“But  mother!”
	“No, Dawn, and my decision is final!”
      Dawn turned away from her mother and the cramped, dusty kitchen abruptly and stomped up the old wood stairs into her small, worn-down room. As she entered her haven, she could just make out her mother’s voice mumbling something unclear. The walls were a deep shade of purple and were lined with shelves overflowing with books. One large mirror hung from a wall right above a white vanity. Her almost empty closet was a couple feet to the right. Her bed was untidy with covers thrown on top of each other and stood in the corner farthest from the door. The floor was wooden and bare. Dawn sat on her bed and sighed angrily. As she glared menacingly at the wall, she thought of her defeat.	
      “I am old enough!”
      “No! New York City has too many people, too many streets, and too many ways for a child to get hurt.”
      “Child? I am not a child! I am going to visit Craig.”
      “You will not. Now go to your room.”
      The fight had been going on for months. Craig, Dawn’s older brother, was in college in New York City. Dawn had never been victorious in all past arguments. She had never won a battle. Her mother, a strict, arrogant ,college dropout could not be persuaded. Her father, a   man who always had the best intentions, but could never use them, stayed out of the fights for his own good. This time though, Dawn had to shake her mother’s unequivocal decision.
       “Why can’t she be sensible? I obviously have more sense and better judgment,” Dawn thought as she refocused her eyes to the wooden floor. “I’m sick of this dumb house, the methodical life, being trapped with nobody to run to. Only Craig cares; he’s not here with me. I have nobody in my life! I hate it! I hate it! I hate it!” Dawn punched her mattress until her fists burned. Hot tears blurred her vision as she sat in complete silence on her bed.
       Minutes later, after she had calmed herself down enough to move, Dawn stood up on the bed and scanned the shelf above her. Her shelves were organized according to genre. Novels sat directly above the bed. “If I read I can calm down, if I read I can calm down and think,” she chanted in her head. Dawn’s choice of novel was haphazard. She plopped back down onto her bed, and leaned against the wall as she read. Hours flew by as Dawn absorbed the words on the pages. She finished the novel at midnight.
	Dawn rose at ten o’ clock the next morning with the book lying next to her. She was still wearing jeans from the previous day. Lazily falling out of bed, Dawn went to her closet and grabbed a pair of navy flannel sweatpants and a grey tank top. Her nose caught the strong aroma of Saturday morning breakfast. The scent of greasy bacon and chocolate waffles wafted through her room. She padded down the stairs, and gravitated to the kitchen. She halted just before entering the kitchen. The sounds of bacon being flipped filled her ears. What made her stop though was her parents’ conversation. 
      “Fourteen, fourteen,” her mother emphasized the last word with scorn.
      “I know. Let’s bring her though. All three of us can go together. We can rent two hotel rooms and Dawn can have her own.”
      “I just don’t want…..”
      Dawn couldn’t quite hear what her mother said next. Deciding she would barge in now, Dawn pushed the door open and stepped into the room.
      The atmosphere in the kitchen changed dramatically. “Funny,” Dawn thought, “one step into a room and everything gets tense.” Dawn simply sat down on a vacant chair, showing no signs that she felt the tension. 
      “Bacon is in the frying pan. The frying pan is on the stove.” Her mother said each word as if Dawn were four. Dawn rolled her eyes.
      “Thanks,” Dawn said, sarcastically smiling.
      As Dawn stood up, she caught a glance between her parents. She couldn’t decipher whether it said, “What a child!” or “You tell her! This isn’t my fight.” Dawn nonchalantly strolled to the cupboard and took out a plate. She plopped an exaggerated amount of bacon onto the plate and strolled back to the table just as nonchalantly. She had picked up her first piece of bacon when her mother blurted, “We are all going to New York.”
      Dawn dropped her bacon piece. A look of astonished anger slowly came to her face. Her mom, sensing the anger, smiled broadly.
	“We are all going to stay with each other in the same hotel. We are all going to see all of the sights together. We are all going to visit Craig together.”
