The Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Chapter 2

"I'm leaving this Saturday when my dad goes to work." Brooklyn told Adam, her best friend of ten years. She had confided in him with everything. Shortly after Brooklyn's mother had been murdered Adam had moved to the same school Brooklyn went to. They had quickly become friends and when Brooklyn was eight years old she told Adam everything, and he never pushed her to tell the cops or get help. Adam knew that she didn't want to and he would never push Brooklyn to do something she didn't want to do. He had even seen some of the beatings but he kept it a secret because thats what Brooklyn wanted.

        Brooklyn still remembered it like it was yesterday. Her and Adam were sitting on the living room couch, watching a movie on a Saturday afternoon. They heard the truck pull into the driveway and not long after the front door slammed shut. He was in one of his moods again, the kind where he just needed to hit something to get rid of all his anger. He slurred profanities at Brooklyn, calling his daughter viscious names trying to get a rise out of her. Soon he realised she wouldn't react to that, she was too used to it, so he swore at Adam instead. 

        "SHUT UP! DON'T YOU EVER TALK ABOUT HIM THAT WAY AGAIN!" Brooklyn stood up, tears in her eyes, fists clenched at her sides when suddenly she duobled over, arms clutching her gut while she was trying to catch her breath. Her father hit her again on the side of the head and she fell onto the coffee table. Adam stood up and tried to stop it but he was knocked out of the way. Brooklyn rolled off the side of the coffee table from another punch and her father pulled back his foot and swung it at Brooklyn's head. She came to a minute later with a pounding head and an aching gut. She heard her father thud back into the room though she didn't have the strength to turn her head and look at him. There was a loud thud and she saw a butcher knife go flying towards the wall before clanging to the ground. The front door slammed and she heard a truck start up and speed away. Adam came into view with a split lip and a bruising eye but he was otherwise okay. Brooklyn's father didn't return home for the next few days so Adam stayed with her so she wouldn't be alone. And that's exactly what he was going to do for Brooklyn now.

"I'll come with you."

"Adam no, I don't want you to get in the middle of this." Brooklyn looked into Adams deep blue eyes and he reached out and took her hand.

"I'm not letting you go through this alone. I'm coming with you no matter what." Adam looked her straight in the eyes, determined not to let her leave alone.

"You can't leave your family." Brooklyn said, not wanting to feel guilty for the rest of her life because she took Adam away from everyone he loved.

"I can't stand them. They make it so much worse for me and all my mom ever does is wonder why she had to have a son with this. She doesn't want me anyway." Adam had ADHD and it was hard for him to focus. He wasn't doing well in school because he often lost his work and couldn't concentrate in class. His mom and dad yelled at each other every day about Adam. They didn't want to spend the money to get him the help and medication that he desperately needed.

"So where are we going?" Adam asked, interrupting Brooklyn's thoughts.

"Palm Coast, Florida."

"Why are we going there?" He curiously asked. Brooklyn explained that it was the return address on the letter. Then she showed him the letter that was hidden under her pillow.

"So Palm Coast. How do we get there?" Adam asked.

"We can take taxi's and busses I guess."

"Then lets start planning our trip." Adam said with a hopeful look in his eyes.