10/2/2017

Bruised

Writings

From a Bruised Life

By Jacinta Boomsma

I looked down at the page I was writing, and then in an instant it was crumpled up in my fist
and thrown onto the already-high pile of scrap paper. Why couldnt I get it right? I was sitting
sideways on my bed with my back against the wall trying to think of what to write next (it
was a habit of mine to sit this way when I was writing).

Hey Gin! I looked up to see Brian standing in the doorway,.

My full name is Ginger Stone but I just get called Gin for short. Brian is the oldest in our
family; I have two brothers and one sister. Brian, who is 23, Judy 20, and Dally 18. I come in
at 15; the youngest in the family.

Brian and I dont get along too well; he seems to think I need putting into line.......I mean, he
treats me like Im a ten-year-old! I know I may be reckless at times, but I try to be good! I
dont get along too well with Judy either; shes as vain as a peacock! I just cant stand the
way she stands in front of the mirror and stares at herself with that adoring look! Dallys the
only one I get along with, we hang out together most of the time (when hes not working). I
simply adore him! Hes the only one who treats me with respect; he doesnt ignore me, or
talk condescendingly to me like the rest of the family do. And even though hes two years
older than me he treats me like Im the same age as him! Dallys great; he can turn anything
thats plain-boring into fun. I dont know how, but he just does! Hes a fun guy to hang
around; I dont think Ive ever seen him unhappy or depressed! I dont know how he does it,
especially living in our situation!

Anyways......as I looked up at Brians sour face, I thought Now what does he want?. My
thoughts must have shown on my face because Brian suddenly took a step into the room
saying, Look I didnt traipse all the way up the stairs to have an argument with my fifteen-
year-old kid brother! One smart word and Ill give you something that you wont forget in a
hurry. I put on a dont care look but all the same I didnt say anything. I knew very well
what happened if you ignored Brians warnings......the last time I did, I had a sore back and a
big bruise on my cheek for a whole month!

Seeing that I wasnt going to say anything, Brian retreated back towards the door, saying in

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disgust as he did, This place is a mess, why dont you clean it up sometime, huh? I opened
my mouth to say that his room was worse than mine, but one look at his face made me keep
my mouth shut.

Brian leaned against the door with a smug look on his face and then said: Not going to say
anything? Good kid! Thats what I like!

I went red with exasperation, trying hard not blurt out something smart. A dozen things to say
floated into my brain, but I pushed them out. I looked back down at my page trying to pretend
that he wasnt there. It was quite obvious that Brian was just trying to get me annoyed; he
looked intoxicated with alcohol or something. I could feel his eyes watching me and he was
tapping his fingers on the door while humming some dumb sounding tune. I was so
frustrated! I cant stand people singing or talking to me when Im reading and writing; its
like a misophonic feeling. Dally understands that about me, thats one of the reasons we get
along so good, he understands most things.

GINGER! I jumped as Brian yelled at me.

This was one of the many things that annoyed me about him. He knew I was jumpy! Ever
since that car crash two years ago, my nerves had gone on me and I jumped at the slightest
noise. I was constantly trying to hide it, but it was hard! I looked up at Brian with an annoyed
expression on my face and blurted out, Well are you going to say something or just stand
there annoying me for the rest of the day!

I regretted it the moment the words left my mouth. Brian glared at me out of his startling
green eyes, and then in one swift action had crossed the distance between us and given me a
hard slap across my face. I let out a yell and hit out with my fist, punching him in the ribs.
Then it was all a jumble of crazy, punching, kicking and hitting. Just as thought I could
possibly get out of it, Brian managed to grab firm hold of a tuft of my blonde hair. It hurt like
hell! He pulled it hard, thrusting my head back. I tried to reach out and punch him, but he has
longer arms than me. He was just about to hit me again when the phone in his pocket rung.
He let go of the hold he had on my hair and snatched it up.

I climbed back onto my bed panting. I was hurting all over! I was close to tears. I wanted to
cry so badly, but there was no way I was going to let Brian see me do that! It looked like he
was in some sort of trouble; his face looked a bit pale and he was sweating. I didnt care! All
I wanted was for him to leave me alone and stop hurting me. Brian suddenly slapped his
phone shut with a loud exclamation of annoyance, and then looked over at me with a strange
expression on his face, saying, Ive got to go; youre lucky you got off this time because it
wont happen again!

I just looked at him with a bored look on my face and then turned away. Brian was just about
to go out of the room when he stopped and said: Before I go, mum said to tell you shes
going out, and to tell you not get into any trouble like last time.

