Love,
NOTW-Writer <3
1
Runaway
I pushed my dirty blond bangs out of my face and peered through the grimy bus window out into the cloudy evening outside. It looked like the skies were about to burst, but that was the least of my problems right now. Taking my future in my own hands was going to be very hard, but falling asleep on the city bus and missing my stop just made things worse. I sighed and shouldered my duffel bag, adjusted my backpack, and went to the bus door. I froze when I spotted two men in suits, one taller and one shorter but with more muscle. They were standing about twenty yards away at the entrance to the dimly-lit depot and I knew who they were. The worst part? They saw me too.
I gripped her duffel bag and jumped off the last step. My combat boots slammed down hard on the pavement before I took off at a run. I could hear them running after me and shouting my name, but I ignored them and ran faster. Why won’t they leave me alone? I thought angrily. I knew my thin body was stronger and faster than it looked; I had made sure of that early on. I turned the corner and collided with someone, knocking both myself and the other person down. I noticed a long body and dark hair before leaping up and running. I shouted out a sorry over my shoulder. My boots pounded against the pavement, heart hammering in my ears, and just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, the clouds broke. Rain came pouring down in blinding sheets, making my escape harder. I turned another corner and slid a few feet on the slick sidewalk. I regained my balance and kept going. I stole a glance over my shoulder but I didn’t see the men. I risked slowing down just enough to catch my breath and figure out my next move. I peeked over my shoulder again to make sure the coast was clear before looking around. I spotted a covered dark green bus stop just ahead. Thankful for the brief refuge, I got under its shelter and pulled my dark green knitted hat off of my head and rung some of the rain out. The storm had hit hard and the rain was coming down faster. My short unruly pigtails had gotten even more messed up sleeping and now running for my independence.
“Man, you run fast for such a tiny girl. You packed quit a hit too, running as fast as you did.” I nearly jumped out of my skin and whipped my head up. Normally, I could hear someone sneaking up on me, but I hadn’t seen him when I had last checked, let alone heard him. I hopped off the seat and held up my small fists, ready to fight, but more ready to run if I got the chance.
“Hey, calm down.” He said, “I’m not gonna hurt you. I just wanted to know why you were running. No one is chasing you.” I looked for truth to that statement in his eyes. I noticed they were a light grayish blue. He had light brown hair and was at least head and shoulders above me. He wore jeans with a few holes in them, black sneakers, a dark blue shirt and a light gray jacket that was darkening as the rain continued to fall on him. What I could see of his skin, it looked rather tan. He had a silver stud in his left earlobe. He gave me a crooked grin, showing off very white teeth. I glared at him, uneasy with his kindness. I didn’t trust anyone that acted this friendly anymore, especially since he came out of nowhere.
“Leave me alone.” I growled, taking a step back.
“But I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to help.”
“I don’t need help from you or from anyone.” I snapped. I risked another step back and saw them. The men had finally caught up to me. I felt my eyes grow wide.
“Oh no…” I mumbled. I spun on my heel and took off again. I could hear them shouting my name again behind me and it was getting louder. Before I got half a block away, I heard the yelling cut off. And then gun shots. I froze, confused. They are just social workers, aren’t they? Why would they carry guns? Strangled cries came from behind me as another gun went off. I twisted around and saw the men far above the ground with the mysterious guy under them, holding one hand high in the air fingers spread out and his palm facing the angry sky. I took two steps towards them and then heard the guy’s voice in my head. I told you that I wasn’t going to hurt you Kari. And I know who you are and what you’re doing. If I have to, I will make you come to me. I could feel his eyes on me, even though I couldn’t see his features and I somehow knew I should go over if for the sole purpose of wanting to keep my feet on the ground. I slowly walked back to the bus stop and looked up at the men. The mystery guy flicked his wrist and they went sailing through the air and hit the ground several yards away, on the other side of the street. I heard sickening cracking and crunching noises. Lightning flashed and lit up the sky. I spotted two small guns on the ground at my feet. I saw the blood drain from my already pale face in the puddle they sat in. I stumbled back a few steps, tripping over a crack in the sidewalk and landing hard on my rear end. The man turned to me and looked down. Something flashed in his eyes. I tried to get up and run, but as soon as I stood, he grabbed my arm.
Suddenly, I couldn’t feel the ground under me anymore. I couldn’t feel the rain descending on me, or my bags either. Everything went black and chills ran down my spine. My knees went weak but before I could collapse, I felt the ground beneath me again. My vision came back, but immediately started spinning. The grip on my arm got tighter and I felt a little steadier. I blinked a couple times to make everything settle down and looked around. I stood in the middle of a very well light kitchen. It had black upgraded appliances, granite countertops and a deep sink. A large island stood in the middle with a few metal barstools with black seats on one side.
“Where I am?” I whispered. There was a window over the sink. It looked like it was the middle of the afternoon the way the sun was coming in full force. It didn’t make sense, but then again, nothing did right now. I looked down at the hand on my upper arm and then up at the guy as he let go.
