The next morning, the group gathered their belongings and checked out of the shabby hotel. "Thank you so much, Josh. This means a lot," they chorused as they left, grateful for the help.
"No problem. Stay safe, kids," Josh replied, waving them off.
They walked briskly to the nearby bus stop. While they waited, Hayden spotted a familiar face in the distance. "Oh shit, isn't that one of the staff from the camp?" he whispered urgently. Everyone panicked, hearts racing.
"Here, wear these masks. Elora and I got them from Josh earlier," Asher said, handing out the masks. They quickly donned them and moved behind the bus stop just as the bus arrived, avoiding the staff member's gaze.
Once inside the bus, they settled into their seats. Sam and Bae ended up beside each other, sulking after the close call. "I'm bored," Haven complained to Hayden, who was sitting behind her.
"Hey, Ash boy, or whatever your name is, wanna switch seats?" Haven asked.
"First, my name is ASHER. Second, sure," he replied, rolling his eyes but moving to switch seats.
"What should we do now?" Hayden asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Let's play... rock-paper-scissors, I guess?" Haven suggested. They played the game repeatedly, trying to stave off the boredom of the long bus ride.
A while later, Bae felt something heavy on her shoulder. It was Sam, fast asleep. "Now this guy wants to sleep comfortably too," she muttered, rolling her eyes.
"Hey, wake up. Do you think I'm your pillow?" She slapped Sam's cheeks lightly to wake him.
He woke with a start. "Are you irritated?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Of course, idiot," she snapped. Sam just smirked and put his head back on her shoulder.
"What the hell?" Bae cursed. "Anything to irritate you, sweetie," he said, grinning.
As the bus continued its journey, everyone grew hungrier. They hadn't eaten anything substantial and were reluctant to get off the bus, fearing they might be recognized.
"I am really hungry," Lily whined, waking Elora up.
"Here," Haven said, tossing a pack of chips to everyone. "All we packed were snacks," she added, munching on her own chips.
Finally, the bus arrived at their destination. The sign read 'SANDBERG CITY'. Nervous but determined, they stepped off and walked further into the city.
"So, where should we meet?" Elora asked.
"Let's split up and meet near the City Library at 11 am," Sam suggested after checking the time on a large clock in the city center. It was around 9 am, giving them two hours to complete their tasks.
They nodded and dispersed.
Haven was on her way to the library when she noticed some men asking about them, showing their photos to passersby. She kept calm and continued walking, reaching the library without incident. Everyone else was already there, except Bae.
"Where's Bae?" Sam asked, looking worried.
"I don't know. She lives closest to the library," Haven replied.
"Do you think she was caught?" Elora asked, starting to panic.
"No way. Her parents work at my dad's company; they should be at work," Haven reassured her.
"Do you think she changed her mind?" Hayden asked.
"Maybe. She wasn't really ready for this runaway thing anyway," Asher added.
"Guys, we need to hurry. I saw people looking for us," Hayden said urgently.
"Yeah, I saw them too," Haven confirmed.
"Maybe she changed her mind. Let's leave without her," Hayden suggested.
"No, let's wait. This was her idea, right?" Sam argued, trying to persuade his friends.
Sam wasn't particularly fond of Bae, but he saw the determination in her eyes. She wanted to live, to do whatever it took to stay alive.
"We're leaving, Sam. You can wait if you want," Asher said, starting to walk away.
"Fine," Sam conceded.
"Brother, please, let's leave. We will get caught," Lily pleaded.
"I'll follow you guys if she doesn't come in 10 minutes. Just ten minutes, please. You guys can go ahead," Sam said, determined.
"I'm here! Sorry, I'm really sorry!" Bae came running up, panting.
"We were almost going to leave. Let's go now," Asher said. They took three different cabs to avoid suspicion.
Sam, Lily, and Bae shared a cab. "You reconsidered it, right?" Sam asked Bae.
Bae looked shocked at how he knew. "Yes," she admitted after a moment.
"You would have left me anyway," she added, scoffing.
"We were going to, but Sam here wasn't ready to leave you," Lily said.
Bae stared at Sam for a moment before looking away without a word.
At the airport, Elora volunteered to check if the coast was clear. She returned quickly, out of breath. "They're here. They're everywhere – all around the airport, in the planes. They're even getting help from the police to find us," she said, panicking.
"What do we do now?" Hayden asked, feeling the weight of the situation settling heavily on his shoulders.
"We stick together," Bae said firmly. "We find another way."
Sam nodded in agreement. "We have to be smarter than them. Let's think of a new plan."
As they huddled together, brainstorming their next move, the bond between them grew stronger. They were not just friends anymore; they were a team, united by their shared goal of freedom and survival.
YOU ARE READING
Runaways
Teen Fiction"Lets Runaway" Sam quietly suggested 7 teenagers get stuck into a dark scheme and try to escape it. Will they succeed? This is all a work of Fiction~ Based of on my imagination !! Under heavy editing !! Tw: Swearing ; Mentions of Drugs #10 comingsoo...