I didnt say anything back to this and just continued to look like I wasnt paying any attention
at all. Brian gave one of his Whatever exclamations, and then ran quickly out of the room

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slamming the door behind him, making me jump again. I looked up angrily at the closed
door, and then sighed. I was so relieved! I was on my own for the rest of the afternoon.

I didnt exactly like being on my own, I liked to know that the sudden loud noise I heard
were made by my family not something else. But being on my own was better than having to
deal with a half drunken older brother for the rest of the afternoon. The last time (as Brian
had said) was about a month ago. I had gotten into trouble, but not on purpose!

I had been left at home by myself, and having nothing to do, had gone to see a film at the
cinemas with a group of friends. On the way home, I had been dared into climbing through
the station masters cabin window and popping a live cricket into his open mouth while he
was asleep. I had accepted, because I knew he could sleep through anything (including a loud
train coming into the station) and he was pretty old, so that even if I was caught, I could
easily get away. He has a bad phobia of insects and I thought it would be funny!

But as it turned out, it was anything but funny! Old Peter or Crank (as my friends and I
called him) had woken up before I could get the cricket even close to his mouth! I learned
that day what it was like to get a whipping; and even though Crank looked old and frail, he
sure could hit hard! Crank had shut the window before I could escape, and had given me a
sound thrashing with his whip.

He ended up in calling the police telling them that some hooligan had tried to rob him. I
think the worst part of the whole ordeal was the embarrassment and disappointment on
Dallys face when he came to pick me up at 3:00 in the morning. They had held me for 7
hours. I was just lucky that when they interrogated me that the (now dead) cricket was still in
my pocket, otherwise I would have been in hot water! I was very careful when accepting
dares after that escapade.

I slid off the bed, drew up the blinds and thrust open the window. A gush of fresh air and
sunlight flooded into my room. I took a glance at the mirror that stood next to the window at
my reflection. I was a mess! My hair was all over the place, my clothing was all ruffled and I
had a large red welt on my face where Brian had hit me. It was slowly going purple and
would probably be a big bruise by tomorrow. What would Dally say? He would see that
Brian had hit me and would probably get annoyed, like he always did when Brian did that.

Im really glad that I have Dally to stick up for me; hes strong (he goes to the gym and
works out every day), tall and well-built. Hes stronger than Brian (who would probably be
stronger if he wasnt so drunk all the time) which is lucky, because when he beats me up, he
always gets into hot water when Dally gets home. So even though it hurts like the dickens
when Brian hits me, its always comforting to know that hell get his fair share from Dally
when he hears about it!

I know Ive said this before, but I really mean it! Dally is the best brother someone could ever
have. I wish I was more like him, and in more ways than one! Hes really handsome; in fact,
all of my siblings are. Brian looks like dad; dark hair, tall and muscular, with broad shoulders
and face, dark green eyes and tanned skin. Judy looks like mum, (I wouldnt say this to her

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face though; make her get a bigger head than shes already got!) shes one of the prettiest
girls in town! Shes got thick auburn hair, beautiful startling blue eyes and a good figure.
Dally doesnt look like mum or dad. Where he got his blonde hair from, I dont know! He
looks like a movie star, what with his golden-blonde hair and mixed hazel eyes!

Im of the boring type, or so I think, blonde hair and brown eyes. I dont really know who I
take after! But I sure do wish I looked like Dally or even Brian. I almost feel sometimes like
Dallys my father. Hes so responsible and fatherly to me. Hes probably the only thing thats
stable in my life; everyone else I know is either blindly drunk all the time, depressed, on
drugs, or just plain bad.

We live in a pretty bad situation. I don't really know what happened; I was only a baby at the
time and no one seems to want to talk about it now. All I know is from what Dally has told
me.

Basically, the story went, that Mum and Dad split up just after I was born. I think it had
something to do with me. No one has ever told me that; I just have that opinion. I dont think
Dad wanted anymore kids and Mum did! Mum was the one who had me in her stomach, so
she decided, not Dad.....And obviously, as you can see, I was born. I don't really know who to
blame for Dad leaving us..... I think Brian and Judy think its my fault, thats why they treat
me so bad. To them Im just the little nuisance who caused all the trouble. Sometimes I
wonder if it would have better if I wasnt born!

I get depressed a lot......I just cant help it! I guess thats why I read so much......when I read,
its like the whole world and all my troubles disappear and Im suddenly in some faraway
place, in someones elses life. I also enjoy writing books. When I write, I like to make things
in the characters lifes just perfect, like I wish my life was. Good homes, nice clothes and a
loving family, to name a few.