      And, just like the night before, Dawn stood up and stormed out. This time, though, she brought her food. After she threw her room’s door open, Dawn set down the plate full of bacon on her vanity and strode off to her parents’ room. “I have to find the itinerary. If I find it…” There it was, on her mother’s dresser. “I didn’t even have to rummage through anything,” Dawn smiled. Saturday, September 21, 10:10 a.m. Dawn read with wide eyes. “I’ll be gone before then,” she promised to herself as she swaggered out of the room.
	11:30…11:40…11:50…midnight. Beep!  Dawn slammed her hand on the alarm clock, only letting one alarm sound from it. “If they hear me, I’m dead.” Keeping that thought fresh in her mind, Dawn dressed in black jeans, a plain, blue t-shirt, sneakers, and her favorite sweatshirt.  She didn’t dare turn any lights on in the kitchen as she gingerly tip-toed down the old stairs. Even the light in the refrigerator worried her as she packed food for her trip. 12:20. The late- night bus arrived at the stop in twenty minutes. Dawn had to hurry. The bus stop was about a mile and a half away from her house. Making sure the back door silently closed shut, Dawn snuck through the flat, open field that served as her backyard. She cleared her house and broke into a run as she hit the street. Her backpack full of money, food, extra clothing, her phone, and a map thumped against her as she ran. “A bruise or two is definitely worth it,” she thought as she tore through the night. The bus stop was now in sight, maybe half of a mile away. “I’m going to make it!”  
	Dawn sat down and leaned against the bus stop sign. She set the backpack down beside her. Dawn lifted her head up to the sky. It was still pitch dark and chilly; Dawn could see her breath prominently as she huffed and puffed from her long sprint. Her phone read 12:35 as Dawn turned it on. “Five more minutes and the bus will come to take me to New York City.” The phone’s screen was too bright when Dawn looked back down again. Squinting her hazel eyes to slits, she turned its brightness down to a minimum. Even then, she kept staring at the phone. It seemed to hypnotize her. “I should tell Craig I’m coming. Just to give him a heads-up.” But her fingers didn’t make a move to call him. Dawn didn’t move a muscle. She felt petrified just sitting there at the bus stop, waiting for her escape. “Should I go home?” “No. I’m not going to chicken-out now.” “But…how am I going to pull this off? I should be in my warm, comfy, bed.” “Yeah, warm and comfy until mom starts yelling.” That one, single thought pushed all the doubts away and she stood up. 
      Dawn looked at her phone. 12:50. The bus was late. “It’s only ten minutes late. It will come any minute now.” Ten minutes turned into twenty minutes. Dawn was getting worried and the sky was turning from pitch black to cobalt. Dawn suddenly let out a sigh of relief. She could see the silhouette of the bus. Dawn wanted to scream with joy and with some anger as the bus rolled up. It was white with the company’s symbol painted a light blue on both sides. The bus was half the length of a standard city bus, but just as wide. The driver didn’t give her a second glace as she bounded up the few steps, paid, and took a window seat. The bus was now in motion and taking Dawn closer to the city and farther from her home. “ Freedom! Freedom from my own personal prison!” The bus swayed and rocked; two motions that always put Dawn to sleep.
	She bolted up abruptly. She turned her head and saw that the once empty bus was now half filled. The seat next to Dawn was still vacant, but the bus had arrived at another stop and more people were getting on. She watched in terror as a large, husky man stomped up the bus’ steps. “Please don’t sit next to me. Please don’t…” It was too late. The giant man plopped down next to her. He was wearing old corduroys with a green plaid shirt, and big, clunky boots. He had auburn hair and a tangled auburn beard. “Really? A clean, well-groomed, businessman couldn’t have sat next to me? This bus is filled with them! All of them going to work in the city. Yes! That means I haven’t slept through my stop!” Dawn was relieved as she realized that, no, she hadn’t missed her stop and was on her way to who-knows-where, but was just about to arrive in New York City. Her relief ended just as quickly as it began. The large, husky man started to converse with her.
