Running With The Wolves | Baskerville High Chronicles

Truck Ride

"You? How?" Katelyn had to ask. "I can drive," was his nonchalant response. "With what car?" she challenged. "The pickup my grandfather gave me."

No way.

"Do you know how to get to your house?" Katelyn nodded. "I have a pretty good memory," she joked. "Good 'cause I'll need that memory when we reach the main road, come on," he beckoned as he handed her phone back with a ghost of a smile.

They passed through a fire escape door and went to the back of the school where there was a number of students...sparring?

Pairs were going at it with knives or staffs in their hands. And one girl was giving her partner the work, a flurry of flips, kicks and swings. Even from this distance, Katelyn could see she had straight black hair and a fair skin tone. Suddenly this girl pinned down her partner and put the knife to her throat.

Involuntarily, Katelyn gasped.

"This way, Kate," Tyrone called out, steering away from the action. Katelyn glanced at the students one more time before following him into a patch of woods.

She missed that the girl was watching her leave.

After trekking through the underbrush, they entered a clearing where a red pickup truck was parked. Tyrone jogged over, hopped into the driver's seat and turned on the ignition, smiling a little when it roared to life. He then maneuvered the truck to the edge where Katelyn was standing. She then got in and the truck bounded out of the clearing and down the dirt road.

Away from Baskerville High.

Katelyn leaned back in her seat, the rushing wind whipping her pigtails about. She wasn't exactly sad to see it go but she couldn't deny there was something about the place...

"I gotta know; how do you get on the wrong bus," Tyrone mused all of a sudden. Katelyn rolled her eyes to hide her embarrassment. "They're the same color, okay?" she argued weakly. "You didn't notice anything was off?" She looked at the passing scenery. "When it turned onto this road and I saw your school, I realized my mistake."

"You were lucky to end up at a school. Next time, it may be someone's house," Tyrone warned somberly. She gave him a look. "Please, my mom will make sure that'll never happen. From now on, she's definitely going to start personally dropping me off."

Tyrone slowed the truck and then after waiting a second, turned onto a two-lane paved road.

"Okay, I need your memory now," he said, changing the topic. She narrowed her eyes at the stretch of asphalt. "Stay in the left lane until...an intersection. Then turned right."

Right as she spoke, her phone vibrated in her jeans' pocket, making her look down in surprise.

Then she quickly pulled it out and put it to her left ear. "Kate! Thank goodness, I've been trying to call you for an hour now! Where have you been?" Katelyn smiled sheepishly. "Sorry Mom, I was-hey!" she exclaimed as Tyrone snatched her phone.

"Give it back!" she demanded. "You can't tell her what happened," he revealed. "Are you serious?" No jokey smile graced his face. Her annoyance evaporated. "Why not?"

"No one outside of your world's governments can know or else their memory is wiped," he stated.

Her eyes widened.

Tyrone then held out the phone. "Promise me that you will lie," he said. She nodded and took it back.

"Kate, do you hear me?!" was her mom's cry when she had the phone by her ear again. "Yes, I hear you." "What happened just now. I heard you shout and someone was talking softly."

Katelyn eyed Tyrone. "My friend wanted to talk to me, that's all."

"And what did they tell you?" Mom pressed. The redhead swallowed. "To tell you...the truth," she continued, biting her lip. "Which is?" "I woke up late on purpose!" she blurted out.

"What?!" Mom screeched. "So I can board the wrong bus, drop out in the woods and call you to tell you I'd been abandoned. But there was no service and I ended up trekking through the woods to a cabin where I met a boy who is driving me home now."

Her mom stuttered on the other end for a minute before demanding, "Why would you do something so ridiculous!" "Because I...I hate it here! It sucks and I couldn't take it anymore!" she cried, forcing as much frustration as she could into her voice.

"But that is not a way of voicing your problems. It is a way to end up getting kidnapped or disappear," was the instant rebuke. The faux anger extinguished.

"But-" "Kate, talk is cheap. You could have easily told me you were unhappy, you didn't need to pull this stunt." Katelyn bowed her head. "Sorry, mom." "And that's good but this conversation isn't over." "Yes, mom." "Tell that boy to drop you off by the bus stop, I'm coming to pick you up," her mom instructed.

Then the call ended and Katelyn felt dread.

Did she lie well enough in Tyrone's eyes?

"Relax, you did well," Tyrone answered.

She gawked in surprise. How did he know her train of thought? Tyrone smiled slightly. "I can just tell."

Yeah right!

To test him, she closed her eyes and thought hard on her favorite food: hamburgers. How between the buns was a warm patty that melted the cheese and made the sauce leak out-

A pack landed in her lap, startling her out of her daydream. "If you're hungry, you can say so," he told her.

Katelyn slowly picked up the pack with one question on her mind: what is he?

Tyrone chuckled softly at her puzzled expression. "I shouldn't be eating cookies but I like them, so I keep them in here to snack on if needed." She glanced at him and nodded, still befuddled.

The truck slowed to a stop at the intersection then U-turned to the other lane. "And here's your stop," Tyrone said, putting the gear stick in 'Park'.

Katelyn then got out of her seat, crossed in front of the truck and stepped onto the pavement. "Take care, Kate," he bid in farewell. She waved back and he drove away.

Then she went on her phone and called her mother.

"Hello, who is this?" "Hey, mom. I'm at the bus stop." "Okay I'm coming to get you. DON'T go anywhere." Katelyn winced at the commanded but answered, "Yes mom."