I dont really know what Mum thinks about the whole thing, I hardly ever talk to her, and she
hardly ever talks to me! Shes mostly in her room with the door locked or slumped on the
couch watching television. When she does talk to me, its only to scold me for getting into
trouble, or not keeping my room clean! I dont really know what its like to have good
parents or a good home; we live at the bottom of Bray Street, on an overgrown, grass-as-
high-as-the-front-windows, type of yard.

We dont have hot water, and the electricity goes out at 5:00 in the afternoon. I cant
remember the last time I had a home cooked meal; it's mostly just takeaway, and things
bought from the local Spa. I think you could definitely say we live on the slum side of
Chicago.

I go to school, but where the funds come from I dont know! I dont excel much at school;
most of my marks are Cs or D pluses. I could get As if I tried, but I suppose I dont really
care about those sorts of things in life. Dally is always trying to get me to work harder and I
do....for a while....but then I slack off again. When I get into one of my moods I get really
irritable. The smallest things can make me snap; its especially bad when Brian starts being

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smart to me. I just explode.

Dally suffers sometimes from these moods of mine. I feel bad about it now, but sometimes I
tell him to go away and stop bothering me. I know hes just trying to help me, but I know
there is nothing anyone can do or say to make me feel better. I feel depressed and theres
nothing to help me; Ill keep on feeling depressed until I get the strength to get myself out of
it. You can probably see why I am such a difficult person to deal with; it makes it worse
because I know Im someone who is difficult, but theres nothing I can do to stop myself
from being that person. Its so frustrating!

As I stood looking out of the window at the sinking sun, I wondered where Dally was. He
was usually home by this time! I decided to go down to the fridge and see if there was
anything to eat as I was quite hungry. The house was quiet and eerie. I dont know why, but I
started to feel uneasy. I found some leftovers in the fridge, which was green curry and rice
(one of my favourites) and heated it up in a pan on the stove. I put it into a bowl and headed
back upstairs to my room, grabbing a can of orange Fanta and a block of dark orange
chocolate for a snack later. I love orange Fanta and anything that taste like oranges. Its
probably the reason Im called Ginger.

Mum and Dad had strange ways of deciding what they called their kids. Brian was called
Brian because his favourite character on a TV show when he was little was called Brambly
Brian. And Judy got her name from a Punch and Judy puppet she got as a kid. I think Dally
was the only one who didnt get his name from somewhere silly. I suppose I was called
Ginger because Mum used to give me ginger pops when I was little (apparently I loved them,
I hate them now). Strange, I know! But I like my name; its unusual. Id rather have it, then
some dumb-sounding name like Billy or Decoda. It suits me!

I climbed up onto bed being careful not to spill my hot curry, and put the chocolate and Fanta
on my dresser. I was just lifting my first spoonful to my mouth, when a loud crash and a ton
of banging noises coming from downstairs startled me. I jumped, spilling some of my meal
onto the bed sheets. I suppressed a cry as some of it splashed onto my bare arm, burning me!
The sound of someone climbing the stairs to my room scared me to death! I knew it wasnt
Brian or Mum; they had only left like 15 minutes ago and there was no way they would be
back that quick! It couldnt be Judy! She hardly ever came up to Dallys and my room, unless
it was to complain that someone had been into her DVDs or eaten her ice-cream! Could it be
Dally?.......No! Dally never (and when I say never, I mean NEVER!) came into the house
like that! You always knew it was him because he would always come home whistling or
singing on top note, and would usually yell that he was back. No! It wasnt Dally, I was sure
of it! This was different.......I was really scared! I looked around the room quickly, searching
for something to defend myself with. I spotted one of Dallys old golf clubs and picked that
up. I could have kicked myself for not locking the door when I came back into the room! The
footsteps came closer and I braced myself. The door swung open and there stood......

Dally! I almost shouted I thought you were a....... I stopped. Something was wrong; he
looked awful!

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His usually combed back hair was all over the place and his face wore a blank scared
expression; like a small puppy thats been kicked and then shoved in a corner. I tried to meet
his eyes, but he wouldnt look at me! He walked into the room with his head hung, closing
and locking the door behind him. Then without a word to me, he walked over to his dresser
pulled out one of his drawers and began stuffing some of his clothing into an old back-pack
of his.

Dally? I said in a scared whisper, touching his arm lightly. Whats wrong?

He jumped at my touch and then slowly backed away from me, as though I was some
monster or something. The expression on his face was terrifying! Something was seriously
wrong! He sat down slowly onto his bed, and then to my utter surprise, covered his face with
his hands and began to sob uncontrollably!

Dally, I said, shaking his shoulders Dally, stop it! Youre scaring me; whats wrong?

