September 24th

Breaking and Entering

Alex had been angrily pedaling his bike away from the cabin and his past life for about an hour. He didn't know where he was going, just that he had to get away. He vaguely remembered that the airport was in this direction. Maybe he could get out of the country if he hitched a ride on one of the planes. Alex powered on, refusing to stop now. Even though he had tossed his phone in the lake, the police might anticipate his next move. He had to guess that they would take a while, but he couldn't be sure. So he kept pedaling.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clouds grew ominously in the distance. He had checked his map a while ago when he had stopped for a snack and had determined that he was still about ten miles from the airport. Alex hoped that he could cover some more ground to the airport before the day was over. Ignoring the dark clouds gathering, he pedaled his mountain bike like there was no tomorrow, because if he was caught there wouldn't be. The rumbles of thunder slowly got louder, but that didn't faze him. The rain started to fall, slowly at first, but it gradually turned into a steady downpour. It was not even 15 minutes before Alex couldn't see more than 100 feet in front of him. He was forced to slow to a crawl as he scanned for an access road. He was soaked to the bone, his clothes clinging tightly to him and his brown hair plastered to his head. He sighted a small, muddy road up ahead. Carefully turning right, Alex looked for somewhere he could maybe shelter until the storm passes. He pedaled on and on through the downpour, with no house in sight. Just as he was about to turn back to go to the main road, he saw a house. Yes! Alex didn't really think, other than there was shelter from the rain up ahead.

Alex pulled his bike around to the back our the house and got off. There was no car in the driveway. It was probably a vacation house, just like the many that clustered through the region. Alex climbed the back steps, and searched the usual spots for a key. He found one under the welcome mat. Typical. He unlocked the door and stepped inside. He quickly took off his boots and jacket and left them near the door. Dripping wet, he wandered the house, looking for the bathroom. A nice hot shower would be nice before he had to hit the road again. Alex closed the bathroom door and turned on the water. He undressed and climbed into the shower, letting the water warm his body...

Alex stepped out of the bathroom wrapped in a fluffy white towel. The shower had felt really good. He was going to maybe eat something and leave when he turned the corner and bumped into something.

"What the hell?" Alex heard a female voice exclaim. He glanced up to find a brown-haired girl yelling at him. "Who the hell are you and what the hell are you doing in my house?"

Alex was shocked and embarrassed. He clutched at the towel around his waist, praying that the towel wouldn't fall. "Um, uh, I, uh, I..." he stuttered.

"Well, whoever you are, put some clothes on and then go take your stuff to my room. My parents would flip if they find out you broke in," the mystery girl ordered. Alex nodded, and shamefully gathered his boots and jacket near the door. He placed his stuff in her room and shrugged on his clean change of clothes. He didn't think that he had ever been more self-conscious or embarrassed in his life. Alex considered just climbing out the bedroom window, but that would be just as inappropriate as when he came. So Alex padded back down the stairs to face this girl whose house he had broken into.

She was waiting for him in the living room, with her arms crossed. "I want to know who you are and why you're here," she said. Alex debated how much of his story to tell her. He wanted to stick as close to the truth as possible, but he obviously couldn't tell her about the murder.

"Well, I'm Alex, and I, well, I'm in a bit of trouble. I ran away from home yesterday night and today I got caught in the thunderstorm. I know, I shouldn't have broken in, but I thought it was a vacation house. I'm so sorry," he explained.

"Well Alex, I'm Emily, and breaking into girl's houses isn't usually considered polite, but I'll let this one slide," she said, grinning. Alex couldn't help but smile.

"Thank you for inviting me in, Emily," Alex teased.

"You invited yourself in, but, you're welcome!" Emily teased back. "But you must know a few things. My parents get home in an hour, and when they are home, you need to stay in my room and be super quiet. Two, you can only stay for one night, and you are NOT going to stay in my bed."

Alex could feel the heat rushing to his face. "Okay. And thanks so much for letting me stay here," he said, almost as embarrassed as when she caught him in just a towel earlier.

"You seem like you're in a bit of a bind, so it's no problem," Emily smiled, making Alex smile too. "Oh, and one more thing - my, what nice abs you have!" she teased, making Alex blush again.

"All the better to seduce you with," he replied. Two could play this game. Emily got up and slapped him playfully. "In your dreams, Alex!"