Annabelle

Annabelle ran from the house, tears streaming down her young face. Her mother's husband was on a drinking binge again and Annabelle had made him mad. She wasn't sure what she had done this time, but whatever it was, she paid dearly.

Her bottom lip was bleeding, and her head hurt. She knew that the next morning she would have new bruises to add to her collection from the multiple other drunken beatings she had received from him.

Nothing she did was right. She hoped and prayed that one day he would just finish her off, or that she never wake up. She didn't understand how her mother could stay with someone like that.

As she walked on she decided that tonight would be the night that she would runaway. Being only 14, she knew that she would struggle. But anything was better than staying in that house another day. She headed back to the house with her head held high and a determined look upon her face.

Inside, she was jumping for joy, because he would never be able to hurt her again. If her mother wanted to stay and put up with it, that was her decision. Annabelle, however, was done with it, and wasn't going to stay anymore.

She packed as many belongings as she could in her backpack and shoulder bag. While the majority of what she packed was clothing, she made sure to pack her journal and her most prized possessions: the beautiful flower stationary her dad had given her for the Christmas before he died, pictures of her and her father together, and a family photo. The family photo was incredibly special because it was the last picture of them, as a family, before he got sick.

How she missed him. "If only he was still here," she thought. "I wouldn't be doing this. I wouldn't have to do this."

He had never raised his voice to her, let alone hit her. She had been a daddy's girl. Cancer doesn't care if you are a good person. Doesn't care if you are a loving father with a young daughter. It doesn't care that people need their loved ones. All cancer does is kill.

Tears silently escaped her dark brown eyes. "If only," she thought.

She would do this for him. She had to live and make him proud. Wiping the tears off the back of her hand, she grabbed the last remaining items and threw on her favorite hoodie.

Annabelle swore she could still smell her father on the hoodie. It had been his favorite as well.

Despite two years passing since his death, and it having been washed several times, his scent was still there. Wearing it made her feel safe and secure, as though he were hugging her once again.

Annabelle grabbed her things, looked around her room one last time, and left. Her mother and stepfather were passed out drunk on the couch and love seat. She looked at them, shaking her head. "Idiots," she thought.

At the door, she slowly turned the knob... not for fear of waking them, as she knew they could sleep through a tornado after a binge. No, she wanted to remember her escape.

The cool air enveloped her as she stepped out to freedom. And took her first deep breath of freedom, her heart racing.

She looked up and down the street. The street lights had came on. The days had begun getting shorter as summer turned into fall. Leaves were changing colors, making the trees look as though they are on fire. "Beautiful," Annabelle thought. This was her favorite time of year, and her favorite time of day: sunset.

Walking out of her development, the only destination she was sure of was her father's grave. She hadn't been allowed to go there for months. She knew he was always with her, and that he wasn't really at the grave, at least not spiritually; but it was comforting for her to know that there was a place to go to be with him.

The cemetery was only ten minutes from her house. Cars drove past her without even a little glance. For that, she was thankful. She didn't want any nosey people stopping to ask questions. She wasn't going back to that house ever again, no matter what.

The sky was a beautiful red with clouds of pink and purple. Annabelle was mesmerized by the beauty, making her walk seem even shorter.

When she entered the cemetery, she looked around to see if there were others visiting their family and friends. Seeing no one, she headed to the mausoleum. Her father was buried just to the right side of it.

As she walked she looked at all the different headstones. There were regular ones and intricate ones. Her favorite was a child's stone. It was an angel standing over a child. By the dates on the stone, she determined that the child was only eight. She stopped at the site momentarily to pay her respects before continuing on.

When she arrived at his grave site she noticed that the weeds were growing around his headstone. She began pulling them out. Her father had loved gardening and she knew that having the weeds pulled would make him happy. Once she was finished, she sat down and leaned against it.

"Daddy, how I wish you were here. I miss you so much. I'm sorry that I haven't been to see you for a while. I'm not sure when I will be able to come back to see you again. I am leaving for a while," Annabelle sighed. "I am sure that you are probably disappointed that I didn't try to stick it out longer, but I couldn't take it anymore. And I know that you are proud of me for standing up, and making the decision to leave to try to make a better life for myself."

Tears fell down her cheeks as she continued. "I want you to be proud of me. I'm sorry that I couldn't stay there longer and be with mom. But, she made her choice when she decided to stay with and marry that drunk."

She refused to call him a man because he wasn't one in her eyes. No man would treat people the way that he does.

"I wish that mom would have left him a long time ago. But I guess that she is just trying to fill the void that was created when you left. Maybe one day, daddy. Maybe one day I will be able to go back to see her."

She continued to cry, her eyes were getting heavy from exhaustion.

"I think that I will stay here with you tonight. I am going to miss you more than ever. However, I know that this is the right choice for me to be able to survive and make you proud. I know that you will always be with me. When I am older, I hope and pray that I will find a man who loves me the way that you loved mom. A man who will love our children the way that you loved me."

