Month two. Shane and I have traveled all the way through Iran by train. We thought we would make the most of our time. It took us too long the travel by foot. We'd never reach him by my eighteenth birthday this way.
So I was stuck on a stuffy train, with too many nice people for a WEEK. In Iran, and all the 'stans' are the kindest of all the people in our world. And as annoying that was, they don't ask ANY questions, which was good for us.
But now here we are, trying to get to the black sea. But there are no trains going through Armenia or Georgia. And the border control is on steroids. We have to go low profile. Like hella low profile.
"Shane, I don't want to wear this weird ass crap!" I whisper in frustration. We are in a joint bathroom, changing into clothes to make us look like homeless people. The government just ignores those low lifes.
"Stop your whining and put on the damn rags!" he hisses from the other side of the bathroom.
I sigh and put on the dirty, oversized, smelly clothes. I look over at Shane, and burst out laughing.
He looks absolutely ridiculous!
He shoves me slightly, and stands in front of the mirror. He runs the faucet, and mats his hair with dirt from outside. I run olive oil through my long locks, and then pour dirt over my head. I then pull it up into now what looks like an insanely greasy ponytail.
Yuck.
Shane and I shove our backpacks into old, gross potato sacks, that way no one can see the nice quality.
Shane and I creep out of the bathroom, and start traveling right on the border.
I hear dogs barking, and my heart races. The shadows looks like rushing streams of ink. Police look like demons from hell. I sleep in dumpsters. It's hell on earth.
And I do this for two whole weeks. When we sleep, it's cold as fuck.
Shane and I have to huddle together to remain body heat. Lucky for us, Shane and I are just friends.
On the tenth night, Shane and I snuggle into our dumpster. This night is especially cold. He wraps his arms around my middle in an attempt to warm me up.
Physically it does nothing. But my heart warms knowing I have Shane to protect me.
.............................................................................................................................
"Viper! Wake up!" Shane whisper screams. I push him away, hunkering into the trash.
He groans, and practically lifts my ass out of the dumpster.
The cold air hits like a brick. I swat at him, wide awake now.
"What is so important that you had to wake me up?!" I whisper scream back. He glares at me, but that quickly turns into a grin.
"I have a surprise."
And he sets off. I roll my eyes, and run after the quick bastard. I curse under my breath as Shane disappears from my sight. I can hear his loud footsteps slapping on the wet pavement though. So I rip off my hat, and follow the sound of footsteps.
I come into an alleyway, which ends in a dead end.
Shane standing there proudly, bearing what he found like a cat who caught a rat.
And Shane's rat, is a dog. I try to look scornful, like 'no we can't take in this dog' but the dog stares into my eyes, and I melt. I rush forward and start petting the beautiful dog.
"I knew you'd like him!" Shane chuckles. I ignore him, making faces at the dog.
It's a German Sheppard. He is quite big, with beautiful brown eyes. His tail wags in fluffy arcs.
I wonder why this perfect, beautiful dog is on the streets, when I see it.
Though he has brown eyes, I notice they're a little glassy looking.
"He's blind, isn't he?" I question, tears pooling in my eyes. Shane nods, quietly. I look back at the dog, and pet his soft fur on the top of his head.
"Hey, buddy. Little damaged are we?" The puppy licks my hand. I smile.
"I'm a little damaged, too. And so is Shane! We'll be the, the-" I look over at Shane. He is smiling at me, with a look of brotherly protectiveness.
"The damaged trio! Like a gang," I laugh. Shane ducks down, and we're in a petting circle.
"What are we gonna name this little guy?" Shane asks. I tilt my head to the side, pondering it myself.
I remember the book I'm reading now. Shane now knows of my secret collection. I finished the first book series a long time ago, and all its counter series. Now I'm reading something called The Selection Series. I just finished the third book out of five.
And I remember this character, who was strong, loving, kind, and damaged, but still found love.
"Aspen," I whisper. The dog snaps his head toward me. I laugh, pulling Aspen into my chest. He lays his head on my shoulder, and his paw on my arm, like he's hugging me back.
"Aspen it is," Shane laughs. "We need to clean up, all three of us."
"Why?" I ask, rubbing Aspens belly.
"We're taking a boat across the Black Sea, and they need to pass as normal people."
"You'll have trouble with that," I mumble. He smacks my shoulder. I lean away, not appreciating the smack to my shoulder. It reminds me of Gray.
As I walk to the bathrooms to clean up, I think about him.
I missed his birthday. I had the most perfect gift for him, but I hid where no one would hide it. It was an ornate desk that was three hundred years old. But I painted it to make it look like the frozen lake he loves, with the cherry blossoms floating frozen at the top. I hid it in an old abandoned garage five miles from the house. I silently wash myself in the bathroom, and realize the water streaming down my face isn't from the faucet, it's from my tear ducts.
I clean up, all the while thinking about Gray. Every year on his birthday, I would make him cherry donuts, with strawberry glaze. Then we'd walk to school, me giving him a piggy back a hundred feet from the school, all the way to his locker. Despite me being significantly shorter, I could still carry him.
Then, I would leave little gifts in his locker throughout the day. Then, we go home, and play whatever he wants. Which is usually a racing game, on the old game console. It has little cartoon characters racing in cars that look like them. We always chose the Italian plumber guys. I was the red one since I'm short, and Gray's the green one, since he's tall.
Then he'd go home and have his birthday dinner with his family, and then we'd meet in the hide out and have our dinner. Cheese, crackers, and tons of soda. And then I give him his biggest gift of all. I was gonna give him a scavenger hunt this year to find the old abandoned shed.
I can't put on makeup, I'm crying so hard. The door pushes open, and I hastily wipe away my tears. Then I see Aspen. He's wet and covered in suds. I laugh, and hear Shane's exasperated shouts. I can hear him right outside my door.
"DAMNIT!" He shouts. My laughs bubble right out of me. Aspen is just wagging his tail, his big floppy tongue hanging out of his mouth.
"I'VE GOT HIM!" I yell to Shane. Luckily for us, there are showers in the bathrooms put their by some charity.
I lead the wiggling Aspen to the showers. I let the water run, and Aspen stands under the streams, and suds all wash out. He shakes like a good boy, and runs into the dryer room where warm air spurts out.
I think he must have gone blind after he was adopted, because he is clearly well trained.
Aspen comes out of the showers, fluffy and warm to the touch. I smile, and pet him. Before I know it, I'm crying again. I thought this wasn't suppose to happen when you decide to be brave!!!!!
Aspen just licks the tears off my face, and shoves his head into my chest until I'm ready to leave the bathroom.
Shane smiles at the two of us when we walk out. I see a bright rope in between his hands.
"What's that?" I ask, pointing to the braided purple, green, and blue rope.
"I brought this along," he says. "I like to make knots when I'm nervous. So I made a leash for Aspen."
I nod along. Aspen needs to look like he hasn't been homeless for a year as possible.
We loop around the hole for his head, and he wags his giant tail. Shane and I, to look like a real couple, link hands and walk off to the boat, Aspen at our side.
This beats living in a dumpster for two weeks, that is for sure!HELLO LOVLIES!!!!!!! Sorry for being so late on the chapter! New chapter should be coming much sooner!
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Love Is Moons Away
RomanceAnthia has a necklace. And some one has another half of it, and that person is her soul mate. But her soul mate hasn't come and found her yet. So, she sets out on a journey, breaking hundreds of years of tradition, to find her true love. Along the w...