She's back

[Daisy Lipenowski]

Daisy threw her bag down to rest for a minute. She was beyond the point of rage and not to mention physical pain in her feet and arms. She'd been walking forever and her book bag and suitcase were anything but light. She couldn't believe she had only lasted at home for a week, she thought summer vacation would be, maybe not fun and full of laughs, but at least less stressful then she remembered. She had been looking forward, actually looking forward, to being home for the two months of summer. Especially after her dad had sent her a letter asking her to come home sense he was out of rehab. She pulled out the letter he had sent her and unfolded it gently reading over the words carefully.
Honey,
I know this is kind of sudden and that you had been planning to spent the summer at school, but I'd like you to come and spend the summer with me. I've been out of rehab for about two weeks, sorry I didn't tell you sooner but I wanted the house to be all ready before I asked you. I thought that we could spend the time getting to know one another again, spend some good times together like we use too. I mean I know there might not be any snow to make angels in but I'm sure we can manage to find something to do. If you'd rather not I understand but I do hope you will consider it. Call me to let know.
Love Always,
Dad
What a bunch of crap she thought, the first few days had been OK, but the past two were a living nightmare. She began to think back on the last weeks events but stopped herself quickly. B*****d she though ripping the letter into pieces and throwing it aside before reaching for her bags. She looked up at the sky it was getting dark, she'd been walking for hours. She just wanted to back to Horizon, the only place she was ever safe. Away from her drunkin abusive father.
After another hour or so of walking she saw the school threw the trees. She was pretty sure that they would know about her running away by now, she guessed her father would have called the police by now or at least Horizon, if not they would be suprised to see her seven weeks earely. She took a deep breath and headed to the main offices opening, passing threw thier doors quickly.

[Hannah Bauer]

"Alright; thanks anyway, and PLEASE keep me updated." Hannah stood just inside the entrance to the Office Building, leaning up against the receptionist's desk. She put the phone down on the receiver and raked worried fingers through her red hair. One of Horizon's students who had been allowed home for the summer--Daisy Lipenowski--was missing from home. Her father had called the police, and not too long after had they called Horizon, asking if she had gone there.

Hannah had done an overly-thorough search of Daisy's file, double and triple-checking that she hadn't come back to Horizon early, but nothing was on the papers that indicated it. She had told the police that the teen wasn't there, and had barely gotten any sleep the previous night, too worried for the girl to even close her eyes.

Now it was the evening of the next day, and she had called the police back, in hopes of hearing that they found Daisy, and she was safe, but unfortunately, there was still no sign of her, and a search party had been sent out. Despite the fact that she wasn't the teen's counselor for a very long time, she still cared deeply for her, and the fact that she was somewhere out in the world alone terrified her.

She nervously paced back and forth in the entrance room, wondering what in the world she should do. 'I can't tell Peter,' she thought to herself. 'He has too much on his mind to worry about something else this big... ...But then again, it concerns one of our kids... He should know...' She was literally ready to burst into tears at any moment now.

Hannah stopped pacing when she heard the familiar sound of the main door opening. She quickly looked up, in hopes of it being Daisy, and almost stumbled backwards at what she saw. "Daisy?" she asked, completely in disbelief, as she stared at the girl standing in front of her, who looked tired and thirsty.

[Daisy Lipenowski]

Daisy stepped inside the main doors, a heavy relief sigh escaped her lips. Between the events of the past week running rapidly through her head and her own rage welling up inside her whole body was shaking. She knew she was probably in deep sh*t for running off the way she did but she really couldn't care less. She closed both of her eyes trying to drive out the fight, the disappoint and the pain. Deep in her heart she knew that she never should have trusted him, and never should have gone back home, but she had needed too. She had needed to believe that her and her father could have a real relationship. She knew a perfect relationship was impossible for any two people but she thought that just maybe she could love and trust him again, and more importantly he could love and trust her again. The light at the end of my tunnel always goes off just when I'm just reach it, she though.

