The Tanner Sisters

Chapter 5 -- Scarlett Tanner

                                                                     Scarlett Tanner

As I walked down stairs I could hear my mom and dad in the kitchen fighting about kicking us out. I walked out and it started pouring. I started running. I knocked on the door of Terrance's house. He opened the door and I burst through the door and right into his arms. I was sobbing, not that you could tell by how wet I was.

"Love, What's wrong?"

"My horrid father kicked me out and I need somewhere to stay and i didn't know where else to go!" I blurted out. It was hard to understand I bet. I was still sobbing, but Terrance understood.

"Stay here, alright?"

A minute later he returned. "OK hurry my brothers and sisters are in the living room so if we go through the backdoor they won't see you." he whispered pushing me toward the back of the house.

"Wait. Why don't we just tell them?" I asked."I mean theirs no better time than the present, right?"

"Well you see umm... my mother doesn't exactly...care for your mother." He said and started trying to push me toward the back door.

"Why?" I asked him curiously.

"Well you see my mother dated your father when they were our age and he...uh dumped her for your mother."

"Oh." I muttered finally letting him lead me toward the back door. When we got their he stuck his head through open door way looking to see if their were any of his siblings running around and could see us sneaking in.

"OK the coast is clear." He said and grabbed me like a foot ball and sprinting into his room only to find all his siblings sitting on their beds talking. When we made our entrance the children immediately went quiet.

"Uh-oh," I said staring into all the tiny faces. There were 6 pairs of eyes boring a hole right through me. "Hey you guys! How are you?"

"Good....Um....what are you doing here?" Rebbecca answered. Rebbecca was the second oldest, apart from Terrance. She was 10.  

"Well I was just coming in to say hi. Hi," I was trying to come up with an excuse. But I felt bad, lying to my boyfriends family. "I needed a place to sleep tonight and I didn't know where else to go."

"Scarlett! What are you saying!" He whispered sharply into my ear. He was really upset.

"Can we talk," I grabbed Terrance's arm and walked over to the other side of the bed. " It's one thing to lie to your parents, which by the way is awful for me, but not to the kids. I just can't."

" I understand but my mom can never know or at least not yet."

 I walked back over to where the kids were.

"You guys have to promise you will not say anything to  your mother. I have a present for each of you." I figured this was a good way, I would just buy there silence. 

"It depends on what you are giving me." McKenna said sitting up on the bed. We both knew that I had to give her something good or she'd spill.

"Yeah me too!" the others agreed. Just as Mckenna had planned.

"Fine." I opened my bag and looked.

"OK, for Rebbecca, I just made this today," it was the woodpecker that I had carved. " Lucas( this was one of the twins. He was 8.) here is some some paints. Markus( the other twin. Also 8.) here is a new mirror because i know yours broke. Mckenna here is a bunch of paperclips and bobby pins because I know that you are running low( now Mckenna used them for picking locks). Jessica, here is a book of fairy tales. Be careful my mom gave it to me. And last but not least little Melissa. For you I have this jar of shiny bells. So will you keep quiet."

"YES!" they all cried

I walked over to Terrance

"We will talk later OK?" I gave him a mysterious smile. I grabbed my bag and and sneak into the bathroom. I got ready for bed. I came back out and then crawled into Terrance's bed and tried to go to sleep. He had the biggest bed. After about 20 minutes Terrance rushed in.

"Mom's coming."

"Why?"

"To say good night but you can't be in here."

I jumped out of bed and ran to the closet. I barely made it into the closet when Mrs. Richards walked in.

"Everyone in bed! Melissa do you want me to check for monsters?" she started walking over to the closet

"No mama, I'm good."

"Are you sure?

"Yeah I'm good."

"Alrighty dear." she walked over and kissed each child on the head. Slowly one by one she tucked them in.

"Good night!"

"Night mommy!"

"Few, that was close." I slowly came out as soon as I was sure she was gone.

"I'd say. Come on lets go to bed." Terrance said climbing in to bed.

"OK. Good night!" I snuggled up to Terrance. But I couldn't sleep every hour or so I'd wake up sweating and crying. I kept seeing my friends and family dead in pools of blood all around me. People running after me, trying to kill me. The Hunger Games were a scary place in my dreams. Which means it's probably 10 times worse in the real thing. Happy Hunger Games!