My Happily Ever After

My heart raced as I popped the screen out of my narrow window. Silently, I slipped out into the cool night air. I fixed my hair and straightened my dark black blouse. My fingers trembled while I forced the screen back into place and shut the window as quietly as possible. It came down with a small thud. My heart pounded in my ears and I listened intently for a sound within my house. All was silent.

I was sure the bright full moon was trying to give away where I was as I moved through the shadows to the front of my house. I moved my clamy hand to my throat nervously. What if I got caught? I couldnt bear to hear another one of my fathers long speaches about self-respect and priority. If he caught me sneaking out...

I shook the thought from my head and ran my fingers back through my silky blonde hair that draped my slim shoulders like a shawl. My delicate curvy shadow could be seen streached across the dark green grass. Gracefully, I shifted out of sight of the moonlight. Keeping sure to stay in the shadows, I made my way through the yard to the side of the dark road. It seemed deserted but for one car parked about a hundred yards away. Its light were off and I could just make out the dimly lit figure. Each foot step quickened as I neared it. Now that I was out of sight of my house and my father I didnt bother staying in the shadows.

The door to the car was thrown open from the inside once I was almost there. I slipped inside onto the cool leather seat and looked at my rescuer.

Avery was a tall well-built boy with soft curly brown hair that framed his handsome face. His emerald green eyes sucked me in. If I could, I would gaze into them forever. A smile cracked on my lips and rose to my cheeks, he passionatly slid across the seat and kissed me, wrapping his arms tightly around me.

"I missed you," I said as our lips parted, but his hold was still firm, and reasurring.

"I missed you too," he muttered. He planted a soft kiss on my forehead and I moved across the seat so I could sit closer to him. He put his arms around me and I snuggled into his warm loving embrace. Then with a soft click the lights of the car turned on and he shifted onto the deserted dirt road.

For a while we didnt talk, only sensed eachothers presance and soft touch. I hated having to see him behind my fathers back but even though I was fifteen he refused to let me have a boyfriend. During the school year I attended an all girls boarding school. I hardly ever got to see Avery during those horrid months and in the summer the only time I could really see him, just us, was on nights like this.

The car turned onto a long winding dirt road that lead back into the depths of the dark woods. It crept along noisily and my heart raced as an owl swooped down and then dissapeared from site. I watched as a pack of wild dogs stared wide eyed at us off the edge of the road. They bent their heads low and then dissapeared into the bushes.

The car came to a stop in a small grass-covered clearing. Welcoming moonlight slipped in between the branches beconing us to bask in the night. Avery kissed the top of my head and I sat up. He reached down onto the floor and picked up a soft black blanket. I watched as he laid it out in the lush grass underneath the dark sky under millions of twinkling stars. I slipped out and into his awaiting arms. We kissed passionatly again and he layed me down on the blanket.

He kissed me as he unbottoned my blouse. I reached down and undid his pants and moved them so they were around his knees. He kissed me on the lips and moved down to my neck and chest. I pressed myself against him tenderly as he reached back to unsnap my bra...

At first I wasnt sure what had happend. Avery flew back off of me crying out into the hostile night. I had never heard Avery cry out in fear before, ever. My heart raced and a feeling of sickness washed over me.

I sat up and looked wildly around. My first thoughts were some sort of animal. When I looked I cried out, not only in fear, but disgust, and shame. My father stood there, red-faced and eyes bloodshot. His mangled grey-black hair stood on end. I saw his chest heave in and out, in and out. His eyes swiveled around and locked onto my own.

"What in the hell are you doing?" he screamed at me, spit flew from his quivvering lips.

"Dad, I-"

"You ran off with some low life, low down, dirt bag scum thats what you did!" He roared. I saw Avery try to back up away from my rampaging father. But, his retreat did not go by unnoticed. I watched while my father grabbed him by the hair and pulled forward. He began punching him wildly in the face. Blood spewed out of Averys now disfigured nose.

"Dad!" I screamed. I ran forward and tried to pull him off. My father didnt acknowledge me as he continued to hit Avery until he fell to the ground face first. He laid there still, lifeless. That wasnt good enough for my father though. He continued to kick at Avery's ribs furiously. Finally Avery let out another moan and I saw the small puddle of blood that had formed upon the grass. My father stopped and looked down.

I knelt down next to Avery and turned him onto his back. His face was pale and lifeless, eyes cold. Blood still flowed from his nose and trickled from his mouth. Tears spilled from my burning eyes. I kissed him softly on the lips and some of his blood rubbed off on me. I swallowed it back, turned to my father and screamed an ear-splitting cry. I hit him furiously, helplessly over and over again. Anywhere I could reach I hit but grief had made me weak. I could no more leave a mark than bring Avery back.

My father turned, then struck me across the face so I fell to the ground ontop of Avery. I didnt want to get up. I wanted to stay there on the ground, loose myself with Avery's memory, but My father pulled me up by my hair furiously. He punched me across the face over and over again still holding my my hair so I couldnt fall to the ground. I didnt try to get away. I allowed myself to be hit until he finally let go and I sank to the ground like a dead weight.

I could feel blood oozing down the front of my face but I didnt attempt to whipe it away. My father kicked me over and over again just as he had to Avery. The blows came harder and harder. Pain rushed through my ribs and I began to cough violently. Blood spilled from my mouth. The sounds of my fathers words began to fade from my head, the sight of his face passed into a memory and Averys face stood before me once again smiling, and full of warmth.

His hand found my own and held me tightly.

"I love you," he said.

"I love you too." Tears leaked out of the corner of my eyes. "We get to be together now, forever, right?"

Avery smiled at me and turned toward the golden bridge above the clouds.

"This wont be the last journey we make together," He promised.

"Are you sure?" I asked, frightened of what may lay beyond.

"No," he smiled. "But it wont."

I smiled back at him and fell into his embrace as the sweet song of the angels beconed us to cross the bridge between heaven, and hell on earth.

Now, at least, I could be with Avery, now we could live happily ever after.