Staying Away from Home {{open}}

[Artemis Stone]

Sitting on a swing, at sundown where the park was completely empty. No noise came from the park except the noise of a swing rocking back and forth. Artemis sat there not wanting to go home. She wouldn't go back there, she couldn't go back there. Her foster parents were worst than teachers at school, far worst. Artemis wondered how their children could stand them. They would beat her about once a week if not twice a week, if they weren't too busy caring for their real children. Artemis sat there wondering how her life would have been liked if her parents were alive and with her today. She probably would have liked her life with her actually parents instead foster parents who only care for money to take care of a child who lost their parents or have no where else to go.

She sat thinking what had happened last week when she came home late. Her foster parents waited until their own children were asleep before going into Artemis' room and then beating her. They punched in the stomach as hard as they could. They tried not to punch anywhere that would show that Artemis was being beaten. Artemis sat awake the whole entire night not daring to sleep, not knowing if her foster parents would come back or not to beat her more. She did nothing wrong except come home late. Everyone comes home late and don't always get beaten, right? Well that is what Artemis thought. Or was there another reason why her foster parents beat her. Their children were about the same age as her and they would come late at times, but their parents treated them like that's okay, dear just remember to watch the time. Shit! That's fucked up! Artemis knew there was something wrong with those people. It's like they hate everyone else that don't share the same blood as them or something. Or they pretend to be nice and kind around people so they will be liked, but when you get to know them more they become a dangerous weapon used to kill people in big groups just to wipe them out.

Artemis put her hands out her head and looked down on the ground as she tried to get her foster parents out of her head. She couldn't take it anymore, she needed to get away from them. But how was she if she had no where to go. Most of the police officers knew her because of her running away from home. Sitting on the swing thinking of what to do and where to go, Artemis didn't realize someone was coming towards her until their feet stepped on the gravel. She looked up and saw the person she dreaded to see. Her foster father was coming towards and he didn't look happy either. Artemis wondered if she should a take a chance to run or stay to await her what fate. She was going to take her chance and run.

Running off the swing as fast as she could, she ran for her life. Before she had got off the swing she saw something in her foster father's hands. Something silver and looked sort of sharp. She knew what is was as soon as she saw it. A knife. She just wanted to faint right then and there, but she would probably die right there at well. Knowing she was younger and had much more energy at running she would be able to run and hide from her foster father. He was a rather large man, had a beer belly, and he was out of shape. All he did was stay at home, watch t.v. in his chair and drink beer all day long. He was always home by the time Artemis was home from school. He always scolded her because she never walked with his children and they were only a few minutes behind her.

As she ran she could hear her father chasing her because of the noise of his keys that sat in his front left pocket. Artemis had ran towards a tree hoping to get as high as possible. She had plenty of time and she made it far up into the tree where her father couldn't reach her. It would also take him forever to find someone to get her down for him as well. About five minutes later she saw her father underneath the tree. He raised his fist and said,"I'll be waiting for you Artemis. You can't last long in that tree. You don't have food nor water to last very long!" Artemis knew he was right. But she was going to stay up in that tree for as long as she could before she must come down. She is willingly to die just to stay away from her foster father and his family."Well we'll see about that, asshole!" Artemis yelled down to him.

[Shane Samuels]

Shane walked slowly down the somehow quiet streets. It was usually a pretty busy hour, at least he thought that it was. He looked down at his watch and shook his head. It was two in the morning. How had he not noticed that it was two in the morning. Well being as he had just woke up could be one thing but he did not know he had slept so long. He crashed at about two in the afternoon, when he decided to ditch the rest of the day at school and go home for some shut eye. He had been very tired lately. It was like all he wanted to do was sleep. The rubbed his eyes a bit to make sure they were awake and ready to let him do something for a bit. Though he was not sure what he would be able to do at two in the morning. Not a whole lot of people to hang with, and with no people to attack he did not see himself running into any demons, unless the demon was directly after him, which had not happened yet. He had not been seeked out by any as of now, but he knew it was only a matter of time before more demons caught on to the fact that the charmed power was alive again and then he would be beating them off with a stick, figuratively speaking.

Shane decided that he would head to the park. He liked being at the park when no one was around. The park was a place he used to spend a lot of time. His sister was a park addict and being as they were so close he was always there with her. Whenever she wanted to do something, or go somewhere, Shane volunteered to take her. His parents thought they were a strange pair. Even a brother and sister with as much as between them as they had disagree and get on each others nerves, but Tabitha was just a kid you always wanted to be around. She was so full of life and always happy. There was never really a time that she was not laughing. Even after she got sick she kept a positive attitude. Shane used to call her the philosopher. She was always saying things that were profound and really made you think. Sometimes she would just amazing him to the point where he forgot that she was just eight years old. She was an old soul trapped in a little girls body. The soul decided however, to soon for Shane’s liking that it was time for itself to move on.

