The Runaway

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I felt like screaming! I don't know, beat something, tear something apart, take out my anger my confusion out on something. My lungs feel like their going to burst, I'm panting but I don't care and keep running. Spotting one of those parks I run into it and slow down to a walk hearing the dead leaves crunch under my shoes and families laugh and play. A baseball hits me and plummets to the ground, I pick up the worn out ball and look around seeing a young girl running up to me with a baseball glove in her hand.

"Sorry! Sorry! My dad and I were playing baseball!!!"

She pants and I give her the ball, this girl doesn't look like she's ever played baseball before and there's a faint glimmer of disapproval as though she doesn't even enjoy it.

"Do you like baseball?"

"Well he does but I don't. But dad's been away on a business trip for a long time and now that he's back I want to spend every minute with him!"

She smiles at me before running back to her father. My heart begins to ache, I never knew how homesick I was until I ran into her. I remember what it's like to be afraid, afraid of dad leaving and never coming back, afraid of being alone. Every time he came back I would follow him everywhere, I liked the music he liked, he wore a leather jacket and so did I, I mimicked everything he did in the hopes that maybe I could get him to stay. But he always left without a word and never came back until the following weeks to come.

The tears threaten to come and I swallow them down as I begin to run in the secluded part of the park. All of my pent up emotions were threatening a melt down, I needed to hide to go far far away where no one can help me. I find a shaded tree-like area where there is hardly anyone and I sit against a tree finally letting the icy tears stream down my face.

It's become a force of habit to cry where no one can find me, if my dad ever found me depressed or sad he'd give me this look of disappointment and say he thought I was stronger then this. Or I would hear him preach that crying is a weakness and if I don't toughen up I'll be pathetic for the rest of my life.

But is it really so wrong to cry?

"Scarlet? Scarlet!"

I look up to see Agent Teresa running up to me making me hastily wipe the tears away. I refuse to be pathetic, I am a strong girl and I can fend for myself!

"Sweetie are you okay?"

Teresa's POV

"Do I look okay?

She snaps at me but relents and looks away, covering her face with her hand the tears continuing to stream down her face. I sit next to her and pull her close letting the girl cry it out.

"I-I just want my dad!"

She sobs.

"Shh-shh why don't you tell me what's going on?"

I wait for her to calm down, gently stroking her hair in a form of comfort.

"It's too complicated."

She whispers.

"Can you tell me about your friend at least?"

"What's there to tell? We were friends practically sisters and then she took her life end of story."

"I don't believe you and I don't think you do either."

"..."

"Scarlet, I'm more or less a stranger to you. There's no harm in telling me because once you're reunited with your father we will never see each other again."