Our Game

15

Athena's P.O.V:
When I was 9 years old I tried to run away. I had just been placed into a new foster home and hated it. The couple- Mr and Mrs Robinson, were nice people who served waffles for breakfast and let me lick the spoon when we baked cakes. They had a dog named Russel, but I would call him Brussel for fun.

I had overhead one day, Mrs Robinson talking to my social worker Kirsten about trying to adopt me, my heart began to beat fast and a small smile grew on my face. Mrs Robinson had a habit of putting her phone on loud speaker when she called people so I was able to hear the other end.

"That can't happen, Athena is to be placed somewhere else. Given her...history, it is safer for her to be constantly placed in different houses every few years" I heard Kirsten explain.

My brows furrowed as I tried to understand what she had meant by history. I've never stolen or crossed the street when there's a red light. I always brush my teeth and say my prayers before bed so I don't think I've done anything wrong. The Robinsons were always nice to me, I helped them plant daffodils once and now they always pick them for me and put it in a little bottle next to my bed.

"But Kirsten, regardless of whatever this anonymous history is, Dave and I love her and want to take care of her"

"She can not stay with you two anymore, I've had countless couples tell me the same thing about her but the reality is that she needs to stay under the radar"

Situations like this had always happened throughout the years. I would be in a joke that Kirsten would put me in but then other times another couple would find me and take care of me for a little bit until I would be found by Kirsten again. Sometimes the couples were mean. If they knew Kirsten they were nice but sometimes the couples Kirsten didn't know would hit me and call me things I had never heard before.

"Kirsten I have a right to know what it is that is preventing me from adopting her. You know damn well that Dave and I are law abiding citizens who would never do anything to bring harm to her. It is your duty as her social worker to tell me what it is exactly that is keeping her away!" I had never heard Mrs Robinson raise her voice and I flinched and the harshness of it.

"I'm sorry Judy, I'll be coming over on Wednesday to collect her, you have until then" I heard Mrs Robinson chuck her phone onto her desk as Kirsten had hung up.

It was a Monday. That meant I had two days to convince the Robinsons not to get rid of me.

I ran up to my room and piled all my stuffed animals and pillows around me on my bed to commence a thinking session.

Eventually I had fallen asleep and missed dinner. When I woke, there was a blue hue in the sky meaning that the sun hadn't woken up either.

I looked out of my window to the streets of my neighbourhood, out of all the houses I'd been in before - this one was my favourite. There was a boy next door called Will who I would play superhero's with and he had a dog named Macy and so sometimes I would bring out Russel to play superhero's and super dogs.

Then an idea hit me, I grabbed my "My Little Pony" bag and stuffed some pocket money in it, a jumper and my favourite toy.

Walking over to the Robinson's room I watched as Mr Robinson snored and Mrs Robinson's white noise music played - I never knew why she listened to that stuff, it had no lyrics.

Creeping down the stairs, I unlocked the front door and snuck out. The footpath was a big wet and the grass was soggy meaning that it probably rained last night.

I had walked about two blocks away from my house before I saw a couple jogging together on the street next to me. I tried not to pay much attention to them and kept my head down.

A dog in a front yard started barking at me behind the fence and I ran away from it, looking up I saw the couple jog over to me.

"What are you doing out here sweetie?" The woman asked, she had copper hair and brown eyes a shade lighter than her pupils.

I kept my mouth shut and tried to walk away.

"Woah woah woah sweets, where's you parents? Did you get lost?" The man asked.

"I'm not allowed to talk to strangers" I kept my head down and mumbled.

The couple looked at each other, "Well I'm John and this is my wife Maria" John introduced, "now we're not strangers"

I smiled a little and finally looked up at them. Looking back at it now, their smiles were too friendly and their eyes didn't sparkle the way the Robinson's did.

"Let's get you some place safe" John said as he took my hand and led me away.

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Drip, drip, drip. I'm greeted by the off smell of garbage and the moist feeling of the concrete floor beneath me. I begin to cough but am reminded by the previous events when I cough up blood causing my throat to flare up all over again.

The room is dimly lit by a globe which hangs at a door several feet away from me. Slowly propping my self up, I feel the agonising ache of pain slam me back down onto the floor.

The light near the door turns red and I watch as the metal door clicks open to reveal three large men and Stefano.

"You're a silly girl, you could of had everything" He sneers, "But you just had to go and spoil it all." He laughs. "I think, you forgot what industry you're in. The mother fucking mafia, John told me a thing or two about you, about how you used to travel around a lot. So I understand if you don't know what a mafia is" He licks his lips.

"But let me spell it out for you. A mafia is not the type of place you want to be in, especially this one. We're so highly developed that we've got technology and the skills of those adequate to the CIA. Once you're in, you never escape." He leans down, grabs my face and shoves me towards him, "Not even in death" He spits. 

"Boys, you've been working hard lately...." His boys trails off and I close my eyes, already expecting what's coming for me.