IN THE HEIGHTS

5

(A/N this is a long one but I really enjoyed writing it so comment other stuff you want to see like this)

Vanessa just wanted to get away. Not from anyone in particular, and not to any place in particular. Just away.

Maybe she could go over to another country, treat it as a holiday. Maybe that way, the pain of leaving won't sting as much.. or she could just move states. She could be nearby and visit every so often, but she'd need a car for that..

~~~~~

She was 7 when she'd first wanted to leave. That was when her dad had died and her mom had turned to the drinks. And Vanessa, little Vanessa with her waist length dark hair and her bruised knees, ripped denim dungarees and sparkling eyes, had been alone.

Sure, her mom wasn't too bad, not at that age. She drank, of course she did, but she'd come and say goodnight to Vanessa, kiss her head softly and tell her she loved her. And for a few weeks, that was enough. But Vanessa had wanted to grieve her father properly. She couldn't do it at the funeral, not with so many people watching. Ideally she'd do it at home, alone. And maybe her mom would come in and hold her and comfort her..

No such luck..

And so Vanessa had ran.

She couldn't go far. She couldn't even get a train ticket, she was 7.. but she went to Nina's house and knocked on the door, a small rucksack filled with clothes and things on her back.

Nina's mom had answered.

"Hey, Camila, is Nina here?" She'd said, already being welcomed in. Nina ran out of her bedroom at the sound of Vanessa's voice and they'd ran off together to talk.

"I'm not going back." Vanessa told her. "I'm going to stay with Abuela or somewhere else. I don't want to go back." Nina had frowned and asked why. And Vanessa had told Nina that her mother didn't love her anymore. Camila had overheard and they'd had a nice serious talk, much too serious for a 7 year old girl, but she didn't have much choice. Of course her mom loved her, she just needed time..

So Vanessa went back home.

~~~~~~

The next time Vanessa properly tried to run away, she was 13. There had been several instances between 7 year old Vanessa and 13 year old Vanessa when she'd wanted to run. But she'd always gone to Nina and Nina's mother had always had the same conversation with her. But she was leaving. Now.

She'd packed her bags. Not overly full of clothes this time. Food, bottles of water, essentials that she would need on the run. There was some clothes in there, but she'd got enough money to feed herself and at 13, she knew that was the most important thing.

She'd set off first thing, her mom wouldn't be up to notice she was gone until at least mid afternoon, even then she might not notice. She'd been on the drink more and more since Vanessa's fathers death.

So when Vanessa had braided her hair in two long plaits (which she never did unless they had cross country at school-and they were on break) and set off with a large rucksack and a few smaller bags full of protein bars and bottles of water, no one was there to stop her.

She'd gotten a train ticket, if you tell the person on the train that you're going to visit a relative and you give them the right money, they won't stop you. Vanessa had almost fallen asleep on the train ride, after being up all night planning this, she reckoned she'd deserve a rest.