	“Where  you headed to?”
	“The city.”
	“Bring your kid to work day? Visiting a relative?”
 	“The latter.” 
      Dawn answered each question quickly and with attitude. The man got the idea and stopped. “At least he brushed his teeth this morning.” At that thought Dawn succumbed to her tired brain and fell back asleep.
	“Hey! Hey! Kid, wake up!” The man was shoving Dawn, trying to wake her. “You said you were going to the city, well, we have arrived.”
	Dawn looked at the man sleepily and instantly felt bad about her previous thoughts. “Would an up-tight businessman wake me up so I wouldn’t miss my stop?”
	“Huh? Oh, yeah, thanks!” Dawn stuttered as she stumbled into the aisle. A few more steps through the narrow aisle, a wave of thanks to the driver, three steps onto the sidewalk, and Dawn was instantly swept away with the crowd. It was now eight o’clock and working men and women only cared about getting where they needed to be. Dawn was elbowed and pushed through the crowd. Trying to find sanctuary from the throngs on every sidewalk, Dawn ducked into a small café. The door chimed as she fell through. The café had a dark, wooden floor, with beige walls that reminded her of caramel. Tables lined the perimeter and a large sign that read Sally’s Café hung above the cash register. 
	“Hello!” the woman at the register said with a practiced cheer. “What can I get for you?”
	Dawn stared at her for a long minute, then realized she was looking like an idiot. 
	“I’ll just take a hot chocolate,” Dawn sighed as she took a table next to the large, glass window. She could feel the woman’s eyes on her but didn’t care. Dawn was worn-out and the realization that she might not be able to do this came to her. “Think positive, Dawn. Think positive.” 
	“ Your hot chocolate is ready,” the woman called. 
      Dawn slowly got up. She planned to take her time in the café and wait out the morning rush. 
	“Thanks.”
      As Dawn sat back down, she took in New York City. Skyscrapers loomed high above the crowds and taxis down below. They gleamed in the morning sun. Bikers rode deadly close to cars on the over-crowded streets. Men, women, and children alike were ducking in and out of taxis. She could see babies crying in the strollers and toddlers tugging on their parents’ sleeves. Suddenly, the quietness in the little café seemed comforting. Dawn tried to remember the screeches and horns and wailing when she first stepped foot in New York; she couldn’t, and now her adrenaline rush had subsided. Dawn took the last sip of her hot chocolate as she stared mesmerized through the window. The throngs weren’t thinning. It was now nine o’clock and everybody should be working. The chair slid silently across the floor as Dawn stood up. She tossed her foam cup into the trash as she hurriedly walked to the door and faced it. She braced herself, and, before she could change her mind, pushed the door open. 
	The door’s chime was lost within the loud, piercing sounds. Dawn covered her ears as she bolted through the crowds with a little more finesse. Sirens blared and engines roared to life. Dawn felt as if she were running in slow motion. Even the angered “Watch where you’re going, kid!” seemed distorted. The world was about to stop in place when everything went black.
	 Dawn sat up slowly. Three boys were kneeling beside her. They all had disheveled red hair, big, brown eyes, and pale skin. All of them appeared to be in their early twenties or late teens. “Triplets?”
	“Are you alright?” all three boys asked with concern all at once.
 	As Dawn’s eyes adjusted and refocused, she realized there was only one boy.
	“Hey, are you okay?” he asked  again.
	“Umm, yeah, I’m fine. Thanks,” Dawn replied inarticulately. “Wh-what happened?”
	“Well” he grinned mockingly, “you kind of ran straight into the door.”
	Dawn stood up abruptly, then fell back down. The red-headed boy caught her before she hit the concrete. He escorted her to the building’s smooth, brick wall. Dawn leaned against it and let out an exasperated sigh. The apartment building was five stories high. Windows lined each side and were equally spaced. It was clearly well kept. The address on the glass door read 1031 North Avenue. “This is Craig’s building! He must have a job.”