She dropped her bags to the floor, her whole body hurt and she felt as if she would drop. Daisy felt so alone and abandoned, as if no one cared but then she heard someone say her name and she looked up. She saw Hannah standing there and looked into her eyes, she knew just by looking at her that she'd been up for the past two days and worried sick. For the first time sense her Mother had died Daisy's eyes filled with tear, she began to cry and ran to Hannah hugging her. I'm so sorry I scared you but I just couldn't stay there. I couldn't stay there after what he did, I would have killed him Hannah, I swear I would have.

After what seemed like forever Daisy started to calm down and she pulled back, wiping her eyes and pushing her black dyed black her out of her eyes. She could feel her black eye liner running and mixing with the white power she had put on her face. She thought for a moment about how she swore she'd never hide behind the make-up and the clothing again but here was back to the same old sh*t. It was as if her whole life was on big circle that she could never break out of.

[Hannah Bauer]

Hannah had met Daisy halfway across the room and hugged her tightly. She sighed in relief as a wave of emotions came over her, almost enough to make her cry. The love she felt for the teen, mixed with the relief that replaced the worry, practically blinded her, and nearly deafened her, as she held her closely, still in an embrace. Her senses began to work again just in time to hear Daisy apologizing.

"It's okay, Daisy, it's okay," Hannah said, shaking her head. "Everything's okay now, you're safe." She continued to hug Daisy tightly until the teen pulled away, where she then noticed that Daisy had apparently turned back into 'Daisy Graves.' She smiled compassionately at the young woman and put one arm around her, grabbing her bags with the other. "Come on," she said. "Let's get you calmed down and feeling better."

She led Daisy up to the desk, where she told the receptionist to contact Daisy's father via the police and tell him that she was at Horizon, safe and sound. She then told the receptionist to take Daisy's bags to the admit room for later.

When she was done with that, Hannah brought her attention back to Daisy, and rubbed her back. "Let's go to my office," she said kindly, leading the way down the hall to her office.

[Daisy Lipenowski]

The tears in Daisy's eyes continued to fall as if there were no stopping them. She folder her arms across her chest and followed Hannah. She took comfort in Hannah's words and began to settle down a little more. She looked around the room, how she had missed this place, it was her home, the only place she had ever been safe. She had been so stupid to think she would be able to find a home with her Father. Just the thought of him made her want to hit something, she was trying so hard to control her emotions, she didn't want to be this weak, to being crying, she wanted to make her Father feel how he made her feel all her life, but wanted to run away and hide from him at the same time.

She walked behind Hannah and into her office before sitting down in a chair close to Hannah's desk. It was warm inside the office and had a light scent of flowers. She breathed the scent in deeply and it helped to relax her. She pulled legs up to her chest and hugged them tightly, before resting her head on them. She sighed, just staring at the floor for a second. She then raised her head to meet Hannah's eyes, I should never have gone back. I was stupid, to think that after 17 years now, he would change, now, he would be different.

A sharp pain ran through her upper right arm and she grabbed at it, she then gently rubbed her left in the same spot. B*****d she thought, just what I need even more reminders, as if having to look in the mirror at least once a day wasn't enough. For a moment she felt as if she were still back home and she held she legs even tighter.

[Hannah Bauer]

Hannah watched as Daisy stepped into her office and took a seat in an unoccupied chair by her desk. Her brown eyes darted from her desk to another empty chair in the corner of her office, and she walked over to the latter--she didn't like sitting at desks, and she wouldn't sit on the desk this time; she felt that she should be at the same level Daisy was, not above her.

She dragged the chair over towards Daisy and sat down in it, angled towards the brunette. She watched as the teen hugged her knees to her chest, and slightly frowned. This wasn't the Daisy that she had known--she was different, probably from her trip home for the summer, and Hannah could barely hold back her own tears as her heart ached for this poor girl--she could only imagine what she had been through.

She raised an eyebrow as she watched Daisy flinch and grab both of her arms. She tensed, sitting up straighter, and leaned towards the girl. "Daisy?" she asked concerned and motherly. "What happened?" She placed the girl's file on her desk, closed--right now she didn't want to worry about school; she wanted to just talk to Daisy one-on-one, and see what really happened while she was home.

