Ana Rodgers:The One You Least Expect, Chapter 4

Chapter 4
"Wait for me on the other side of the road alright pumpkin, i'll catch up...."

''I cried, not wanting to move. I stood there with my father surrounded in flames. He pushed me out of the door and told me to run again. Go he shouted, go and i'll see you on the other side...''

''I finally ran out of the burning house and burst through the fence in our front yard. I ran onto the road but I quickly turned when I heard a mangled scream come from the house. "No!," I screamed and started running towards the house. But it was too late, as the house started collapsing, trapping my father inside. ''

''The monster emerged from the burnt house and gave a bone rattling roar. I stopped, and started running the other way calling for help. I tripped over a piece of wood and twisted my ankle. I dared a look over my shoulder, but the beast vanished, as if was some kind of magic trick. I crawled up to the road and collapsed. I heard sirens, but they sounded as if they were a far ways away. Then I passed out.''

I woke with a start. I looked around and remembered where I was. I wasn't twelve, that was five years ago, it was the past, the night my father died. I've been having that same dream a lot lately. I rubbed my eyes and looked at eh clock sitting on the nightstand. It was 8:15 AM. I guess I got to sleep in a little bit today. When I was in Juvy, they woke you up at 7:00 AM and no later than 7:30 every morning. I slowly got out of bed and walked out of my room and went out into the living room.

Jiao was eating a bagel at the dining room table, and Mary was making coffee. When Mary noticed me, she smiled in greeting.

"Well hello, how are you this morning? Sleep well?"

"Yeah," I lied.

"Well I made you something to eat," Mary said proudly. "You like oatmeal right?"

"Yeah. Oatmeal is good, thanks."

We sat there in silence until Jiao piped up, "You don't talk much do you Aria?," not even looking up from her vogue magazine.

I shifted uncomfortably, "It's Ana."

Jiao rolled her eyes, "Whatever." She got up from the table and grabbed her bag from kitchen counter. "Well we have to go to work. Can you clean up the table while were gone, just put the dishes in the dishwasher. Oh and while were gone, don't steal any of our stuff, thank you very much."

"Jiao!," Mary snapped.

Jiao ignored her an walked out of the door. Mary sighed and cleaned up the table.

"Is she always like that," I asked.

Mary didn't answer, but I had bad feeling that she did. I could see it in Mary's face.

"I'll put the dishes away, if you want," I offered. Mary smiled, "thanks, and i'll be back at lunchtime, so you can just hang out until then." She walked out and I stood there in the middle of the kitchen not knowing what to do. I started by putting the dishes away and got ready for the day.

I came back out into the living room and looked around. I turned on the news but after a half hour I did not hear anything about me which was good. I noticed an Ipod connected to a cord leading to the wall. Curiously, I walked over and turned it on. All of the sudden music blared throughout the apartment. I quickly turned it down, which was stupid since nobody else was here. Then I kind of went a little crazy. I turned the TV down and turned the music up really loud, and danced all around the living room. I jumped on couches, I busted out some moves on coffee tables, leaped over chairs, and threw pillows. I did not know why I felt so energetic. I guess when you've been locked up for five years, you just want to let loose. Go crazy, and have fun, that's your goal. I was jamming out to what I think was P!nk when I saw my face on the TV. I quickly turned the music down and unmuted the TV.

A reporter was standing in front of the homeless shelter...

"Yesterday afternooon, 17 year old Ana Rodgers managed to slip away from the Juvenille Detention Center's field trip after an attack by an unidentified animal. Detective James Nelson reports that she smashed a window, climbed out of it to escape, then ran off, assuming she had something to do with the attack on the shelter just to cause a distraction. Police have been searching all night for the missing teen, but so far they have not found one trace of evidence leading to where she might be. Ana was charged 20 years in prison for trapping her father in her house and lighting it on fire just a little ways outside of St Louis, Mississippi. She was only 12 years of age at the time-"

I quickly turned off the TV. I felt like I was going to throw up. Now the word was out there, and Mary and Jiao would eventually find out what happened, and turn me in. I quickly got up and was about to grab something to eat to ease my stomach, before I heard a knock on the door.

"NYPD! Open up, we just have some questions," A familiar voice yelled. James. He knocked again. "I know somebody is in there, I heard the TV."

Crap!

I thought, ''it's the coppers! ''I slowly sat on the couch when I suddenly heard Jiao talking. She exchanged words with James for a minute before she opened the door, "I'm telling you, I don't know what you're talking about, I never watch the news. Besides, there is not a murderer living in my-"

I jumped up from behind the couch and ran for the guest bedroom. "Hey!," James yelled, "Stop!"

I ran into the guest bedroom and locked the door behind me. I looked for a place to hide when I almost jumped out of my skin. James was pounding on the door, demanding me to let him in. Please, I wasn't that stupid. I opened the window and climbed out on the ledge. I forgot that I was on the very top floor of the building until I looked down.

"Great," I growled, "Nice one!"

I heard James shouting. "Ana, I know you're in there, you've got nowhere to go come out!" I heard Jiao screaming, "get out of my house you freak! What are you doing?! What are you even talking about?!"

And if things could not get worse, I heard James kick the door down. I kept sliding away from the window on my little half-a-foot wide ledge. His head appeared out of the window.

"Come on Ana, let's just make this easier for everyone. Come back over here and we'll go back."

I looked him straight in the eye and said, "I will never go back with you."

And as if to prove my point, I did the dumbest thing that could possibly be done. I jumped.