Distant

2

Austin Peters woke at the sound of a ball hitting the side of a tree nearby. He looked around in confusion, trying not to move to much or to wake sleeping Skyler. Her dark hair was scattered over her shoulders in an shimmering wave and her sleeves had rolled up, slightly exposing her scars. Skyler had wrapped her arm over Austin's waist and he found himself blushing at the position. He moved a piece of hair from her face and a small smile formed at the side of her lips. Another sound of a ball hitting a tree rung out in the peaceful forest. Austin maneuvered himself around Skyler and stood up, placing her head down on the soft grass. He walked a few steps then stopped as Kodiak moaned and lifted his head to looked at Asutin. His attention shifted to the snap of a twig. Kodiak's barks overpowered the other noises and Austin grew weary of his surroundings. His breathing hitched in his throat as a voice echoed from behind him,
"Interesting scars." Austin turned on his heal to see Ryan Blake inspecting Skyler's arm. Ryan's friends had crowded around her and laughed as he smirked at her. Austin felt extremely uncomfortable and intimidated.
"What do you want Ryan?" He perked up. Ryan and his friends turned to him and he puffed out his chest, trying to look bigger. Ryan was a few years older than him and Skyler, and been bullying Skyler for a year or so. Not only did he bully her, but he harassed her. Ryan tilted his head an pouted at Austin.
"What's this? Little Beat found herself a boyfriend did she?" Ryan provoked. Skyler moved around and sat up. Austin shot her a 'get the hell out of here' look and her eyes widened. She's been beaten up once already by him today and was not prepared to go through it again.
"Boyfriend?" She said softly as Ryan turned to her. He placed his hand under her chin and lifted it up so her ocean eyes met his gaze. Kodiak growled furiously as he warned off Ryan, but ran of when Ryan looked at him evilly. Skyler tried to pry herself from his grip, but he was strong and firm.
"Not for long, don't worry." He mocked as he signalled for his friends to grab Austin. They grabbed his arms and shoved him to the floor, kicking him in the stomach. Through the corner of her eye, Skyler could just about see them injuring Austin. Her heart pounded. Ryan's face was so close to hers, the slightest movement would bring their lips together. She kept her head firmly in place as she swung her hands up to Ryan's throat. He took in a sharp intake of breath as she strangled him, but he was still far stronger and he pulled out of her hold. Skyler jumped to her feet and dusted herself off.
"Bad move, Beat." He adjusted his jacket and smirked uncomfortably at her. Her breath came out hollow and short. Skyler clenched her fist as two of Ryan's friends came at her. She swung a punch at the first, then kicked the second. She wasn't pure all the way through, not a good girl, a little one maybe, but not a good one. Ryan had turned to Austin and was joining the other three punch and kick him. Her blood boiled and her eyes narrowed.
"Hell, if u think I'm done with you." She whispered just load enough for them to hear. They all turned to her and the other two lying on the floor in pain. They glanced at each other frantically, confused. Austin, through dusty vision, saw Skyler glaring at Ryan. He smiled at her, he knew. He knew she wasn't who they though she was. She was perfectly capable. He sniggered to himself. Ryan raised his eyebrows and Skyler knew she had the upper hand, however many outnumbered her.
"Well, your not as weak as I thought." He said jokingly. She shook her head and looked at Austin behind the four friends. Ryan jerked his head at one of them and he came lunging for Skyler.
She ducked and he went head first into the tree. Austin laughed at the idiotic jock and his friends.
"Hey, I'm standing on the edge, watch out you don't push me over it." She mocked the scared boys. Skyler felt powerful and fearless.
"Why the sudden burst of courage?" Ryan said, stepping forward. Skyler took a step forward, closer to him. He grabbed her arms, taking her by surprise. He flung her into the tree and and her breath was knocked out of her. Austin gasped as Ryan picked Skyler up by the neck. She kicked at his stomach but couldn't reach as she felt impeccably dizzy. Austin pushed himself up on his elbows. He was weak and didn't have the strength to help her. This so going way to far, he thought. Skyler's courage went as quickly as it came as Ryan shoved her into the dirt.
"Don't speak to me like that, Little Beat. It won't help you, or your friend," he let her go and strode away with this friends, "let's go, leave them to starve if they never get up again." He said harshly and they quickly disappeared. Skyler's muscles had locked and she felt that she would never move again. Austin dragged himself to Skyler and Kodiak came out of hiding. He licked Skyler's face clean of dirt and blood and Austin reached Skyler and gripped her sleeves, yanking them up to see the scars.
"What are you doing?" She choked out. Austin just looked into her big blue eyes. She knew that he was only helping, but she hated when he looked over her scars. He would run his fingers over them to make sure they hadn't gotten too bad, but it hurt and she wished he would just leave her alone. He ran his fingers over her scars and this time, instead of pulling away, she just let him inspect, she liked his touch, his warm hands and smooth skin. Her breathing calmed and her heart rate slowed right down from the panicking insane beat it had been following.
"Come on, it time we got back." Skyler suggested, fearing what would happen if they didn't leave as soon on as possible. Would those boys come back? Would they hurt both Skyler and Austin even more than they already had? Thoughts flew around in Skyler's head, worrying her small, fragile mind. Austin merely nodded, unable to move without serious help. Skyler tried and tried to get him up from the ground, but he was to heavy for her to carry and eventually her muscles began to ache.
"Skyler, just go and get my parents, they can help me." He urged on, but Skyler refused to move from his side. It was not safe for a twelve-year-old boy to be out in the woods on his own, and Skyler knew that very well.