He quieted his sobbing and tried to stop his hands from shaking, but the scared expression did
not leave his face. I could see that he was in some sort of shock, and knowing that food
always seems to help people when theyve had a fright, I grabbed the soda from the dresser
and shoved it into his hands saying, Here, drink this....itll make you feel better.

I watched him as he gulped it down quickly and was relieved to see that he looked decisively
better after it. I sat down on the bed beside him and hugged him around the shoulders. Silence
surrounded us.

Shes dead! I looked up in surprise as Dallys quavering voice broke the silence.

Whos dead? I demanded.

Jane...... Dallys voice was close to a sob.

What! I yelled, jumping to my feet.

I couldnt believe it! Jane or Janie Clarkson was Dallys girlfriend. They had been
inseparable since they met at pre-school at the age of six. Everywhere I went with Dally--
picnics, movies, football games--Janie was always there. She became like a sister to me
which was a good thing, because I think they both wanted to get married. Dally was always
talking about the best way to propose to his favourite girl.

This was devastating! How could this happen? I refused to believe it until I saw papers with
my own eyes, stating that she was dead! I just stood there looking at Dally in disbelief.
How.....howd she die? I finally managed to stammer.

I dont know....... Dally ran his hands through his hair in an almost despairing manner. I
dont know how it happened.....but shes dead!

What do you mean you dont know? I demanded in confusion. Surely he would have to
know how his own girlfriend died.

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Dally just shook his head saying, Ill have to explain later, but right now I have to go...I
have to hide somewhere!

I was so confused. But if you didnt do anything, why do you have to hide?

Dally just sat there looking at me with a despairing look on his face. I stared back in horror as
a thought suddenly crossed my mind, surely....no he couldnt have.....but maybe he did!
You...didnt kill her.... did you Dally? I stammered.

Oh Ginger, how could you possibly think that?......youve got to believe me....I didnt kill
her...I couldnt....I loved her so much! Dally said all this with a sob in his voice and hurt
expression on his face.

I felt so bad! How could I even begin think that Dally had killed someone, let alone Jane! I
sighed in relief; of course my brother wasnt a murderer! I knew that! But why are you
running from the law if you didnt do anything wrong then? I asked a bit confused.

Im afraid they might think I killed her! After all she is or......was..... my girlfriend...besides
theres evidence against me that I would not be able to defend myself against.....as I said
before, Ill have to explain later. The important thing now is to get away before they come
and arrest me. He looked at me earnestly.

As I looked at his face, I felt really bad for him. I trusted Dally with everything and there was
no way I was going to let anyone arrest him, if I could help it. Alright well I suppose wed
better pack some things. We dont want to be out in the cold with nothing to eat, no money
and hardly any warm clothes on! I said sighing heavily.

What do you mean we? Youre not coming, Ginger. This is my mess, not yours! said
Dally in a commanding tone.

I just looked at him with an as if look on my face and said Of course Im coming. Do you
think I would just let you go off by yourself? No way! Im coming with you; just you try and
stop me, because Ill follow you if I have to!

Dally stared at me for a few seconds and sighed heavily, saying, I guess theres no point in
telling you not to come.....youre as disobedient as an untrained dog!

I jumped around in glee and then thumped him on the back saying Thanks Dally. Youre a
sport!

He just stood there with a half amused, half annoyed look on his face and said: Just because
I said you wont listen to me if I told you no...doesnt mean that I approved or said yes to you
coming....but all the same Im glad youre coming with me. I was dreading going off on my
own!

I smiled at him happily and then gave him a warm hug. You might think it strange that I
would be happy about running from the police and hiding out somewhere, but really there
was no way I was going to be left at home with the rest of my family. I had been waiting for a

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chance to get out of here for a long time, and I would have left ages ago if It wasnt for Dally
being at home.

We had only just started to stuff some warm sweatshirts and clothing into some backpacks
when the loud siren of a police car and the screech of a vehicle coming to a halt reached our
ears. We both looked at each other in a panic. What would we do? The loud bang on the front
door and yells of, Open up in the name of the law! sent Dally into a mad frenzy; he looked
around the room for something he could defend himself with and spotted a large knife. On
seeing it he took it up and wielded it in a dangerous fashion.

No! I almost screamed; Put it down! Theyll shoot you before you even get a chance!

Dally looked at me with a frightened look on his face and said, I would rather they killed me
then go to prison!

No! I said, grabbing the handle. You wont go to prison. We can escape; come on! I gave
Dally a shove towards the open window. Climb out! I demanded.

