought an extra bag of food and we were off. We lived- and still do- in a bad neighborhood where there are prostitutes and pimps everywhere you look. I had no friends and neither did Harmony at the time, so we had no one to depend on. It was cold and dark, the wind seemed to whisper in my ear warnings telling me to go home. I should have listened. There was women dressed in short skirts and tight shirts everywhere. I remember thinking to myself how ugly and old they looked. Cars would stop next to prostitutes and the men inside would talk sweetly to them as if they knew one another. The prostitute would soon go in the strangers car and they would drive off with the cities lights swallowing them up. The walls were covered in graffiti and gang signs that it scared me to even look anywhere, so I kept my eyes focused in front of me. I had to be brave, for Harmony. She clung to my hand, not daring to let go as we wandered the streets of L.A. Men would come up to us and ask us if we wanted any candy and Harmony, being the innocent child she was, would always say yes. I would hold my head high, calmly say no and walk away with Harmony whining. There was a particular man who came up to us that scared me shitless. I will never forget what I found in his eyes; want. His eyes were pitch black and wide with want. Need. He was dressed in black with tattoos covering his body and piercings clinging to every piece of his skin. Hands the size of a person and a body as tall as a building. His voice sounded like someone was scratching a chalkboard with their nails.

"Well hello little girls," he said sweetly "are you lost?" I couldn't speak. It was as if his large hands were strangling me. Luckily, Harmony answered for me.

"No, Mister. We aren't lost," she said, trying to hide behind me. I took a deep breath and said "We're fine, sir. Thank you." I was starting to walk away but he grabbed my shoulder and swung me around to face him. He pinched my cheeks and squeezed.

"You're not going anywhere," he said, squeezing harder.

"Let go of my sister!" Harmony yelled, hitting his leg with her tiny fists. The creep just laughed and wiggled her off his leg. He let go of my cheeks and went for my hand and Harmony's.

"Your mother has been worried sick!" He said loudly so the people around him could hear "I'll take you home now." He walked us to a black van and threw us in along with our bags. "Get comfortable," he sneered and closed the doors. I remember feeling like I had my eyes closed and couldn't open them. Even if I did, there would still be darkness. Harmony crawled into my lap rested her head in the opening of my legs and whispered "I'm scared."

"Don't worry," I said " I won't let him hurt you." She calmed down a bit and I could feel her heart start to beat normally.

"I have two girls just like you asked. One about ten and the other I think is seven," he paused "how much do you want for them?" Harmony's heart started to beat rapidly and she started to shake.

"No man, that's too low. How 'bout 10,000?" Another pause "I need the money, that's why. Do you want them or not? Yes? Alright, I'll have them there in about thirty minutes." He started the van and yelled at us "You're gonna meet your new Daddy today!" While he was driving, he would swerve and with every turn I would tip over and hit my head on something. The vans smell was revolting and I could almost taste the smell in my mouth. It smelled of beer, pee, and rat crap. While we waited, I remembered we had packed flashlights and I started to pat the floor in search of our bags. When I found my backpack, I rumbled through it until I found a flashlight. Relieved, I pressed the button for it to turn on but it didn't. I began to panic and started to hit it against my hand until it turned on. Finally it did and it illuminated the van. There was beer cans scattered around the floor and bags with white powder everywhere. I crawled over to the door and tried to open it but it didn't budge. I looked everywhere for an escape but found nothing.

"Mel," Harmony whispered, pointing to a window open by a crack. "I'm so stupid" I thought to myself while I went over to the window and slid it open.

"We wait until he stops at a red light and we climb out," I whispered to Harmony. She nodded in agreement and grabbed her backpack. Once he stopped, I nearly threw myself out of the window. I quickly helped Harmony out, took her hand and began to run. The world seemed to go past us in a blur. The lights almost blinding us until we arrived to the place we tried to runaway from. That same night, Father took my virginity as punishment.