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I ran as fast and as far as I could. I made it twenty feet before a security guard stopped me in my tracks.
“Sit down here! Where are you going?” he demanded.
Honestly, I was headed out the front doors. I was done with this place and the people inside. I did not care if I didn’t make it a week on my own, I just wanted out of there.
He made me sit on the bench outside the head counselor’s office. I was crying in misery. I hated that woman in the game room. I kept thinking over and over in my mind what just happened. I basically called all those kids in the game room–the same kids I had to sleep with–losers and they all heard me. I just knew someone was going to beat me up, have a little fun with me. I hated that place.
The head counselor called me into his office.
“What just happened? Why did you yell at Miss Rosie?”
“Because she told everyone that I am a run away and I am not. I am not a runaway!” I was crying again.
“Well, you can’t react like that to her. Go back outside and sit on the bench again.”
I did what he told me to do and then I saw him walk quietly to the game room. I could see him talking with Miss Rosie. I concluded she was lying to him…all grown ups lie after all.
Miss Rosie came out of the game room and starting walking towards me. I was terrified.
“I’m sorry—I thought you were a run away. Most of the kids here are. It is very rare that we get a child here that is in your situation,” she apologized.
I didn’t answer her. I didn’t tell her it was okay. I wasn’t okay. No one beat me up that night. No one even talked about the incident. The next evening, I went back to the game room and sat. I didn’t really want to talk to anyone. That’s when one of the girls came into the room and sat down next to me. She turned to me a whispered:
“Someone’s here to take you away,”
