---- Chapter 13 Frightening Decision "T used the loan to hold the funeral, but they came knocking for payment before it was due. I could've run. Could've gone into hiding. But then they told me they'd dig up Grandpa's grave if I did. What choice did I have? You were my last hope, Lawrence," I said quietly. "And that was my biggest mistake. I had no idea why, but I just couldn't get through to Dad and Mom. You, though... You, I could get through to. And then your answer was the very thing that tossed me into two weeks of pure torture. I had to eat dirty leftovers like a stray and bark like one. I was tied to a corner like some sort of filthy dog, and the worst part? "That's not the worst part." I pulled the blanket off and got out of bed. Then, I turned on the lights and approached Lawrence, taking off the glove on my left hand. My pinky was still bent at an unnatural angle. It was a queasy ---- sight. "Scary, isn't it? I did it to myself. All for a piece of moldy toast." I crouched beside my bed and looked at him. "Look at me. Hey, look at me. Do you have any idea how painful it was? Four days. Four days I spent without a scrap of food." Lawrence didn't want to look into my eyes. He wiped his tears away and scurried to the room's entrance. "Just let me go." I remained crouching, unmoving. He opened the door and dodged the subject. "I will make it up to you, Eve. I'll make sure Yvette's punished. Can you..." He probably knew this wasn't the time, so he stopped. "Just... Just get some rest." I didn't wait until morning came. The winds were howling that night. My hair was billowing in the ---- air. I stood on the edge of the window, my eyes trained on the lights in the distance. One of them was my home. Or it used to be. Now it was shrouded in darkness. I wonder, 'Why did I subject myself to this suffering?" I was sitting on the edge of the window. The howling gales did not wake me up. They only took me deeper into my trance. 'Can I really keep on drinking from the fountain of life? With this kind of body and soul?" I thought. Thad no family, and my love of my life was taken away from me. I failed to see any reason for me to live. For what? Trouble the people who loved me? One of them died because of me. Grandpa died because of me. If only... If only I hadn't gone with the Marlins. I looked down. I was on the second floor. If I jumped down, I could probably escape and find Anthony. That, or I would be paralyzed from the