	“Okay, now I know you’re not all right.”
	“No, I’m fine. I just need to get to my brother’s place,” Dawn gestured behind her.
	“He lives here? Give me his name.”
      Dawn was hesitant. Even with her lack of street smarts, Dawn knew not to give a stranger her or anyone’s complete name.
	“Oh,” he seemed to figure it out. “I’m David Johnson.”
	“Craig Robinson.”
	“Third floor. Room five.”
	“Thanks!”
      Dawn turned on her heel and pulled the glass door open slowly. She could feel David’s eyes on her. The door was heavier than most; Dawn opened it just enough to slip through. The lobby had a red carpeted floor, a large oak desk, and a brass chandelier hanging from the ceiling. It wasn’t stunning, but it had class and reflected the building’s exterior. Walking farther into the lobby, Dawn spotted a fluorescent sign that read Stairs. Dawn bounded up three flights. The metal steps clanked as she stomped on each one. She reached the third floor, threw open the light blue door, and jogged down the third floor hallway until she found room five. 
      Sliding down Craig’s door, Dawn brought her knees up to her chest. Her long journey finally hit her. There was no more adrenaline. She bent her head down and rested her forehead on her knees. Still curled up, Dawn gave a futile knock on the cream-colored door. No answer came. Dawn knocked louder this time. Nothing. It had never occurred to her that Craig wouldn’t be home. Standing up, Dawn could feel how weary she was. 
	“Dawn!” It was Craig. 
      At her time of doubt, he came. A huge smile was painted on her face. Happiness over-flowed within her, and then it was gone. Dawn’s joy was not mutual. Craig had grey eyes; they could have been vermillion from all the anger in them. Craig and Dawn now stood a yard apart. The silence screamed until it was broken.
	“Hi?” 
	“Mom and dad have been worried sick! They are about to call the police! I’m taking you home. Now.” He shouted so loudly Dawn thought the entire city could hear.
	“B-u-” Dawn didn’t even finish the word. She knew it was no use. 
      Craig grabbed her arm and dragged her down the hallway into the elevator. It had cream walls and a carpeted floor that matched the lobby. “Just thirty minutes ago I was head over heels, and now,” Craig interrupted her thoughts. 
	“Dawn, this is just, so,” He fumbled for the right words. He was calmer now and the tension in the small elevator seemed to diminish slightly.
	“Selfish,” Dawn completed. “I know. It was wrong. I just, can’t stand all of the fights, the methodical lifestyle, all of it. I can’t have it anymore.”
	“Well, you have to stand it for a few more years. You can’t just runaway and have an adventure.”
	“Yeah, I know.” Dawn dipped her head. “I’m sorry.”
      The elevator stopped at the lobby. The metallic doors opened to reveal what Dawn once ran through with glee. Dawn kept her head down. She didn’t want to see the city or any part of it anymore. It all held her humiliation. Craig held the heavy, glass door open for her. He guided her through the throngs on the sidewalk. They brushed past all kinds of people for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, the two stepped down the curb, away from crowds, and faced a dark blue Nissan. It was an average, compact, city car with  four doors and five seats. Dawn had never seen it before.  
	“Get in.”
      Dawn took the passenger seat as Craig started the engine up. They inched through the city in silence. Dawn gazed at the city solemnly. Contradicting feelings ran through her head as buildings slid out of her view. She was traveling faster than the crowds now. Memories of the past few months filled her mind. All of the arguments, tears, screams, and slams filled her ears. Subconscious tears rolled down Dawn’s cheek. She refocused her eyes outside the window and away from her melancholy thoughts. The scenery had changed into fields. Dawn rested her forehead against the window. It was cool to her touch. “I was wrong.”  Dawn lifted her head moments later to see her white, humble, country house. “Home.” 
Breaking Out, 6-8, p.1