Shane made it to the park and completely lost in his thoughts sat down on a bench. That is until he heard something that kind of through him off. He got up and headed in the way of the noise. That is when he saw a girl climbing up a tree and a guy close behind her. He saw the knife and watched the man intently. It looked like a house knife, which made Shane realize this was a mortal. Which meant that he couldn’t kill him so he needed to come up with another method. That is when he decided to use his speed. Going as quickly as he could, he went up the tree, grabbed the girl and pulled her behind a tree about fifty feet away. Holding her lightly against the tree, he put his finger to his lips as if to motion for her to not make a sound. He then whispered to her.

Are you ok?

[Artemis Stone]

Artemis had felt someone grab her and leave the tree she was up in. She didn't know who the person was once they were a good 50 feet away from her foster father. She stayed quiet not wanting her father to hear her or the man that got her out of that tree. She nodded to his question.

She knew she was in big trouble. She wondered if her father saw them leave the tree. She doubted it since the man did have super speed. She turned her head slowly in the direction of her father. She thought she saw him climbing the tree, but he wasn't there. Artemis started to freak, where does a fat man that is carrying a knife? Artemis thought hard. Unless he saw them leave the tree out of the corner of his eyes.

Artemis was starting to sit down on the ground with fright. She didn't know where her foster father was and most of all he had a god damn knife. Where could he go without getting caught carrying it outside at two in the morning? Artemis was too deep in thought to hear the slightist footsteps walking over towards her and Shane. She heard his shoes squeak before she realized he was right behind the tree they were hiding behind.

[Shane Samuels]

Shane nodded at her when she nodded at him, though he kept his eyes locked on the man with the knife. He could not have seen him, but maybe he had heard Shane ask if she was alright. Shane new that he had to do something. His speed was hard with someone else and he could not leave her behind. Shane put his hand down to his side and willed it to set on fire. Stopping at his wrist. He could feel the heat radiating off of it. He then caused for a little ball of fire to form. That is when he threw it around the tree. Hitting the guy at the ankles. That is when he grabbed the girls hand.

Run.

She said this not to loud, not like it mattered being as the guy knew they were there. He ran, leading her close behind him. Never letting go of her hand and not looking back. Looking back slowed people down. It was not long before they hit the street. He looked for something that would be open and two in the evening and that is when he spotted a small little diner called De' Lugo's. He led her in and pulled her to a booth in the back.

Stay here, I am going to go check and see if he followed. Please do not leave.

He walked back over to the door and looked out. He did not see him but he knew not to put it past the guy. Anyone willing to chase someone with a knife was crazy and there was no telling what they could possibly do. After standing there for a few minutes he headed back to the table and sat down across from her.

Mind if I ask why he had a knife?

[Artemis Stone]

Artemis was surprised this boy was capable of throwing fire as well as running fast. As she was starting to run she heard her father yelp in pain as the fire hit his ankles. She was glad that was burned he deserved it.

Art listened to Shane as she sat down at the booth. She wanted to tell him not to go look. But he had already gone to look. She hoped that she would never have to go back to that house nor family again. They were dreadful people. Always mean, rude in fact. They were never nice, didn't have manners. All they did was gimmy, gimmy, gimmy. No one said 'can you pass the corn', nothing like that. When ever Artemis did they yelled at her and to go up to her room and she would have dinner once they were done. Well once they were done there was barely anything left. So Artemis was left to starve. Yeah, she was skinny, but they made her los a lot of weight from not giving her enough food. But she wasn't really, really skinny.

Artemis had her arms on the table and her head on her arms as she waited for Shane to come back. She wondered the same thing that Shane wondered. Why did he have a knife with him? Was he going to kill her? But he couldn't be that stupid could he? Well of course he could all he did every single day was sit on his ass and watch t.v. "I really don't know why he had a knife with him. He must of thought of killing me since, well i ran away so many times and he was sick and tired of me. All he had to do was get rid of me by putting me with another foster parent. But he must of thought of killing would probably be easier so no one else would have me running away all time or coming home late," Artemis said. As she said those things she realized that she said her thoughts out aloud.[/color][/size]

[Shane Samuels]

Shane looked the girl over. She was small, not in very bad way but she could use some more meat on her body. With that Shane tried to flag a waitress over, who nodded and gave him a sign that said she would be there shortly. He nodded to her, letting her know that he got the message and then focused his attention back to the girl. He had not really been looking to rescue anyone tonight. He just wanted to go for a walk and think to himself. Which is what he had been doing a lot lately. So maybe it was a good thing to have someone to talk to for a bit. Someone who could keep his mind busy and off of Tabitha. Thought that was something that was incredibly hard to do. Being as not only did he think about her all the time but he saw he face in every single little girl that passed him by. Ever since he found out that he had ESP that has made things extra hard, for he did not know if one of those girls really was Tabitha. Though he doubted that out of all the dead people he could see she would be one of them.