“You’re safe.” He said and then he walked out of the kitchen. I just stood there, dripping on the dark hardwood floor. My knees finally gave and I collapsed. My head began spinning again and I felt weaker than I had ever felt before. Running from my seventh set of foster parents had seemed so simple, as long as I had enough money. That had been the difficult part. Getting as much money as I could from them would have been a lot easier if they hadn’t moved the spot where they kept it every three days. They didn’t trust the bank so they kept it at home. They just used us for the money the government is giving them. I thought bitterly. They don’t really care about us. Footsteps sounded from outside the kitchen and a few seconds later, I saw a pair of bare feet in front of my eyes. I looked up at a tall girl with dark brown hair in a braided ponytail falling over her left shoulder. She had on a pair of dark blue track shorts and yellow tank top. She grinned at me and held out her right hand to help me up.
“Hey, you must be the new girl Milo was talking about. He told me Solon said you would be arriving today.” She smiled at me and stretched her fingers a little more. I weakly took her hand and the girl yanked me up.
“I’m Erica. It’s nice to meet you…”she trailed off, waiting for a reply. All she got was a whisper because I couldn’t manage anything more. “Well Kari, let’s go get you to your new room and into some dry clothes.” Erica gave her a wide smile and tried to tow her out of the kitchen. I wouldn’t budge. As weak as I was, I didn’t want to go with this strange girl. I wanted out of here.
“I don’t know who you are, or who Milo and Solon are, but I’m not going with you or anybody else. I want to leave. Now. Bring that weird guy with the earring back and make him send me back to where I was. I was doing fine without him.” I wrenched my arm out of Erica’s grip and took a step back. Why does everything always happen to me? Why couldn’t I have had a normal childhood and a family…I demanded angrily. I backed up a step again and hit something solid.
“Hi Milo! “ Erica waved at whoever I had bumped into. I turned and looked up into the eyes of the one who had brought me here. So he’s Milo…I glared at him and took a step away. I found an inner strength come out in my anger at being taken somewhere against my will. I bolted around him through the other door leading out of the kitchen. I heard Erica call after me but I kept running. I turned a corner and, to my shock, Milo was right in front of me.
“You have a nasty habit of running off, don’t you? You should learn to stop and listen before you make such hasty decisions.” He stepped towards me.
“Well, you have a nasty habit of suddenly appearing everywhere.” I retorted. He gave me a lopsided grin and continued.
“I brought you here because you need help from my father. And you really weren’t going to make it out there on your own with those goons following. I bet you don’t even know who they really are.”
“Of course I know who they are. They’re social workers and they were trying to bring me back to my foster home. I just don’t understand the guns…”
“They weren’t social workers Kari. They work for the government to track down people.” He stepped towards me and a shadow crossed his face. Anger, fear, and hate passed through his eyes before he spoke again. “People like us, who are different.”
“I’m no different than any other foster kid.” I protested, but deep down I suddenly realized how wrong that was. I had always felt different than any of the other kids I had ever met and I didn’t know why. Things tended to break easier around me, especially when I got angry. Vases, pictures, glasses, toys when I was younger, even a bookshelf once. The shelves just collapsed and the whole thing had toppled down. At least no one had been in the way. Milo stepped towards me.
“How about we make a deal? You talk to my dad and if he can help you, then you stay here. If he can’t help you, then I will take you back to the exact bus stop I took you from and even give you some extra cash to help you. How does that sound Kari?” I looked down at me still wet combat boots. Well, maybe I’ll see what his dad has to say and then just leave and take the money. It would be easier anyway just to go and then I’d get this freak off my back. And then I’ll be free and not so broke anymore.
“Fine, I’ll go with you.” I grumbled. Erica came up beside me.
“Can I come too Milo?” she pleaded. “Solon hasn’t done a check-up on me in a looooong time and I think I’ve gotten faster.” She grinned at him as he nodded. Milo turned and started down the hallway. Erica nodded towards him, indicating to me that I should follow. We walked past several doors, each marked with a set of numbers and starting with the letter ‘L’. Milo stopped in front of one on the left; the only one marked ‘B1’ and twisted the knob. The door swung open, revealing a dark set of stairs. Milo went down a few steps before reaching out to the wall. He flipped the switch and lights came on, one by one, over the metal stairs leading downwards. He motioned to us to follow him. Erica walked past me as Milo descended. I briefly wondered if I could shut the door behind them and make a run for it. But then I remembered my deal and the money I desperately needed awaiting me. I sighed and followed them into what appeared to be the basement of the building. There were no hand rails on the stairs and everything looked too clean, almost like a laboratory. Where am I? I wondered for the second time in ten minutes. It’s light outside, wherever I am, and now there is a lab-like basement in this building? I just hope it’s not full of weird guys that suddenly appear out of nowhere the way Milo does…
“Dad? Are you down here?” Milo called when he got to the end of the staircase. A man with dark brown hair with gray streaked through it stood behind a table. Several others were spread out around him, along with strange instruments and machines making bizarre noises. Some of the machines had blinking lights. The man stood with his back to our little group.
“It’s nice to finally meet you Ms. Kari.” The man said. He turned and walked around one of the tables to come and stand in front of us. We must be in a lab. I realized. He’s even in a lab coat and carrying a clipboard!
“Now that you’re here Kari, I can explain everything to you.” The man gave me a kind smile. “If you’d like, I can also help you develop your unique gifts.”
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