Chapter One

A Chapter by Millie Lorwood

I walked into school cautiously, but hiding it as usual. I dreaded seeing them today. I tried to avoid them the best I can but they always find me again. My converse clicked against the tiles and echoed through the long hallway as I wished to be at home and sleeping. I was late, yet again. My teachers were going to kill me, but detention actually helped my situation. I come to school late so I don’t have to deal with them in the morning and I don’t have to deal with them after school. They were probably too stupid to even realize what I was doing. But I couldn’t avoid them forever, obviously. They were probably going to wait outside, maybe today they’ll figure it out.

"Why, look what we have here, boys." The voice made me jump 10 feet in the air. I knew that voice; it was all too familiar.

I whipped around in fear.

"Zayn," I muttered. His usual smirk grew larger.

"Sykes," he greeted slowly. His voice was dripping with venom. Niall, Liam, Harry, and Louis had their arms crossed, smirking also. Zayn's breath smelled of alcohol and cigarettes. I didn't look at him and looked at my shoes. They were going to kill me. I was going to die.

"Now," Louis said, stepping beside Zayn and narrowing his eyes at me. "What have you got for us today, Sykes?" I didn't answer. My silence angered them.

Zayn pushed me against the brick wall. Hard. "Tell us. Now," he growled. I bit my lip so I didn't cry.

Don't cry.

Niall rolled his eyes, coming up to me and slapping me across the face. My head whipped to the side, setting my other cheek on the cool bricks.

"You're going to tell us what you know," he growled at me, his Irish accent thicker than it usually was. I still refused, and a tear sliding down my cheek.

"Hold her, Liam."

Liam walked up to me, tearing me from the wall, locking his arms around mine in a killer grip so his chest was touching my bruised back. My breathing started to quicken, becoming heavier.

All I remember was pain. Everywhere. On my face mostly, but on my shins, and my scalp, and my stomach, and my arms from Liam's death grip. I wanted to scream; but if I did, they would kill me. But whatever. I'll be killed either way.

I felt Liam's grip around my arms loosen, and I took the chance.

I swung my leg backwards, hitting him in the balls. His grip dropped and he fell to the floor in serious pain as I took off running.

"GET HER!" Harry's voice yelled. I kept running and running, down streets and weaving through neighborhoods. I don't know how long I was running, but it was a long, long time, and my lungs were bursting, my throat dry, and my legs aching. And when I looked back, when I even dared to look back, they were gone.

I caught my breath, setting my hands on my knees. The pain in my face had reduced and my back was against a wall of a church.

And I felt two arms grab me from behind.