I felt the thump of a heart beat when I woke up. I opened my eyes and found Sam carrying me. "Sam?"
"Why were you asleep in the forest?"
"Because..." I trailed off, thinking about my outburst. "I am a teenage girl and I need to have my tantrums." I decide.
"Right.." Sam doesn't sound convinced when he puts me down in the passengers seat of his car.
"How long have I been there?"
"I don't know." He shrugged. "You got there after I told you, and it's almost dark now... So I would say six - seven hours, maybe?"
I leaned back against my seat as I buckled. "Oh. Is Jeremy still a pin-head?"
"Yup!"
I groaned. "Joy."
The next morning I looked at myself in the mirror and frowned. My brown hair was a rat's nest and I had bags under my eyes. I sighed and went over to my washroom. There, I brushed my hair a little bit to get the knots out and then got in the shower, letting the hot water relax my muscles. I got out, wrapped a fuzzy towel around myself and then a smaller one around my hair. Then, I walked over to my closet, my feet making wet marks on the wood floor. I picked out a black band shirt, a red leather jacket and some black jeans. I changed into those and then tugged the towel off my head, letting the remaining water drip from my hair.
I brushed it out and then quickly did my makeup, putting on black eyeliner, mascara and a little bit of concealer. After that, I slipped on some knee-high converse and sighed. I ran out my door, only to bump into Jeremy. "Where are you going?" He asks.
"To school, obviously."
"Oh, about that, I signed you out."
My jaw dropped. "What? You signed me out of school? How much of a moron are you?!"
"You do not talk like that to your superiors!" He shouts.
I scoff. "Superior? You're four years older than me."
"And eighteen, so, since mom and dad died," I flinch at this, "I'm in charge. I can dump your ass so deep in the system you'll never get out!"
Sam runs upstairs. "What's going on?"
Jeremy replies, not taking his steely glare off me, "Nothing. Go to school."
"Bu-but, what about Amulet?" His eyes widen and I have a feeling that he realised what was happening.
"I'm fine, Sam." I erase all emotion from my face, and mind. "Go to school." I turn to Jeremy. "I'll be in my room."
I turn and in the corner of my eye, I see Jeremy already walking away and Sam just standing there, gaping at me. I sigh again as I turn into my room and shut the door, locking it. How the hell am I gonna get through this? Crying, I slide down the door and bury my head into my hands. Right when I think things are going up, they start going down. Like everything else in my life. And I hate it, with a passion.
"Amulet. Open the door, now." Someone's muffled voice rings through my ears and I sigh. I was still sitting against my door, still crying. "I said to open it."
I groan and stand and open the door. "What?" I snap, seeing Jeremy outside.
"Clean the kitchen."
I blink. "Excuse me?"
"I told you to clean the kitchen, are you hard of hearing?"
"But we have maids for a reason."
"I fired them, telling them we didn't need them anymore. Are you done? The kitchen is a mess."
Is he serious? He's turning me into a freaking slave. Is this legal? What the hell? "Yeah, no. Bye." I shut the door in his face and run my fingers through my hair.
"Amulet! Get the hell out here! I swear to Go-"
I didn't hear the rest because I jumped out my window and scrambled down the tree next to it, almost slipping a few times. I ran. And ran. My adrenaline was pumping as I listened to my feet pound on the asphalt. The wind whistled in my ears; I love the thrill of running. Finally, I reached the school, where I can find Sam. Walking into the office, I ignore the stares I'm getting. "Hi?" I speak the secratary.
"Oh my God! Amulet, you're back!" She exclaims and gives me a quick hug.
"Yeah. I'm just looking for my brother. I need to speak with him."
She raises an eyebrow, but doesn't say anything as he calls him to the office.
"Hey what's goin- Amulet?"
I run up to him and give him a hug. "Sam!"
"Hey, what's going on?"
"Jeremy is an asshole, that's what's going on."
"What did he do?"
"He's trying to turn me into a fucking slave. Sammy, help me." I cry
He pulls me into a hug and mutters encouraging things into my ear. "Amulet, it'll be alright. I promise. Okay? I'm going to be home in less than an hour, stay out of the house until I come home. "
"O-okay. I'll see you later."
I walk out of the school, but I can feel everyone's eyes burning into my skull. I decided to go to the mall - I mean, who wouldn't?