He dropped the knife reluctantly and quickly slid off the window pane and onto the ground. I
could hear the front door being kicked in and the loud thud as the police started searching the
house. I had just jumped out the window and run over to where Dally was waiting for me
when I heard the police start to kick in our bedroom door.

Quick, run for it! I yelled.

We started bolting towards the sparse clumps of trees that stood at the back of our house. The
sounds of a hot pursuit and yells of: Stop in the name of the law, otherwise well shoot!
could be heard just behind us.

I didnt dare look back! We reached the trees and quickly began heading for a river we knew
was there. Dally and I had, many a day, gone fishing and picnicking beside it and would often
swim in it on hot days. We headed for it now as our only hope of escape. I knew that if we
could make it there and swim across to the other side, we would have a chance of outrunning
the police and making a getaway.

The breeze was heavenly as it blew across my hot face. If it wasnt for the police chasing us,
I would have been enjoying myself quite a bit. It wasnt often that I got to go out after dark.
The moon had just risen and a feeling of excitement and adventure was running through my
whole body.

We reached the river and took no time in jumping into it; it was quite wide and would take all
the energy we had left to get safely across. The water was icy cold (it being nearly the end of
autumn), and I had to keep moving to stop myself from freezing to death. I could see that
Dally was also having the same trouble and yelled for him to just keep on moving. As we
reached the middle of the river, I took a moment to look back and saw that the police had
reached the river bank; they had their guns out and were firing shots at us, obviously trying to
hit us as we swam. A sudden sickening feeling that one of us would be hit came over me and

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I started to panic. The police were getting closer to us with every shot, and I knew that if I
didnt do something quick it was most likely that one of us would be hit.

Dive! I yelled. The next few seconds were just a blur and a struggle to hold my breath for
as long as I could. Finally I reached my limit. I came to the surface spluttering, gasping for
air. The instant my head broke the surface I looked quickly around for Dally. Where was he?
Why hadnt he come up yet? I looked around wildly and was very relieved when he finally
came up not very far away from me.

Dally...thank goodness...I was worried that you might have drowned! I said in between
gasps of air.

He just nodded, inhaling air quickly. The sound of gun shots brought me back to reality, and I
remembered that we were being chased by the police. I had forgotten about them in my fright
that Dally might have drowned. But now the first and foremost thing on my mind was getting
away from the police without getting shot.

Come on, weve got to reach the other side! yelled Dally and then begun to swim away as
fast as he could. I quickly followed his lead.

We finally reached the far bank and hauled ourselves out of the water, panting. But we didnt
have much time to recover, for now we were even more exposed than we were in the water
and the police could still get a fair shot at us from where we stood. I didnt know where we
were going to go; I had never been any further from home than this before.

Where do we go? I shouted to Dally who stood dripping wet beside me.

Here, follow me. He yelled back and with that, Dally plunged into the dense fog that had
suddenly surrounded us, disappearing from my sight completely.

Wait up! I yelled and started to run in the direction that I thought Dally had gone. I had
been running full pelt for about a minute when I noticed that I couldnt see Dally in front of
me and I definitely hadnt overtaken him. I was the faster one out of the two of us, so I should
definitely have caught up to him by now!

Dally? I yelled, running faster; Dally, where are you? I looked from left to right
frantically while still running as fast as I could. I was suddenly overcome with the fear that I
had gone the wrong direction and had no clue of my whereabouts. Dally! I yelled again,
being cautious not to be too loud. I didnt want the police to hear me and know my
whereabouts.

I was so scared and preoccupied with trying to see if I could spot Dally somewhere that I
didnt even see the tall wire fence that stood about ten metres from me....that is, until I ran
straight into it. I fell flat on my back breathing heavily; I was so stunned that I lay there for a
while just staring at the sky. Then I slowly sat up and stared in surprise at my surroundings.

I was sitting in an old abandoned junk yard. There were piles of old, rusty things lying all
over the place: broken glass bottles, rusty bikes, gas and petrol drums lying on their sides and

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numerous other things. I looked up with disgust at the revolting graffiti drawings sprayed all
over the brick walls and felt sick. To tell you the truth, I was quite scared! Junk yards were
commonly known as places where the gangs hung out, and there was no way I wanted to go
anywhere near any of those people. To me, gangs were something out of an American New
York City book, where some kid gets kicked out of his home, ends up on the streets, and is
eventually set on by a group of dark, rough looking guys, who want him to steal things for
them or else.

