Perseverance

Chapter Thirty Six ~ June

May - 2011

I run outside, instantly spotting Haydon kicking a soccer ball against the fence. Giggling to myself, I sprint towards him, swooping in front and plowing my foot into the ball, sending it careening over the front gate and out into the road.

"Becky!" Haydon snaps, stepping forward and grabbing hold of the neck on my dress.

"Loser!" I taunt and he shakes his head before shoving me in the direction of the gate.

"Go and get it!" he orders.

"No!"

"Get it or I'll tell Mom!" he retorts and I grimace, knowing that my older brother is always true to his word.

"You're such a boy!" I snap before storming towards the front gate, swinging my arms dramatically so that he can see how angry I am.

In next to no time, I'm stepping into the road, eyes on the ball that sits against the sidewalk on the opposite side. I'm grumbling to myself, not a single other care in the world when I hear the screeching of tires from beside me.

Looking sideways, I'm just in time to see an expensive looking car grind to a halt a mere meter away from me.

"Are you fucking crazy?" The man steps out of his car, slamming the door shut and stepping towards me. I cower away, fear clawing up my throat at the tall, domineering, scary man.

"Rebecca!" My mom's voice suddenly yells across the street and I gulp, looking past the man and towards my house.

"Mommy! I didn't mean to," I exclaim and she shakes her head, stepping towards us. Her eyes are on the man, barely even glancing towards me.

"Rebecca?" The man repeats, glancing back towards me.

"Becky, get your brother's ball and get back to the house," Mom snaps and I quickly move, not wanting to anger her any further. Picking up the ball, I let my head drop to my chest as I force my legs to move, anxious to get away from the overbearing guy. "George Winters," I hear my mother sneer before I skip up the sidewalk and run up the driveway.

I've never seen him before, but I'm already scared of George Winters. Whoever he is.

*~*~*

Present Day - June 2028

I stare out of the window of the apartment, frozen in place. I'm not taking in the sight like I usually do, instead I'm just staring at the grey of the sky. It's pretty miserable, dark and gloomy, matching my mood well.

I've gotten used to the idea that I hit George with my car, coming to the conclusion that it was in the best interests of everyone. His reasons for attempting to kill Savannah were absolutely absurd, but that's her story to tell.

Nevertheless, I got so wrapped up in everything that night. It's something you could never imagine could happen to you, and believe me when I tell you that it's worse than you'll ever think it could be. I wake up almost every night from the same recurring nightmare of hitting George. It makes me cry even more when I remember that it's all a memory. Ellis hauls me into his arms and I force myself to stop the tears, not happy with how much I'm relying on him.

"Are you okay?" Ellis' voice comes from behind me. I glance over at him, shooting him a quick nod with a tight lipped smile. He sighs, gesturing for me to leave. I don't even glance back at the window, heading straight for the front door, ready to get to the hospital to see my best friend.

I walk past Ellis, straight out of the door, hugging my arms around myself as he follows. I hear the door slam shut and make my way towards the stairs silently. Ellis suddenly grabs onto my hand wordlessly, and I look down at them, smiling to myself at his action. He really cares.