Chapter 27

                                    

                                          
Madeline POV

I couldn't take it.

I was so scared. My whole body was shaking so bad that it started to hurt.

What if they came to the room? What if they found me? What if they touched me? What if they hurt me or tried to kill me?

I was okay with them killing me. I just didn’t want them to hurt me. I wouldn't be able to survive it again.

Would the boys really make them leave? Why would they do that? They were their parents. Why would they choose a stranger over their own parents?

They wouldn't. Of course that they wouldn’t. Their parents would make them see sense, and they would let them come here. Their parents would hurt me.

My heart was racing like crazy. It was going to jump out of my chest. I had to hide. I had to hide and run as soon as I could.

I threw the blankets off my body and stood up. My ribs hurt because I moved too quickly. I threw the headphones off and grabbed a blanket. I would need it when I moved back to my tent. I hoped that they wouldn't be too angry because I stole their blanket.

I looked around the room. Where could I even hide? I needed to choose a place I could easily run away from once they came here and realized that I was gone. I needed a place where I could fit easily and where they would never think to look for me.

I remembered one time when my foster father’s friend came to the house. He always enjoyed beating me, but I my foster father already did all sorts of horrible things to me that day, and I couldn't stand another hit. I his under the bathroom sink and waited until they left the house to go buy some beer. I ran away and spent the night in the park. My foster father beat the shit out of me the next day, but at least I had a day to heal a little bit.

I could hide under the bathroom sink again.

I could wait until they left or gave up and went to bed.

I could run.

But I couldn't hid in the bathroom that was adjacent to the room. I had to hid in another bathroom, preferably one in the hallway. That way I would be closer to the front door.

I approached the bedroom door and opened it. I could hear shouting coming from downstairs, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. I didn’t want to hear. I knew that their parents would convince them to get rid of me. Why did I ever thought that they would choose me over their parents? I was an idiot.

I ran down the hallway, opening every door I passed.

On my fourth try, I finally found a bathroom. I looked inside and sighed in relief. There was a sink with a small cupboard underneath. I would fit perfectly inside. I closed the door, rushed toward the cupboard and opened the door.

It was small, but not too small for me to fit inside. I crawled in, wrapped the blanket around my shaking body and closed the door. I could hear someone screaming. I put my hands over my ears and leaned my forehead against my knees.

Were they already screaming for me? Were they already looking for me? What would their parents do to me?

My heart was beating like crazy. My ribs started to hurt.

I needed to run away. I needed to hide. I was an idiot for believing that they would ever choose me over their parents. They loved their parents. Every child loved their parents. I couldn’t find one reason for them to choose me.

Maybe their parents even had a good reason to get rid of me. Maybe I was a terrible child. Maybe I deserved to be left on the side of the road. Maybe I deserved to be abused.

The boys would find out the reason and they would agree with their parents. They would let their parents hurt me.

I moved my hands from my ears. I needed to hear if they had already started looking for me.

I heard footsteps outside the bathroom. I heard their voices.

“Oh, we are definitely taking them to court,” Ryan said. “They are not getting away with it.”

I heard the door opening further down the hall. I heard Milo scream my name.

“Madeline!” he shouted.

“Fuck!” Max screamed.

“Where is she?!” I recognized Ryan’s voice.

“Madeline?!” Sam yelled.

I flinched. I expected more voices. I expected Max and Milo’s parents’ voices. Where were they? Were they waiting downstairs for the boys to bring me to them?

My body started shaking even harder. I wanted to place my hands over my ears, but I needed to hear where they were. I needed to hear so I could run.

I felt tears falling down my cheeks. I gulped the lump in my throat.

“Check every room!” Max screamed.

His voice was louder. He was close.

My heart raced even more. I was sure that he could hear it.

Would he find me?

“Madeline?!” I heard my name being called.

“Maddie, love, they left, it’s okay!” Milo shouted, making me freeze.

They left? Why would they leave? What was he talking about? Was he lying to get me to come out?

“Addie, baby, where are you?” Ryan called me. “It’s okay, Addie. It’s just us.”

It’s just us, Madeline. No one can hear you. No one can save you.

I heard my foster father's voice in my mind and the panic exploded inside of me. I gasped for air. I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t breathe!

I heard the bathroom door open.

“Fuck!” Max exclaimed.

A second later the cupboard door opened and Max wrapped his arms around me.

“I found her!” he shouted as he pulled me out and placed me on his lap.

I couldn't breathe.

“It’s okay, Mads.” Max said as he wrapped me into a tight hug. “It’s okay. No one will hurt you. No one. I promise.”

I didn’t even realize that I was sobbing. That probably gave me away.

Milo, Sam, and Ryan rushed into the bathroom.

Milo threw himself on his knees next to me and Max. He wrapped his arms around me.

“It’s okay, love.” Milo said softly. “They are gone. They can’t hurt you.”

Were they really gone?

“Breathe, Maddie.” Max said as he kissed my temple.

“Where was she?” Sam mumbled.

Max looked up at him and pointed at the cupboard.

“Fuck.” Sam mumbled as he kneeled next to us.

He caressed my cheek gently.

I leaned my head on Max’s shoulder. I was exhausted.

“It’s okay, love.” Sam said softly. “You can sleep if you want to.”

My sobs quieted down. It wasn’t so hard to breathe anymore.

I closed my eyes and tried to take a deep breath.

“She is burning up.” Sam mumbled quietly. “She needs to take a pill and go back to bed.”

Someone placed an arm under my knees and another around my waist.

“Let’s get you back to bed.” Milo said as he stood up with me in his arms.

I was really exhausted. I closed my eyes and drifted back to sleep.