The Runaways

Chapter 8

“Will you pass me the quilt, please?” Cory asked. I handed it over. We were huddled together in the shelter. Outside, the rain was pouring down and the wind was blowing.

“Thanks,” he said when I gave it to him.

“So, when are we getting out of here?” I asked.

“I figured we could move on as soon as the weather lets up. The streams coming from the mountains will be overflowing then, but if we stay high enough, we should be able to make it,” he said. “I kind of like it here, though,” he hinted.

“We can’t stay here forever though,” I reasoned.

“But won’t we have to settle sometime? We’ve been here a while, we know the area. Isn’t it better to stay here, instead of climbing up a mountain we will just have to come back down in the winter time? I think the right thing to do would just be to stay here,” he said, voicing his opinion.

“Well don’t let me get in your way. You just do what you think is right,” I said bitterly.

“Ally...don’t you see? We have been looking for years for a place we could call home! We know the area here; we know the animal trails. There is water nearby. We will never starve or go thirsty here. Isn’t that what we wanted when we left? To have all the things we have been denied? I am not saying our parents starved us, that wasn’t the case. But we didn’t get as much as we needed, and we have everything we need here!” he argued. I just gave him a look that said that I didn’t approve of what he was saying.

“You don’t get it, do you? Once we are tied down to something, or somewhere...we aren’t as free anymore! I want to be able to leave here at any moment, and I can’t do that if I have a permanent shelter! I need to be able to go wherever I want...to wander...to be free. I can’t do that if I am living somewhere permanently,” I said.

“You didn't even want to leave at all!” Cory reminded. “What's the big deal about moving on?” he demanded.

“You know what Cory, it doesn't even matter,” I said bitterly, then, laying down, I turned my back to him.

“Ally...” he pleaded, but I ignored him.

I laid there, wishing he would look at it in my perspective. And then I started thinking about us as people. Were we really the same people that we had left as? I could now sort of hunt with a bow and arrows, something I never dreamed of doing. I had single-handedly killed a bear and nursed my best friend back to health. Cory had almost been killed by a bear. The things we had done since we left were not things we ever thought we would have to do. Looking back, I thought of how stupid we were. Was running away a bad decision? Yes. Would staying home have been a bad decision? Yes. But we made that decision because we thought we had nowhere to turn.

There were so many other choices we could have made. Some would have been so much safer. And yet we made our choices, and we had to live with them.

“I’ve been thinking,”Cory said the next morning.

“Hm?” I breathed, still refusing to talk to him.

“I was wrong, last night, demanding you to do something that you don't want to do. But my opinion on staying here hasn’t changed. I just think that if we are going to make a choice about something, we should make sure that we weigh our options carefully. I got to thinking last night, about what our other options could’ve been. I thought of many things that we hadn’t even considered. We need to make sure that our next decision is something we can live with for the rest of our lives,” he said.

Cory looked at me, and without a word, he put his arms around me and wrapped me in a hug. I didn’t fight; I hugged him back, knowing that whatever it was for, it must be important. I didn’t even stop to think about the fact that not fighting back might give him the impression that I liked him. In fact, in the time that he was healing, I appreciated his presence more than ever before.

“I am so sorry, Ally. I should listen to you instead of being closed-minded and stubborn. We are a team, and we should approach things as a team” Cory admitted.

“I miss home a lot,” I told him. He gave me a sad smile.

“I'm sorry for taking you away from everything you know. It was my idea to do this. We could've done so many other things to improve our way of living. I was just being closed-minded,” he said.

“I know,” I said, my throat tight. I gave him some excuse on why I had to go outside, and then left. The rain had stopped, but for a few drops here and there.

I dropped down, as if I had fainted, and cried. I cried and cried and cried, willing the tears that I had held back for everything to come. Cory never came to comfort me. I guess it was for the best. I knew he could hear me. But I just wanted to be alone. It was the only gift that Cory could give me right now.

I went back into the shelter when the clouds opened back up. Cory was asleep, but his face had tear tracks as well. Maybe that’s why he left me alone. It made me feel a little less lonely though, and that was a welcome feeling.

The next morning, I got up very early and started to hike. My back hurt, but I couldn't care less. I just needed somewhere peaceful to think.

On my hike, I pondered Cory and my friendship. We had known each other for a very long time. We had held each others hands when things got tough. We were always there when the other needed a shoulder to cry on, or somewhere to vent. We helped each other out. We were like siblings.

I made my way back to our camp around noon. Cory was up, tending to a fire, and apparently cooking something as well. When he realized that I was standing behind him, he jumped. He stood up from his kneeling position. “I thought you promised not to leave again,” he said.

“I needed some air,” I said.

Cory’s face turned bitter. “And you think that is an acceptable excuse to leave here without leaving me a note or waking me?” he demanded.

“I'm sorry I left, okay? I just needed to get away from this god awful excuse for a home. Forgive me if I needed a place to think and clear my mind,” I retorted.

Cory looked at me. I expected to see rage, or bitterness, or anger at the least. But he just laid his head in his hands and wept. And wept. After ten minutes, I grabbed his hands and moved them away from his face. He looked up at me, tears still streaming down his face.

“What's wrong?” I questioned sincerely.

“I am sorry. I'm just stressed out. I was just so worried about you, crying yesterday and then being gone today. It was nerve wracking not knowing where you were; I'm sorry. Excuse me for being so ornery today,” he apologized.

“I'm sorry too,” I said. “I've been thinking about myself a lot lately.”

“You're just being human,” he said with a smile.

“A totally pigheaded one, to say the least,” I agreed.

“Promise me you'll never do that again, and keep your promise this time?” he asked.

“I promise,” I agreed.