Marley

Chapter One

Cheyenne POV:

"Where are we going Cheyenne?" My eight year old brother, Jack, asked as I packed our bags. "We're going on a trip." I replied. "Is daddy coming?" He asked. "No, baby. It's just you and me." I said.

My father had been abusive toward my brother and I our entire lives. Now that I've graduated, I'm taking Jack away from here.

"Will he be angry that we're leaving?" Jack asked. "You don't have to worry about that, sweetheart. I'll make sure he never hurts you again." I said.

I looked at my watch and realized we only had ten minutes before dad got home so I had to hurry.

"Jack, grab a few of your toys that you want to take with you, okay? Just a few. We don't have much more time before we need to leave." I told him as I shoved all the clothes in the suit cases. "Okay." He said, running to his room.

Jack came back a few minutes later with a small bag filled with his toys.

"Ready." He said as he walked back into my bedroom. "Okay, baby. Let's go." I said and grabbed his hand.

I started up the car once I got Jack buckled into the back seat and pulled out of the driveway.

After a few hours of driving, we crossed over into the Tennessee state line.

"I'm tired, Cheyenne." Jack said, quietly. "Okay, honey. We'll find somewhere to stop." I replied.

After a while, I pulled into a run down motel.

I picked up my sleeping brother from the back seat, paid for the room and gently placed him on the bed.

I sat on the edge and just watched him sleep. Where were we going to go?

I didn't have much money saved up and I needed to find a way to get Jack some food.

When I went to the bathroom to take a shower, I looked in the mirror and saw the fresh bruise on my cheek from the night before.

After getting in, I broke down into tears. I did what I had to in order to keep Jack safe but we were homeless with nowhere to go.

I never thought about what dad would do when he came home and found us gone. I didn't think about what would happen to me when he found out. I never thought of the consequences.

I don't know how long I sat on the shower floor, but when I got out, I was completely drained.

I got changed into something more comfortable to sleep in and lied down next to Jack, who was still sleeping soundly.

"Everything is going to be fine, baby. I promise." I said, quietly, giving him a soft kiss on his forehead.

The next morning, I took Jack to a small, local diner to grab some breakfast.

"Did you sleep well last night, Jacky?" I asked. "Yeah." He said, taking a small bite of his pancakes.

"Cheyenne, do we have to go home?" Jack asked me. "Do you want to go home?" I asked.

Jack sadly shook his head, staring at his plate.

"No. Daddy scares me." He replied. "Jack." I said as I took his hand. "We don't ever have to go back there if you don't want to." I told him. "Where are we going to live?" He asked. "You let me worry about that, okay?" I asked. "Okay." He said and nodded.

Weather we had somewhere to go or not, I would never make Jack go back to that son of a bitch we call a father. Jack was my  son and no one would ever take him from me.

"I love you, Jacky." I told him. "I love you, too." He replied with a soft smile.

I would make damn sure my boy would never be in danger again. No matter what it took, I would keep him safe, even if it cost me my own life.