Shane turned all of his attention back to the girl. Whose name he still had not gotten. Which was normal. Sometimes he got so wrapped up in things, or got so lost in his thoughts that the polite things you were supposed to do in life, just kind of slipped by without being noticed. He knew that it would make talking to her a little bit easier, but also he did not know how this worked. Did he just save people and then go back into hiding? Was this a batman thing, where people knew they were being saved but never really knew who that savior was? Or did he get to talk to people, and find out there stories, why things like this were happening to him. Being Charmed, or just being a witch in general did not come with a very easy to follow manual on what was right and what was wrong.

"I really don't know why he had a knife with him. He must of thought of killing me since, well i ran away so many times and he was sick and tired of me. All he had to do was get rid of me by putting me with another foster parent. But he must of thought of killing would probably be easier so no one else would have me running away all time or coming home late,"

Coming home late? Shane could not imagine someone flipping out to the point of wanting to kill someone for just coming home late. Though lately he has figured out that he should never think that anything is impossible. The things you least expected where the things that seemed to always happen. Guess that was the glitch in life. The impossible never stayed impossible for long.

Sorry for my manners, my name is Shane. And as long as you are ok, were good.

[Artemis Stone]

"It's okay. I'm Art..." Artemis was cut off. "Artemis!" her father yelled. Everybody in the diner stared at him except Artemis. She knew she was doomed, but most of she was trapped. She tried to act normal scooting her way towards the window so she was far away from the aside as possible. As she came to window she went underneath the table. She didn't care how dirty the floor was at this point, as long as she was hidden from her father she would be fine.

As for her father, well he looked around the diner. Since he was too fat to bend down, he didn't look under tables. The fat man walked over to Shane and Artemis' table. Artemis held her knees close to her chest tightly. She stayed calm for the most part as she saw her father's legs came into view. "Hey boy have you seen a girl who is about 5'2'' tall with dark hair. She is about 120 lbs. Seen her?" he asked Shane. Artemis was wondering what Shane would say to her foster father's question. She also wondered long he would stay there before leaving the diner and going somewhere else to search for her.

[Shane Samuels]

Shane flinched slightly when he heard the man they had been running from enter the restaurant, he must have been out of his mind. To make a scene in this place, even though there were only a few people in her. They did not really seem like the kind of people that were going to stand up against the man. He knew that he was not going to be able to use his powers in front of all these people. He really wished that Scott and Skylar were here, they were much better at handling people then Shane was. He always froze up and ended up doing the wrong thing. Though right now the only thought in his mind was protecting Artemis. Which sadly is a name he learned from the yelling man.

Artemis climbed under the table and Shane extended his leg, hoping to block her with it the best that he could. He was a little frightened that it was not working when the guy approached him. He hoped that the man had not seen his face in the park, for that would blow everything and he knew he was going to have to use his magic again. However the man was only asking if I had seen her.

I'm sorry, I haven't seen any girls this evening.

With that the man glared at him but accepted his words. He looked around a bit more, asking a few other people who shook there heads no. He wondered if that was because they really had not seen her or if it was because they were scared of what would happen if they told him the truth about where she was. Whatever the case he had no luck and walked out, hollering as he went further down the street.

[Artemis Stone]

Artemis waited until her foster father left the diner before getting up from out from beneath the table. She had always wondered why he never liked her. From the first day that her foster mother had brought her home, he had never liked her. But she also hoped that she would never have to see him again. "Thanks. As you already know, I'm Artemis, Art for short."

Not realizing it until now, but is she was to run away where was she going to stay at. Artemis had not thought that far out if she wasn't ever going to go back to her foster parents. She could just wandered the streets and sleep where ever she found. Or get a job to make at least enough money to afford a house and food for herself.

[Shane Samuels]

Shane looked Artemis over. He wondered what had made her deserve that guy to be after her. Was he a parent. Shane realy hoped not. He could not imagine someones parent treating them that way. It was just uncalled for. If you hated your child that badly send them away don't try and kill them. That just made more work for Shane. Though he had a feeling that this guy was just crazy. Whether she was his daughter or not. He needed to be stopped and Shane would find a way to do that later. She had mentioned running away. So he had to be a parent.

Do you have a place to go, are you going to be alright?

Shane could not help but ask. If he was the person that she had to go home to, Shane did not want her going home. He may not know her but he knew that he had to protect her. It was his job to do so, and even if it was not his job, he would want to protect her anyways.

[Artemis Stone]

"I'll be alright. But I really don't have a place to go, unless he will let back in the house and get over it," Artemis said. Artemis really hoped that her foster father would let her stay without him trying to kill her.

Artemis thought that her foster father would be happy that he got money for caring for her. Well if he killed her then he gets no money, how would that work for him? She always thought that he was stupid.