Annabelle sobbed harder as she continued, "You were the best father that anyone could ask for. I love you, daddy."

She cried herself to sleep, curled up to her fathers headstone. That night, she felt a release and a peace come over her. She slept the best that she had in the two years since her father had been gone. She also made a vow that she would name her first born son after her father.

When Annabelle woke the next morning she felt refreshed. She said goodbye to her father and headed to the exit. Once again, she stopped at the child's headstone. This time, she decided to weed around it too. As she finished and prepared to leave, an elegant woman caught her eye. The woman was approaching the grave.

"May I help you, child?" she asked.

"No, ma'am. I was just weeding around this stone. It's so beautiful. I wanted to remove the weeds and show the young boy that although he is gone he is still special." Annabelle responded shyly. She silently hoped that the woman would not suspect that she was a runaway.

"That is very sweet of you. Why are you here so early?" the woman asked inquisitively.

"Visiting my father's grave, ma'am." Annabelle replied. Her stomach was in knots. "Have a good day," she said as she started to walk away.

"He's my son," the woman said. " I thank you for cleaning his headstone. Unfortunately, I have neglected it since becoming ill. My youngest son does what he can do to help take care of me, but he refuses to come here. One day, I will be with my little Theo. For now, however, Jasper is all that I have." Her voice weary and sad.

Annabelle looked up into the face. She had never imagined that she would meet someone so elegant, let alone the mother of this young boy. The woman couldn't be more than forty. Yet, when Annabelle looked into her eyes she could see the wisdom within. She could also see the pain and the beginning of life draining from her. She knew the look all too well. It was the same look that in her fathers eyes the last few months before he died.

"How did he pass? If you don't mind me asking."

"He and Jasper were playing cowboys and Indians in the woods. Jasper was the Indian while Theo was the cowboy. Jasper ran at Theo to attack him, playfully. They didn't realize that there was a rock hidden beneath some leaves. Theo tripped and hit his head on the rock. According to the doctors, he died instantly and felt no pain." She paused, as though seeing it all over again. "Our family was never the same."

"I still remember his smile and the sparkle of his blue eyes when he laughed. He was only eight," she said as tears began to creep down his cheeks.

Annabelle could see that despite all the years that had gone by, the pain of losing her son had not left. Annabelle had hoped that the pain she felt from losing her father would go away, or at least be less intense over time. Now, she knew that the pain would never end.

"Oh, look at me," the woman exclaimed,"I'm a mess. I'm sorry dear. I didn't mean to break down on you. You don't need to hear about an old woman's past. Tell me child, what is your name?"

Annabelle hesitated for a moment, debating on rather she should give her name or make one up. In the end, she decided to be honest. "Annabelle. and you are?"

"Such a beautiful name for suck a lovely young lady. My name is Branwen."

"It is a pleasure to meet you. I must be on my way. Enjoy time with your son."

Branwen reached out and touched her arm. "Would you like to go and get breakfast with me? I'd rather not eat alone. It would be my treat."

Annabelle was hungry and, until that moment, realized that she had not put much thought in how she was going to eat. She thought about it for a moment and decided that it would not hurt to accept Branwens offer. Especially since she was not sure when her next warm meal would be. "Thank you, that would be lovely."

Branwen touched the angel stone one last time, before taking Annabelle's hand and heading toward the entrance.

Once outside the gate, they walked to Branwens car. Annabelle paused before getting too close. She was worried that she was too dirty to get into the shiny, black Mercedes.

Seeming to read her mind, Branwen opened the door for Annabelle, and gestured for her to get in.

They made small talk as they headed into town. The closer they came to the city limits, the more anxious Annabelle became. She was worried that someone would see her and attempt to make them stop. Luck seemed to be with her this morning. Not only did no one see her, Branwen continued driving rather than stopping at a restaurant in town.

It wasn't long before they were driving through the richer outskirts. Annabelle looked at the gated communities with their luxurious houses. She dreamed of one day living in a house such as these. She knew that it was just a dream, and could never be a reality, but she was okay with that.

The car slowed, bringing Annabelle out of her daydream. Branwen had turned the car into a perfectly manicured driveway. Not far from the entrance stood a gate that said "Cliffton Country Club" and had an intercom system.

As Branwen entered her entry code, and the gates groaned to life, Annabelle started getting nervous. "I don't belong in a place like this," she thought. She knew that she would stand out, especially the way she was dressed. In her anxiety, she didn't notice that the car had started moving again.

Branwen gave her a reassuring glance. "Don't worry, darling, it will be fine. There's a small clothing shop inside where I can get you other clothes, if that would make you more comfortable."

Annabelle was dumbfounded. How could she have known what was going through her head? Before she could think of something to say a young man in a burgundy vest was opening her door.

