Chill air nipped at Carter's ears and nose as she walked aimlessly down the cracked sidewalk. She mentally kicked herself for not thinking to bring a jacket, mittens, or in the least, some thicker socks.
Carter fiddled with Marks wallet in her hands. She had enough money to buy a cheap jacket but... just barely. She had to manage her spending wisely as she still had to fill her belly.
A sudden breeze ruffled Carter's hair and a shiver shot down her spine. She rubbed her biceps with her hands and held her breath, willing the cold to go away.
How could she possibly survive the night without another layer? Reluctantly, Carter began to scan the streets for a clothing store.
Thirty minutes of wandering past before Carter spotted Second Hand. Even better. She thought. Walking inside the large building, Carter was quickly enveloped by a blanket of warmth. Relieved to be out of the cold, Carter began searching the isles. Eventually, she stumbled into a black hoodie with a logo she was unfamiliar with.
When the cashier scanned Carter's jacket she did all she could to avoid eye contact; either by counting her money or watching his hands tap into the computer.
"That's eight dollars, eleven cents." He said.
Carter scrunched her eyebrows in confusion, and for the first time, looked him in the eyes. "I thought it was twelve?"
He shrugged, "Tag must be wrong."
Carter, feeling flustered, handed the cashier nine dollars. After getting her change, and attempting to smile a 'thanks' at the boy, she left the store and pulled on the hoodie. It was a size too big and incredibly comfortable. Already, Carter was feeling warmer.
An hour later, Carter stood in line at McDonald's. She watched the ground steadily, not unaware of some of the eyes on her. Carter felt herself blushing and she pulled up her hood in an attempt to guard herself.
Mark generally didn't hit Carter's face. Or, even if he did, Mom would put on concealer before Carter left for school- hiding the worst of the bumps and bruises. She didn't even think to take some with her when she left the house. She didn't think of what she looked like at the time, being more concerned about her mother and getting out.
Carter briefly wondered if she should go home. Whether to pick up warmer clothes and a blanket, or maybe to stay, she wasn't sure. Just to go somewhere familiar. Leaving the house was only acting on a whim, and a risky one at that.
She was curious as to what Mark and Mom were thinking now. Had they even noticed Carter was gone? It took a while before they recognized Mason's disappearance. It took several days before they noticed, actually, as Mark used to trap Mason in the basement for days on end. So it wasn't uncommon to not see Mason moving about the house.
Sometimes at night, Carter would steal the key from Mark's nightstand and let Mason out so he could use the bathroom and eat, or sleep in his own bed for a few hours. One of these nights, however, without telling Carter, Mason left through his bedroom window.
When Carter went to wake up her brother, only to see he was gone, she panicked and searched the house for him. After coming up short, she ran into the basement and attempted to break the window to the fire escape. Mark had kept it locked, and apparently replaced the glass with something that wouldn't shatter, because even when Carter broke a chair on it, the glass was left with nothing but scratches.
Then, in a frenzy, Carter had locked the basement door, returned the key to Mark's bedstand, closed Mason's bedroom window, and threw its tattered screen into the forest.
It took Mark, Carter couldn't remember how long exactly, but it took roughly two or three days before he noticed Mason wasn't in the basement. Obviously when he found out someone had been letting him out, Carter paid for it heavily.
"Ma'am."
Carter almost jumped out of her skin. She was next in line. She stepped forward, almost tripping, and stuttered an apology.
The cashier brushed it off. "How may I help you?" She asked.
Carter scanned the menu. "Er, could I have a, uh, a number three?" She asked. A cheese burger, some fries, and a drink was all she could want right now.
"Large or small fry?"
"Does a large fry cost more?"
The cashier nodded.
"Er, small, then."
"For here or to go?"
"To go."
"That's six-seventeen."
Carter handed the cashier seven dollars, gave her her name, received her change, then waited in a booth for her order to be called.
Thinking back now, that basement window was already rather scratched up, even before Carter took a chair to it. She'd never thought of it before, but it seems like Mason may have tried to claw his way out of the basement long before he left through his bedroom.
Carter wondered if he left through his window so she wouldn't ask where he was going when he left through the front door. She was watching TV while he left. She was watching Aqua Teen Hunger Force, she remembers. She doesn't like the show, she never has.
Was he afraid the door would creak, too? Carter twiddled her thumbs in thought. She had climbed out of Mason's bedroom window for that reason. The front door was too risky.
"Number seventy-three!"
Carter returned to the register at her numbers announcement. She smiled at the cashier, took her bag, filled her cup with sweet tea, and left.
It was noticeably more relaxed outside now than when Carter first stepped off the bus, she noticed. Were most people at their jobs now?
Carter's heart stopped at the sight of a cop car. If Mom or Mark had noticed Carter's being gone they would have called the police. They did when Mason left. She remembers being intervied by CPS, she remembers telling them her rehearsed lies.
Carter shoved her bag of food into her jacket before turning into an alley; careful to stay out of the line of sight of the police.
She jumped once when she heard a siren, but upon realizing it came from a cop pulling over another car, Carter continued down the way. Alley after alley after sidewalk after road.
She stopped briefly when she spotted a train slowly trudging along the tracks. It had just left its post, and when noticing an open shipment container, Carter began to run.
She ran alongside the cargo box for a moment, setting her drink and bag of food inside, and she hoisted herself up following.
Carter grinned wildly when she sat inside. She couldn't believe she made it in!
With newfound confidence, Carter pulled out her burger, still relatively warm considering she's been carrying it for the last ten or fifteen minutes, and took a greedy bite. Followed by a swig of her refreshing tea.
The burger was gone in minutes, around the same time it took the train to pick up real speed. She moved into a dark corner- to where the wind hit her the least- and checked her bag. A large fry made a mess inside.
