Run

Chapter 1

I place the last can of soup on the conveyor belt before sifting through my coin purse for cash and coupons. I can't afford to be paying full price for anything. As much as my pride hurt at having to use them, I need them to get by. I'm already eating the bare minimum.

Carrying my groceries home always gives me time to think. I need to come up with some extra money to patch my roof. Theoretically I can use some wood and metal from from the shed but I don't want to risk transferring any pests or fungus that might be growing in there. I will if I have to, but I need to make this house last for a little while longer.

I'm careful to climb off the bus. I almost lose two cans of soup last week. I continue my trek down the old country road. It would be a pain in the ass to drive down. I guess it's a good thing no one lives this way.

I make it home and begin to unload my groceries. Mostly canned foods and some peanut butter and bread. No produce or frozen food since that will only spoil.

There's still some light left by the time I finish so I take the opportunity to do some work by the window. I'm honestly surprised that my eyes are still good considering how bad candlelight is for them.

I finally finish and head to bed. I'm occupying the inside of a closet at the moment. I shift from room to room given my mood. Recently I've been a bit more fearful. Having even this smaller house all to myself is still lonely. The weather doesn't help with that either. Rain season means things tend to go wrong on all sorts of levels. I wouldn't be surprised if this place flooded this spring.

It's supposed to rain again tonight so I make sure to set up the pots and pans where I know the leaks are. I settle in for the night and doze off.

I wake up with a start when I hear a crashing noise. I look around the closet and strain my ears. Maybe it was just thunder. I curl up into a ball. I've always hated thunder storms. They made me feel so small and insignificant in the worst of ways.

I finally fall back asleep after an hour of trying to calm myself. I wish I could remember back to times of comfort but all my memories have a dark fog over them. They feel like a completely different life than the one I'm living now.

The weekend is long and full of rain. I keep myself occupied with readings and budgeting. As stressful as it may be at times, the fact is, I can leave whenever I please. Whatever obligations I may have are short term, which means no matter how bad it is, it will pass.

At least, that's what I tell myself.

My alarm goes off Monday morning. I have to be ready to go by 5:30 so I can make it to my bus. I have to get to the next town over, which means transferring several times. I typically arrive around 7, giving me enough time to shower in the locker room before a lot of people start showing up.

My days are typically busy from start to finish. I don't have that much free time during the week and need to manage myself accordingly. After classes I have a 6-8 hour shift at a convenient store. From there I take the same buses home and finish whatever work I don't get done during the day. It's busy but I can get by. I suppose life would be much easier if I had a car but that doesn't seem possible.

I'm finishing up a packet from my Geometry class when the class intercom crackles on.

"Mrs. Johnson, could we have Kit James to the office?" The receptionist requests.

"Kit," Mrs. Johnson nods toward me, "She's on her way."

I don't like the sound of this. I've never been called to the office before.

"Go ahead and take your stuff," Mrs. Johnson smiles, "The bell is about to ring soon."

I gather my things and head to the main office. I can feel my heart racing as I walk through the empty halls. I wonder if they finally caught on that I forged all the documentation. I can lie and say there was just a big misunderstanding, but I'd have to get someone to play my mom. I'm not sure I can do that on such short notice. Last time it took me weeks to find the right candidate to come register me.

I stop short when I'm able to hear people speaking within the office.

"We have all her records right here," A woman spoke, "Perfect attendance and test scores since she transferred into the district."

"I can't apologize enough for letting this get by," Another woman says with embarrassment.

My stomach drops.

"No, it's our own fault for not-"

I don't bother to listen to any more of this. The bell ringing signals the flooding of students into the hall. I take the opportunity to go to my locker. I grab anything I might need before sneaking out the back doors of the school. I need to get home and clear everything out. I have a few bags but I'll have to decide between food and clothes.

I'm already thinking about what clothes I'll definitely need to bring when a black muscle car pulls up beside me. I take once glance at the grown men inside before taking off in a sprint.

"Hey!" One of them calls out.

I hear a car door shut and the car rev. I venture a glance over my shoulder to see a practical giant chasing me. There is no way I can outrun him. But I can try outsmarting him.

I take sharp right into the street causing the guy still driving to slam on the breaks. He barely stops in time.

"Kieth!" The tall one yells as the driver skids to a stop.

I continue running through someone's yard and take off down an alley.

"Kit!" I hear them call after me but I don't stop running.