Here I Come

Prologue - Daniel LaRusso?

Tuesday, June 26 2003

I bolted out of the Curtis house, tears streaming down my face. They think I'm a mistake, just like my parents do.

Who?

Darry, Two-Bit, Sodapop, Ponyboy, Steve and Dallas. The people I thought were my friends.

I run and run, until I see a train that was getting ready to leave. My legs shake as I climb into an empty trailer, going over and curling up by the hay. I take off my denim jacket, using it as a blanket.

•

"Hey! Off the train you stupid kid!" I jump at the conductor's voice, jumping out of the trailer and onto the muddy road. I forgot my jacket so my shirt gets soaked by the pouring rain. My jeans are already ripped from the hell my parents put me through. As I'm running, I'm accidentally splashing mud puddles which causes mud to get on my skin. 

I see a park come into view so I turn, running inside its gates. I run under a picnic spot which had a roof so it was dry. Hesitantly, I sit on one of the benches, panting heavily.

"Hey," a soft voice says, putting a hand on my shoulder which makes me look up. There stands a woman with pale skin and curly black hair. Besides her is a man with black hair and dark tanned skin, a little darker than mine. "Hey sweetie, where are your parents? They shouldn't just leave you in the rain, especially when it's raining buckets."

I looked down at the gray pavement, scowling. "Well they would. And they're in Tulsa."  Just thinking about those awful people made tears dwell up in my brown eyes.

"You're in Newark son," for the first time, I had heard the sun kissed skinned man speak. I started to shake, I have no clue why but I felt like I was gonna die. Tears slipped down my cheeks like a river as I started to breath uneasily.

The man's eyes widen and he took a step forward but the woman shook her head and got on her knees so that she was my height. "Listen to me, Tulsa is in Oklahoma, okay? We're in Newark, New Jersey. Whatever your parents did to you, is not gonna happen anymore. My husband Issac and I would love to take you home with us, but you have to trust us okay?" The words were slowly coming out of her mouth gently. All I could do was nod. "What's your name sweetie?"

I bit my lip, unsure if I should tell her my name or not. I don't want to be known as Johnny Cade! My brain practically screamed at me so I took a deep breath, looking into the lady's beautiful eyes which seemed to calm me. "My name is Daniel Jason...I don't remember my last name..." I trailed off.

The lady stood up to her feet. "Well Daniel, my name is Lucille Larusso and...How would you like to stay with us?"

"That would be wonderful..."