I can't get into it. It is like the noises from the cars zooming by are distorting my voice as I try to open the password journal. "Intruder Alert!" it screams, but I keep trying, my head and eyes focusing on the journal. Why is it not recognizing my voice?

BAM!

Man, Daddy hit the truck really hard. He must be extremely upset with Nikki. I am afraid and don't want to look up from the journal, but the feeling I have deep down in my stomach is telling me I need to. I look up very slowly and see the cracked windshield, and now tears are flowing down my face. Something is wrong. The blurriness from crying blind me from finding the release button for my seatbelt. A woman opens my door.

"My dad's boss is going to be mad at him. When he hit the truck, it broke the windshield."

"Don't worry about that right now. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I kick off my left flip-flop. I can't find the right flip-flop as I get out of the truck, so I decide to ditch the other one. I don't need it anyway.

"Oh, no sweetheart, put your flip flops back on. You don't need to be walking out here barefoot."

I listen to her and quickly find both flip-flops. I am afraid to be in the truck even though nothing can hurt me from the inside of it. After I find them and put them on my feet, I follow her to her car. A policeman is arriving at the scene. I look around, not really sure of what's happening. I notice a worn five-dollar bill on the ground near the policeman. Reaching down and picking it up, I walk closer to him.

"Excuse me, officer," I whisper, "I found this on the side of the road, here you go."

He gives me a huge smile, "That is very sweet of you, but you keep it." He wraps his arm around me, and asks, "would you follow me to my vehicle? You can sit there, so you are comfortable."

I follow him and sit down in the front seat."Is there anything in the truck you need?"

"No," I blurt out; the thought of going back to that truck horrifies me. The policeman walks away. The steady clicking of the lights in the car sends me into some sort of hypnotic state. All I can do is listen to it. The lady who helped me out of my dad's vehicle came back to me, and I realize I lost track of time.

"How are you doing? The policeman wanted me to come and check on you. He told me there looks like a violin or something in the front seat of the truck. Do you need it?"

"Oh, yes. Can I grab it? I need it for school tomorrow."

She replies that it is fine, and I get out of the vehicle. Looking down at the ground to be safe where I was walking, I notice the weeds are so high they nearly touch my knee. I resist the urge to itch my leg as I walk to the truck. I feel my heart beginning to beat faster as I approach my dad's vehicle. I reach the passenger door and open it up quickly, grab the violin; then as I am shutting the door that is when I see it. I see a black or dark blue crushed car. It looks like a Coke can that someone placed on the ground and crushed before throwing it in the trash can. I turn away and rush back to the policeman who is walking towards me.

"I am taking you to a gas station where your grandma is going to pick you up. I will, of course, stay with you until they get there."