It was dark and misty, with hardly any moonlight, making the junk yard seem more like a
spooky graveyard than anything else, and to make matters worse I had no idea where I was;
or where Dally was, for that matter! I was totally lost! I stood up, shaking both legs
vigorously. For some reason, they seemed very stiff. It was only then, that I noticed for the
first time, that I was freezing! I only had on a short t-shirt and some jeans. The top half of me
was still damp, but my pants were pretty much wet. I shivered and my teeth started
chattering.

Where to next? I mumbled to myself.

If I stayed here Dally might turn up and then we could figure out what to do next....but
then...he might not! What if he missed me completely? Then what? But then, on the other
hand, what chance did I have of finding Dally on a night like this? Pretty much one out of
ten!

Oh, Dally...what do I do? Where are you right now? I said softly.

I stood still for a minute contemplating what I was going to do, and suddenly, my mind was
made up. As hard as it would be for me to try and find Dally, the risk of him missing me was
too great! I had made up my mind, and I was going to stick with it!

I had just started to walk back the way I had come, when a loud commotion started out of
nowhere. There was a lot of shouting and yelling, mixed with the continuous barking of a
dog. I looked over in the direction from which I thought the noise was coming from. I could
just see a strange, bright light shining through a ring of tall trees. I dont know why but I had
this strange feeling as though it was drawing me towards it.

At first I was hesitant, knowing that I was very close to a very probable gang hideout, but
finally I couldnt resist going closer. I crept silently towards it. As I got nearer the yelling and
shouting got a lot louder; it sounded to me like a fight of some sort. I stopped momentarily,
thinking that the last thing I wanted was to get into a rumble with a whole heap of hoods. But
I was too close to go back now; I just had to find out what it was.

Finally I came to the edge of the trees and was looking at a large clearing in the middle them.
It was misty, making it very hard to see anything. As I stared through the fog I could just
make out two figures wrestling on the ground; over and over they went, getting occasional
punches at one another. I watched, fascinated, being careful to keep in the shadows. I had
never seen a proper fight before, and this one was particularly good; the fight was so even!

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It was only then that I noticed that the lights were weird; they kept flashing blue and then red.
Thats strange! I thought to myself, and then as an afterthought, I mumbled Where are
they actually coming from? I couldnt make it out!

It was then I noticed the attire of the two fighters: one was dressed pretty much the same as
me, jeans and a t-shirt and the other was wearing some sort of uniform. I hadnt yet been able
to catch a glimpse of either of the two mens faces (for I could now see from their physiques
that they were male). I crept closer and as I did the fog seemed to clear a little. I stopped in
horror! Just as I had slid forward, the man in the jeans and shirt had copped a pretty hefty
punched in the head and was now lying on the ground with the other sitting on top of him. I
was surprised to see the man on top clip something around the other's wrists, tying them
together. What was this? It didnt look a normal gang fight! The man on the ground looked
pretty much unconscious; he was moaning loudly and still struggled a little as if to try and get
free again. He had a large cut on the side of his head that was starting to bleed badly. I gasped
and my mouth fell open. The man on the ground had just turned his head facing me. I could
see his face quite clearly.......it was Dally!

I froze with shock. It was all clear now: that man on top of Dally was a policeman, and those
light were from a police car. This wasnt just a fight; it was an arrest! Dally had been caught!
As I stood staring at him trying to think of something to do, Dally looked up and saw me. The
expression on his face was more than I could bear. It tore something inside of me and I
realised then that whatever happened to me, I had to go help him. I jumped up and was just
about to rush into the light, when a strong hand clasped over my mouth and pulled me back, I
struggled wildly but whoever had hold of me was as strong as a lion.

Thats it Im caught as well, was the thought that ran through my head. I felt something go
over my head and then everything went black. I didnt feel myself being picked up; I didnt
feel the bumps as I lay in the back seat of an old car, and I didnt feel myself being picked up
again and put on the couch beside a fire.

When I awoke, I was lying on my side on something soft near a fire which was blazing
brightly. What had happened? I tried to remember but everything seemed to be one big hazy
blur. It had something to do with a fight and Dally and then that horrible blackness! I sat up
and looked around in surprise, Where was I? I was sitting on a couch in the open, beside an
old pickup truck. I stood up and took a look around.

The first thing I noticed was that I was in a small yard and that there was an old shack thing
which stood about ten metres away from me. The yard was in a bad way, with a lot of litter
strewn all over the place. I also noticed that there was a ton of cigarette butts lying beside the
fire in little piles. Where am I? I said out loud to myself.

Where indeed! said a voice. I spun around and stood facing a young guy about the same
age as Dally. He was sitting on the hood of the old Ute calmly smoking a cigarette. I was so
surprised; I had been sure that I was alone!

