The Purity Project

Chapter 17

"How much farther?" Halona asked.

The four of them had been on the road for three hours, and they planned on stopping at the next town to change their clothes and grab food. As if on cue, Halona's stomach began to growl. She clutched it, stealing a glance at Lorenzo to see if he noticed. She immediately looked away, ashamed of herself. They had spent the night at Mr. Morris' house. That morning, they had briefly explained that they had a job to do. Millie had cried, asking if they would ever come back. Halona had promised her that they would, but even she knew that was impossible.

"About fifteen minutes. Now stop asking!" Tyler snapped.

Halona rolled her eyes, and Lorenzo snickered. Jada had somehow managed to fall asleep, and she began to stir at the commotion.

"What's happening?" she asked groggily from the passenger seat.

"Oh nothing, but if these two don't get fresh air, they might explode," Lorenzo said, and Halona elbowed him. 

"Make any other comments and I won't pay for your dinner," Halona snapped. The two boys had lost their bags after getting arrested, and they were relying on the money that Jada and Halona had packed.

"That's cruel, even for you Halona," Lorenzo replied.

"Here's a suggestion. How about you all try to sleep, and I'll wake you up when we get there? That way the rest of the ride will be nice and quiet." Tyler's tone was enough to make all of them go silent.

Halona leaned against the window, knowing that she wouldn't fall be able to fall asleep. The stress boiling inside of her kept her alert. She decided to focus on smaller things. She thought about her artwork. The nights she spent with Braden, making the world a little more beautiful. She sighed, wondering if she would ever have one of those moments with him again. She thought about her parents, and how they were probably cuddling on the couch, worrying about their daughter. Her mind drifted to her biological parents. She hadn't thought about them in years. She wondered if they knew what she had done. Had they seen the wanted posters? Had they heard the news about their rebellious daughter?

"Halona!" Lorenzo's voice snapped her back into reality.

"What?" She jumped up, and saw that they had parked in front of a store.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. We're here," Lorenzo said, as he hopped out of the car.

Halona stepped out into the cool evening. The sun was low in the sky, and they had about forty minutes till curfew. The four of them rushed into the store, splitting up. They decided it would be less suspicious if they split up. Tyler and Jada disappeared down a different aisle, leaving Halona alone with Lorenzo. 

"After you, sweetie," Lorenzo said, his body a little too close.

"What?" Halona jerked away from him.

"Calm down! You're gonna blow our cover. Did you listen to a word Tyler said?" Lorenzo whispered.

"Oh, I must have missed it." Halona looked away, embarrassed.

"As long as we are in this store, you're my girlfriend. Now let's get some new clothes." Lorenzo offered his hand, and Halona reluctantly took it.

The two of them walked down the clothing aisles, forcing smiles and laughing occasionally. Halona grabbed a leather jacket, yellow t-shirt, and ripped jeans. Lorenzo settled for a white t-shirt, black hoodie, and sweats. Cautiously, they made their way over to the cash register, an old woman with a bright smile.

"Aren't you two a cute couple?" she said as she began to scan their clothes. "How long have you two been together?"

"About a year, now," Lorenzo said, keeping his eyes locked onto Halona's.