Emma: Seventh Grade

Chapter 7: Fugitive

The more Emma thought about running away, the more she liked the idea. She would pack enough stuff to last her until Saturday, then she would walk to Lizzie's house to hang out then. Also, if she ran away, her mom couldn't make her go to school. It was a win-win. Emma rolled off her bed and changed out of her volleyball clothes. She put on a pair of low-riding skinny jeans with holes ripped in the thighs, and she slipped on a pink spaghetti-strap tank top over her bare body. Then she grabbed a gray Victoria's Secret pullover sweatshirt and slipped it on overtop of the tank.

Then, Emma dug a spare backpack out of her closet and started packing it with all the necessities: her wallet with money in it, extra clothes, her toothbrush, hairbrush, and makeup bag. She also threw her phone charger, a pillow, and a blanket in the bag. Emma then put on a pair of white, lace ballerina flats and threw the backpack over her shoulders. She then grabbed her phone and stuck it in the side pocket.

Emma tiptoed carefully downstairs, making sure that her mom and Craig were out of sight. When she heard giggling and laughing coming from her mom's bedroom, Emma knew she was safe to proceed. She silently made her way through the living room and kitchen, and slipped out the front door, closing it quietly behind her.

The sun was setting as Emma walked through her neighborhood. The houses had a warm glow inside their windows that contrasted against the twilight sky. She folded her arms across her chest and shivered; the wind was starting to pick up, making it quite chilly. But Emma had made up her mind. Cold or no cold, she was running away no matter what. Her mom would probably be overjoyed when she would find out that Emma was gone.

Emma continued wandering the town for a couple hours. The wind was blowing at a steady pace as the temperature continued to drop. Emma was shivering uncontrollably; she crossed her arms as tight as she could while pulling her hands in the arms of her sweatshirt. Could this night get any colder? Looking at her phone, Emma saw that it was almost midnight. She decided to try and find a place to lay down for the night. She was exhausted, freezing, and her feet hurt. Most of the houses were darkened inside, signifying that their residents had gone to sleep for the night. Most of the stores and restaurants were also dark, with only their signs lit up. A few bars were open, with a few stragglers going in and out.

Emma managed to find an alley behind a grocery store that was partially sheltered from the wind. It wasn't the ideal place for sleeping, but it would have to do. She got down on her knees, took off her backpack, and dug out her pillow and blanket. Wrapping herself in her blanket, Emma lay down on the cold concrete with her head on her pillow, curling up into a ball, hugging her knees to her chest. She was still shivering violently, and her limbs were stiff with cold. Just then, Emma felt a rain drop on her forehead. That one was followed by another, which in turn, was followed by three more. Pretty soon, it started coming down like a shower. Emma sighed; she knew it was going to be a long night. The rain made her colder than she had ever been in her life. It was draining all the energy from her, and she could barely move.

It wasn't long until Emma was soaked to the bone. No amount of extra layers she put on would make her warm now. Emma wanted to take off her wet clothes, but her body was paralyzed with cold. She could barely think straight; it was like the cold was starting to affect her brain. However, Emma wasn't shivering anymore. It was like her body was starting to give up. Her breathing was beginning to slow down drastically, and she was starting to slip in and out of consciousness. She was barely aware of what was going on around her.

Emma couldn't tell if she was dreaming or just in a huge brain fog. Even if she wanted to, she couldn't even open her eyes to see. She heard a strange voice call, "Little girl, wake up!" But Emma couldn't wake up. She was in a deep, cold, dark place she couldn't escape. Her mind was surrounded by nothingness, like a black hole. The black hole was pulling her down, down, down....