Who are you? I finally managed to blurt out. I was quite ashamed to hear a tremor in my

11
voice as I said it. The young man just looked at me coolly and continued to blow great puffs
of smoke into the cold air. Then he chucked me the packed of smokes that lay beside him
saying Here have one of these, theyll calm your nerves!

I looked in surprise at the packet that lay at my feet. I had never smoked before; most boys at
school did, but I just wasnt the type for that.

Thanks I said, But I dont usually smoke. I felt like a wuss as I said this, and felt even
worse as I saw the look on the young mans face; it was one of complete scorn!

Youre trying to tell me that youve never smoked before? said the man, with a weird sort
of smirk. I just stood there silently not wanting to admit it. Well you got to be the first
gangster Ive met that doesnt! he said, jumping off the hood.

I looked at him with a strange expression on my face and said, Im not a gangster!

He looked over at me in surprise saying, Well you sure look like one! It was only then that
I realised that what I was wearing really did look like something a gangster would wear;
actually the young man was wearing something quite similar to me.

So.... he said, going over to poke the fire with a long metal pole; Whats your name?

I sat back down on the couch saying, Ginger....my names Ginger Stone; whats yours?

The young man looked sideways at me, then mumbled under his breath, Hes got a hood
sounding name. Then he said out loud, My names Danny, but I normally just get called
Den by the rest of the gang.

I looked at him, sizing him up. He was quite tall and muscular; had brown hair with quite a
long fringe, brown eyes which had a certain sharpness about them, and wore jeans and a short
t-shirt. I thought he was quite handsome and would have been more so if he wasnt so dirty.
He looked like he hadnt had a bath in ages!

Danny--or Den--stood up from poking the fire and jumped back up on the hood. So....what
made you do such an idiotic thing as to go running straight towards the police? You would
have been sleeping in a jail cell tonight and probably more than that if it wasnt for me! I
dont know what you or your friend has done, but its quite obvious that youve gotten on the
wrong side of the law! He looked at me sharply.

It was only then that I remembered what had happened. Dally and I had been trying to run
from the police; I had gotten lost, had seen Dally get captured, and then, just as I was about to
help him, someone had grabbed me, and I had blacked out! So that was you, then? I said,
looking at Den in surprise. I mean, you were the one who grabbed me!

Who else do you think it was? said Den scornfully, Of course it was me! You should be
thankful for that. I dont exactly like getting bitten and punched in the ribs, as thanks for
stopping you from getting caught!

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I looked at Den in surprise and said Did I bite you?!

Den took his hands out of his pockets, saying with a smirk: Look......nasty little cat you are!
I looked and saw two big bite marks, one on each hand. His left hand was just bruised badly,
but on the right hand my teeth had actually pierced his skin and (from the looks of it) had
bled quite badly. I was shocked; I had never bitten anyone before, not even Brian!

Uh.......sorry, I said, looking ashamed, I thought you were a policeman!

Den looked at me and smirked. Thats ok, kid! At least you can understand why I had to hit
you to make you stop!

I felt my head gingerly. One spot hurt quite a lot and I had a pretty bad headache.
Yeah.....um Den...you do understand that that guy caught by the police was my brother!
Dont you? I looked at the ground, not wanting to meet his gaze. I tried to hide the shake in
my voice as much as I could.

I could feel Den looking at me intently. Then he said quietly, No.....I didnt think you were
brothers, just friends or something

Den paused and I looked up at him intently. For a second I had caught a small tremor in his
voice, but I dismissed it and thought nothing of it. Den continued.

I watched you two all the way from the river. I was quite confused when you ran one way
and he ran the other. I decided to follow you and watched you go into the yard, then when
you did that silly circus act at the end.... that was it for me.... I thought you must be
mental...now that I know hes your brother, it makes more sense, but still....theres no sense
in you both being caught; besides the police would probably have shot you! he ended,
looking at me.

I sat quietly, taking in all Den was saying. It was quite true; they probably would have shot
me if I had tried to help Dally!

That was quite a nasty incident when you ran into that fence, wasnt it? Youll have to
forgive me...but I laughed very hard when I saw you do that!

I looked up and smiled at Den who was chuckling to himself, and said, Yes, that would have
been quite funny to see. And then I started to laugh myself. When we had stopped laughing,
everything went quiet, and I just sat there staring into the swirling flames of the fire.

Well what do you plan to do now? said Den looking down at me calmly.

I dont know, I replied. I dont even know where I am......I guess I had better find my way
back home and help Dally somehow! I felt awkward.

Den looked at me with a surprised expression on his face, saying, But youll get caught by
the cops if you go home!