A few minutes past while Skyler and Austin debated their physical conditions, neither wanted the other to be alone in their state.
"Skyler, you have to go, just go and get my parents!" Austin shouted. Skyler was taken aback by his demand, but now felt obliged to leave him. Kodiak found his way to Skyler's side, moaning at her to move. She stood and looked Austin in the eyes, her mind still refusing to leave him. The thought of the boys coming back to find Austin lying on the floor, not able to move, scared her.
"I'll be back as soon as possible!" She shouted to Austin as she jogged away, back to Austin's house. But, as she disappeared from view of Austin, he felt slightly empty, like he was missing her yet again. He couldn't imagine a life without Skyler. What an awful life, he though to himself. Kodiak had gone with Skyler, so Austin was completely alone as darkness slowly took over the sky. He shivered from the cold and tried to move closer to the tree he had been quietly perched next to just minutes ago. Austin thought of Skyler, what would happen to her if he ever left her—not that it would ever happen. Skyler would never be alone, Austin would never leave her. But, without him, she would be alone. Maybe Kodiak would be there, but not at school or at home to protect her. She would be completely alone, no comforting parents to go home to after being beaten up at school. No one to comfort her. Austin shook his head, the thought of her being so helpless lingering in his mind.

Skyler and Kodiak ran through the park and across streets, winding their way through alleys and slip-roads. They eventually came to the road where both Skyler and Austin lived. Austin's parents had the house lights on and she could see them through the windows, pacing around, probably worried why Austin hadn't been home by now. Skyler sprinted towards the house, Kodiak just centimetres behind her. She was a few feet away from Austin's gate, when she was brutally stopped by a large figure of a man standing in front of her, staring down at her. She  shuddered as her father grabbed her wrists and yanked her towards her own house. She screamed and pleaded that he let her go, but he wouldn't let go.
"Please! I need to get to the Peters' house!" She screeched. Her father paused to look her in the eye, then at Kodiak, who was snarling at him.
"And why would you need to do that?" He said angrily, squeezing Skyler's wrists, causing her to scream a little louder. She sobbed and tried to shake herself free of his grasp.
"Austin, he's—"
"Don't try my patience with that little boyfriend of yours!" He shouted down her ear and she sobbed louder. Kodiak rushed to Skyler's father and bit down on his ankle. He screamed and shook Kodiak off of him. Skyler kicked her father in the shin, not that it did any damage, it merely made him angrier.
He continued to drag her into the house and she shouted out to Kodiak, "Go and keep Austin safe!" Her cry came out strangled and rapid. Skyler could barely understand what she had said herself, how was Kodiak supposed to understand? But to her surprise, Kodiak ran back the way they had came, towards Austin. A small weight had been lifted from her chest, but her father's warm, rough hands gripping down on her small, cold ones was still an issue. She hoped and preyed that her mother would be home. Skyler tripped on the door frame and her father lifted her by the wrist and turned her to face him. A little scream from a female voice in the kitchen gave her some hope. It was in fact her mother, already in tears, bruised up and down just like Skyler. Her mother's name was Lindsey, Skyler thought it was anyway, she'd been beaten to many times and her mother had been away so often that she couldn't remember. Her fathers name was beat into her, however. The name Rodrick would always be one to fear in her house. Lindsey rushed over to Skyler, shouting that she be released. Skyler's father dropped her to the floor and shoved Lindsey into the wall. Skyler shuffled over to her mother's unconscious body, but was lifted up from the ground by her father before she could reach her. He held his hand to her throat. Hmm, I'm sure this has already happened today, Skyler thought to herself, but she could not remember anything over the pain in her head, legs and wrists. Her memory and consciousness was quickly wiped from her, as her head was shoved into the hard, stone wall. She dropped to the floor, that's all she could remember. Every memory of the day was gone from her mind, even Austin's partly lifeless body in the middle of the woods. Everything. Nothing was left untouched by pain. Nothing.