She picked up the phone on the fourth ring. It was late in the evening, and she didn't recognize the number. Sue Clearwater could feel her heart race as she lifted the phone to her ear, at first she hadn't planned on answering, but she could almost sense that the call was urgent, she could feel it in her stomach.
At first there was nothing but static, then she could hear shuffling in the background followed by a soft, female voice. Sue could barely hear anything as the girl whispered a small "hello." "Who is this?" Sue asked, she didn't bother hiding the confusion that she felt as spoke to the stranger though the phone, seeing as she didn't recognize the girls voice she considered that she might have the wrong number. It became quiet on the other end for at few seconds before the female voice whispered again "is this Sue?" Sue could feel her heart beating as she became aware that the person on the other end knew who she was, even though Sue herself had no idea who she was currently talking to. "yes, this is Sue" she replied hesitantly. "My name is Enola Johnson," the girl whispered, her introduction was followed by more silence, almost as if she was waiting for Sues reaction. But Sue couldn't react right away, she was busy going through her memories to try and figure out if she knew the girl. Her last name sounded familiar, but Sue couldnt quite put her finger on it, it was as if the name was trying to push through her every thought to locate it self somewhere in her past.
Before she could wonder more the girl whispered again: "I think you know my father, Adam." and then it hit her. Enola, the girl on the phone, was the daughter of her long lost brother and the pale face, Lisa Johnson, that he ran away with all those years ago.
Sue didn't know how to react, she hadn't heard a single thing from her brother since he left his family behind, she didn't even know he had a daughter. Questions swirled in her mind so quickly that she didn't know where to begin, so she unintentionally stayed quiet, and waited for Enola to read her mind and answer all her questions.
"are you there?" Enola whispered again. "please..." and only then did Sue notice the panic the that rang clear through the young girls whispering. the panic wasn't unfamiliar to Sue, it was the same panic that Adam had created in Sue herself when he started to lose his temper and no one knew how to help him contain it. The desperation that Sue felt coming from Enola cleared her mind up, now she only had one question left; "are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm scared" Enola shakily whispered, "scared of what?" Sue asked hesitantly even though she knew the answer, she knew that this girl was most likely the victim of her fathers violent ways. "of him," Enola cried, confirming what Sue already knew. "please..." Enola repeated, she was crying now, that much was easy to hear. Sue would be lying if she said hearing the broken girl try and keep a hold of herself and stop her crying didn't make Sue tear up herself.
"What do you need?" Sue asked, now determined to help Enola.
Enola took a deep breath, "I know you don't know me, and that you don't owe me anything, but you're my last way out!" she told Sue.
"How can I help you?" Sue urged her to be more specific.
"I need a place to stay..." Enola started, she held a short break trying to catch her breath before she continued, "it's just until I figure something out. I have saved just enough money for a bus ride to Washington, if you still live where my dad grew up. I'll get a job and pay rent, I promise. I know I'm asking a lot, especially because you don't know me, but like I said you're my last option. please..."
Sue took a deep breath, she was trying to calculate every outcome of Enolas situation. But it was pointless, because from what she knew the only way that Enola would get out of the abusive environment she was currently trapped in, was for Sue to help her.
"I'll help you!" Sue decided. In that moment Enola almost started crying again - she finally had an out. "where will you be coming from?" Sue asked. "ehm. Chicago," Enola responded. "okay. how quickly can you leave?" Sue wondered. "my dads, he's uhm. He's drunk, so he should pass out sometime within the next hour or so, then I need to pack a bag. So I can be on he last bus tonight, it leaves in two hours and twelve minutes."
"Okay, that's good," Sue told Enola in a calm voice. "Sue?" Enola asked lowly. "Yes, dear?" Sue urged her to go on, "I'm scared... if he catches me, he'll kill me." Sue didn't know what to say, she wanted to tell Enola that he wouldn't kill her, but she already knew that he had hurt Enola, the thought of what he had done to his daughter haunted her, and she didn't know Adam like she used to, so she had no words to comfort Enola. "You just have to be careful," Sue told her, "keep in mind that as soon as you're on the bus, you're safe." Enola thought about Sues words. She wanted them to be true, but how could she know? so many things could go wrong, Sue could be like her brother. She could run into someone dangerous on the bus, hell she might even run in to one of her dads 'friends' that'd tell him where she was. But she couldn't tell Sue about her concerns, they were hers to deal with. They were her burden. So she just muttered a small "okay" Sue noticed her hesitance but elected to ignore it. "please text me on this number when you're on the bus" Sue requested. "I will. Thank you so much Sue!"Enola said, and then she hung up.
She was ready for a new life, but at the same time she had never been more scared.
