Shannon sighed loudly. "We're never going to be able to leave."
"Leave?" A voice questioned.
Shana and Shannon both looked up and saw Rob standing in the doorway. Fire played in his eyes and he threw himself into action.
No one heard as he started giving them the worst beating he had ever given them. Everyone was home by now. The restaurant was closed.
He knocked Shannon down first and Shana attacked him to defend her sister. Her worst mistake. He threw her down and kicked her until she was crying begging for him to stop.
Anger and hate sparking in Shannon, she got up and lunged at Rob.
He picked her up with ease and he threw her into the mirror that was above their small stand. Shannon first fell onto the dresser, and then onto the floor. When she landed on the floor she didn't move. And Rob started to kick her.
Shana tried to get to Shannon, but her ribs wouldn't allow any movement.
"You can never leave!" Rob shouted. His face was bright red. "Never! And if you do," He started menacingly. "I'll make sure something worse will happen to you. What I've done now can't even compare to it!" He shouted before he slammed the door.
Shana managed to scoot slowly over to Shannon. She pushed back Shannike's hair and saw some blood trickling from her head. She started crying. "Oh, God. Oh, God!"
Shana and Shannon were still in their dressing room. Shana still could hardly move, and Shannon was still out.
"Hello?" A deep voice called out.
"Hello? Is anybody here?" Another asked.
"Like someone's gonna really answer to that!" Someone hissed loudly.
"In here!" Shana croaked out. Her voice was hoarse and thick from screaming and crying.
"Where's here?" The young voice asked.
Shana heard feet pounding so she had to scream again. "Backstage! In one of the dressing rooms!" She shouted as loud as she possibly could. Which really wasn't that loud.
"Which dressing room?" The deep voice asked.
"The one that looks trashed!" Shana managed to get out.
Suddenly three shadows appeared in the doorway. "Turn the light on, Zac!" Someone hissed.
Shana was too tired and in too much pain to concentrate on the voices. Plus she was too worried about Shannon. "I'm warning you it's not a pretty..." She started. Then the lights were on. "Sight." She finished when she saw Isaac, Taylor, and Zac standing there. With their mouths hanging open.
"Danny, what happened?" Zac and Taylor shouted as they went to her side.
Shana pushed them away. "Help her. Help Sha… I mean Bria. Help Bria." She said as she tried to cover up her mistake.
Isaac got Zac to call nine-one-one and an ambulance was taking them to the hospital. Isaac, Taylor, and Zac couldn't ride with them because they were under age and there wasn't any room for all three.
Their parents had been outside with their younger siblings, who slept through it all. So they had taken them to the hospital.
Shana's suffered badly bruised ribs, while Shannon had a small concussion, but she had tiny lacerations and contusions. In other words, she had cuts and bruises.
By the next day they were ready to leave. And the Hanson's wanted to take them home.
"God, I am soo tired." Shannon said as she collapsed on her pathetic excuse for a mattress.
Shana and Shannon were now in their apartment relaxing from their stay at the hospital. "How are you feeling?" Shana asked softly.
Shannon got up and made two icepacks. One for her head and on for Shana's ribs. "I have a headache. You?"
"Just the ribs." Shana was quiet for a moment. "I'm not going back to him." She said harshly.
"Neither am I." Shannon said as she lay down again and placed the icepack on her head.
They stayed that way for about two hours when someone started pounding on their door.
Shannon got up again and dizzily went to the door. Checking the peephole she allowed Isaac, Taylor, and Zac to come up.
Their apartment wasn't much. It was one room, with a small stove in one corner, the bathroom in the other, and a mini refrigerator next to the stove.
Then there were Shana and Shannon's beds, which were several blankets sewn together. It wasn't much, but it was sort of their home.
Isaac looked around and frowned, while Taylor shook his head in disgust, and Zac looked revolted.
"You actually live here?" Taylor asked in pure shock.
"Yes." Shannon snapped. Her head was throbbing now.
"Get all your personal stuff and come on." Isaac said helping Shannon stand.
Shannon steadied herself by placing her hand on his arm. When she noticed where her hand was she instantly removed it and backed away. "You don't own us." She said calmly.
"No, but we care." Taylor said as he helped Shana pack a few things.
"And we wanna help." Zac added as he went to the refrigerator. "Anything in here?" He asked opening it.
There was nothing in it and it seemed as if it had been empty for a long time. He shook his head and stood. He started helping out with the packing of two bags, that Shannon carried. Refusing to let anyone help her with them.
They reached Hanson's hotel and they were allowed to take showers before anything started.
After their showers Shannon and Shana were feeling a little more human-like. They were seated on a bed in cotton robes. Shannon loved it.
"So what happened last night?" Mr. Hanson asked.
It was just him and Mrs. Hanson that were in the room with them.
"Where would you like us to start?" Shannon asked quietly.
"The beginning has always been good place." Mr. Hanson answered.
"Okay, well one night our parents got horny, had sex and we were conceived." Shannon started sarcastically.
"Not that beginning." Mr. Hanson said frustrated by her sarcasm.
Shannon and Shana stared at him.
Then Mrs. Hanson smiled kindly at her husband. "Walker, will you go help the others for a while?" She asked softly.
Mr. Hanson was quiet for a moment and then left. Mrs. Hanson smiled warmly at them. "Now, we can start where ever you like." She said gently.
"Well, I guess we should ask if you're going to tell anyone what we tell you." Shana said staring at her hands.
"I won't. Unless it proves dangerous." Mrs. Hanson said logically.
"Well, that's fair." Shana said nodding.
Shannon nodded also. "Mrs. Hanson, it's us. Shana and Shannon." She said as she looked up at Mrs. Hanson.
Her eyes grew slightly larger than they were before. "I didn't know." She breathed heavily. "Ike, Tay, and Zac have been so worried about you two. They've been looking." She said quietly.
Shannon turned her head away, as if she had been struck.
"We had to runaway again, Mrs. Hanson.... And when we came here to New York, Rob found us and recognized us. He made us perform at his restaurant, and he takes half of our paychecks for managing I guess." Shana said as she choked back her tears.
"We rarely have enough money for food. The dinner you paid for was a meal that we hadn't had in a long while. Rob beats us a lot. Especially when he thinks we misbehave or disrespect him." Shannon added.
Mrs. Hanson had her hand over her mouth. "Oh, my." She breathed.
Shannon just stared at her. "We don't seem to have much luck with meeting people I guess." She said as she laid down on the bed. She was asleep in seconds and Shana had fallen asleep at the foot of the bed.
Quietly, Mrs. Hanson stayed in the room and watched as they slept. Thinking of ways to help them out. She had only one idea and she had to ask the whole family about it.
