She brushed her blonde hair out of her eyes again and continued to walk briskly down the path. Her anger had gotten the best of her once more and the tears were flowing unbidden from her clear blue eyes. She hated her mother's stupid boyfriend. She hated how he made her feel. Most of all, she hated how he always seemed to push her buttons and make her temper flare.

She allowed herself to run now and the cold, hard pavement beckoned her forward. The park was full of enormous oak trees and they formed a secure fortress around her. It was getting dark now; probably not the safest time for a young girl to be out by herself but the trees hid her from her awful life and she refused to believe any evil would ever come to her here in her safe place. Her lungs filled and emptied faster now taking in the crisp fall air. Her heart pounded as her head cleared and the peace of the park filled her soul.

She was beginning to forget all about the horrible slob who had so rudely taken up residence in her life just months ago. The wind began to rustle the leaves and their branches waved to her as she continued down the path, feeling a little more freedom with every footfall. A soft whine filled her ears and she slowly came to a stop. She looked around and found the source of the noise huddled under a nearby bench. He was a sad little beagle all alone. His leash had been used to tether him there and she wondered where his owner was.

She approached cautiously and bent down to say hello. His tail wagged furiously and he pressed his soft nose into her palm.

"You're so sweet! Where is your family, huh?" She scratched behind his ear and got his back leg going. Looking around again, she wondered who could have left such a cute pup. Weren’t they afraid someone would steal him? 

Suddenly a man appeared out of the bushes. He was wearing a navy blue jogging suit and looked frazzled, though not out of breath. She stood abruptly and immediately felt the need to escape. One last glance to the puppy cost her dearly as the man lunged at her. The last thing she remembered was the cold, wet cloth and the sting that penetrated her lungs as she tried to scream.