The Wild Escape

Part 4- Fateful Night

After crying for a few minutes, I opened my phone and saw a notification for a text from Sam:
          "Hi. Can we talk for a minute or two?"
          I replied, my eyes still red and my mind still fogged up from the war of words, "Sure."
          S: "Cool, thanks. So, the moment I got home from school today, my parents immediately took me into lecture about how being 'emo' is bad and 'detrimental to my health..."
          Me: "Oh no. I'm so sorry. What happened next?"
          S: "I tried to defend myself and fight back with the facts. Instead of listening to me, they went and started hitting me and attacking me with their hurtful 'opinions.' It continued for a little while, too."
          Me: "Oh my gosh! That's horrible! *Sad emoji.* I'm so sorry. Something similar just happened to me, too. Only, I did try to lecture them back. They just ignored me and kept on mentally abusing me. They only starting hitting and punching me tonight."
          S: "Oh no. Well, I did try to escape (successfully), and I called the police on them. The police are here now, questioning my parents. It'll be my turn soon. I just wanted to say that I might finally be free from it all. And if I never see you again because of being moved to a new adoptive family or foster family in a different city, know that you're still my friend. Know that you're valid and appreciated by some people, including me :). Never let them take you alive. *Black heart emoji.*"
          Me: "Thank you soooo much. You're an amazing friend, too. All that should matter is that you're SAFE. Idc if we have to live hours and hours away from each other for that to happen. We're here for each other, right? :) *Black heart emoji.*"
          S: "Right. And thank you. It's time for me to get questioned by the police now. I hope I can see you soon, Kat."
          Me: "Me too. Good luck :)."
          S: "Thank you."

After finally cheering up from talking to Sam, I got an idea. He called the police on his parents for being abusive for all these years. Maybe I should, too.. yeah.
          I ran downstairs with my phone and rushed past my parents, who were sitting on the couch in the living room, to the corner of the kitchen. I opened my phone and called the police. "Mom" and "Dad" started yelling something stupid at me again that was too inaudible for me. I was too busy explaining EVERYTHING to the police: the mental abuse, the physical abuse, and every other important detail, including my house address. "We will be right over," the officer declared over the phone.
          About five minutes later (during which I got hit and screamed at again for calling the police), the police violently beat on the door. I rushed over to open it, seeing two uniformed officers carrying handcuffs and a clipboard with a sheet of paper and a pencil.
          "Hello. We need to see Cory and Richelle Mars. They will be questioned now," said the taller officer with pride.
          "NO!" Dad shouted.
          Disobeying Dad, both officers briskly walked over to my "parents" and interrogated them with various questions about what they had done to me. Their answers? Lies. All lies. They're denying everything they did and what I told the police, even glorifying and trying to justify their actions with more lies and with "religious proof."

Not long after, it was my turn for questioning. The police asked similar questions about what Mom and Dad, I mean, CORY AND RICHELLE, had done to me, and I told them the truth. To prove it to the police, I showed them the bruises on my arms and on my stomach. The shorter officer then walked over to Cory and Richelle with the handcuffs.
          "Katrina, NO! Stop being so sensitive, weak, and cowardly!" Richelle yelled.
          "We did nothing wrong to our daughter!" Cory shouted to the police.
          "Well, your daughter's evidence shows otherwise, especially that she can't be your daughter any longer," the tall officer replied.
          The short officer handcuffed Cory and Richelle then pushed them out to one of the police cars waiting outside. No matter how hard they tried to fight it, they were unsuccessful in escaping their arrest. As the lights on top of that police car flashed bright red and blue in the dark night sky, he drove Cory and Richelle away to prison. The house was then left to me and the short officer, who worked out a solution for what to do with me: "I will drive you to the Child Protection Services building here in town. You can either wait there to go into foster or adoptive care or call someone else you know and trust to pick you up there and take you in."
          I know someone... "I can call my older sister, Keeley Mars. She's twenty years old and in college, so she's a legal adult. She's the only other person I really know who's been nice to and truly understanding of me," I said, pulling out my phone.
          "Good. Where does she live?" the officer asked.
          "Eight hours north from here. That's where she goes to college."
          "Okay. That will still work. Go ahead and call her, then."
          "Great, thank you so much."
          I checked the time quickly; it's five-thirty in the evening. I called Keeley, and she answered immediately: "Hello?"
          "Hi Keeley! It's Kat."
          "Oh hi sister! It's great to talk to you again! What's going on?"
          "A lot. Not very good, either."
          "Oh no. What's up?"