Chapter 6: Runaway Night

"What’s with that look? Is your head acting up again?"

Dad, seeing me glare, slapped me hard across the face.

The blow stung, snapping my head to the side. I tasted blood, my vision swimming. It was always the same—if I didn’t smile, if I didn’t obey, out came the punishment.

Covering my burning cheek, hearing those words—"head acting up"—my body trembled uncontrollably.

I wrapped my arms around myself, fighting off the panic. The old fear was back—cold, electric, unstoppable.

Afraid they’d notice something was off, I grabbed my suitcase and ran away in the middle of the night.

The streetlights glowed as I hurried down Maple Heights Lane, suitcase wheels rattling over the cracked sidewalk. My breath puffed in the cold night air. I didn’t stop walking until the house was just a speck behind me.