I looked down at my feet. Yeah, I know I will......but they wont hold me.....its Dally they

13
want! I was just helping him escape! Besides, even if they do find me guilty of
something.....Ill be in jail with Dally.

Den just looked at me as though I was out of my mind. What would you want to go to jail
with your brother for?.....Youd have to be mad to want that!

I just sat there, not wanting to tell Den that the only reason was because I already had a
terrible life and that at least in jail I would be near Dally. I finally blurted out, Its because
no one else in the world wants me besides Dally! I come from a pretty rough home. My
brothers a drunkard; my sister cares about no one but herself; my mothers depressed and
locks herself in her room all day, every day! There was an annoyed tone in my voice. I was
trying not to show that I was close to tears. Even though I knew that this was my life, it was
something different to tell a complete stranger about it! Though I could normally think about
it without crying, telling my troubles to someone else was harder than I thought!

Den looked hard at me, as though he was sizing me up and then finally said, Look kid.... if
you want to survive, youve got to toughen up.....its a cruel world out there, you know the
principle...Kill or be killed its like that. If you dont learn to stand on your own two feet,
youll go under! We all started out like you....innocent......Ive seen it many a time. Take one
of the gang, Joel, for instance....he came out here at the age of 7, innocent as anything! But
after being on the streets for 2 years, he had learned to steal, smoke, drink and do a whole lot
of other nasty things.....but thats only the beginning....he ended up killing a few guys and
was put in the electric chair at the age of 15! Take my situation as another example...my
mothers dead, and my fathers an alcoholic, hes out of his mind most of the time...do you
think Im wanted at home? No sir-ree, Ive had to learn life the hard way. Ive been making
my way since the age of 6. And Im not the only one; the streets of America are full with girls
and boys of all ages who dont have homes.....its just life! Anyone who survives becomes
tough as nails and cold as ice; no one loves us and we dont love anyone either! as he said
this last part, Dens voice became hard and a cold shiver when down my spine.

What a horrible life these kids (who would eventually grow up into adults) had to lead! As I
sat there thinking about what Den had said, I suddenly realised that I wouldve ended up just
like Den and all the rest of the young people on the streets by now if I it wasnt for Dally!
Now with Dally probably going to jail, I didnt know what I would do! What would I do with
no Dally to protect me from Brian? What would I do without Dally encouraging me and
helping me from going mental? I didnt know! I had to get Dally out of trouble! I didnt know
what I would do if he was put in the electric chair....he wouldnt be, I was going to make sure
of it!

The first thing was to get back home; from there I would be able to find out what had
happened to Dally! I stood up from the couch and looked at Den.Ive got to go home!I said.

Den looked at me sideways with a knowing, but also sly expression on his face saying, Your
life's not gonna get any easier from here, and I cant see you getting your brother out of jail
anytime soon either. Depending on what hes done, my guess is that theyll end up putting
him in the chair. As he said this, Dens weather-beaten face became hard and matter-of-fact.

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As I stood there looking at him, I was convinced that what he was saying was true and felt the
anxiety--that was already panicking me--nearly double! What if the police just decided to kill
him straight away, before he even got to tell them that he was innocent? My highly stressed
brain and strained nerves were making me think irrationally. Of course the police wouldnt
kill my brother straight away; it wasnt even remotely possibly! But no one would have been
able to be persuaded otherwise!

What if I never saw him again? My mind was racing! I stared down at my feet numbly.
Something that I hadnt really realised before started to dawn on me: I really relied on Dally!
I hadnt really appreciated him enough when he was with me. I decided that, if I ever saw
him again I was going to tell him, for the first time, how much I really appreciated him! I had
to go home. right now.....before it was too late!

Look! I gulped If I dont get my brother back. I paused I dont know what Ill do,
and my life will definitely get worse if I dont get him out of trouble! I faltered.

Fine, fine.thats just fine, Ill get you home. Denss calm and immensely smooth voice,
reassured me and I felt some of my earlier panic start to slip away.

Can we go now? I said in a pleading voice.

Den looked over at me with his eyebrows raised saying Now? in a surprised tone.

The look on his face quite plainly said Youre crazy! And I felt it too!

The last few hours of my life had been so insane, that the whole thing kinda felt like a dream
that I would wake up from any minute now. I was just waiting for Dallys strong arm to
reach over and shake me from my sleep. I would wake up, and find life exactly like it had
been before.

Fine! Dens harsh voice broke my daydream; I looked up at him in surprise.

Ill take you home He continued but I cant guarantee you that well be there by
Morning!

What do you mean? I asked astonished, surely we were only a few hours at least, from
where I lived.

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