Runaway

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The bad feeling set in just as I was walking onto the boat. Call me crazy, but I had the burning desire to run back to the house and to check everything.

“You okay, Zander? You’re not looking so hot today. Like, did you sleep, like at all? I swear, you look like death. Trust me, Zander, I would know. And you know that I don’t lie, about anything.” Briar gave me a concerned look.

“I feel, like I should go check up on Ben’s family.” I said slowly.

“Now it’s Ben’s family, not Lezlai’s family. Man, you must have blown it big time.” Briar shook his head. “If you feel like you need to go back, man, go ahead.”

“Thanks, Briar. You’re the best.” I grinned.

“Yeah, yeah. Just go.” He laughed and I ran off the boat and toward the old rundown home. I got there to find the front door completely off its hinges. I assumed that whoever was in there had obviously slammed the door open so hard it’d broken the old hinges. Well, I felt a little put out. I’d put a lot of effort into this house, and now someone had gone and broken the door right off the hinges. Talk about ungratefulness.

I ran up the porch steps and into the house. Glass shattered upstairs and I heard footsteps and someone struggling. They were coming down, and my heart jumped upstairs into my throat. (Haha. See what I did there?)

“Daddy, no! No, Daddy, don’t sell me! Please!! I…I don’t want to leave here! Momma, momma needs me, Daddy. P-Please! Don’t do this!” Lezlai sobbed. I groaned. Today of all days. Right after Lezlai’s lovely speech about how I was a complete and total wimp. Right after she’d announced that I confuse her, and I’d honestly never confused anyone in my life, so hearing her say that made me feel like total crap! Man, the timing was just impeccable. Like it seriously couldn’t get any better…or is it worse? Oh, whatever, back to the story.

I looked up and there they were. Xyle and another huge man had Lezlai pinned between them. Like, I’m not even kidding, this guy equaled about three of me. She was struggling, but even I could tell that there was no way she was getting away from them. My stomach did a flip-flop. I couldn’t take them BOTH down. I’d been lucky to beat Xyle, extremely lucky. And even then, with the luck and my muscles, I’d still had the cliff to chuck him down. If he hadn’t been rolling downhill, I knew he would’ve been back up and giving me another round of fists into my gut.

Xyle looked down, and saw me. His eyes filled to the brim with rage. He sneered at me, daring me to do something. But I knew I was no match for both him and his friend.

“Xyle, what are you doing?! You said you wouldn’t sell her till the end of the summer!” Belle was suddenly there, pulling on her husband’s arm.

“Plans change.” He growled, still looking at me. A bit of guilt settled in me. He was suggesting that it was MY fault that he’d upped the date, and in a way it was. He’d told me to stay away from Lezlai because he needed to sell her for the money. But I didn’t listen to that; I’d actually fought him and (miraculously) won. Turns out being a rebel isn’t everything it’s cracked up to be.

“No, you mustn’t, Xyle. Think of Benjamin! Think of our little Bengy!” Belle insisted, starting to cry herself.

“That traitor!” Xyle spat. “Why would I think about him? He was a good, respectable kid until he started flapping off his big mouth about how he felt! If only your stupid mother hadn’t filled our kid’s minds with rot, maybe I’d have a daughter-in-law!”

“And what would you do with her? Sell her??” Belle demanded. “You know this isn’t Ben’s fault!”

“SHUT UP!” Xyle bellowed, smacking her across the face. She flew across the room and fell to the floor where she lay motionless.