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Sweet dreams are made of this,

Who am I to disagree?

Travel the world and the seven seas,

Everybody's looking for something,

Some of them want to use you,

Some of them want to get used by you,

Some of them want to abuse you,

Some of them want to be abused. Sweet Dreams (Cover) By Emily Browning

The Dawn of Hope- Chapter 1- Familiar Evils

I sat cross-legged on my bed, staring right into the silver-blue night. My hands are shaking. My breathing is heavy. My eyes flickered all around my sparse room and glanced at the timbered floor, my baby blue walls and the severed cupboards. Oh gosh, why did we have to move. I ask myself, and suddenly tears well up in my eyes. I used to be happy, you see. But because of that horrible, horrible thing that happened to me a few years ago, I was never the same again.

It all started when I was about 16, and I was meant to take my little sister, Elizabeth to the shop to get some groceries for my mom and dad, when I saw them. There were two excessively tall men, who seemed to silhouette against the nocturnal sky. The only difference about them was that they were different skin tones- one was white, and one was black. Their expressions were dull, their mouths drooping like a broken lily. Their clothes didn’t match their face and expressions at all, instead of a dull outfit, they were wearing oddly colourful suits. But a second later, their dull expression turned into a smile

.

“Well, hello,” the dark man said, “I’m afraid we’re a little lost, do you think you can help us?”

I take a deep breath, still holding Elizabeth behind me. “N-no, we’re not allowed to talk to strangers,”

I said coldly, taking Elizabeth’s hand and walking off.

“That’s where you’re wrong, BabyDoll.” I froze. That wasn’t my name, and it never will be!

I turned around, giving them a death glare. “That’s not my name. It never will be.” I was fuming. How dare these men come to us, ask us for help and call me a name that isn’t mine?

The light man took a step forward, and we took a step back. Then they both took a step forward, and we took two steps back. They looked at each other, exchanged smirks and a nod and looked at me. “Where you going, sweetheart?” One of the men said in a velvety voice

I say nothing. I close my eyes for a moment, to stand my ground, and look back at both the men. “I said, where you going?” He says this in more threatening tone.

My blood boiled in rage, and anger couldn’t cover all that I felt. I couldn’t control myself. My cheeks flushed and my eyes sparkled with such exasperation, that I completely forgot where I was, and used my knee to kick one of them right into the trousers.

The man gasped, and fell to his knees in pain, writhing in agony. Suddenly, he locked eyes on me, gave a snarl and stood up. I knew what this meant. We need to get away. Now.

“Elizabeth, run!” I hastily took Elizabeth’s hand and we both sprinted off into the night.

Behind us, I heard the men growl and start to run after us. “Kill that girl.” A stern voice called out from the distance, an unfamiliar one. “But leave the little one, she’s futile.”

That pushed me to go further, further into the dark and run with all my might. I will not leave my sister behind. We barely managed to weave our way out of buildings and find our way out of the hairy bracken. “Come on, Elizabeth!” I shouted, and turned to stop and pick up my little sister, who had fallen behind me. “Come here, baby.” I said, hastily picking her up and holding her hand tightly.

I looked behind me to see two angry men, their faces full of ferocity.

“You’re dead.”He pulls out his M1911 pistol and fires it at me. There was a click. But no boom. He gave a confused look, his eyes bewildered as he scrambled for another magazine.

“I thought I reloaded this,” he said, frustrated as he glared at the gun, to see if the safety was off and the magazine round was chambered in properly.

I saw this as our opportunity. I took Elizabeth’s hand and threw her onto the other side of the street, walking distance to our house. I looked at Elizabeth, who had a confused look on her face, but then her face crumpled up with tears as she understood. I sacrificed myself for her. Go home, I mouthed, and she nodded and ran off into the night…

A few tears ran down my cheeks as I watched her run into the misty night for a few seconds, but then I managed to hold myself together and look at the men. One of the men, who I kicked earlier, growls and raises his fist. I close my eyes, waiting for that fatal blow.”For Elizabeth.” I said under my breath. There was a blow. And I was enveloped in darkness.