Part 1

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I had been up with the children all night, I was tired and on my last bit of energy. The baby was sick with a fever, one little boy had nausea all throughout the night and another little girl just wouldn't go down. This foster home was running me into the ground right along with itself.  Eventually, I made it through the night and had finally gotten the kids to go to bed. I went to go lie-down but and as soon as I closed my eyes "AVERI! Come down to the kitchen and get breakfast started" I heard Mrs.Dollaway scream from the bottom of the steps. 

I covered my head with the pillow and tried to ignore the screeching woman as best as I could but in less than a minute she had pulled the covers off my body and threw the pillow into the corner of the room where the baby was asleep. "I need you to make breakfast. We're all hungry" she said as she kicked at my tired body. I rolled out of bed and hit the floor. 

"And why can't you do it? I was up with YOUR kids all night." I told her scrunching my face at her. 

Her eyes widened and she pulled her hand back as far as she could and brought it down across my face. I honestly thought she could have knocked the freckles off with the amount of force she used. "You ungrateful little bastard. I welcomed you into my home alongside my family and you think that you can talk to me like that. How dare you? You have to work for your keep around here hon, and if I'm being quite frank you can't even do the simple task I already assign you." She hollered. 

Once the tear broke the rest followed in an unbroken stream, I was tired of living like a slave. This was my fifth foster home in three months and by far one of the worst. I couldn't take it anymore. 

"Clean yourself up and go make breakfast" She screamed. The baby then started to scream at the top of his lungs, I gave him a toy to soothe his cries. I went into the closet and grabbed the backpack that I had arrived here in and walked over to the dresser. I packed the few items clothing that I owned and gotten dressed. I snuck into Mrs.Dollaways room and took about $200 from her purse. I threw on my jacket and went for the stairs. I stopped at the top looking down at the door, all I had to do was get a good run from here and I could make it right out the front door. 

Right before I took off I saw Mrs.Dollaway come up the stairs, I hid behind the antique dresser in the hallway and watched as she entered my room. "Averi, I told you to go and..." When she entered I slowly crept down the stairs and right out the front door. I bolted across the yard running as fast as my legs could carry my body. It seemed like I ran forever but I never looked back. I ran for about a block and a half before turning the corner and hopping on the first bus that I saw. I rode it until the last stop and had gotten off. 

Famished, I went into the first store I saw and grabbed a few things I grabbed a cold wrapped sandwich, a bag of chips and a watermelon Arizona. I walked to the cash register and asked the man where was the closest bus station. The man put his hand on his forehead and said: "You walk up about five blocks till you hit Hill road and then continue down Providence, now that will be seven eighty-three." I paid the man and followed his directions. 

I had eaten the sandwich while I walked to the bus station and when I arrived asked them what was the cheapest bus out of state that left tonight. "Well there is a bus to Colorado leaving in about thirty minutes and it's only $170" stated the Clerk. I bought the ticket and waited in station till it was time for my bus to leave. 

Finally, I was on the bus sitting all the way in the back. I thought the bus driver was gonna ask what a fourteen-year-old was doing on the bus by herself but he didn't even seem to care, he just asked for my ticket and told me to take a seat. I sat there looking out the window thinking that any moment the police would hit the corner and pull me off the bus back to Mrs.Dollaway, bit never happened and the bus pulled off.

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