Stepping out of the car, she admired her surroundings. Everything seemed perfect and elegant. She wondered if all of this was just a dream. She felt that it had to be one because things like this do not happen to people like her.

Branwen walked around the car and put her hand on Annabelle's shoulder. With a gentle smile, she led Annabelle towards the door.

Just in front of the door, Annabelle froze. "I can't go in there looking like this. I will only embarrass you. I'm sorry."

Branwen gave a hushed giggle. "Don't be silly, Annabelle. I do not care what these people think. But, if it bothers you so, we can purchase you an outfit at the shop. And if you want to take a shower, you can use the private gym showers."

Still unsure of what to think about everything, Annabelle hesitated in her response. "Are you sure?" she asked. "Are you sure that it's not too much trouble? I really do not want to put you out. I do not have the money to buy new things, especially anything from such a rich place as this."

Branwen, gently, brought her closer to her. Her eyes sparkled when Annabelle looked at her. "Annabelle, if I did not want to do something, I wouldn't suggest it. So, let's get in here and see what we can find for you and then we will get us some breakfast. And no more worrying about things. I have it covered!"

Everything seemed like a dream. Despite the initial anxiety, Annabelle thoroughly enjoyed herself, and enjoyed the company of the elder woman. She felt that she was finally being heard, and that she was actually wanted as more than the punching bag and slave that her mother and mother's boyfriend had treated her as the past two years. Branwen treated her like a human being. She spoke to her as an equal.

To Branwen, Annabelle wasn't just some kid, or even a child. Branwen saw her as the young woman that she was. For the first time in years she felt as though she had finding found a purpose. She had known from the moment that she had seen Annabelle pulling the weeds at her son's grave that Annabelle was meant to be with her.

After breakfast, Branwen convinced Annabelle, quite easily this time, to allow her to take her shopping.

Annabelle found herself getting very comfortable with Branwen. There was something about her that reminded Annabelle of her father.

While Branwen had wanted to take Annabelle to the posh outlets, Annabelle was able to convince her to go to the big mall in the next town.

They walked around for a few hours talking, and going in and out of the stores. Branwen felt young again, and Annabelle felt like she had a parent back. After grabbing lunch at the food court, Annabelle decided that it was probably best for her to part ways with Branwen. She knew that she needed to figure out what she was going to do, where she was going to stay. She had picked this mall for a reason. It was a city. The mall was close to the hotels, homeless shelters, Salvation Army, and other resources that would help her and keep her safe from what she had ran from.

Branwen had another idea though. She had known that Annabelle was a runaway. She had also known that Annabelle had ran away from home because of abuse. And she knew that Annabelle not only needed protection, but that all she really wanted was to be loved and happy. Throughout the entire day, Branwen had been working a plan out in her mind. She thought that she had found the perfect reason for Annabelle to agree to her plan. And, she hoped, more than anything, that Annabelle would agree without much of an argument.

"Annabelle?"

"Yes?"

"What would you think about coming to stay with me for a little while? I know that you left your home, Annabelle. I know, at least I think I know, part of the reason why you ran away from home. Honestly, I can't say that I blame you. But I also know that you're not 18 yet, and that you really don't have anywhere to go, or anyone that you can turn to. I have a huge house, plenty of time and money. I have plenty of connections to help to keep you from having to go back to what you left. I can help you, Annabelle, if you will let me. What do you say?"

Branwen had made it a point not to give Annabelle a chance to interrupt her, or a chance to stop her from finishing what she had to say. She wanted her to hear her out and know that she meant what she said.

Annabelle was flabbergasted. She could not have asked for a better offer. However, she couldn't help but feel that the offer was too good to be true. In fact, she thought that the whole day was too good to be true.

She looked up at Branwen, "Are you sure? Are you sure that you want to put yourself out there for me? A girl you don't know? Are you sure that you want to take care of a kid, that's not yours? Are you sure that you want to possibly face a legal battle?" She wanted so much to accept the offer, wanted so much to be loved. Yet she was afraid.

Branwen just smiled and shook her head. She could see the decision in Annabelle's eyes, and knew that she had won. Annabelle was going to come home with her and her plan was beginning to take better form.

"Yes," Annabelle said. "Yes, I will come and stay with you. But can we start it as a trial basis before doing anything too permanent? We have had a great day, but you may end up changing your mind and not liking me. I don't want to go through everything just to have it fall apart. Would that be okay?"

"Of course, darling." Branwen answered. "I'm going to call my son and have him have a room prepared for you!"

"Your son? He lives with you?"

"I thought that I had told you that he helped take care of me. He comes and goes, but for all intents and purposes, yes, he lives with me. My house is quite large, and he's at school during the week, so you won't see him though the day. And I am certain that once you get to know him, you will absolutely love him."

****CHAPTER 2 COMING SOON****