[Daisy Lipenowski]

Daisy tried to swallow the lump in her throat before she began, she looked up at Hannah and began to speak. Well, everything was OK for the first two days, he wasn't perfect but it was nothing like it was before, but then I woke one mourning and he was gone. He didn't come back for three days, I worried and started calling the police, his friends but no one knew where he was. Then around three o'clock in the mourning he came in with another woman, they were drunk out of their minds and laughing their heads off. She clenched her fist at the though of the memory, my Mother isn't even dead two months and he's already fooling around with some wh**e from the bar. Anyway, when I saw them I told him he was pr**k, and started to ran up the stairs to my room, he followed and grabbed me by my arms, banged me against the wall a few times. She reached back to touch the back of her head, she could feel the lumps from where she had been bleeding. He told me how I was just a huge mistake, how he hated me, that I was just to much like by b*tch of a Mother. I spit in his face then shoved him off me, he fell backwards down the stairs. He must have hit his head or something on the way down because he didn't get up. I thought that he might have been dead, but no such luck. By the time I had packed my stuff and came back down stairs he was gone again. I guess his girlfriend took him to the hospital or something. So I left, took a bus into the town by the school and walked the rest of the way here.
She pushed her hair out of her face, her tears had stopped and her face became hard, like it had been when she had first come to Horizon. I hate him Hannah, I should never have trusted him, it was stupid to go back. I swore he'd never get the chance to hurt me like this, but then what do I do? I practically open the d**n door for him.

[Hannah Bauer]

Hannah's heart ached for the poor teen as Daisy filled her in on everything that happened to her. She made a mental note to talk to Peter and call DYFS to work out some sort of plan for Daisy--while she probably wouldn't be able to ever to back to her father, perhaps instead of foster care, Daisy can stay under the care of Horizon, and live on campus until she was of age... Hannah had many ideas in mind for Daisy's future; she really wanted to see to it that the girl got better.

"You didn't open the door for him to abuse you, Daisy," Hannah said, her face frowning. "It is solely his fault--he was the one who told you he was better, who asked you to come back home, and then he took it upon himself to mess up and go back to his old ways. It's not your fault for anything that he did, Daisy, do you understand?"

Hannah was on a roll, and was beginning to go into something her coworkers of the past liked to call 'Standard Lecture number 7'. "You are a beautiful, intelligent teenage girl, and you have a great sense of humor," she said, and then added as an afterthought: "...however morbid it may be sometimes." She smiled.

"You did the right thing by leaving, although I wish you hadn't walked here. You should have called--surely Peter or I or anyone else would have gladly driven out to get you and bring you back. Everyone was worried sick--including your father."

[Daisy Lipenowski]

Daisy smiled at Hannah's joke, she knew that she could be a little out there sometimes, but she took pride in it. It was her and it was something not even her Father could beat out of her. She pulled a hair tie off her wrist and pulled back her hair out of her eyes. She knew Hannah cared about her, however, no matter what anyone said Daisy know she should have known better then to trust her Father.
Daisy bit her lip hard at the mention of her Father. Worried? she said boldly. Him worried? He didn't seem that worried when he was banging my head against the wall till it bleed. She thought back to the spots of red she had seen on the walls as she headed down stairs. He probably called the police because he was afraid I'd be back with a golf club.

She thought back to that event, the one that had lead to her Horizon. It had been the first time he tried to physical abuse her, she had taken a stand then, a stand to stop it before it started. Now, however, she had become a victim, something she swore never to be. Besides, I wasn't think I just wanted to back here, and away from everything else.

Daisy was very confused, she was torn between complete rage, disappointment and fear. She didn't want to have to deal with her Father ever again, but she knew he wasn't out of her life completely, she felt as if he never would be.

[Hannah Bauer]

Hannah frowned when Daisy mentioned that her father didn't appear to be too worried while he physically abused her--she could only imagine what Daisy had gone through, and anger surged through her body, complete hatred for her father.

