Blue is a 21 year old car thief. His life was going as normal. He'd drink a small slushy from the gas station and wait. Wait to see the perfect car roll into the parking lot. The fateful day in November was like no other. Well, that was until Blue e...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
✧
We arrived at my rundown apartment at around five in the morning. I grabbed all the money I had, shoving it into a grey duffle bag. I packed enough clothes to last me the trip and small snacks for the first portion of the drive. Still, no amber alert was released. I knew I was going to be caught at some point, but that didn't quite matter. I knew what I had to do, for the long run, for us.
I just needed one last thing. I knocked on my neighbor's door, Ms. Klein was a nice woman with three kids. She knew what kind of business I was in but didn't judge me, she had some affiliations with the mafia as well. I tapped my foot on the ground, getting antsy, the child was asleep on my bed. I didn't want to leave him unattended for too long.
The door opened quickly to my relief. Ms. Klein's mousy brown hair was pulled into a messy ponytail, clad in a nightgown. I knew she had been awake though, from the heavy walking sounds on the other side of the wall. Another great perk of shabby living, thin walls.
"Good morning Blue, what can I do for you?" She smiled, the small wrinkles around her eyes appearing.
"I was wondering if you still had the car seat you used with Joshua? I'm heading back down to Kansas to take care of my nephew, I thought it'd be good to have." I smiled brightly down at her.
"I sure do, just give me a moment." She disappeared into the apartment, her steps trailing off.
Her six year old, Joshua ran through the living room. From my place in front of the doorway, I could see the kid, dressed in blue footy pajamas with wild eyes.
"Joshua! Get back in bed! I'm not playing this time!" Ms. Klein's voice boomed through the living room, her body appearing back in my line of sight.
I laughed quietly under my breath.
Ms. Klein turned around an apologetic look on her face. She had the car seat in hand though, it was worn but it would do. "Tough morning."
"I can see that. Tell Joshua I said hi." I grabbed the car seat from her and stepped back, further into the hallway.
"I will, have fun on your trip." She smiled at me and waved her hand.
I nodded in response and made my way back down the hallway. When I got inside the blond haired kid was still fast asleep. This was it I guess. I picked him up, causing him to stir only slightly. I wrapped him in one of my hoodies, pulling up the hood to cover his head. Lastly, I said goodbye to my apartment, one that had kept me warm for what felt like forever.
Driving had always been calming to me. Surprisingly it still was. It gave me time to reflect on what had been the last few hours of my life. Many things could go wrong from here to Kansas. I just had to get to Kansas. I repeated the mantra in my head, the words starting to settle my bones.
The boy was quiet as he was before, but now he sat calmly, looking out of the window and watching the cars pass by. While we were in my apartment I made him a turkey sandwich. He sat on the bed, reaching his small fingers onto the plate in front of him to get a half. He watched my reaction, he looked afraid that I would take it from him.
The sight made my heart hurt. Though, when he saw no sign of objection he started to eat it, scarfing the sandwich down so quickly I was scared he'd get sick.
We were about five hours into the drive when he started to shift uncomfortably. I pulled the car over at a gas station off the border of Pennsylvania. The area was barren with only a small rundown restaurant in sight. I opened the car door and unbuckled his seatbelt.
"Do you need to go to the bathroom?" I asked, leaning against the car door.
He looked hesitant, his eyes shifting to the gas station bathroom. After a few moments, he nodded. I picked him up and placed him on the ground. I shut the door to my car and locked it. Grabbing his hand in mine I led him to the bathroom. When we got to the door I looked at him with an unsure look on my face.
"Will you be okay going in on your own?" I asked, I wasn't sure what kids his age were supposed to be able to do by themselves. I just knew he understood what I was saying.
He shook his head, looking up at me expectantly. I acknowledged his gesture, opening the bathroom door and moving inside.
"I'm gonna turn around, when you're done I'll help you wash your hands. Okay?" I told him, looking around the bathroom that was lit a greenish-yellow.
He nodded once again.
When he was done going to the bathroom he stood idly and waited for me to turn around. I turned on the sink water, dropped some soap in his hands, and lifted him so he could reach into the sink. And with that we were back on our way, the boy eating the slices of an apple I brought along.
We only made two more stops before we arrived at our resting place for the night, a small hotel in Pocahontas, Illinois. I ordered us room service, a burger for me, and mac and cheese for him; per his request. The rest of the night went calmly, helping him take a bath, dressing him in one of my shirts, and putting his clothes in the washer for the next day ahead. I planned to get him new ones when we arrived in Kansas and got everything sorted.
It was around eight o clock when we began watching 'Atlantis The Lost Empire', a movie that happened to be playing on the hotel room's boxy t.v. The boy watched with a small smile on his face. I was shocked, it was the first time I had seen him with that sort of expression. He laughed softly when Kida stole Milo's glasses stumbling through the fantasy jungle. He was entranced by the movie.
"Milo." I said out loud, causing him to look at me with his bright eyes. "How about I call you Milo."
I smiled. He tilted his head to the side, thinking on the proposition. He gave me a shy grin, nodding his head.
"Milo it is then." I concluded, and soon he was back watching the movie with an even bigger smile on his face.
✧
authors note: hi! if it wasn't already clear, milo doesn't communicate verbally. this is a sign of his emotional and physical abuse. i did a lot of research about this and just wanted to make sure it was clear! thank you!
