Run Away

Chapter 2

The small grocery store was busy for an early weekday, which surprised Elle. She wandered along the aisles casually. Finding something she needed, Elle carefully glanced in both directions to make sure no one was around or watching, then quickly slipped the item into her bag. Casually, she flicked her backpack behind her as though she hadn't touched a thing.

Half an hour later, she walked to the front of the store, bypassing the registers and out the front door.

"Excuse me!" called a voice behind Elle, but she ignored them and continued on her way, quickening her step. "Miss!"

Elle suddenly felt a hand on her elbow that turned her around. She came face to face with an older man in his late forties, with greying hair and a frown creasing his brow.

"You need to come with me," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Let go of me," Elle complained, trying to pull her arm free of his grasp. It was useless as he tightened his hold and started to direct her back into the store, Elle struggling the entire time.

The man took Elle into an office out the back and forced her to sit on a chair. She held her backpack on her lap, tight against her chest, not willing to let it go. The man questioned Elle, asking to look in her bag. She simply turned her head and looked away, refusing to say a thing. With a frustrated sigh, the man picked up his phone and rang the police.

Not long after, two police officers came into the office and directed Elle to follow them. They led her, handcuffed, out to their car parked out front. Elle was very much aware of all the eyes watching her as she climbed in the back seat. She tried her best to hide her face with her hood.

At the police station, Elle was directed into a small room with only a table and a chair either side of the table. She sat in one, her backpack placed on the table. Out of the backpack one of the officers pulled out five apples, a small box of muesli bars, a large bottle of water and a box of tampons.

"Let me guess," the young male officer asked while the male partner stood in the corner, "You forgot to pay."

"No," Elle replied simply, speaking for the first time, "Forgetting to pay implies I have money to pay, which I don't."

"Alright," the officer sat down in the opposite chair to hers, "Let's start with your name and then we will have to call your parents."

"Amy," Elle lied, it had come so easily to her now dealing with the police.

"Okay Amy," the officer writing it down on the notepad in front of him, "And what's your parents' number so we can call them."

"Don't have any," Elle replied simply, avoiding his glance in her direction.

"Well, who do you live with?"

"No one."

"Listen, you're going to have to give me something or you are going to find yourself locked up for stealing. What's it going to be?" Irritation was evident in his voice. He couldn't understand why she wouldn't give him any straight answers.

"So, lock me up," Elle remarked, shrugging her shoulders and looking away.

It was probably safest for her and would also mean she would be fed and have somewhere dry to stay. Given she wasn't yet eighteen it would mean only juvenile detention, which wasn't anything new to Elle. She had spent a few nights there previously for the same thing. It wasn't her plan that morning to get caught, but if that was the result it wouldn't be a bad one.

The police officer groaned in frustration and ran a hand through his hair. With only a look to his partner they left the room, closing the door behind them. Elle wondered what they were doing. Normally they would take her to lock up by now.

After some discussion between the two officers outside the room, where Elle could not hear them, they decided to call in Social Services to deal with the young teen. It was obvious she wasn't going to make it easy for them, but they could also clearly see they weren't dealing with a usual shoplifting incident.

The two had seen it many times before with teenaged girls, but normally they would steal make-up, music or movies, alcohol and majority of the time, clothes. This girl didn't have any of that. What she had stolen could be called essential items. Something didn't add up and she wasn't going to give away the answer any time soon. What they couldn't figure out is why she would so readily agree to being locked up.

A woman from Social Services arrived an hour later. She introduced herself to the two police officers and they caught her up to speed with what was going on. The woman looked through the one-way window and her brow furrowed in concern when she saw the girl sitting at the table, eating one of the apples she had stolen.

"Leave it with me," she said to the officers and opened the door, going into the room and closing it behind her.

"Amy? Or is it Elle?" Sandra asked walking over to the table and sitting down in the chair opposite Elle.

Elle looked up in surprise, the blood suddenly draining from her face.

"What are you doing here?" Elle murmured quietly.

"I work for Social Services," Sandra answered, "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Elle replied, looking away.

"So, let's start with the basics then," Sandra smiled, ignoring the tone in Elle's voice, "Why did you steal these things? Any of these items you could have gotten from my home this morning."

Elle held her tongue, refusing to answer Sandra's questioning. She just wanted the interrogation to be over and done. Elle just wanted to be locked-up and safe.

"Elle, you need to talk to me if I'm going to help you," Sandra pleaded in a caring voice.

"I don't need your help," Elle said unkindly, regretting it right away, she slunk down in her chair.

"Looks to me like you do," Sandra stated calmly.

Elle looked away again.

"Elle, if you don't let me help you they will put you in juvenile detention. Is that what you want?"

"I already told them to lock me up and they went and called you," Elle said crossly.

It wasn't Sandra's fault for trying to help Elle, she was just doing her job and was a kind-hearted person, but Elle couldn't afford to get attached to Sandra or get sucked into her kindness. Putting up a wall between them was her best option.

"Right then," Sandra said standing up and walking to the door.

Elle didn't have any idea what happened after Sandra left the room, but more than an hour later the police were letting Elle go, on the one condition that Sandra took responsibility for her. Elle was one hundred percent against the idea, but Sandra wouldn't hear anything about it.

That's how Elle found herself back in Sandra's car that afternoon and heading back to Sandra's house.

"I don't want to do this," Elle sulked, looking out the window.

"Well, guess what," Sandra stated, "You don't have a choice."

Elle sighed in defeat and wondered when she could run off before it got too complicated.

"First thing we need to do is get you enrolled into school," Sandra announced.

Elle balked at the idea of having to go to school, she would be too visible.

"I can't. You can't" Sandra looked sideways at Elle and Elle continued on. "You don't have any documentation and they aren't just going to let me in."

"You let me worry about that," Sandra mentioned calmly, "All you need to worry about is what name you want to be known as. I know Elle and Amy aren't your real names, so this is your last chance to pick something good."

Elle stared away, out her window. Silence extended between them in the car.

"Fine," Sandra spoke, breaking the quiet, "You're my responsibility according to the officials, so I'll name you. Let's see, Kelly was named after my mother and Owen after Brian's father. What about Evelyn, after my grandmother? You can shorten it to Evie if you like."

"Whatever," Evie shrugged. "Won't matter anyway, I won't be here for long."