The Runaways

Chapter One 

“Meaghan Nicole Mowry, I don’t want to call your name again. Get down here and finish with these boxes!” My mother called my name for the tenth time. And yet again she calls the wrong name; I don’t think she’ll ever get this right. I throw my backpack down on my bed and finally make my way downstairs. I walked down; air still smelling of fresh paint (one of my favorite smells) and plumbers BO (one of my least favorites).

“Mom, I’m not Meaghan anymore, you can’t call me that.” I reminded her. She had her head stuck in a cabinet under the sink and jumped when I spoke, hitting her head. She pulled out holding the back of her head and looked at me through one eye.

“Yeah, Hun, but I named you and it’s hard not to call you by that anymore.” She grabbed another large cardboard box labeled “Kitchen” and started unpacking that. I looked around the living room; there were still a few boxes left unpacked.

“I already took my stuff up, what am I supposed to be taking?” I asked.

“Remember, you were supposed to fix the bathroom.” Mom reminded me. Oh yeah, I got the bathroom and my room. Mom had the kitchen, her room, and the living room. The guest bedroom was our joint effort. I lifted the heavy box and dragged it up stairs, leaving it in front of the bathroom door and going back into my room.

I looked around another new room and flopped down on my bed. We were always moving, Mom and I. The last times they weren’t always so successful; he always found us somehow, but this time Mom was sure this would work, I still had my doubts. I sat up and opened the first box I could reach; my books. I start to sort through them so that I can actually put them on the bookcase, but I can’t stop myself from remembering why we had to keep moving in the first place.

I was six when my mother and I moved away for the first time, without my dad. My mom told me it was because my dad and her were having a few problems and needed to work them out separately. I saw my dad a few times after that, three to be exact, but then he completely disappeared. Mom and I were almost happy. I made some really cool friends, I was on honor roll, and Mom had a good job and got to see her old friends more often.

It was just after my tenth birthday that dad finally made his appearance. I’d just gotten home from school and eating some bagel bites and root beer when the door bell rang. Mom was in the kitchen cleaning, so I ran to go answer it. I stepped on the foot stool, because I was too short to see through the peep hole any other way, but saw only a man with his hat over his face. I swung the door open and stood there in shock.

“Hey M&Ms!” My dad exclaimed. He called me by my nickname M&M (like the candy, but because my initials were actually M N M). He stood there in new jeans and a rain coat, even though it wasn’t raining yet. Holding a stuffed bear and some tulips. He held the gifts out to me, but I just stood there stuck. Mom had said I wouldn’t be seeing him again, but here he was with a large pink and white teddy bear. Just as I regained my sense mom came bustling around the corner.

“Who is it Mea?” She called, but stopped short as she saw for herself. She quickly walked up to me and put her hands across my chest, protectively, though I had no idea what she was protecting me from; this was my father after all.

“What do you want Robert?” She asked roughly.

“I came to see my girls. It’s been so long.” He told her, flashing his brilliant smile.

“Hey Mea, why don’t you go get started on that homework, Kay Hun.” She told me. I looked at my father, his face still smiling, to my mother whose eyes were narrow and unsmiling. Dad still held the gifts out to me, so I took them and walked around mom to my bedroom.