• "F*** you!" Jeslyn could hear his harsh voice echoing down the halls. It was like this on a good night, and she peeked out the doorway. She realized that she was curled up like a little girl, a shameful position for a 16 year old model. Down the hall, a beer bottle crashed against the wall, and Jeslyn's mother yelped.
    "This is it," Jeslyn said under her breath. "Tonight's the night we leave."
    She had been planning for a really long time to take her mother away, away from this drunken b******. He'll pass out soon, and then she'll take her chances with her mother in the van. A thump was a joyous sound, because it was HIS.
    When Jeslyn grabbed her backpack, her sack, and her unmentionables, she got dressed and ventured out into the hall. She took careful steps, but eventually got to her mother. Her mother was reluctant to leave him, but agreed to the prospect of leaving. They took the van.

    For a while, they sat in silence. Jeslyn was fighting to stay awake. The snores of her mother were hard to tell from hers, and eventually the world got blurry; they had to pull into a hotel in Chicago.
    "Jeslyn Williams," Jeslyn said. She gave the hotel manager her ID, which said her age and where she had previously lived.
    "I'm sorry," the hotel manager said. "But I'll have to talk to your legal guardian."
    "Mama," Jeslyn said gently. "Wake up. We're here for the night."
    Her mother woke with a start, and stood up. She handed the manager her cards, a lot of them.
    "Can we get a room?" she asked politely.
    "Sure," the manager said. He gave them a room key, and the two women left for their room.