"I'm going to have to report this, Daisy," she said. "It might not be the best thing you want to hear at the moment, but it's something I have to do, and it's probably for the best. Your father will most likely be taken care of, and you can get the justice you deserve." She leaned close to the poor girl and looked her straight in the eyes, as if to tell her that she was dead serious.

"I promise you that things will get better and that he'll never lay a hand on you again, Daisy. Do you understand that?"

[Daisy Lipenowski]

Daisy didn't know what to think, she knew that her Father had enough lawyer friends to get him out of anything. She also knew that anyone would take one look at him and see a well mannered gentleman, at least if he wasn't drunk, then look at her and see some little scary monster. She didn't understand why he needed to drink or be abusive but she really couldn't bring herself to try and figure it out anymore. Just the thought of him gave her to much heartache and a headache.
Daisy looked into Hannah's eyes, He'll come here, I know it. He'll lie and cheat, just like he always does. He'll also slip right threw the cracks like the slime he is. Stuff just doesn't stick to him.
Daisy brought her knees back up to her chest and hugged them tightly. I wish he'd f**king die. I mean neither of my parents where that great but out of the two why couldn't it have been him. She had been thinking about this ever sense her mother had died. It was true her Mother sucked but at least she was never abusive. Death was the beautiful she had always said and believed it, now she was learning it was only truly beautiful if you hated the person who was dead.

[Hannah Bauer]

Hannah leaned over, close to her student. "Daisy," she said, her brown eyes filled with concern, "...if you don't want to see him, we won't let him here. You're safe here, remember? You're safe, and he won't hurt you. He'll have to kill both Peter and myself first." She smiled.

There was a long pause as Hannah tried to think of what direction she should drive the conversation in. "If you want to press charges, that can be arranged." She didn't know where that had come from--she had been talking to Shelby about talking at her stepfather's trial, which probably did it.

[Daisy Lipenowski]

Daisy looked back into Hannah's eyes and she saw concern and care, she blinked closing her eyes for a moment. She searched her memory trying to think of a time when either of her parents had ever looked at her in that way. She did this offend though she had never told another soul about it, she thought that if she tried hard enough one day one of her memories would be of her parents showing her that kind of love, but it never happened. She opened her eyes again as Hannah said her father would have to kill both he and Peter to get into the school and she smiled for a moment.

Her eyes grew wider as Hannah talked about pressing charges again her Father. She knew she could never win, her father knew dirty people in high places, no one would couldn't ever fight that long or hard to win against him. I really don't think that's a good idea, I mean, he's got his hand in all the right people's pockets. She shivered looking around the office she never should have left this place, she prayed she wouldn't be forced to leave it now.

[Hannah Bauer]

"Alright," Hannah nodded, respecting Daisy's choice. "I still have to report this, though, and it's up to Child Services as to what is done from there. But Peter and myself will be right next to you the entire way," she reassured her.

"We love you, Daisy, and you don't deserve to have to suffer like this any longer, okay?" She couldn't help herself now--she got up and hugged the teen softly. "We're here."

She paused and hugged the girl in silence, before pulling away. "I guess we should get you re-admitted, huh?" she asked her.

[Daisy Lipenowski]

Daisy frowned at the thought of having twhat happened reported.What in the world was going to come of telling anyone about what her Father had done. She thought back to when Scott had come forward about his stepmother's abuse. They'd dragged him through h*ll and back again, and not just once but a few times.

She hugged Hannah back tighly. She doubted if she didn't deserve the suffering, sure she knew it was her Mother's and Father decisions to drink, to act the way they did, and say the things they said, but she was the one who had walked right back into the line of fire. She couldn't say any of this though, it made no sense too. I know, she whispered, Thanks. She knew here really family would bethere for her lkike they always were. Like they had been when she first came, when her Mother died and when she had tried to rebuild her relationship with her Father.

She smiled, Home Sweet Home. She got up ready to follow Hannah to the admit room.