Chapter 4

                                    

                                          
      I stare blankly at the bunk above me, patiently waiting for the clock to strike midnight. Though it's completely silent, my mind is loud and racing with ideas and excitement. I can never get a couple hours of sleep in before my adventures beyond the foster home. There's just too much to think about. At exactly 12:01, I slowly climb out of the bed. I've been dressed for the occasion since lights out... which is 9:00. I sneak out of the room and make my way to the dining hall to meet Junior. Since it's such an old building, they never thought to put cameras in. I guess they never had a reason to, or they don't care enough. Either way, it's good news for us. It's one less thing to worry about. 
                          
"Hello?" I whisper into the dimly lit dining hall. 
                          
"Over here, by the window." Junior's voice cut through the thick silence. He would've scared somebody if they weren't expecting an answer in return. 
                          
I tiptoe over to the window and open it quickly, yet quietly, letting Junior climb out first, then following behind him. Once my feet are planted firmly on the ground, I reach up at the window and close it carefully. 
                          
"Wow, Steph. It's beautiful out here." I turn around to see Junior's eyes sparkling from the light of the half-clouded moon.
                          
I looked up at the snow-globe sky and smile, "it's amazing."
                          
He smiles down upon me. Though he's only a month older than me, his height says otherwise. The snow falls into his rustled hair and he smiles again, causing me to giggle. Even though he's kind of a wuss, I wouldn't want to be out here with anyone else. Junior and I have been as thick as thieves for a long time. We've been split up a couple of times, including the times I was sent to a real home... I'm just happy he was here when I got back, as selfish as that sounds. I don't know what I'd do if he wasn't here with me. He's my best friend. 
                          
"Okay, you said we were splitting up tonight, right?" Junior asks, still seeming unsure of the whole idea.
                          
I nod my head, "yeah, just tonight. As an experiment. And if we don't like it, we'll never switch it up again. We'll just continue our same routine." 
                          
He nods in return, accepting it. He knows that I won't change my mind at this point. 
                          
"Okay, let's get down to business. You head up Main Street and I'll start down East Side. Meet back here around 2:30 a.m?" Junior plans out, surprising me with his confidence. 
                          
I'm actually taken back by this. Junior has never done this before. He's taking initiative... maybe I've rubbed off on him a little bit. I respect it. I hide my shock and smile at his plan. 
                          
From my inside jacket pocket, I hand him a walkie talkie and show him I have one as well, "here. I found these under my bed and I thought they might come in handy. I even found some batteries to put in them. They should be good. I don't know how far they'll reach though." 
                          
He takes the walkie talkie and we begin our adventure. Once we get to the road, we go our separate ways. In a way, this was almost scary for me. I'd never been alone on the streets, completely by myself, at night. My adventures, as embarrassed as I am to admit, only include going down one block and running back to the home. I would never say that out loud though. However, my excitement overpowers my fear. It's a beautiful, quiet night. There's hardly any cars on the street... Snow falling and crunching under my feet. I can't think of a better scenario. 
                          
Within twenty minutes of walking, my toes are numb. My hands are stuffed deeply into my coat pockets, one hand clutched on the walkie talkie. I try to enjoy the evening, but I find myself thinking about Junior. If something did happen to him, it'd be on me. My worries start clouding my excitement and I begin alert mode. I watch everything, from the cars that pass me on the street to the stop light changes. My heart starts racing and I'm not sure I want to keep going. I take a few deep breaths and continue on. I can't call Junior back already 
 or else I'd be a hypocrite. Maybe he's not such a wuss after all. Maybe it's me. I finally get him out of his comfort zone and here I am crawling back in mine. No. Keep going. 
                          
At around 1:00 a.m., I start heading back. I'm not far, since I slowed down. It's definitely the furthest I've ever been, yet I never made it to the Stark Tower. At this point, I'm not sure I was even pointed in the right direction in the first place. Besides, I want to see that in person with Junior by my side. Speaking of, I'm about ten minutes away. I should go ahead and get him heading back too. I pull my hand out of my pocket, with the walkie talkie in hand. I press the button on the side. 
                          
"Hey, Junior, I'll be at the meet place in like ten minutes. Everything okay?" I ask worriedly. 
                          
There's a moment of silence... then another. And another. 
                          
"Junior?" I repeat, stopping in my tracks. 
                          
"Yeah. Sorry, I couldn't figure this thing out for a second. I already started heading back a while ago. I'll be there in like five minutes, maybe. See you then." He replies. 
                          
I sigh loudly, feeling much better about the situation. I'm so glad he's okay. I almost shit myself thinking of all the possibilities of where he could be. I stuff the walkie back in my coat and begin walking again. This time, a little faster than before. 
                          
Tonight, something seemed different. It was quieter than usual. Yeah, it's snowing, but even then, people would be out on the streets. Even at this time of night. But nothing. No people or cars on the streets, along the streets... nothing. Suddenly, I hear the hum of a car behind me. My pace picks up a little, alongside my paranoia. I have a bad feeling. My hand grips the walkie talkie tighter. 
                          
Before I could start running, a black car pulls up beside me, moving at the pace of my jog. My little legs can't run much faster than this. Keep your cool, Stephanie. The windows roll down and two older men and two younger guys sit inside. I start to slow down, but still didn't stop. 
                          
"Hey little lady. You shouldn't be out this late, alone.." The man's words slur together from the backseat. 
                          
The man from the drivers seat yells out the window, but all of his words run together. I furrow my eyebrows, not understanding what he had said. Whatever it was, it must've been pretty funny, considering the entire car began to sound like hyenas. Their laughter explodes from the car and has yet to fade out. I stop in my tracks and turn toward them. The car is at a complete stop now. As soon as the laughter and whispers die down, they all turn their heads to me. 
                          
"Oooh, so funny. Inside jokes, I get it. Get lost." I press my lips together. 
                          
Curiosity takes over every bad feeling I have about the men and I step closer to the car. I take a peek inside and see bottles of beer in each of their hands. My guard goes down for one second, then I feel a hand grip around my left arm. It jerks me into the side of the car. My hands flail out of my coat pockets. The walkie talkie drops into the snow a few feet away from me. 
                          
"Hey!" I yell, trying to push away from the car with my right hand. 
                          
The older man laughs and his grip tightens around my arm. A strong scent of alcohol creeps into my nose, making me want to vomit. All of the men laugh again, giving away what I already know... they're drunk. I try wiggling out of his grasp, but he eases his way through the window to reach his other hand over my mouth. Tears instantly begin streaming down my face. My body is pinned against the side of the car, yet I try desperately to get away. 
                          
"Shh, baby. It'll be okay." He says, telling his friend in the back to get out and grab me. 
                          
The younger guy from the back swings open his door and tries to scoop me into his arms. I start kicking him, but the man already holding me removes his hand from my mouth, grabs a fistful of my hair, and drags my head backward. I squeal, as the younger guy wraps his arms around my entire body and picks me up. Within a matter of seconds, he slings me into the back of the car. My body lands on another guy, but my head slams into the door panel. My vision dazes in and out. I shake my head to regain some sort of control over my thoughts and the situation. The guy climbs back into the car and slams the door behind him. I start kicking and screaming, but the windows go up and the doors lock. It takes both of the men in the back to hold me down. My heart pounds against my chest. 
                          
"Well, boys... looks like we've got ourselves a promising night." The man in the front passenger side grins over his shoulder at me. His eyes tinkle with wickedness. There's another low rumble of laughter. The car shifts into drive, but before we can take off....