Status: Active! Two more chapters left...
Elena.
Little White Lies, Big Trouble-08
I still didn't know where I was. I just knew that it was nighttime because I could see a couple of neon lights and the sound of cars from wherever I was, out in the distance. I'd run away...I didn't regret it. I'd been running along a massive forest so I wouldn't be visible from the road. Before I walked out of the thick pine trees and out into the open, I checked in my compact to see if I was...normal looking enough to go out in public.
I was for the most part, except for my eyes. They were a dark brown, but for now, it was normal enough to step onto the sidewalk into the unknown streets of a unknown place. I checked my pockets to see how much money I had. It was a pointless task, because I already knew what the outcome was going to be. I did find money, but it was soaked beyond repair. I didn't have any cash, but I luckily had my debit card. I'd have to get money at an ATM as soon as possible. I walked onto the sidewalk and tried to see where I was.
There were a couple fast food restaurants, so I knew there had to be an ATM somewhere nearby. I got occasional stares from the few people that were driving and walking down the street, probably because I wasn't wearing appropriate clothing for this weather. I did find an ATM after walking a couple blocks. The bank was closed, so I took out as much money as I could from the ATM outside. I quickly stuffed the money in my pockets. Good thing no one but me knew about this account, or else they could have tracked me or something. I walked to the nearest store to buy things I needed, which happened to be a thrift store. I didn't care if it was old or new clothes, and I did need to save money. It wasn't raining as much, but I could still feel the small drops of water.
I walked towards the thrift store with a bright neon OPEN sign on the door. Inside, a elderly woman was smoking behind a counter. She and I were the only ones in the store. She looked up to see me, uninterested. Before I could give her a small smile, she rolled her heavily purple eye shadowed eyes and looked back to her Victoria Secret Catalog. I walked to the junior section and tried on clothes which included jackets as well as waterproof boots until I found comfortable and decent looking ones. I picked out an umbrella from the many hooks, a practical sized backpack, a watch and sunglasses for later. My soaked clothes were impossible to wear for another moment, so instead I had to walk behind the counter with the unfriendly woman so she could charge me for them.
After paying for everything, I went to the nearest superstore I could find so I could buy undergarments and other items I'd couldn't- and wouldn't of bought at the thrift store. I placed all the things I'd purchased and didn't need at the moment in my backpack- which still had a lot of room. I hadn't spent much at the stores, but I was grateful that I didn't ever need food. I would get hungry, but where would I get the....I didn't need to worry about something I wouldn't need in a day or two, so I shook the worry off.
I walked to what seemed like the outskirts of town where the stores disappeared and more streetlights and wilderness began. I stopped at a gas station, which had one or two cars parked. I took out a map I'd gotten when I'd walked past a bus stop. I would have waited for the bus to arrive, but the only people waiting for it were men and they kept snickering when I'd walked by, which obviously creeped me out. In the map. I looked for a motel where I could stay that was far away from here, in case they'd traced me. I had to get away from Mrs.Goodman and apparently-my mother, who wanted to send me away with her.
After I'd found a place to stay on the map. I walked a little ways away from the gasoline station, stuck my thumb out and waited. The place I wanted to go was a little over an hour away. A small white car pulled over a couple minutes later. It was still raining, so I tried squinting to try to see who the driver was before I got in. As I did so, the driver had rolled down their window by leaning over the passenger side, which was facing me.
It was a very old woman, with white hair and colorful glasses, which framed her kind eyes. "Where are you headed to?" She asked with a slight southern accent. I held out the map to where I wanted to go. She nodded and rolled the window back up reaching over from her side to open the door also. She said she was passing by there, that she could take me, so I got in.
"Thank you," I said, as I clipped my umbrella shut and put the backpack under my feet. The car smelled heavily of perfume and leather. From the seats and the controls on the car, I could tell it was probably as old as the woman. The only thing illuminating the whole car where the dim lights from the outside and the indicator as to how much gas it had.
"You're welcome." She replied. I couldn't tell her expression because I was too shy to look at her, but from the tone of her voice I could tell she was nice, but didn't like to make conversation. which I found great. There wasn't much to look at, because it was raining almost as hard as it had when I stayed at the benches, so I couldn't see anything out the window, instead I decided to look at the windshield wipers.
"You're a runaway." She said casually. I wasn't sure if the woman had said it more as a statement or a question. I slowly looked up to her, seeing that she'd been glancing at the backpack for a while now.
"No. I was hiking," I began, picking my words carefully, "I'd lost track of time...then it started to rain," I said, looking back at the windshield wipers. I heard a small 'Hm" as if she didn't believe me, but she changed the subject.
"Do you live in the city?" She asked. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that she had her eyes on me.
"No, as soon as the weather gets better, I'm going back on my trip," From then on, she and I made small talk for a while, but silence came back until we'd gotten to the motel I wanted to stay at. I thanked her again, but before I'd walked out and she'd driven away, she said something that made me happy to know someone cared: "Hon, you really need to be careful out here, be safe now."
I checked my watch. It was almost 9pm. I guess that I'd chosen a nice motel, because it looked safe enough I guess. I started to walk to the front office to get a room, when I felt someone tap my shoulder.
"What's your name?" A boy about my age asked. I looked at him confused and honestly...scared. The parking lot I was now in was practically abandoned. I backed away from him a little, and walked towards the office again, a little faster this time but being aware of my surroundings more. I could hear him following me, asking me to wait. I didn't stop, until he said my name.
I stopped for a second taken aback from the surprise, but I kept walking. I was almost there.
"Just tell me what your name is, I might have the wrong person, I'm guessing." I looked back at him, I was now close enough to scream if he did anything anyways.
"Cassandra." I lied, thinking of the first name that popped into my head. Mrs.Goodman might know I'm here. I had to leave. Now.
