36 Questions

Something Wrong

I have no clue where I am. Biting my lip, I silently cursed Granny (bless her) for telling me to explore new interests. Those interests now had me wandering some random creepy street two hours later without the faintest clue of where I was. Everything around me smelled like sewage. The buildings were cast oddly and frankly creepily in the semi-fading light, the shabbiness not helping. It was worse than where I had lived with Granny, and that hadn't been the best area for anyone. Restless dogs barked up against fences, making me flinch and stand as close to the street as I could.

I was beginning to get a little worried. Aunt Chrissy was going to be getting home at any time...and I wasn't sure how she reacted to absentee teenagers. She wasn't going to call Granny, was she? My grandmother would undoubtedly at first be happy that I was actually out of the house, and then furious. She hadn't even let me go to friend's houses after school without her meeting the parents of said friend when I was little... I could only imagine how she would respond if there wasn't the faintest notion of where I was.

Gulping back discouragement, I looked around, taking note of where I had come from. Perhaps if I backtrack... I started to walk towards where I thought I had come from, only to decide that that wasn't it, and it was behind me. A slight panic building in my chest, I turned around...

To face a boy. "Sorry, sorry, I- "I bit down my apology as I glanced up at the boy's face, right at chocolate-brown eyes. "Miles?"

He looked about as startled as I did, his eyebrows raised, his face a little paler. From the visible movement of his chest, I could tell that he was breathing hard. His chest. Oh. I took a step back so that I wasn't practically on his toes anymore.

"Chrissy's niece," he greeted in his deep voice, returning to a state of calm. He lifted a side of his mouth, also taking a step back, which I found to be a little unnecessary. One of the dogs from the side gates barked again, making me jump.

"Sorry," I apologized again, offering a small smile, but with a still thundering heart. "I didn't mean to run into you...literally."

"It's okay. What are you doing in this neighborhood? I thought Chrissy lived in a place that wasn't a dump."

I shrugged, fighting down the panic again...and the massive feeling of weirdness at having such a coincidence.

"I...sort of got lost trying to find home. I don't suppose you could tell me where I am?"

He nodded. "Harold Street. You didn't see the sign?"

"Not really. I thought I could just, you know, find my way back without reading anything. Sense of direction and everything." I furrowed my brow, suddenly having to fight down the urge to smack myself. "A plan I now realize was stupid and I should have figured that out about ten years ago." He looked completely unimpressed, almost annoyed. "Sorry, I'm sort of used to just staying at home and having my Grandma taking me places only when necessary."

He didn't make fun of me, which I appreciated, as I was going to give myself a severe talking to once I got back to Aunt Chrissy's. He just nodded, like that made sense and smiled a little bit more, like he wanted to be nice, but also just wanted to get home.

I cleared my throat awkwardly. "Um, could you tell me where Angel Avenue is? I think that's where where I'm staying at is." He nodded again.

"Yeah. Do you want a ride? My car's just over there, and the street at this time of day can get a little..." He trailed off, and I realized with a twinge of guilt and horror that this was where he lived. Practically a ghetto.