The Crutch's Sister

Wednesday

Kick's POV

I anxiously tugged at our escape rope and looked up at the clock on the wall. 

12:45 a.m.

Almost time.

I sighed and carefully looked out the window. The same hairy guard had been there for about three hours. I pulled my head back in and saw Ruthie and Jean signing with each other excitedly. I hopped over to them.

"What're you guys talking about?" I asked.

"Jean and I are scared." Ruthie explained. I looked at Jean, who nodded. "We don't want to be here forever, like Roy. I wanna go home to my mom and so does Jean." Jean nodded again. He signed and looked at Ruthie. "He asked if you have a mom to go to." I sighed deeply and felt as if an old wound was being reopened.

"I don't." I started. "I...used to have a mom. She was real nice and pretty. But, actually, she wasn't that nice. She wasn't a good mother. I know, no one should ever say that, but it's true." 

"My dad isn't nice either." Ruthie said. I looked over at her. "He hit me and did other mean stuff." "Jean's dad brought him and his mom over all the way from France. But when they got here, Jean's mom found out that his dad was doing bad things and they moved away."

"That's awful. No one should go through that."

"I've gone through stuff like that, too." a voice mumbled. I looked up at one of the bunks and saw Roy looking down on us. His eyes seemed to have tears forming at their edges. "My mom and dad both had drinking problems and a short temper." he sighed. "They would get drunk and they'd hurt me. Say things to me that I can't forget. I ran away and didn't shed a tear. I was all cried out. I tried to steal some stuff to help me live on the streets, but Snyder caught me and I ended up here. But, this is better than the situation I was in." I looked up at him and shook my head in disbelief. 

"No, it's not, Roy." I said, standing up. I hopped over to him and grabbed onto a post. "This is just as bad. Ten kids to a room? Grueling work? Only one meal a day? This is terrible."

"Come with us." Jean murmured.

"What?" Roy and I asked.

"Come with us." he repeated. He looked over at me and smiled. "We'll be out in five minutes and in the city before the sun rises." Roy climbed down and stood in front of me.

"Can I really come with you?" he asked hopefully. I smiled and nodded. He cracked a big smile and hugged me. I was taken by surprise. I gently hugged him back and he let go. "I'm finally getting out of here! I'm gonna see Agnes." he said happily.

"Who's Agnes?" I asked.

"My baby sister. The cops must've gotten a tip-off about my parents because she got put into a home not long after I ran away. I wanted to bring her with me so badly, but she was too young and I didn't know how to take care of a baby. But before I ran away, I put all of my money in the bank for the future and now I can get her and I can take care of her!" he exclaimed.

"Kicks!" Jean whispered. I looked over at him and he was pointing up at the clock.

12:59 a.m.

I hurried over to Ruthie and got the rope and held it by the window. I peered out and watched the guard down below.

"...six, seven, eight, nine, ten..." Roy murmured, watching the clock.

Crutchie's POV

"...thirty, thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three..." Albert muttered, glancing at the watch he had 'borrowed'. I looked out of the bush we were hiding behind and saw the guard standing under the window. He was starting to fall asleep. I looked up at the window, thinking about our plan.