"Oh, I'm sorry, wrong person." He said, shrugging. I nodded and turned my back on him to leave. But before i did anything, I felt what seemed like a sharp needle break through the skin on my neck.
I was for the most part, except for my eyes. They were a dark brown, but for now, it was normal enough to step onto the sidewalk into the unknown streets of a unknown place. I checked my pockets to see how much money I had. It was a pointless task, because I already knew what the outcome was going to be. I did find money, but it was soaked beyond repair. I didn't have any cash, but I luckily had my debit card. I'd have to get money at an ATM as soon as possible. I walked onto the sidewalk and tried to see where I was.
There were a couple fast food restaurants, so I knew there had to be an ATM somewhere nearby. I got occasional stares from the few people that were driving and walking down the street, probably because I wasn't wearing appropriate clothing for this weather. I did find an ATM after walking a couple blocks. The bank was closed, so I took out as much money as I could from the ATM outside. I quickly stuffed the money in my pockets. Good thing no one but me knew about this account, or else they could have tracked me or something. I walked to the nearest store to buy things I needed, which happened to be a thrift store. I didn't care if it was old or new clothes, and I did need to save money. It wasn't raining as much, but I could still feel the small drops of water.
I walked towards the thrift store with a bright neon OPEN sign on the door. Inside, a elderly woman was smoking behind a counter. She and I were the only ones in the store. She looked up to see me, uninterested. Before I could give her a small smile, she rolled her heavily purple eye shadowed eyes and looked back to her Victoria Secret Catalog. I walked to the junior section and tried on clothes which included jackets as well as waterproof boots until I found comfortable and decent looking ones. I picked out an umbrella from the many hooks, a practical sized backpack, a watch and sunglasses for later. My soaked clothes were impossible to wear for another moment, so instead I had to walk behind the counter with the unfriendly woman so she could charge me for them.
After paying for everything, I went to the nearest superstore I could find so I could buy undergarments and other items I'd couldn't- and wouldn't of bought at the thrift store. I placed all the things I'd purchased and didn't need at the moment in my backpack- which still had a lot of room. I hadn't spent much at the stores, but I was grateful that I didn't ever need food. I would get hungry, but where would I get the....I didn't need to worry about something I wouldn't need in a day or two, so I shook the worry off.
I walked to what seemed like the outskirts of town where the stores disappeared and more streetlights and wilderness began. I stopped at a gas station, which had one or two cars parked. I took out a map I'd gotten when I'd walked past a bus stop. I would have waited for the bus to arrive, but the only people waiting for it were men and they kept snickering when I'd walked by, which obviously creeped me out. In the map. I looked for a motel where I could stay that was far away from here, in case they'd traced me. I had to get away from Mrs.Goodman and apparently-my mother, who wanted to send me away with her.
After I'd found a place to stay on the map. I walked a little ways away from the gasoline station, stuck my thumb out and waited. The place I wanted to go was a little over an hour away. A small white car pulled over a couple minutes later. It was still raining, so I tried squinting to try to see who the driver was before I got in. As I did so, the driver had rolled down their window by leaning over the passenger side, which was facing me.
It was a very old woman, with white hair and colorful glasses, which framed her kind eyes. "Where are you headed to?" She asked with a slight southern accent. I held out the map to where I wanted to go. She nodded and rolled the window back up reaching over from her side to open the door also. She said she was passing by there, that she could take me, so I got in.
"Thank you," I said, as I clipped my umbrella shut and put the backpack under my feet. The car smelled heavily of perfume and leather. From the seats and the controls on the car, I could tell it was probably as old as the woman. The only thing illuminating the whole car where the dim lights from the outside and the indicator as to how much gas it had.
"You're welcome." She replied. I couldn't tell her expression because I was too shy to look at her, but from the tone of her voice I could tell she was nice, but didn't like to make conversation. which I found great. There wasn't much to look at, because it was raining almost as hard as it had when I stayed at the benches, so I couldn't see anything out the window, instead I decided to look at the windshield wipers.
"You're a runaway." She said casually. I wasn't sure if the woman had said it more as a statement or a question. I slowly looked up to her, seeing that she'd been glancing at the backpack for a while now.
"No. I was hiking," I began, picking my words carefully, "I'd lost track of time...then it started to rain," I said, looking back at the windshield wipers. I heard a small 'Hm" as if she didn't believe me, but she changed the subject.
"Do you live in the city?" She asked. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that she had her eyes on me.
"No, as soon as the weather gets better, I'm going back on my trip," From then on, she and I made small talk for a while, but silence came back until we'd gotten to the motel I wanted to stay at. I thanked her again, but before I'd walked out and she'd driven away, she said something that made me happy to know someone cared: "Hon, you really need to be careful out here, be safe now."
I checked my watch. It was almost 9pm. I guess that I'd chosen a nice motel, because it looked safe enough I guess. I started to walk to the front office to get a room, when I felt someone tap my shoulder.
"What's your name?" A boy about my age asked. I looked at him confused and honestly...scared. The parking lot I was now in was practically abandoned. I backed away from him a little, and walked towards the office again, a little faster this time but being aware of my surroundings more. I could hear him following me, asking me to wait. I didn't stop, until he said my name.
I stopped for a second taken aback from the surprise, but I kept walking. I was almost there.
"Just tell me what your name is, I might have the wrong person, I'm guessing." I looked back at him, I was now close enough to scream if he did anything anyways.
"Cassandra." I lied, thinking of the first name that popped into my head. Mrs.Goodman might know I'm here. I had to leave. Now.
"Oh, I'm sorry, wrong person." He said, shrugging. I nodded and turned my back on him to leave. But before i did anything, I felt what seemed like a sharp needle break through the skin on my neck.