A gentle runaway

chapter 2 - Amber stone forest

After a long night of sleep on a van, Mikey finds himself entering the woods, and mikey notified the driver to drop him off in the next stop, the driver, who was focused on the road at all times, started a conversation with the mutant.

🟫 - "So uh... what brings ya to this place? It's pretty far from NYC y'know?"

🟠 - "Oh! Nothing important really, I just need to get away for a while, things have been though back home."

🟫 - "Is that so? Well there was this weird airship that the government tested around there, right?"

🟠 - "YOU KNOW ABOUT IT?!"

🟫- "Nah, just heard about it, the government part is still a humor but other than that, No. Does it has anything to do with your home problems?"

🟠 - "N-no, it's just... uh... my family, they... well... haven't been... urg, forget it, I don't think you'll understand anyway."

🟫 - "Momma has been picking on ya? Heh"

🟠 - "What? No! I don't even have a mom."

🟫 - "Oh! Sorry kid. Is it your dad?"

🟠- "No, I mean, kinda, but not really, it's my brothers."

🟫 - "Oooooh! I see, older siblings, yeah they're a pain in the butt, aren't they?"

🟠 - "Haha, yeah, pretty much, you see... my brothers and I.... got.... uhh... REALLY hurt a while ago, and we just recovered, and I was expecting we would try to... y'know, keep it down, stay home and relax a bit, we went through a lot and I imagined we would stay together and work it out as a family, but all they can think about is work, the first thing they did when we healed was drag me along to some monkey business that almost got me killed, after that, I realized they wouldn't stop for anything, and that I desperately need a break, I wasn't able to eat dinner yet, I'm hungry."

🟠 - ".... Uhhh, sir?"

🟫 - "Are you from the mob, kid?"

🟠 - (oh crap! Make something up! Fast!) "WHAT!? NO NO NO!! T-they... THEY'RE COPS!! Sorta"

🟫 - "OH! ohoho! Sorry kid, *phew* for a moment I thought I was messing with the mafia just now."

🟠 - "Don't worry about it, it happens, they are just guards, something like that."

🟫 - "Oh, so security guards? Cool, but why were you with them at work? You sound young for this kind of thing."

🟠 - "Oh that! Uhh, our father was busy and they didn't let me stay home alone,"

🟫 - "Smart, but that's problematic, a kid in the middle of a place like this, it must be really tough for you."

🟠- "It can get scary sometimes, it makes me nervous that they seem so ok with all the tense atmosphere."

🟫 - "I feel ya, lil man! I was kicked out of home by my pops, I stood up to him when he disowned my sister for dating another girl."

🟠 - "Wow, that sounds bad, he must have been really nasty to you guys."

🟫 - "He was. Thanks for listening, but for how long are you planning to stay away from home?"

🟠 - "Not sure, maybe just a week or 2, just to put my head back in place."

🟫 - "Allright."

The conversation ended as the van stopped in a lonely station, not a single person around, there is a small town in the distance, the sun is setting in a pinkish sky and soft orange clouds, Mikey says goodbye and hops off, the driver slowly makes his way out of the vehicle and remembers the boy didn't pay for the ride, but when he turns around and calls out for the boy, he's gone, did he just walked away already? The man let's out a sigh and then a soft smile, wishing this boy luck, hoping he'd be fine out there, he probably has a relative living nearby, he hopes, the driver parks his van somewhere and falls asleep in the back seats, a long and deserved rest awaits him.